Which monster wins the fight: Ugly design vs Pretty design
Published: Fri, 10/06/17
- Gene Schwartz
Speech to Phillips Publishing
Let me tell you a story:
I have a couple of friends who attend our old Oceans 4 Masterminds in the weight loss niche who do great emails, write great copy, and have great results. And so, often when they came to us for advice, we gave them ways to goose up their already big response using things like emails, funnels, copy appeals, headlines, etc.
But, there is one thing they still have to test.
(To my knowledge, anyway.)
Something that I suspect will either make them a bundle, with the rest of their competition (perhaps even the entire industry, if it really does well) copying... or be a huge bust.
(With no real harm done in a simple test).
What is this thing I speak of?
Testing a butt-ugly website.
In the weight loss world, everything is pretty.
Everything is secksy.
Everything is smooth and glossy.
So my advice to them?
Test a super ugly layout... no pictures at all (maybe one before and after), no graphics, no slicked up html, courier font, little or no visual elements at all.
I'm talking 1995 style website.
Beat it with the ugly stick.
Would make one helluva test.
And, I would not be surprised if it won handily.
Why?
Well, for one, many smart people have tested ugly (like the late great copywriter Gene Schwartz) and conquered with it. And also because, according to the "founding father" of Internet marketing Ken McCarthy (there was a time when only about 5 people sitting around a small table thought you could sell online at all -- and he was one of them, and is one of the reasons any of us sell online at all in some ways) has seen hundreds (probably thousands) of examples of ugly winning.
This guy was there in the beginning.
Got most of today's gurus started in the 1990's.
And, has seen many a business rise, fall, fail, and succeed.
And you know what?
One of the (many) things Ken taught in his Titans Of Direct Response talk was how ugly pretty much always wins.
Anyway, something to think about.
Ken dropped a lot of great gold in his talk.
Including several tips -- one can only get by being a student of direct response marketing both online and offline for nearly 3 decades -- I've been profiting from ever since.
Even better:
Word around the campfire is, certain IM gurus were not happy and even refused to attend the original event because Ken was speaking. (Ken has a knack for calling out bull shyt in the IM world better than anyone — makes him many enemies…)
All of which makes his presence there even more valuable.
More:
If you buy the Titans DVD's from my link you get a pile of bonuses worth well over $2k retail value (real value, not made up goo-roo value -- money people actually have paid for these bonuses).
These bonuses are worth more than the cost of the DVD's.
And, they are yours to *keep* no matter what.
(Even the stuff I snail mail to you.)
These bonuses include:
1. Crypto Marketing Secrets book
2. The Agora Tapes: Infotainment
3. Free Titans-theme Email Players back issue
4. "Gary Halbert Secrets From Beyond The Grave" interview
5. Ten Copyright-Free Emails To Use, Abuse, And Profit From However You Want
6. Lost elBenbo’s Apprentice tapes
7. Free Email Players $100 t-shirt
8. The Exact Bullet Points Template I Use
9. Copy Slacker
10. Email Client Machine
More:
(Sent to you with Titans from Brian Kurtz)
* Gene Schwartz’s masterpiece (once called “the most stolen book in libraries”) “Breakthrough Advertising” ($125 value)
* Signed copy of his book “The Advertising Solution” (co-written with Craig Simpson — the world’s top direct mail strategist)
* 50% off his soon-to-be released lost Gene Schwartz book “Brilliance Breakthrough” (should you want to buy it when he launches it)
Well over $2k in value.
And, all yours.
Free.
But, only if you try the DVD's by using my affiliate link here before the deadline:
http://www.EmailPlayers.com/titans
(NOTE: Brian is printing & mailing these on-demand just for my audience. Please allow 1-3 weeks for printing & restocking. Probably won’t take that long, but just in case… same with the physical bonuses I am shipping you.)
Ben Settle