The subject of Doug’s column really has me thinking…

On one hand, there has been an explosion of neophyte "copywriters" in the last few years, which explains all the Caples and Ogilvy knockoffs. And I can see how it could at some point diminish response. But… (there’s always a ‘but’)…

Dan Kennedy teaches (and always has) that you SHOULD knock off what’s already been done, precisely because it’s already proven. It works. He says "when I go to the bank to deposit my fees, they don’t ask me if the copy I wrote was original or not."

Another thing he points out is that a lot of business owners change their ads when they’re still working, simply because they see the ad every day and get sick of it. These Caples knock-offs may be old hat to us copywriters, but to the customer, its brand new, and that’s what really counts, isn't it?

Who is right?

This debate has been raging in my head all day…especially since I’ve submitted a few leads (using classic, proven headline templates) to AWAI and gotten zippo feedback on what I’ve written.

Can someone else shed some light on this very important topic? Thanks!

-Kevin