John Emory Powers

John Emory Powers (1837–1919) was a highly influential American copywriter. The world's first full-time copywriter, he was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1954.

Early life Powers was born on a farm in Central New York in 1837. He initially worked as an insurance agent, and then traveled to England to sell the Willcox and Gibbs sewing machines. Powers pioneered the use of many new marketing techniques, including full-page ads in the form of a story or play, free trial uses of a product and installment purchasing plan.

His son, John O. Powers (1868–1937), was born in England. After some years, John E. Powers later came back to New York to work as a subscription agent for The Nation. By the late 1890s, he was earning over $100 a day as a copywriter, Also known as the "reason-why" style, his copywriting style was in sharp contrast to the "Barnumesque" style based on sweeping claims or emotional appeals. His advertisements appeared with 12-point Caslon text in a single column without any graphic design.

At a time when most advertisements featured hyperbole, Powers became noted for his focus on facts.

Once, while working for Wanamaker's, he was told that a department needed to get rid of "rotten gossamers." He wrote an advertisement that contained the following sentence:

When Powers was hired by a near-bankrupt Pittsburgh-based clothing company, he recommended to the client to be honest with potential customers. The ad featured the following words: