elBenbo fondles his 2024 crystal ball

One of my all-time favorite ads to study is John Carlton’s ad for: “The Crime Connection” No idea how well it did. But, I can trace many “ah-ha!” copywriting moments, lessons, ideas, tactics, strategies, and insights I extracted from studying, reading, and copying it out by hand over the years. It’s one of those ads I not only read for educational purposes, but for entertainment purposes, too. Take its opening paragraph: “Would you take investment advice from a drug dealer? Sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it? Well, don’t make up your mind too quickly — I’ve got a true story to tell you that sounds like something right out of The Godfather.” It’s like copywriting porno. And as I re-read it recently, in light of current world events, politics, wars, media manipulation, and the desperate antics of the elites propping up Creepy Joe and his puppet masters… I could not help but notice how even though that ad was written (I think) in the early 90’s, it might as well be talking about today. Literally. In fact, the headline for the ad is: “How You Can Profit From the Coming Stock Market Crash and Financial Bloodbath That Is Going to Be Caused By Cash-Rich Drug Dealers and Other Criminal Scum!” I defy you to read that ad (if you can find it) and not think of today’s newspaper headlines. It’s almost kinda eerie when you read it. Like, for example, this part: “You won’t be able to recognize the maps of U.S. cities in a few years. There will be whole new ‘suburban ghettos’ . . . [with] ‘all new ‘clean cities’ will spring up from nothing, boasting pollution-free high tech industries and freedom from crime’ If you pay attention at-all to the news a bunch of billionaires have just bought land for this purpose. Anyway, some of it has already happened. Much of it could still happen, and looks to happen (or be happening). And even if some of the names/locations are not exact, the gist of it is clear. I bring this up for two reasons: 1. I think everyone should study that ad just for the copywriting anyway (and no, I do not know where to get it, so don't ask, hunting for these ads is part of the process of benefiting from and valuing them) 2. The upcoming January Email Players issue is both a special 150th milestone issue that is a “primer” for what I believe businesses and marketers can expect in 2024, 2025, '26, and beyond, (but especially as we draw closer to the election which is almost guaranteed to be, shall I say, unusual…) with the economy. Now, before I say anything else, let me be candid about something. If you’re a reply guy or troll, I will type this especially slow so you can follow. As I suspect the RG’s and trolls will be just itching to snark about it. (They can’t help themselves, it’s literally a mental disorder for them) Anyway, here’s the caveat: I have at most 1% qualifications to talk about hard economics. I am not even anywhere near being an economist, economic historian, or even all that big a fan of doing any kind of deep research on the subject. However, I have spent many years (since about 2009 when I believe the economy should have gone into a full blown depression, but was propped up instead, with the can kicked down that dark road we’re on now…) studying people much smarter than I will ever be on the subject. I am talking about men who are admittedly outliers about this subject, and whose views are in complete opposition to the mainstream. But, who have been proven correct far more than not. And certainly more correct than the mainstream which is always, without exception, wrong. Or else lying. Or both. Back to the predictions: So all that said, since 2008-2009 I’ve been following a very specific train of thought about where the economy has all but no choice to end up in the coming months, years, and decades. I don’t care who the president is, or who is in office, or what country is invading where, for whatever horse shyt reason, or what foreign flag the simps are putting in their bios, or any of that. It simply doesn’t matter. What is coming is inevitable and has been for a very long time. One of the people above who I have learned much from was talking about what’s happening now back in 2004, and was ridiculed for it, mocked for it, and not taken seriously for it. Now, even some of his biggest trolls and haters are paying attention to him. Another of the guys was talking about exactly what’s going on in the economy in the friggin 1990s! I can only imagine the heat he must have taken for it back then. And yet another of the people I am referring to (a well known online marketer) who I interviewed about this in 2015 told me then he was already betting his entire personal financial security on what he believe was coming… that is, in my opinion, and even some of the mainstream media are admitting (slowly) to it… in the near future, if not 2024, then not long after, although it's hard to really say either way. I ain’t talking about hyper inflation or anything like that. This is much different. And while it will suck even for the “prepared” (in as much as one can even prepare for such a thing), it will infinitely be worse for the unprepared, as is always the case when horrible things happen. Now, back to my caveat: I, personally, have zero credibility with any of this. But so far, things are definitely panning out the way I think they will. (Based on what the above much smarter people than myself have been saying for years.) And, I have spent many years adjusting my spending and investing approach in accordance with what I believe will happen that I talk in great detail about at the end of the January Email Players issue (it seemed a fitting topic to start the year out with). Plus, here’s something else: I also am the first to admit I could be completely wrong. Whatever fake crystal ball it sounds like I am looking into could be just as wrong as the mainstream media is right now. Nobody, but nobody, not even the players behind the scenes trying to manipulate things really knows what will happen, after all. Playing with the economies is not an exact science, from what I have read about 5,000 years of recorded history going all the way back to the ancient Egyptians. (If you read books like, for example, “The Rise And Fall Of Ancient Egypt” you will see there really is nothing new under the sun.) But, I also believe this: The advice I give for weathering the coming storm and even seizing upon the opportunities I think will arise from it will, I believe, work even if I am totally wrong and everything goes the exact opposite of what I think. In my way of thinking, even though it will suck, with far more brutal supply chain disruptions, power grid disruptions, food disruptions, etc than we’ve already gotten a small taste of… there will also, in my opinion, be tremendous opportunities presenting themselves. And that is why I end with a 5-part game plan any business can follow that I am doing myself. I don’t care if you’re brand spanking new to email marketing or been doing it since the 90’s. Anyone can do it, although, like anything, most won’t do it. And while the first 4 tips are kinda obvious to many, the 5th one probably isn’t at all. In fact, it’s something I dug up out of studying the last few really bad economic contractions (especially the Great Depression) while studying screen writers and how a lot of them survived and thrived while the rest of society was all but crashing around them at the time. And if you start doing (right away, while there is still time) what I suggest throughout 2024, 2025, and beyond (I believe the crash, when it happens, will last a very long time) I believe it will help your business not only ride out the chaos… but maybe even emerge a leader of your niche/industry. Who knows? Only time will tell. And I obviously can’t make any guarantees. But that is my take on it to do with it what you will. If you want the full story, including the people I mentioned above (where to read what they say, not asking anyone to believe me, again, I am not an expert at these things, just a student and, now, reporter of it…) and the game plan I have been following myself since 2009, and what I think other businesses can do now, see the January Email Players issue. All right ’nuff said. To subscribe in time for this 150th anniversary issue go here before the deadline: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com]( Ben Settle P.S. Another thing I am including with the January Email Players issue is: “Email Players Annual #2: Mad Men Copywriting Secrets” This oversized (literally — in both size and page count) Annual issue exists outside the normal continuity of the newsletter. And I wrote it to both commemorate the newsletter’s 150th issue, and also to teach some cool stuff I’ve learned studying the old masters that have practically be all but forgotten about today. (NOTE: it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the TV show “Mad Men”, which I found extremely boring and overrated — it’s about advertising methods used by the actual Mad Men of the 60’s.) Some of the secrets found inside include: * The sneaky headline trick old school copywriters used to pre-test ads without spending a single dime. * Cunning advice (straight from a private, internal memo at the Leo Burnett agency back in the day) about how to trick egotistical clients (for their own good, of course) into running your sales copy “as-is.” (Old school screenwriters basically did the same thing to get scripts approved, today it’s practically a forgotten trick of the writing trade.) * A powerful Mad Men secret to making your business mysteriously attractive that can be like “catnip” to high-paying clients and others you wish to sell to or influence. * The World-Building technique all the Mad Men agency owners (the ones whose names are still on their companies today long after their deaths) used to position themselves as “the” agency to hire — with certain clients practically magnetically attracted to them, and probably even only them, and likely wanting nothing to do with anyone else. * How to exploit a dangling piece of psychological “wiring” in every human being’s brain to help make your emails and other marketing extremely hard to ignore and a whole lot more engaging. * A sneaky way to adapt Ogilvy’s enormously successful “Man In The Hathaway Shirt” ad from the 1950s into a high converting opt-in pages for your business today. * How the late Mad Man Leo Burnett would address a room of stuck up and snobby vice presidents of giant corporations to keep their egos in check and “prep” them for what he expected of them as clients. * How an old school phone salesman and high school dropout was able to ethically & legally out-negotiate & out-maneuver a room full of high-falutin’, and super educated and wealthy lawyers hired by a bank to get what he wanted. (Nothing directly to do with Mad Men — but what this phone salesman did is something that was quite common for people in the know to do back in the day to get what they wanted in contracts and deals.) * A clever way that certain bashful Mad Men copywriters used their shyness to help create far more powerful advertising. * A (admittedly bizarre sounding to most marketers today) advertising sales trick that David Ogilvy learned from a furniture salesman for turning a product’s flaws into reasons to buy. (Including tips for exactly how to turn high fees, bad reviews, and even slow service into reasons to buy.) * How David Ogilvy used good, old fashioned trolling (he was a world-class troll) to help get compliance and engagement from everyone from heads of corporations during high-pressure negotiations to his own wife in the kitchen. * A ridiculously effective door-to-door salesman technique (that, believe it or not, works even better on Facebook today, I have found) that can help you create headlines, offers, emails, and other marketing that can just seep right into the psychology and souls of your leads and customers, giving them almost no choice but to want to buy what you’re selling! (Does that sound almost like hype? Maybe so. But realize this: it was not uncommon for this technique to works so well it’d sometimes set record for product recalls for weak products.) * Just how brutal and soul-crushing old school Man Men were in their advertising campaign critiques. (One of the most respected copywriters of the day and creator of the famous Pillsbury Doughboy — Rudy Perz — said they’d make him feel like a “martyr”, and the creative director and original Marlboro Man model — Andy Armstrong — once literally suffered a nervous breakdown over one of these brutal critiques, if that tells you something.) * The little-known way the Leo Burnett Agency created such memorable and influential cartoon characters that helped sell truckloads of the products they promoted * The 7-word advertising principle that helped build one of the biggest and most respected ad agencies in human history. (And that is still around today almost 100 years later, while most have long-since floundered.) * Why fire-breathing atheist David Ogilvy was such a big fan of the Catholic Church. (Nothing really to do with copywriting or marketing, but his reasoning could be useful to anyone who runs teams or has lots of employees.) * The Mad Men attitude (almost non-existent today) that can help freelancers, coaches, consultants, and other businesses go from begging to business to having so many new leads practically begging to hire you you might even need a waiting list. (Best part: you don’t even have to be that great at what you do or, for that matter, “do” anything different — this is just a make a simple mindset shift in the way you approach your business.) * David Ogilvy’s bizarre email list-building secret (created back in the 1950’s — long before the invention of commercial email) that can also make your business stand out in an overcrowded marketplace and increase your sales. * A shrewd insurance selling method (that smart radio and magazine advertisers forced their customers to do since it worked so well) that can help drive your email response through the roof. * How an “honorary” Mad Man copywriter (who was a NYC public employee and not an ad man at all) used ANTI-direct response slogans to help create some of the most profitable and memorable advertising every penned by the hand of mortal man. (And yes, what he did can be used to write all kinds of profitable headlines, subject lines, bullets, and any other kind of direct response sales copy.) * A one-on-one interview with a “for real” Mad Man! In fact, the TV show producers even consulted this guy due to him being in the thick of the agency business back then, and who was involved with campaigns like The Marlboro Man, Fly the Friendly Skies, & industry-famous campaigns for Gallo Winery, Proctor & Gamble, Colgate, Vicks, Chanel, Max Factor, Philip Morris, and the list goes on. This interview is a rare look into the psychology behind how these guys worked. How they thought. And, yes, how they made lots of money for their clients and themselves. All right I think this email is long enough. So to subscribe while you still can to get in on time, go here immediately: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com]( This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2023 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 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