Method Marketing (Paperback)

~ Dension Hatch (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

There is a hidden lesson in Hatch's latest paean to modern direct-mail methodologies: do not be too quick to pick successful companies to feature as examples in business books, because the minute they are selected, chances are 50-50 that their profits will start dropping. Despite the highlighting of J. Peterman Company, the examples chosen here are powerful--and more important, their workings are explained in detail. Best letters are dissected and parsed down to individual words, with statistics and research supporting the results. Hatch's colloquial tone attracts even readers otherwise not used to advertising matters; eloquent stories such as the fall and rise of Covenant House, for instance, will not fail to mesmerize. Barbara Jacobs

Product Description

In Method Marketing, Denny Hatch describes how eight multi-million dollar businesses were built by men who discovered the secret of getting inside the heads and under the skin of their costomers. "Go for points of maximum anxiety," says Bill Booner, whose $40 million a year publishing business was entirely built on the genius of his direct mail copy. "Figure out what keeps you customer or prospect lying awake at four in the morning, then hit those hot buttons and promise salvation (or at least the hope of salvation)." Bonner's key copy drivers: fear, greed and of course, salvation. In Method Marketing, you will meet many marketing geniuses along with Bob Shnayerson, who wrote his first and only sales letter - based on anger and salvation - that brought in 600,000 paying customers; Curt Strhaker, who turned a hobby into a business and David Oreck, arguably the most famous voice in America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Bonus Books (February 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156625115X
• ISBN-13: 978-1566251150
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #665,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting Inside the Customer's Head, April 20, 2007

By	James Sadler (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Denny Hatch is one of the top direct marketing copywriters working, although these days he's probably more focused on "Target Marketing," the magazine where is a contributing editor.

I first discovered Denny in 2006, when I came across his blog and got hooked on his insights into events and how they relate to marketing.

In "Method Marketing," Denny reveals his methods for creating effective, response-getting copy for direct marrketing pieces. It's based on the same premise as Method Acting, meaning the idea is to get into the head of the character, or in this case, the prospect, and figure out what drives them emotionally.

Then, you write copy designed to trigger those emotions and the desired result.

But Denny's explanation of his method isn't the best part of the book.

Other copywriters will tell you they use a similar process to write, they just haven't come up with a name for the process, as Denny has.

No, the reason to buy the book is for the samples of direct mail pieces found in each chapter of the book. The chapters, for the most part, focus on a particular company and it's direct marketing efforts. Most chapters feature the original letters, giving copywriters a chance to obtain some great pieces for their swipe files.

But, unlike most other books that show samples of direct mail pieces, Denny doesn't just publish successful pieces, he also makes us privy to some that didn't work, and explains where they failed.

He even includes a story about a series of letters that turned out to be a scam, explaining how the author pulled off the seemingly amazing predictions he was making in each letter.

And he closes with a funny tale of a legal battle that he suddenly found himself in the middle of in England, all while attending a trade show.

Is this must reading for marketers and copywriters? I'd say yes, if for no other reason than for the opportunity to add to your swipe file.

Personally, I'm using some of the Covenant House letters as inspiration for a piece I'm working on for a non-profit.

Buy it. It's worth the price of admission.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are trying to get beyond the "Hype" of today's marketing gurus, this is a great place to start., April 6, 2008

By	Bernie L. Malonson "B. Malonson" (Chandler, AZ) - See all my reviews

Although you may not be familiar with Dension "Denny" Hatch, he has probably forgotten more about Direct Marketing than many of today's experts have ever learned.

Method Marketing is a series of "Case Studies" of Direct Marketers and Direct Marketing campaigns. You will learn what has worked, what may have failed, and what drives many of the largest direct marketers around.

You will learn the secrets of...

A)Boardroom: How Martin Edelston created one of the most efficient direct marketers around.

B) Mel Martin and the secret of writing "Fascinations"

C) Agora Publishing: How Bill Bonner has used "exclusivity" to make Agora publishing a powerhouse in direct marketing.

Plus: J. Peterman, David Oreck and How Denny Hatch found himself facing imprisonment, exile and perhaps even ...., but that would be telling.

Highly Recommended!

Cheers!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Denny Hatch hits the nail on the head, June 8, 2001

By A Customer

Mr. Hatch, also editor for years of 'Who's Mailing What' sees more direct mail in a year than most of us do in a lifetime, and has studied the inside story of a staggering number direct marketing efforts. While 'book-learned' marketers play it safe (and naive) with facts-only, feature-centric direct mail creative, Denny's acknowledgement of the 'emotional sell' shows his deep understanding of what really opens a customer's wallet. Too bad more of today's marketers haven't read this book or subscribed to his pubs! -- P.S. The prior review that notes the Peterman financial failure shows the reviewer's lack of understanding of the REAL story: Peterman's success was sidetracked by the outsider he hired in, who obviously didn't have the market understanding that Peterman had. I heard the guy speak at a conference and he clearly was out of touch. Their push into retail and cinematic themes finished them off, not any flaw in Peterman's premise and execution of the printed catalog. Peterman's fatal flaw was in his hiring practices, not his own marketing expertise.