Every successful business, organization and marketing campaign relies on some form of print support material to communicate their message. Be it a product catalog, a service brochure, informational pamphlet or a political campaign flier. All collateral is created to perform the same function; to inform, educate, and motivate the recipient…
Several years ago, I saw a billboard for a furniture store with the slogan that read, “For the discriminating buyer”. You cannot say that today. Any reference to discrimination has been eliminated from all advertising vocabulary. Marketers must be ultra-sensitive, so as not to offend anyone in today’s Politically Correct…
Advertisers are no different than folks who try to save money by negotiating a “deal” or justifying a premise on which the ad agency should price their work. Here are some of the more interesting techniques that clients have used over the past 50+ years. I have heard it all;…
I get a chuckle out of some of the claims and phrases used in print and broadcast advertising. Here is a sample of slogans and clichés that I have compiled and what they really mean. SAVE! No one actually “saves” the money that they don’t spend on discounted products or…
Today when the Internet seems to be the place where buyers are flocking to buy products. Shops and retail stores are feeling the sales pinch. Sure, shopping on-line does offer a wide variety of products at very competitive prices, but what is lacking in the e-commerce world is that personal…
Creating a great print ad is not just assembling a layout with a headline, photo, some copy and a logo, but is an orchestrated sequence of factors and functions designed to meet a strategic objective. Building an ad is like building a house. First you have to determine the location,…
In 1975 a man named Gary Dahl sold more than 1 million “Pet Rocks” after writing and distributing a single press release. Gary Dahl, was having drinks with his buddies one night in April 1975 when the conversation turned to pets. As a lark, Mr. Dahl informed his friends that…
In the old west the Sheriff would call in outside professional help when needed. These “Hired Guns” were professionals, brought in to bolstered their law enforcement by providing their special abilities and talents to resolve local problems. Today, business owners are doing the same, by bringing outside professional Marketing Consultants…
Whether fishing or advertising, you have to… go where the fish (customers) are. The Advertising Media are the waters where you cast your bait. There are fish (customers) out there, but you have to have some knowledge where the fish (customers) might be hanging out. Know what kind of fish…
An anorexic girl looks in the mirror, sees a fat person and is determined to lose weight. Her self-view is distorted because she cannot look at herself objectively. Even though others may reassure her that she is too thin, in her distorted impression, she thinks she is obese. To some…
