Issue 10

How do you sell eight miles of mud? Ask David Trott.

In 1981, Trott was hired to help sell people on the London Docklands. Bombed heavily during WW2, the area was closed until 1980. Leaving eight square miles of mud and rubbish on the riverfront.

At the time, Dockland’s main competitor was the development area Milton Keynes, which sold prospects on life in the country — their ads featured fresh air, cows and sheep, rolling green hills, and leisurely days.

They were slaughtering Docklands.

But, David Trott saw an opportunity.

“Instead of looking for a great place to LIVE,” Trott wrote, “you should be looking for a great place to WORK.”

And, this insight led Trott’s team to come up with a simple, yet wildly effective through line:

Why move to the middle of nowhere…when you can move to the middle of London.

Sure, everywhere else is great for leisure. The London Docklands are great for business.

Here’s one of the ads they ran:

By flipping the narrative, moving a business to the country looked like a dumb idea.

This approach worked so well that Docklands now holds the tallest buildings in Europe, while their competitors still have the green fields and the cows and the sheep.

It’s not just about writing pretty words. It’s about nailing the facts to build a completely new take, and leaning into them. Hard.

HEADLINE — DAIHATSU

Classic no-nonsense advertising for a classic no-nonsense vehicle.

SENTENCE — PIZZA HUT

This one’s more about the campaign itself than the copy.

But, I did like the hook of this line:

“Send a free Hot Honey Goodbye Pie from now through Valentine’s Day, and the delivery driver will deliver the bad news in the best way.”

And…keeping the campaign running after V-Day is a stroke of brilliance.

PARAGRAPH — NIKE

Everything in apparel is about innovation. Luxury fabrics and breathable tech. But, as this ad explains, “Resist newness for newness’ sake.” 

For starters, the headline is great. It makes your brain pay attention and then desire to learn more.

The body copy is where this print ad shines. Basically telling us, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, in Nike’s undeniably conversational tone of voice.

“PROCESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUTCOME. WHEN THE OUTCOME DRIVES THE PROCESS WE WILL ONLY EVER GO TO WHERE WE’VE ALREADY BEEN. IF PROCESS DRIVES OUTCOME WE MAY NOT KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOING, BUT WE WILL KNOW WE WANT TO BE THERE.”

View the full ad archive on Are.na