Andrew Chen Early Inspirations

My Life in Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins was an early inspiration for Andrew. It Emphasized direct marketing at a time when advertising was very brand-driven.

Claude Hopkins invented coupons leveraging an interesting strategy:

Gave coupons to newspapers to get ahead of the demand curve – consumers would be angry if the store didn’t have the product the coupon promised. 

He believes the principles of marketing durably persist over time, they just use different mediums and technologies.