Showmanship & Transparency
Like most buzzwords “transparency” is most misunderstood by the very people mouthing it most often. The proper way requires transparency AND showmanship.
Bonding Not Branding
Let me tell you a cool story I think you’ll like — one that taught me the most powerful advertising lesson I’ve ever learned. See, when the radio-thon rolled around, my client put his personal money where his mouth had always been.
Four Advertising Message Options for Local Businesses
Bonding Ads don't sound like ads, which means your well-meaning family and friends will tell you not to run them.
Laphroaig Lamp-Shades the Heck Out of Their Ad
If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s a fiction writer’s technique of basically OWNING uncanny happenings, plot holes, etc.
Growing Your Following (Business) In a Crisis
James Dean isn’t a dead 60’s movie star or a country singin’ sausage maker. He’s a hippy children’s author whose following is growing like crazy right now.
4 Marketing Lessons from The Creative Revolution’s Most Legendary Whisky Campaign
The more creative and powerful the work, the more trust is required.
But it is not professional…
His words stink up the room. The death stroke to a creative campaign. As a marketer who specializes in business to business, I have heard this rebuttal many times.
Coffee and Whisky Marketing — Not So Different
Bond with customers over personality, attitude, and values first.
What’s Your Perfectly Fair Competitive Advantage?
All things not being equal, if people ONLY sought the lowest price, everyone in America would drive a Chevy Spark for $14,095.
Dave Said What?
“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.” So sayeth the late David Packard (he was the other guy in Hewlett-Packard). Was this a snarky dig at marketing? Or was Dave trying to get something else across?
Make the Logo Smaller?
Advertising creatives and graphic designers groan at a client request to “make the logo bigger.” And both the request and the reaction are entirely understandable.
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.
10 Marketing Lessons From Garth Brooks
Even though he couldn’t possibly interact with everyone, he specifically circled the round stage and made eye contact with someone at each point before he moved on.
C. F. Hathaway’s Formula for Maximizing a Small Ad Budget
David Ogilvy’s “The Man in the Hathaway Shirt” ushered in a new era of storytelling in advertising. The story, however, took place entirely in your imagination.
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.