Getting Human Nature to Work FOR (Rather Than Against) Your Business
The only emotions that reliably inspire action are those that affect self-image.
Creating Story Appeal On Demand (Part 2)
Attitude imbalances are the most useful for advertising — especially for branding — because they speak to and most directly reveal personality, character, and values.
Radio’s Missing Creative Revolution
Radio never teamed up copywriters with sound producers to create great ads that pushed Theatre of the Mind to full effect and that were more than the sum of their parts.
Story —> Attention —> Sale (Part 1)
If you try to buy attention without a story, you’ll strike out. This is what happens to most advertising and marketing efforts. People buy “exposure” via advertising and presume that they’ve also purchased attention...
Good Strategy, Bad Strategy — A Primer
Good strategy always contains three elements and bad strategy doesn’t. Let’s look at each of these three defining elements before presenting a streamlined version specific for Advertising Strategy.
Is Your Targeting Bass Ackwards?
For example, let’s say that, through targeted media, I could reach 10 of my ideal, target customers for $10 a piece. Or, I could reach 100 customers for $1 a piece, but only 20% of them would be my ideal customer.
Sorting the Ad Pros from the Poseurs — 4 Surefire Signs
If you’re going to invest six figures or more, you’ll want a clear plan for persuasion that’s mapped to a business strategy.
Breaking the Spell on PPC’s Dirty Little Secret
Whatever you’re paying per click, it’s extortionately, shockingly too much. No use arguing about it; let’s just do the math together.
The High-Impact 10X Advantage; Share of Voice vs. Share of Mind
What if you broadcast a flaming, un-ignorable ad that hits people between the eyes?
Why Making the Ads Is the Last Thing We Do
This substantive style of advertising (started by Ally & Gargano and continued by Scali, McCabe, Sloves) tripled US sales of Volvos.
Targeting Through Ad Copy
Attract the kind of clients who will see your business as a blessing. Clients that prefer you to the point of willingly paying a premium for the privilege.
The Common Google PPC Mistake That’s Killing Your ROI
There’s a lot to like about Google Pay-Per-Click advertising. And also a lot to hate about the “Pay-Per-Crack” treadmill...
Can Politics Make Your Advertising Better? Yes! Just Not In the Way You Think…
Want to be able to charge a fat premium for your services and have people willingly pay it?
Two Kinds of Decision-Making
Most of the people going to Starbucks aren’t making a cost-benefit decision. They’re making an identity-based decision.
Images, “Truthiness,” and Forced Participation
Recent psychological studies show that statements accompanied by related images are considered more believable than the same statement without an image.