A 1963 direct response ad for the health supplement “Wate-On” masterfully turns a routine C-list endorsement into layers of social proof in subtle ways.

Social proof is a critical part of the health & fitness marketing message stack. Prospects want proof your solution works and is safe to try.

Direct social proof comes through customer testimonials, the personal credentials of the product creator, a transformational story about the product creator, celebrity or authoritative endorsements, and scientific studies.

But social proof can also be indirect. And it’s nearly as powerful as it’s direct sibling.

Let’s look at a classic ad for a weight-gain supplement called “Wate-On” which masterfully creates indirect social proof.

At first glance, the “Wate-On” ad seems like a run-of-the-mill C-list celebrity endorsement, featuring Holllywood actress Eva Six. Six appeared in three movies in 1963, including “Operation Bikini,” with Frankie Avalon “Beach Party,” She soon left acting and returned to her native Budapest.

The ad features two photos of Six showing off the body and glamour the target audience is looking for. Quotes from Six convey how Wate-On helped Six achieve her ideal body even while working long days and nights on the set.

But beyond the surface is where this ad shines, creating layers of additional endorsements and social credibility almost out of thin air.

The second layer

Six wasn’t the biggest name in Hollywood, but in the film “4 for Texas,” she appears with superstars including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

The ad lists her co-stars in the subheadline, and the world-famous studio they worked for: Warner Bros. Listing the stars and studio creates an indirect connection in the reader’s mind between the superstars and the Wate-On product. The ad borrows the clout of the studio and the A-list celebrities to elevate the product’s position in the reader’s mind.

And I’m sure neither Ol’ Blue Eyes nor Warner Bros. received a dime.

The third layer

The middle-third of the ad features a drawing of a scientist holding a beaker. The drawing does a lot of heavy lifting, implanting an idea in the reader’s mind that Wate-On was developed and tested by trusted scientists.

No scientist or scientific organization is named. But the authoritative endorsement of the science community--social proof--is still created.

The fourth layer

Beneath the drawing of the scientist is a sub-headline reading, “HOSPITAL TESTED Easy Gains of Pounds, Inches Reported”

The copy doesn’t reference any specific hospital nor the specifics of any published study. Yet by sharing the “reports” of successful weight gain in some kind of hospital test, the ad creates indirect social proof of endorsement and safety by the medical community.

The fifth layer

The ad tells the reader that Wate-On is “offered by druggists.” No specific endorsement by any druggist is given. But druggists were professionals trusted to select and allocate medication safely and appropriately.

By positioning the product as offered by druggists (and not some rando supplement company), the ad creates an endorsement--social proof--from authoritative professionals who measure and distribute medication.

Turning a C-list endorsement into an A

On the surface, this ad leverages a celebrity endorsement from a lesser known star. Yet without spending an additional dime for explicit support, the copy and illustrations in this ad create indirect social proof from:

Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Anita Ekberg
Ursula Andress
Warner Bros. studios
Scientists
The medical community
Druggists

That’s some extremely hard working copy.

Lessons in indirect social proof from a classic fitness ad