10 Basic Truths of Advertising, Part 1
America has always sorted its mail over a trashcan, and now just as ruthlessly sorts, filters, and dismisses every other incoming stimuli. Modern life demands it.
Are Your Ads Missing Hope? | Wizard’s Roundtable
You need all four... (1) A Big Idea (2) Nuts and Bolts (3) Entertainment (4) Hope. The last is the easiest to overlook… but it’s the most important.
No Parking on the Dance Floor of Your Mind
Are your ads letting the imagery and the story-logic do the persuading and selling? Or are they relying on whacky creative that’s actually counter-productive?
Attention Retention
As children we were told bedtime stories. In elementary school, we found books that we could read over and over. As adults, we still seek a good story. The familiarity of stories has been with us from before you and I could even remember.
What Advertising Can’t Do
Creativity worshippers tend to feel that while nothing works for sure, anything might work, so long as it’s rilly, rilly creative and the lightning strikes in their favor.
How to Get (and keep) Attention | Wizard’s Roundtable
I’m joined by Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer at System 1 Group in London. His book Lemon and subsequent short film Achtung! outline how we’ve lost customer’s attention over the years, and how to get it back.
Magical Ad Writing for Everything From Piccolos to Recruitment
You have to: 1: Not sound like everybody else 2: Get into somebody’s imagination and mess around.
The Enduring Power of Demonstration Ads
I grab my copper scrubbing brillo and… ditch the Seventh Generation and instinctively and inexorably reach for the blue Dawn. Why did I just do that?
Are You Paying The Tax Of The Unremarkable?
These taxes include, but are not limited to: A higher cost per lead. A disloyal and price-sensitive customer. Inconsistent lead flow. Limited and unstable growth.
When Will My Ads Start Working?
Few business owners advertise long enough to see the results of their investment. They’ll pull up the seed and throw it to the side. Nothing ever grows! And that’s a good thing for you.
Why Your Business Should Have a Podcast | Wizard’s Roundtable
The untapped advantages your business could leverage by having a podcast. It’s surprisingly easy to do, and if you can have a 10-minute phone call, you can have a podcast.
“Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You” Applied to Marketing
Too many business owners want to spread their ad budgets among various media. That’s a recipe for failure. To be fair, though, it’s a common-sense mistake.
Selling Magic
Looking to close more sales? Try magic… Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. Like all great magicians, the power of your sales presentation is in the setup. Let’s take a peek behind the curtain.
The Social Engineering Brilliance of “L’eggo My Eggo”
To understand the brilliance of what Leo Burnett did, you have to consider what they didn’t do — what a lesser advertising title might have done.
Why Character-Driven Ads are the Key to Higher Margins
Facts presented as facts — as standard “reason why” advertising — cause people to buy from a Consumer Reports mindset. They want bang for the buck.