How to “Pick Up the Pace” with Your Branding Campaign
Jingles, sound effects, or just interestingly pronounced phrases stick in our brains with amazing power and longevity.
5 Hard Truths About Advertising Every Business Owner Ought to Know
Your ads are an annoyance to your future customers. Unless you make yourself otherwise.
Doubling Down on Schtick That Sticks
It’s been over 40 years — and I can still sing the lyrics. Here are my quick and dirty takeaways.
Shared Stories and Advertising Magic
Why do so few stories end up being about vulnerability, setbacks, or scars? Because it takes an uncommon level of guts and skill.
Personality Prescription, Part 5 – Let’s Sell Something
There’s a saying that “Business goes where it’s invited.” What should we put in our ads to get that invitation from Ms. Homeowner?
Wanna Be Seen as “The Best”? Don’t Brag, Do This Instead
Lead researcher, Neil G. MacLaren, set out to test the “Babble Hypothesis.” Turns out, there’s a deceptively simple answer.
Forget TL;DR — it’s TB;DC you gotta worry about!
The art of ad writing requires the creation of ads that work even for an audience that’s half-paying attention.
Left turn to Albuquerque
Last year, a lawyer put up a billboard. He used the same graphics as the tv show with the headline, “Better Call Bob.”
Piña Coladas & Persuasion
This is what separates the heroes from schmoes in branding: The ability to use entertainment & humor to drive home the message, rather than obscure it.
The Five Elements of Fame
Experts on marketing effectiveness determined that Fame is the most important element for producing extraordinary ROI.
What Constitutes Memorable Ads? [+Examples]
It’s time to stop wasting your time and effort on lackluster ads that no one remembers.
6 Degrees of Benjamin Franklin
Doing business with — making yourself vulnerable to — a complete stranger feels bad. Nobody wants to put themselves in that situation.
Top Gun & The Tale of 2 Super Bowl Ads
While Tony Scott's Top Gun was the highest-grossing film of the year, his 1985 Super Bowl spot is regarded as Apple's worst ad ever.
Do Your Ads Obey the Law?
The first law of advertising is quite simple: Thou Shalt Not Be Boring! And there are really only two ways to avoid breaking that law.
The Slow Season Fallacy of PPC Advertising
When almost no one is in the market for what you sell — i.e., when it’s slow season — then almost no one is searching on relevant keywords.