I fly the Stars and Stripes for you.
And I thank you.
del.icio.us Tags: United States Memorial Day Holiday
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
There’s no such thing as free marketing
I attended a Meetup earlier this week entitled, Marketing Without Dollars. I went into the assemblage loaded for bear because I abhor the idea, belief or notion that marketing can be accomplished without money.
It quickly became apparent that the presenter wasn’t purporting to possess radical ideas for moving products through various channels and into the buyer’s open arms without spending a dime driving awareness and demand.
No. He stated emphatically (well, for a kind and soft-spoken man, it was meant to be emphatic) that marketing is more a mindset than a skillset…especially for small and emerging businesses. He focused primarily on image and how business people and businesses present and conduct themselves, actively and passively, throughout each and every day.
Examples:
- Swept floors and clean restrooms
- Well manicured lawns
- Company vehicles neatly aligned in the parking lot
- Precisely organized product displays
- Crisp professional company uniforms
- Courteous and attentive receptionists
- Visible and sincere participation in civic events
He categorized all of these as free marketing activities.
The presenter was really talking about image, perception and brand management. Marketing is much broader and comprised of many complex disciplines. Company culture, public perception and brand are aspects of marketing, and quite important ones at that, but few if any businesses of any size and maturity can succeed or survive by putting most of their energy into these “marketing without dollars” activities.
It’s wise to pay attention to them, though.
But are any of them really free? I say no. Do you agree?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
You can handle the truth
Do you believe everything you read? Do you trust statistics? Do you casually accept the interpretation of surveys and those that report them as unbiased?
Me either.
Why is that? Could it be because we’ve been mislead too often; burned too many times?
I suspect so. We’ve all come to understand that individuals and groups with a particular agenda choose to dissect data or select certain portions of a study that supports their philosophy and present that information as the complete picture. Generally, what they fail to convey is the numbers are only a slice of the pie. They’ve skewed the truth in their favor.
It’s disingenuous and it fosters mistrust.
Consider the damage it does to your company and your brand when you ask a copywriter to make an unsubstantiated claim to close a gap or secure a competitive advantage. The truth will eventually emerge, and your reputation will be smeared. Customers may walk. Partners too.
So why risk your reputation? Take the high road. Win because your product or service is superior and your customer service puts your competitors to shame. You’ll protect your honor and the dignity of all, including copywriters, who are working vigorously to ensure your product and company succeeds.
Disclosure: this post was originally published on 10/20/2011
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The long and winding road to overnight success
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Success.
Success who?
Overnight success…you started your new venture yesterday, so here I am.
No one is an overnight success.
Businesses are not an overnight success.
Success is preceded by immeasurable blood, 
Steve Martin said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
It’s sage advice for businesses as well as individuals. A relentless pursuit of excellence will get you noticed. Your verve, passion and commitment will reap rewards. Success will find you.
Just don’t expect success to find you overnight.
Monday, May 14, 2012
I will not be ignored!
“Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
̶ Steve Martin
This quote is making the rounds on Pinterest and blogs lately. It is attributed to the incomparable Mr. Steve Martin, actor, musician and comedian. Mr. Martin spoke these words during an interview he gave to Charlie Rose. It aired nearly four and a half years ago on December 12, 2007.
Talk about sticky, this message definitely has staying power. Perhaps Mr. Martin should have been an ad executive, or a brand manager. I have no doubt he would have been stellar in either capacity.
Mr. Martin didn’t remake himself. He made a conscious career and life decision to not be a one trick pony. So he committed himself to the things he loved, worked very hard and honed his skills. Mr. Martin’s work ethic paved the path to his success.
He became so good as a comic, actor and musician, that they simply couldn’t ignore him.
We all should be able to do the same with at least one professional pursuit. Agreed?
Friday, May 11, 2012
Scoreboard!...no wait…word!…wait…forget it
I’ve never been hip to slang, street language, urban speak or other forms of non-standard language. Words from those worlds that were mainstreamed eluded me.
Example: for the longest time, I didn’t fully grasp the meaning of scoreboard! Friends used it in a vain attempt to end an argument.
“Scoreboard!” one would shout.
“Huh? What does a scoreboard have to do with a disagreement over who is the greatest rock-n-roll guitarist,” I thought to myself.
The verbal sparring continued, so my question was never answered for me.
I sort of figured it out in recent years on the softball field when opponents full of attitude would be chirping at us about their superiority while we piled on the runs. My guys didn’t jaw with them, but in the dugout I’d hear scoreboard spoken softly amongst the team.
We had substantially more runs. The team that scores the most runs wins. That’s a fact. Numbers on the scoreboard are cold hard facts. They represent the truth.
Word!
I speak the truth.
From Urban Dictionary:
"Word" is the shortened form of the phrase: "my word is my bond" which was originated by inmates in U.S. prisons. The longer phrase was shortened to "word is bond" before becoming "word," which is most commonly used. It basically means "truth." Or "to speak the truth."
And no, I didn’t understand what the heck people meant when the exclaimed “Word!”
It will be a sign of the apocalypse when I see “Scoreboard!” or “Word!” in business communications.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
My word, who needs the aggravation
A favorite online reference of mine is dictionary.com. I use it frequently for this blog and when I come across unfamiliar words during my online reading.
Hey, it happens.
A feature on the site is Word of the Day. For the most part, I’ve ignored it. Why? So many of the words are quite obscure, which means I’ll rarely have occasion to use them. That’s aggravating, and I don’t need more aggravation in my life.
I felt out of character today, so I glanced at the Word of the Day – obtest – and was immediately stumped. I’ve never seen the word in textbooks, articles, editorials, periodicals, novels and others reading materials, nor have I heard it uttered in any context.
Have you?
The definition
obtest \ ob-TEST \ , verb;
- To supplicate earnestly; beseech.
- To invoke as witness.
- To protest.
- To make supplication; beseech.
Quite frankly, the first definition confuses me. Supplicate means to humbly entreat, petition or request; beseech conveys a sense of urgency. I think the tone of voice when one supplicates would be much more demure and deferential than when one urgently beseeches, which hints at subtle manipulation to bend another’s will in one’s favor.
Today I learned a word that confuses me. A word that confuses me is unusable. So much for avoiding more aggravation in my life.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Take my word for it
Vituperative.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the word popped into my head this morning. I wasn’t angry or lashing out at someone. Nor was a verbal undressing given or received being replayed in the theater in my mind.
Nope.
In fact, there was nothing spectacular, inspirational or provocative coursing through my brain when the word sprung from the depths of my memory.
vi·tu·per·a·tion [vahy-too-puh-rey-shuhn], noun
- verbal abuse or castigation; violent denunciation or condemnation.
Huh? Where did that come from, and why? I haven’t used or thought of the word in ages.
Wonderful word, though. It slithers off the tongue like a deadly snake. It’s bite venomous.
Take my word for it, in my line of work I’ll never be presented the opportunity to use vituperative. It breaks too many rules of writing today.
Fortunately, I have this blog where these rules don’t apply. Furthermore, I have dedicated and appreciative readers like you.
Thank you!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Rain on me
It rained all day and that’s about as exciting as it gets when it comes to the weather here in Austin, Texas. Adding to the giddiness was the incredibly cool 70° F high temperature. It hasn’t been that chill in Central Texas since March.
We need a drought buster and this system could be it. A low pressure system near the four corners is trudging east at a snail’s pace. As a consequence, more precipitation is predicted through Friday.
Folks were seen dancing in the rain. It’s a bit pitiful, really.
Rain of a different cloud
It continues to rain on my copywriting parade. I’m tasked with crafting product briefs and videos. The instructions are always the same: make the copy brief and not too technical. People have little patience and short attention spans. If they have to think too hard about the features and benefits of our solutions, they’ll seek out our competitors.
Pitiful. Isn’t it?
Monday, May 7, 2012
Don’t speak ill of the brand
The best laid plans sometimes go awry through no fault of your own. On Friday I wrote about my intentions to pay attention to some of the brands I would be exposed to on a 150 mile round-trip drive on I-35. Macro view first; individual brand analysis last.
I expected to be sharp of mind and fit of body for the drive. I woke up feeling anything but 100%. I wasn’t seriously ill, but the waves roiling in my stomach kept me from giving my utmost attention to my surroundings during the trip.
I tried, and I times I succeeded in taking in the branding environment, but other times, I was too aware of how unwell I felt.
Enough whining.
Here are two road trip branding observations:
- In the metro areas, few company or product brands rose above the fray. There’s so much visual noise, it’s dizzying for drivers, so drivers tend to block it out. (That’s a good thing since distracted driving is a killer. We don’t need signage and billboards contributing to the problem.) This probably isn’t news for most of us; just affirmation.
- In rural areas, I noticed the pitiful over the excellent and I’m not paying the pitiful a compliment. What was memorable was the neglect and that does not impress. Bad store signage and dilapidated billboards. When there’s little branding competition, why wouldn’t you put your best foot forward? Talk about a missed opportunity.
So that’s it and it isn’t much better than I felt (sorry readers).
Of course, pictures would sure help accentuate my observations, but I was driving and I would not be distracted.
SIDEBAR: Talk about not being on top of your game; I realized later that a better title for last Friday’s blog post: Branding At The Speed Of Drive.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Branding at the speed limit
A while back I wrote a post about the countless number of brands we are exposed to every day. The thought occurred to me as I was driving on the interstate that at that particular moment, I was being bombarded with scores of brand messages. What troubled me was how until that instance of clarity, I was blissfully and completely unaware.
Tomorrow I will be taking that same route north but for a shorter distance of 75 miles. Will history repeat itself?
No, because I’m planning to make a conscious effort to absorb some of these brand messages and analyze my reactions to them.
First, I will make a macro observation: what is the environment like where the brands are competing for my attention.
Next, I will hone in on specific brands that capture my eye and I’ll quickly assess why I think they were successful.
I’ll be forced to make quick judgments since I’ll be driving through the area at 60 MPH or faster.
It’s not speed dating, but for a branding and communications guy, it should be interesting to see if I pick up any positive vibes.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The more things change, the more the brand stays the same
I admire brands that stick with what works. It takes guts to stay the course when there’s so much change around you, especially in this swift-moving, reactive and highly impatient era.
Director: “Our competition is doing X! We need to respond. We can’t keep doing what we’re doing.”
Brand Manager: “Why not? We’re firmly entrenched in the leadership position. The campaign rocks and the channel and consumers love it and they love the brand. What’s to change?”
Director: “Doesn’t matter; we need to change the branding campaign now.”
Consider ESPN and their SportsCenter program promotions. Very little about their commercials has changed in 17 years. It’s remarkable that they continue to produce highly entertaining, memorable and fresh creative year after year. And every promo ends with their tag line “This is SportsCenter”, appearing on the screen…seen, but not said.
The campaign never gets old.
How many product or service brands can match their stamina and success? Can you name any brands that have enjoyed even a 10 year run utilizing the same theme, creative formula and slogan? How about a 5 year run?
Write the brand and the number of years the same campaign creative and messaging has run in the Comments box.
Thank you for your contribution and for reading my blog.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Am I missing something?
Prevailing wisdom dictates that blogs, articles and web content will not be read if they lack visuals.
Really?
Precision in communication calls for utilizing all available tools to help convey ideas and knowledge. Where an appropriate infographic, picture, icon or graph visually punctuates a concept, definitely include it.
But I’m not for inserting an image simply because prevailing wisdom dictates.
Why?
Because sometimes it looks forced, and that’s just dumb.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Be careful how you speak
“It was a very exciting finish and a game I’ll probably never forget. Me, Joe, Chris and Osie were clutch!”
Did you cringe? If not, perhaps you don’t recognize the grammar rules that were violated:
1. The speaker is one of the subjects of the sentence, therefore, I is the correct pronoun, not me.
2. When giving a list of people that includes the speaker, all other names come first:
“Joe, Chris, Osie and I were clutch!”
Individuals who put themselves before others are telling a story that does not reflect well on themselves. At best, it suggests they are not well spoken and have a poor command of the language. At worst, it hints that they are self-centered and egotistical.
“I’m most important!” it shrieks to the listener.
Intentional or not, when you put yourself at the front of the story, you are dissing the others involved and putting yourself in a negative light.
Don’t let your grammar betray you.
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