The ad is for a creative writing contest. It’s part of a marketing campaign for a new novel, by an author who calls himself "The Suits & Sneakers Poet." The book is about a private eye who wears Prada suits and drives a luxury car. It made the New York Times Best Seller list in the Paperback Fiction section.
The point of the ad is to grab your attention and make you curious about what the book is about. But it also contains a hook that will make you click the link to read more about the book. The book’s website includes the first two chapters for free, if you click the link in the ad. That’s two short stories for the cost of one subway ride.
What makes this ad unusual is the way that it uses the literary devices of a humble brag and an image of a gorgeous woman in a bikini, as well as a male model in a suit, to attract attention and to convince you to click.
In other words, the ad uses traditional marketing methods to highlight the novel’s unique qualities. The book’s official description touts, among other things, its "sinful& salacious humor, unique setting, memorable characters, and intricate plotting." These are all qualities that would make the book desirable, but also all qualities that might be considered liabilities if the goal is to appeal to a wide audience. For example, the setting of this book is a version of contemporary New York City, but it also includes several allusions to historical events and figures. The result is that this book is quite unique, but maybe not as accessible as it could be.
The ad copy is interesting. It features a combination of a standard brag — "the plot is complicated and filled with twists!" — and a more humble style, as the copy writer tries to convince you that this book is more accessible than it really is. The ad also includes a few lines about the book’s characters and a few sentences that explain the overall plot. You can find a sample of the ad below.
It’s worth noting, however, that this ad was only the starting point for this marketing campaign. The author’s website is filled with more information about the book and the writer’s other works. The site includes a profile of the writer and a forum for readers to discuss the book and the author. The author seems to be quite active on social media, with over 100,000 followers on various platforms. He also has a podcast where he interviews various authors and news personalities.
So, if you’re curious about this book or the author, you can learn a lot more online. But since the bulk of the marketing work was already done when you arrived at the website, you’ll have to hunt down additional information yourself. This seems to be deliberate strategy on the author’s part. Instead of just offering up a masterpiece and asking you to find it, he wants you to have to work at it a little bit.
It’s hard to know exactly what to make of this. On the one hand, it’s quite creative and innovative. On the other, it’s quite oblique and could mean that this book isn’t for everyone. It’s hard to say whether or not this book will find an audience. But whether or not it does, the author seems to have found a way to market himself and his work that is both original and effective.