Want To Be a Master Persuader?
In business, this is critical. How do you make someone say “Yes” to your request? Robert Cialdini's scientific approach to persuasion found that influence is based on six key principles.
Judging Ads: You’re (Probably) Doing It Wrong
I saw the following posted as a bit of humor online and thought it contained a powerful advertising lesson.
Story Appeal, Attitude, and Branding
Shared values and tribes are the life blood of bonding campaigns. And you can’t have attitude without a point of view.
McMann & Tate: Worst Ad Agency Ever
Howard McMann once said of his partner, “He’s slippery, he lies beautifully, and he has a great head of hair.” Legend has it, Tate once told a subordinate “If the client loves it, I love it! If the client hates it, I hate it!”
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.
Why Delight Can Never Come Before Easy
Need Met + Easy = Delight I realize that you as a business owner are swarmed with issues on a daily basis that make you feel like it’s not this simple. But from a consumer standpoint, it is this simple.
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...
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.
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.
Want to Sell More? Hire Gatekeepers Who Bring Sunshine to Work.
Look first to the narrow neck in your marketing process.
The Marriage of Teamwork and Character Diamonds
Myrtle Beach One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning grew 42.4% in 2019, from $10.5M to $15.2 million.
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.
Basically the Basics
Like shelter, water, and food…let’s break marketing down to 3 basic items: Brand Promise, Brand Consistency, and Brand Execution.
Showmanship & Transparency
Like most buzzwords “transparency” is most misunderstood by the very people mouthing it most often. The proper way requires transparency AND showmanship.