Printers' Ink, Nov 28, 1906 (Vol. 57, No. 9): John E. Kennedy on the Snider canned bean campaign
The pattern
This still is filed under Testimonial lead.
Define
The first voice on the page is a customer's. Proof arrives before the company's claim.
Mechanism
Borrowed voice. The lead sentence is already someone else's verdict. The seller speaks second.
Verdict
The result is easier to believe from a peer
Why it works
The issue captures Kennedy in action, explaining how he applied his 'Reason-Why' principles to a specific, highly successful consumer goods campaign.
Steal this when
You want a historical case study on how to position a product by aggressively attacking a weakness in competitors' products.