• Copywork365
  • Posts
  • 13(ish)-DEC-2024 | Clarks’ “One step down, 75,000 miles to go” Ad by Peter Gatley

13(ish)-DEC-2024 | Clarks’ “One step down, 75,000 miles to go” Ad by Peter Gatley

Author

Dan Bogachek
December 14, 2024

Clarks’ “One step down, 75,000 miles to go” Ad by Peter Gatley

One step down, 75,000 miles to go.

Ah, the patter of tiny feet.

But right now, as they set out on life’s marathon, they’re at their most vulnerable.

The tiny bones are soft and easily damaged. They need a shoe to protect them. That first shoe should be light yet stable. It needs to cradle the heel and give firm support to the foot. Above all, it must fit properly.

At Clarks, we insist the shoes fit the feet, not the feet fit the shoes. We make sure all our shoes are fitted by a trained assistant. They come in whole and half sizes and up to five width fittings. For healthy growth, we always allow up to three months’ growing room.

Is it worth buying good shoes when little ones grow out of them so quickly?

Well, good shoes make good feet. And good feet will last a lifetime. 🏁

  • Hook: contrast in scale. It scratches some strange itch we all have, and it’s used all the time. After the first time you recognize it, you see it everywhere.

  • Twisting the knife: with the baby’s bones — did you notice the passive language? “The tiny bones are soft and easily damaged.” What does that conjure up in our minds? They’re fragile, defenseless. The focus is on what needs protecting, not on Clarks’ shoes.

  • Hook-punchline sandwich with the callback to “75,000 miles to go.”

  • Structure: hook → pain/fear → why & how the solution eliminates the pain/fear → objection handling + setup → punchline.

You glance at your watch.

It’s 6:28. You’ve been at it since 3.
Crap. Your hot date is at 7. Running late. Sink shower it is.
Nowhere close to done editing…

“…at least all the ideas are laid out, so there’s that. Did I miss anything? I don’t think so? Ok, but how do I make it flow? I need to get the final draft to Stacey for design asap, team cutoff is at noon Thursday…”

You’ve spent dinner completely distracted. Your date just took off. You go home exhausted, plod to your desk, and crack open the laptop.

Or… it could go like this:

5:41 — you’re out of the shower and lip-syncing.
6:17 — dressed to the nines and zenned out.
7:03 — the sunset glints off your aviators as you smile hello.
8:36 — it actually feels like you’re hitting it off. Not just hot, funny to boot.
Next morning, 10:27 — polished draft ready in your inbox.
10:31 — Stacey messages back, “thanks, looks good!”

The difference?

You had Copygloss handle it yesterday afternoon.

For help with editing, email Dan:
[email protected].