Advertising is the engine of sales. There are many interesting and funny advertisements in the automotive world. However, there is one that is considered truly great. And its creator is Theodore MacManus.

Theodore MacManus was born in New York in 1872. Nothing is known about his family. He started his career as a reporter. Having gained experience, he decided to try himself as a copywriter.

Before his appearance in the ads field, the advertising business was dominated by rationalism and clear reasoning. At that time, most advertisers were convinced that creativity was superfluous in the process of creating an ad. Everything should be short and to the point. But MacManus changed the way ads were made.

Before Launching The Ad, General Motors Had Problems With Sales

cadillac comercial penalty of leadership
Source: Business Today

When he first started working in the advertising industry, General Motors was heavily suffering because of tough competition. New GM vehicles that were launched in the market were criticized for their technical shortcomings. The media wasn't on their side either and highlighted the unreliability, fragility, and safety issues of these new cars.

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Competitors were trying to convince buyers that the new Cadillac was not very reliable and comfortable, but very expensive. It was completely normal practice for that time, and everyone expected General Motors to respond in a standard way: to post beautiful photos in publications and convince buyers of the quality of its products.

MacManus "Penalty of Leadership" Ad Changed The Situation

the penalty of leadership comercial
Source: Cadilac

Because of this, the company recruited MacManus to create an ad that would change the negative attitudes towards the company. For him, it was a great attempt to test a completely new model for writing an ad copy. The ad did not mention Cadillac or any other car model. The fact that this article was written for commercial purposes could be guessed because of the small logo of the company "Cadillac" in the upper corner of the newspaper. MacManus called the article The Penalty of Leadership. The main sentences of that ad can be found below:

“In every field of human endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white glare of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work is mediocre, he will be left severely alone — if he achieves a masterpiece, it will set a million tongue a-wagging. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or to slander you unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live—lives."

The Penalty of Leadership convinced not with logical arguments, but with the atmosphere. Instead of describing all the advantages of Cadillac, as was customary at the time, MacManus created a kind of atmosphere around the brand, which everyone immediately felt and started associating the car with. The advertisement was published only once - on January 2, 1915, in the Saturday Evening Post magazine.

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The Impact Of The Ad On The Success Of The Company

cadillac penalty of leadership sales
Source: Notorious Luxury

Cadillac sales increased instantly. According to some reports, sales had doubled. Many other ad campaigns have shown this result after using a similar ad strategy. Against the backdrop of these events, General Motors was constantly asked to duplicate their article.

In 1945, Printers Inc magazine conducted a poll among its readers on the topic "The Best Advertising." And as a result, the overwhelming majority called MacManus' Penalty of Leadership the best one. This was 30 years after it was written.

It was not until 1967, after MacManus' death, that Cadillac decided to reuse its most successful and high-profile advertisement. The Penalty of Leadership was featured in a VIP edition that was sent to a strictly limited list of people.

The successful advertising campaign for Cadillac had a strong impact on MacManus' professional growth. In 1927 he opened his own advertising bureau. But until the end of his career, he never managed to surpass his most successful work or at least create something on the same level.

MacManus died in 1940, leaving behind practical evidence that the atmosphere, style, and emotionality of an ad copy can sometimes provide much more than informational content and practicality. And General Motors, in turn, showed that taking risks and doing non-standard actions can achieve tremendous success in sales.

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