We found this ad mentioned in John Caples' classic Making Ads Pay book as a winning concept. He put it up against another ad with the headline "Good news for...View More
men who want attractive well-groomed hair" & the Fingernail Test out-pulled the other 2 to 1. Caples mentions that it did better because it was more shocking & people are more concerned with solving problems and fixing something negative in their life. There is an ad included at the bottom used 10 years later for a different product that mimics the same exact concept & layout. Also, it's important to note that one of Caples' 35 headline formulas included offering readers a test.
