The Exaggerations that Tell the Truth
The more we treasure something, the higher our emotions run in relation to it. Tell a mother how ugly her baby really is and you’ll see what I mean. And this is a very useful phenomenon for the ad writer.
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.
Cubicalls: The Cancellation
"Yeah, they were on for 6 months. But they don't want to renew. Some employees bought the business. She said they'd think about it in the spring.” "What business?" "That HVAC outfit. We had some great ads."
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?
9 Things to Remember When Scheduling Media for Business Growth
1. Allow the same listener to hear the same ad at least 3 times every 7 nights sleep (sleep erases advertising)
Naming the Disease
Nobody knew bad breath was a destructive social ill until Gerard Lambert pointed the blinding spotlight of his ads at the dangers of halitosis as a means of selling Listerine.
How to create your first, “No Fail” Advertising Plan
First timer’s take courage! You must have Faith. Many have succeeded doing this and you can. Just be ready for the challenges.
“In your experience what would be the most effective kind of advertising?” – Zoe H. Australia
Variables: (1) The population of your market. (2) The size of your ad budget.
Learning from the Legends — MacManus and The Penalty of Leadership
Too often inexperienced copywriters and advertising clients want to persuade with copy points — with information being pushed at the reader.
90% of Local Advertising Summed Up In 2 Slogans
Optimizing a purchase demands more time, energy, and attention than anyone can spare for 99% of purchases. Instead, people simply want their needs filled and hoped-for benefits granted at a reasonably fair price. “Satisficing.”
Discounted Media Opportunities, Should You Buy Them?
You're having a good day at work. Then the phone rings. It's the local magazine rep with a once in a lifetime discount offer. Now you're under pressure.
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.
Should I Buy Facebook Ads?
I’m in a local BNI* networking group and the question, “Should I buy Facebook ads?” almost always comes up when I tell a local business owner that I do marketing and advertising consulting. I disappoint them with my answer. Let me show you why.
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.