Social Media Strategies for Ugly Duckling Businesses
Contrary to what some social media experts presume, not every business sells things that people like talking and learning about.
Use All The Clichés — Just Tell ‘Em Slant
“Kill all clichés and ad speak” — standard, Ad Writing 101 advice. Good advice — certainly not wrong. It’s just not very helpful.
The Truth About “Creativity” In Advertising
In stark contrast to the notion of a “spoonful” of entertainment, most ads from highly successful branding campaigns are two-thirds to ninety percent entertainment.
Direct Response Vs. Branding – The Real Difference
WHO are you talking to, and WHEN are you talking to them? That’s the essential difference between Direct Response (DR) and Branding.
Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
Every customer who was going to buy from you, but who then decides to take his business elsewhere represents far more than a lost sale.
The Pros & Cons of Comparative Advertising
Should your ads directly attack your competition? Should they make direct comparisons between your product and service and the competitors?
The Modular Marketing Magic of Brandable Chunks
Done right, Brandable Chunks will shape and reframe how people perceive your company. Just like they changed a behind-the-times whisky into a badge of masculinity and tradition.
Combining Long & Short Ads to Stretch Your Ad Budget
5s are associating you w/ moment of need -- heavy on recall cues & repetition required for classical conditioning. 60s create bonding & emotion.
Participatory Advertising & Traditional Media
The most powerful participatory ads are ones that force MENTAL participation from the audience. Ads that cause the audience to connect the dots themselves. To fill in the blanks.
Theatre of the Mind – Why Your Radio Ads Need It
With the right sound effects, listeners have no choice but to visualize the scene you set forth for them. It will be a purely reflexive, automatic reaction.
The Advertising Magic of Mirror Characters
The first two of the Three Little Pigs are mirror characters. You only appreciate the third pig’s success after witnessing the failures of the first two.
Wizard Chat # 4
Psychologists refer to it as "narrative transportation." If you can transport listeners into the story, the ad becomes more persuasive.
Super-Hero Advertising — The Power of Your Genesis Story
Starting with Superman and extending to every superhero thereafter, every character “launches” with an origin story.
The “Wasted” Part Is the Part that Works
Your gut desire, when advertising, is to want to speak to “people ready to buy TODAY.” This is the desire that has made Google rich beyond the dreams of avarice.
Gert Boyle’s Success Secret for Owner-Operated Businesses
When a heart attack took Gert Boyle’s husband away from her in 1970, she found herself at the helm of a struggling outerwear manufacturer.