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  • 15-JUN-2024 | Excerpt from Claude Hopkin’s “HUGE GUNS” Ad

15-JUN-2024 | Excerpt from Claude Hopkin’s “HUGE GUNS” Ad

Author

Dan Bogachek
June 15, 2024

Excerpt from Claude Hopkin’s “HUGE GUNS” Ad

Well, that’s certainly a way to get someone’s attention.

Let’s dive in.

Grains of Wheat and Rice Shot from HUGE GUNS!

How exploding 125 million food cells makes Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice twice as delicious… and gives them the nourishment you usually expect only from hot cereals.

Scene — the laboratory of Columbia University. A scientist holds in his hand a slender glass test tube. In it are 4 grains of wheat — 4 of rice. He seals the tube. Revolves it slowly over an intense flame. Then breaks the seal and eagerly examines the contents.

The grains are puffed to 8 times their normal size! They are crisp… crunchy… fragile… uniquely delicous. Most miraculous of all, the microscope shows that every one of the thousands of tiny food cells in each grain is broken open. Thoroughly exploded — hence completely digestible!

The hook is obvious.

But what comes next is a kind of second, smaller hook: “How exploding 125 million food cells…”

1) It’s specific, so it sticks out, and 2) it adds another layer of curiosity — “How do these guns explode these ‘food cells?’ And how come twice as delicious?”

Then Hopkins paints the scene. Note the switch-up in sentence length.

The short sentences give you room to breathe and visualize each detail. The scene can come to life in your mind, piece by piece. If it were all lumped together, there’d be less time for imagination.

Also, of course — appeal to credibility and authority. Columbia University, the lab, the scientist.

Then the results. Full of sensory descriptions and specificity.

“Show, don’t tell.”

And at the end, we’re still left with the question: “Ok, that’s exploding the food cells — but what about those guns?”

And so we read on to find out… 😉

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].

Claude C. Hopkins (1866-1932)

Claude Hopkins is considered by many to be the father of modern advertising. Slogans, A/B testing, actual proper market research — all developed and perfected by Hopkins.

His Pepsodent ads were so successful that he’s credited with popularizing tooth brushing.

Certified legend.