Then occasionally by a few - Now a habit of the nation
The pattern
This still is filed under House ad as portfolio.
Define
The firm advertises itself by showing the work, not by describing the work.
Mechanism
Proof by exhibit. The portfolio is the claim. Captions stay short. The pieces carry the argument.
Verdict
We sell craft and the buyer can judge from examples.
Why it works
The headline is a compressed before-and-after with the verb removed, so the contrast lands before any argument is made. The body then keeps the same two-state structure and gives the turn a single sentence of its own, Then came Cutex, which is the pivot the whole page is built on. The claim is escalated from product to category to national character, which lets the agency take credit for something larger than sales without ever stating a sales figure. Ending on habit rather than volume reframes what a manufacturer should buy advertising for.
Steal this when
Your product created or revived a category rather than taking share inside one, and the case is more impressive at the level of behaviour change than at the level of revenue. Use the two-state headline and give the turning point its own short paragraph.