The Florida marketing community mourns the passing of Florida Direct Marketing Association Hall of Famer, Herschell Gordon Lewis. Herschell Gordon Lewis, the legendary copywriter and The Godfather of Gore, has died at the age of 87.
In the world of Direct Marketing copywriting, Herschell Gordon Lewis was a rock star and listening to him lecture was like going to a 2-hour concert.
Herschell entertained and educated me many times through the years. It never fails to amaze me how he continued to re-invent the top tips of copywriting based on today’s media. 20 years ago, we talked solely about direct mail and as 21st century electronic marketing trends evolved, Herschell moved at it’s forefront, explaining that we need to write the way we talk, in quick bites, offering fast action and providing validation of our premise.
Above All – Clarity
He always emphasizes clarity; he reminded us that specifics outpull generalizations, and that subtlety doesn’t work – our job when writing copy is to tell our target what we want them to do, i.e. Click Here.
Herschell never minced words – he told us which words to use and which words to avoid. Instead of learn, say discover; rather than submit, say send; instead of required, say necessary.
He taught me to look at my copy with a fresh eye, simplifying and streamlining my words (shorter is better), being blunt (don’t be afraid to sell) and adding client referrals (validate), trying to make my pitch more relevant to the reader. I even dropped a couple of my ever-present exclamation points (one is good, more than that is silly).
Herschell was really a hero at FDMA and we presented him with the FDMA Hall of Fame Award in 2009. His famous rendition of “Mary Had A Little Lamb” is one of the golden-oldies that transcends medium and time, delighted us for years and reminded us that words really do count.
Thanks for always being there when FDMA needed you, Herschell. I’m sure heaven is a much livelier place!