Seducing Strangers

An advertising creative director for more than 25 years and the Mad Men co-producer responsible for Don Draper’s credibility as an advertising genius, Josh Weltman distills everything he knows about the art of persuasion into a playbook - of rules, principles, insights, insider anecdotes, and more, all tailored to the fast-changing life in the information economy.

Weltman identifies the four elements of selling - one of which is behind everything from a national television campaign to an email blast. There’s the ad that makes people curious. That creates a sense of urgency. That increases market share. And the ad that protects margins.

And then Weltman explains how to employ these strategies, including: the six words that win business; the four kinds of stories; what to do if your product sucks; why lying in an ad will never pay off; why information reduces doubt; how to think like a force-multiplier; why different is better than better; why to remove jargon and acronyms and reveal ideas and relationships. Advertising, Joshua Weltman argues, is a toolbox, not a tool, and used right it makes people happy. Seducing Strangers shows you how.