Learn timeless principles of ad psychology to create campaigns that resonate deeply and drive sales.
Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene M. Schwartz is a timeless masterpiece in the field of marketing and advertising. Unlike most advertising books that touch on surface-level tactics, Schwartz delves into the psychological foundations that drive consumer behaviour and explores how advertising can effectively respond to these deep-seated human desires. Written by a renowned direct marketer and copywriter, this book is both a strategy guide and a philosophical journey into the nature of persuasion.
Schwartz presents a framework that not only explains what to say in advertisements but also when and how to say it, making it a crucial guide for marketers, copywriters, and entrepreneurs who want to master the art of impactful messaging. His insights about the "spectrum of awareness" help readers position their products in ways that resonate with customers at various stages of need and interest. In addition, Schwartz's concepts of "mass desire" and "market sophistication" bring a level of depth to audience analysis that remains unmatched, even in the digital era.
Whether you are a seasoned marketer looking to refine your craft or a new entrepreneur eager to learn the language of customer motivation, Breakthrough Advertising offers timeless principles that can be applied across industries. Reading this book is like gaining a mentor who teaches you to see advertising as a disciplined, psychological practice rooted in understanding and respecting the consumer's desires and emotions.
Most teams grind for growth, but the best ones systemise it. In this step, you’ll see why a structured approach always beats random tactics. You’ll follow Random Rick, Specialist Steve, and Solid Sarah to understand how a system-driven growth approach can double revenue without doubling workload.
Breakthrough Advertising is a masterclass in understanding human desires and crafting advertising that speaks directly to them. Eugene Schwartz explores the psychology behind why people buy, showing how to channel existing desires into demand for a product. The book emphasises that successful advertising doesn’t create new desires but leverages pre-existing ones. Schwartz’s insights are timeless, making this book a foundational text for anyone in marketing or advertising.
Schwartz begins by explaining that all successful advertising hinges on mass desire. Mass desires are universal, deeply rooted human wants shared by large groups of people. These desires are not created by advertising but are amplified and directed toward a product. For example, the desire to lose weight or to feel attractive has always existed, and effective ads simply channel these feelings.
Schwartz introduces the concept of the customer’s state of awareness:
The key to effective advertising is meeting your audience where they are in this spectrum and crafting your message accordingly.
Market sophistication refers to the maturity of your market. Early markets are fresh and unsaturated, but as they mature, customers are bombarded with similar products and claims. Schwartz advises continually innovating your message to stand out as markets become more competitive.
The first technique focuses on amplifying the emotional power of a desire. Schwartz suggests using vivid language, strong imagery, and bold claims to heighten the appeal of a product. For instance, instead of saying “lose weight,” you might say, “drop two sizes in two weeks without dieting.”
This technique involves aligning the product with the customer’s identity. By showing how a product reinforces who they are or aspire to be, you create a powerful connection. Ads that use phrases like, “For people who demand the best,” appeal to this desire for self-affirmation.
This technique introduces solutions incrementally to avoid overwhelming the audience. Instead of offering a complex product all at once, break it into digestible benefits, guiding the customer step-by-step toward the purchase.
Here, you redefine the way customers perceive their problems or your product. For example, repositioning an expensive item as an investment rather than a cost can shift the customer’s perspective.
Mechanisation involves focusing on the unique mechanism or feature of your product. Customers often need a tangible reason to believe a product works. Highlighting a patented formula, revolutionary technology, or specific process can set your offering apart.
This technique is about narrowing your message to a single powerful promise. By focusing on one compelling benefit, you prevent confusion and strengthen your ad’s impact.
Sometimes, direct advertising triggers resistance. Camouflage involves presenting your ad in a way that doesn’t feel like advertising—through storytelling, educational content, or subtlety.
Schwartz dedicates significant attention to crafting headlines that capture attention and compel readers to continue. A great headline matches the audience's awareness level and highlights the core benefit.
The body of an ad must link the product's features to the audience's desires. Schwartz stresses the importance of storytelling and specificity in making benefits relatable and believable.
Schwartz highlights the psychological triggers of urgency and scarcity. By creating time-sensitive offers or emphasising limited availability, advertisers can push customers to act immediately.
Schwartz concludes by emphasising that human desires are constant, but markets evolve. The challenge is not in creating desire but in adapting your strategies to channel existing ones effectively. By combining deep empathy with innovative advertising techniques, marketers can consistently create "breakthrough" campaigns that capture attention and drive results.
Breakthrough Advertising offers a detailed blueprint for creating ads that resonate deeply with audiences, making it an essential guide for anyone aiming to master the art of persuasion.
If your marketing and sales teams are too busy firefighting — fixing tools, chasing data, and dealing with messy handovers — you’ll never have time to focus on real growth. The Growth Operations Programme fixes your operations first, so you can finally work on scaling up.
Reading Breakthrough Advertising has profoundly shifted my perspective on marketing, showing me that effective advertising is not about manipulating consumers but about deeply understanding and respecting their desires. Schwartz’s ideas around "mass desire" and the "spectrum of awareness" have influenced how I view customer interactions, making me more focused on understanding the underlying needs rather than pushing a generic product message. This book underscores the importance of positioning products in a way that aligns with consumers’ levels of awareness and sophistication, making every message more precise and purposeful.
Schwartz's principles have also taught me the importance of timing and language in advertising—recognising that a customer’s readiness is as essential as the message itself. I now approach campaigns with an appreciation for the customer journey, crafting messages that meet audiences where they are instead of where I want them to be. Additionally, his concept of adapting messaging based on market sophistication has been invaluable in competitive landscapes. I’ve learned that it’s not about being louder but about being more resonant and relevant.
Solid Growth helps B2B service companies scale — not with random tactics, but with clear systems that align marketing and sales into one predictable growth engine. Built on 13 years of hands-on experience — helping teams move from firefighting to predictable, repeatable revenue growth.
15 years experience
1,500 marketers trained since 2015
Exited 6 companies
My name is Ewoud Uphof, a marketing strategist with 15 years of experience. I've been fascinated by growth since 2010, and I created this guide out of a passion for sharing what I've learned. These guides are a way for me to give back to the marketing community and are also linked to my video course, which covers these topics in even greater depth.
Miro is a collaborative online whiteboard tool that enables teams to brainstorm, map workflows, and visualise ideas in real time.
HubSpot Marketing Hub is a B2B marketing automation platform with CRM integration, powerful workflows, and multi-channel marketing tools for scalable growth.
Customer.io is a flexible automation platform designed for precise segmentation and real-time messaging, ideal for B2B service businesses.
Omnisend is an all-in-one marketing platform designed for e-commerce businesses. With powerful automation and seamless integrations, it helps businesses scale their email and SMS marketing efforts effortlessly.
Find and fix what’s slowing your team down. This free scan assesses your marketing, sales, and automation setup, giving you clear recommendations to improve efficiency and eliminate bottlenecks.
Free up a full day every week to focus on growth. We'll fix the systems, tools, and workflows holding your team back.
Master Compound Growth at your own pace—perfect for individual marketers and consultants who want a structured, repeatable way to grow.
Find and fix what’s slowing your team down. This free scan assesses your marketing, sales, and automation setup, giving you clear recommendations to improve efficiency and eliminate bottlenecks.
A structured, hands-on programme designed for teams that want to fix bottlenecks, systemise execution, and scale growth predictably.
Learn timeless principles of ad psychology to create campaigns that resonate deeply and drive sales.
Master Compound Growth at your own pace—perfect for individual marketers and consultants who want a structured, repeatable way to grow.
Best for individuals
Watch at your own pace
Individual course access
Lifetime access + updates
Find and fix what’s slowing your team down. This free scan assesses your marketing, sales, and automation setup, giving you clear recommendations to improve efficiency and eliminate bottlenecks.
A structured, hands-on programme designed for teams that want to fix bottlenecks, systemise execution, and scale growth predictably.