How American Express Turned a Hairbrush Into a Status Symbol
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This vintage American Express ad doesn’t sell a brush at all—but it makes you want to swipe your card with confidence. The headline, 'How to buy a brush,' pulls you in with fake specificity, then flips the script by making the product not the brush, but the lifestyle of owning an AmEx card. It uses an everyday item to demonstrate the card’s usefulness everywhere.
Lesson for Marketers
Don’t sell the product—sell the status, the experience, or the identity that comes with it. By pairing ordinary actions with aspirational emotions, you make anything memorable, even a hairbrush.
What Makes This Ad Clever
- The misleading headline grabs curiosity before revealing the true product.
- It connects a mundane purchase to a feeling of sophistication and style.
- The layout visually flows—her hair literally leads your eye to the AmEx card.
- The tagline anchors everything with a confident command you can remember instantly.
Creative Variations
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