Printers' Ink, Feb 10, 1927 (Vol. 138, No. 6): "The Four Requirements for Building Reputation through Advertising" by Theodore F. MacManus
The pattern
This still is filed under Lettered cover hook.
Define
The cover is the hook, and the hook is lettering: a title treated as an image.
Mechanism
Type as bait. The words are drawn so they stop the hand before the contents are known.
Verdict
A journal, book, or issue must sell itself on a rack or a feed
Why it works
The cover ad uses a very rational, data-driven approach ('Data-Built') to sell advertising services to schools, proving ROI with a simple graph.
Steal this when
You need to prove the ROI of your services to a skeptical, budget-conscious B2B audience.