I could hardly believe my eyes. I was sat in audience at Mal Emery’s $3,000 a head Ultimate Marketing Boot camp in Melbourne, Australia when Mal decided to auction a Mars Bar. The week before I had seen him do same thing in my hometown of Perth and raise seven thousand dollars in a matter of a few minutes. Mal of www.malemery.com is known as Australian mail order millionaire.

They were just ordinary Mars bars. What made them special were extra bonus gifts that Mal included with them.

You see each speaker at boot camp, myself included, threw in some of our products and services I donated a thousand dollars towards copywriting along with a copy of my new manual ‘How to Start an Internet Newsletter & use it to Grow Your Business – Virtually Overnight!’ Others gave software, conference tickets, telemarketing services and advertising consultations.

Each speaker in turn donated some of his or her valuable products and services.

A good ad is a marvelous, magical thing. An object of emotion as well as intellect. A work of art.

Once you've done one, you know what a good ad can do. Turn nerves taut. Make fellows mellow. Raise eyebrows or raise hopes. Inspire or intimidate or influence. Impart information that motivates action.

A great copywriter once wrote, "A good ad is like a good sermon: It not only comforts afflicted, it also inflicts comfortable."

But question of moment is this: How do you know -- before a single living colleague, client or consumer has laid eyes on it -- that you've done a good ad? That it's right time to stop all thinking, talking, writing, doodling and designing. The right time to click on "save" and call a meeting?

It ain't easy, knowing that moment. Because a good ad isn't like 99-yard run kickoff return that everybody in stadium can follow as it turns into a touchdown. Or 4th of July fireworks display that gets everyone oohing and aahing in unison.

A good ad is hard to recognize. Often because it's hiding in blah advertising meetings and windy memos. Lost in dim product descriptions and lengthy creative briefs. Or even gone missing inside another ad.

A good ad is difficult to get your hands on. Like a glob of mercury on a glass tabletop. Slippery and elusive. (On other hand, Leo Burnett said, "I have learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.")