Book SummaryCa$hvertising, by Drew Eric Whitman

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Ca$hvertising

In Ca$hvertising, advertising coach Drew Whitman offers insider tips and tricks on how to craft the most compelling, money-generating ads for your business. He argues that most advertisers don’t recognize that their ads must address eight core human needs (like the need to stay alive, find nourishment, and have a community) to gain the attention of consumers. They thus produce poor advertising that consumers easily look past.

However, if you can create ads that address those core human needs using any of the 13 advertising techniques Whitman presents, your ad is virtually guaranteed to garner attention and bring in...

Ca$hvertising Summary Tailor Your Ads to Address the Eight Core Human Needs

Before you create any form of advertisement, you must understand the fundamental rule of advertising: Your ads must address the eight core needs that motivate all humans (what Whitman calls the Life-Force 8). These desires are biologically programmed into us, and all humans have them until they die. Therefore, if your advertising addresses these needs, it will always draw the attention of audiences. These needs are:

• Stay alive, live longer, and live a happier life
• Eat and drink well
• Avoid fear and threats to your life
• Find a sexual partner
• Live safely and comfortably
• Match or exceed your peers in status
• Take care of your near and dear
• Be accepted by society

Why Addressing the Eight Core Human Needs in Advertising Is so Important

Others agree with Whitman on the importance of advertising addressing the eight core human needs and add additional context on why ads must do this. In Building a Storybrand, Donald Miller...

Ca$hvertising Summary The 13 Most Effective Advertising Techniques

Now that you know your ads must address the eight core human needs to be successful, let’s look at Whitman’s list of 13 advertising techniques that will increase the effectiveness of your ads. You won’t use all of these techniques in every ad, so think about what you’re selling and to whom, and use the techniques that support that product and audience.

He mainly writes in the context of print ads, but much of his advice can also be applied to the more current online advertising.

Instill Fear in Your Audience and Show Your Product Eradicates that Fear

One of the best ways to sell a product is to provoke a fear in your audience that your product can eradicate, writes Whitman. People are strongly motivated to avoid things they fear, and if your product can help them do that, they’ll want to buy it. Fears include fear of loss, fear for your health, fear of damage to your ego and self-esteem, and so on.

To use fear in advertising, ensure it meets all of the following criteria:

• The fear is real, common, and palpable to the audience
• The ad proposes a way to overcome the threat that creates the fear
• The audience feels the proposed way to overcome the threat is...

Shortform Exercise: Create an Ad That Aligns With a Customer’s Self-Image

Tailor a hypothetical ad to align your product with your customer’s current or aspirational image of themselves.

Devise a real or imagined product to sell and note its name below. If possible, choose a product you’re familiar with either as a consumer or through your work.