Book excerpt: Love it or hate it, advertising remains a key component in acquiring customers and nurturing brand engagement. Distilling the wisdom of the world’s greatest advertisers, direct marketing expert Craig Simpson delivers an education on how to create best-in-class direct marketing and advertising copy that creates brand awareness, sells products, and keeps customers engaged. He takes readers through basic principles and time-tested methods of creating effective ad copy that increases profits. Dissecting the principles of legendary marketers like Robert Collier, Claude Hopkins, John Caples, and David Ogilvy, the reader will find applications to modern digital marketing, direct marketing, and inspiration for headline writing and beyond.