It’s hard to turn a blind eye to these domestic violence ads

Having been in the ad business for some time, I’ve become pretty discriminating. Creativity is all well and good, but no brief ever listed it as a business objective. Conversely, ads with nothing different or memorable aren’t worth writing about.   

It’s not often that I see an ad that does both well. So imagine my surprise when I saw two them on the same day (actually they were back to back on Adfreak) for the same cause no less.

This one, created by Ireland Davenport for the Salvation Army in South Africa, cleverly capitalizes on the buzz of “the dress” to call attention to domestic violence.

4 things technology has made worse

Image courtesy of Feelart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I promise I’m not an old curmudgeon bemoaning progress. At least not yet. I don’t resist new technology or trends. On the contrary, I love the latest advancements. The capabilities we have at our disposal make work and personal endeavors so much easier it’s hard to imaging how we did things without them.

But for all of the advantages technology brings, there are drawbacks. Here are four things that have deteriorated in the technological age, and what it means for marketers and advertisers.

The #1 thing holding your marketing and advertising back

I’m an adman, so you might expect this to be a rant about how clients need to take more chances and trust their agency or in-house creative teams. That’s a pretty common gripe among us creative types, after all. And truth be told, a lot of great ads do get watered down this way. But that’s not the biggest thing holding it back.

What’s really keeping marketers from their greatest success is the very way they think about marketing. There are debates raging all over the blogosphere about marketing media and disciplines. Above the line advertisers look down on direct response, while the direct marketers dismiss the former for lacking measurable results. It can get heated.

If your content disappeared tomorrow, would anyone miss it?

Would anyone miss your content if it all disappeared?

As marketers, we tend to dive headlong into new methods and trends. Content marketing is no exception. In fact, 92,000 new articles are posted online every day. And that’s just one form of content.

It’s easy to understand the appeal. Content marketing is cost effective, versatile and, when done right, leads to long-term success. So we create and curate to feed the content marketing machine. And it’s hungry. But if your content all disappeared, would anyone miss it?

Before you answer that question, give some objective thought to the following.

Advertising silos could be killing your results

Image courtesy of Lavoview at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The great thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice. The bad thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice.

From a positive standpoint, companies and individuals can get their messages out quickly and affordably, building their reputations and attracting followers.

On the flip side, anyone can claim to be an authority on any given subject. And bad advice is more widespread than you might think. I probably shouldn’t be by now, but I’m still surprised by a lot of what I see online. 

My best advice for writing direct marketing that works

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Getting people to take action, right now, without ever interacting with them face-to-face is really hard. In fact, a response rate of just 3% is considered a great result in many instances. Worst of all, we often make it even harder than it has to be.

That’s why what I’m about to share is my absolute best advice for writing direct marketing that works. If you follow this, you’ll get out of your own way, simplify the task at hand and improve your response rate.

So what is this magical pearl of wisdom?

Why your PPC results stink

If you’re reading this, then you’re likely frustrated with your search engine marketing efforts. Maybe you’re losing money on your ads, and even worse, you’re not sure why.  It’s probably one or more of the following.

Here’s one piece of common marketing advice you should ignore

If you’ve been in the marketing and ad biz for any length of time you’ve no doubt heard it numerous times. You may have even said it to your protégées. It’s one of the most common pieces of advice in all of marketing. And you should ignore it.

Is Twitter worth it?



KitchenAid got a lot of flack for this tweet an employee mistakenly sent from the wrong account.

 It seems like there’s always someone getting in trouble on Twitter. And it’s not just celebrities that put their feet in their mouths with the popular social media vehicle. You can find scores of examples of brands blundering tweets this year alone. Here are just a few:

What was Progressive thinking?

Emotion can be a powerful thing in advertising. Even negative emotions such as fear and anger can be used to make a positive connection with consumers and motivate action. But to do that, advertisers need to direct those emotions at something other than themselves. Seems like common sense to me. That’s why I was so confused by this banner ad from Progressive insurance that ran on my fantasy football league’s website.

Enthusiasm is nothing without authenticity

I heard a commercial for the upcoming Eagles vs. Patriots preseason game on the local radio sports station that caused me to roll my eyes. It wasn’t the clichéd analogy of “going to war” that caused my reaction, although that certainly didn’t help. It was more the sheer absurdity of the attempt at creating excitement.

CBS’s PR misstep

In public relations, how a company reacts to an event can have just as much of an impact as the event itself. Being transparent in the wake of a scandal, issuing a genuine apology, taking responsibility and attempting to make amends can help brands improve their reputation. CBS proves the opposite can also hold true.

Funny Ad Fail Lessons

Ad fails are a great source of amusement. But their value isn’t just comedic. There are lessons to learn, or at least remind ourselves of. Here are just a few.

The Chevy Doesn’t Go

You may have heard of this one, as it’s one of the most famous parables about marketing gone awry. The legend goes that the Chevy Nova tanked in Latin America because “No Va” in Spanish means “Doesn’t Go.”

Are ad creatives becoming too specialized?

Over-specialization can lead to creative tunnel vision.

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately. It seems like most job postings these days, both for permanent employment and freelance projects, require experience within very specific segments.

There are times when you do want a specialist. If I ever need brain surgery, I certainly hope it’s performed by a neurosurgeon. And I hope that person has extensive experience performing the specific procedure. But what makes specialization such an asset in that case can actually be a detriment in advertising.

Are advertisers stuck in the past?

For decades in Philadelphia the prevailing thought on the Flyers was that they were living in the past. They were trying to recreate their glory teams of the 1970s as the modern game passed them by. Lately, it seems that many major brands and their advertising agencies are taking lessons from those Flyers.

In October of last year, Wendy’s brought back “Where’s the Beef?” in this ad featuring a t-shirt with the popular 80s slogan.

Design tips from a copywriter

I’ll be the first person to tell you that I’m no designer. I have neither the training nor innate ability to create layouts that command attention, engage and deliver impact. So why would you take design tips from me? Well, because I’m not a designer. Let me explain.

As a copywriter, I bring a different perspective to design. It’s less about form and more about function. It may sound obvious that the design should support the message, but you’d be surprised how often design actually gets in the way. To avoid the most common mistakes, follow these tips.

New email research: Only 28% of messages contain relevant content

That was the subject line that greeted me from one of my favorite and most trusted marketing information sources. I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised, based on the email I receive on a daily basis. Here are just a few of the subject lines from the last couple of days:

    “Cyber Monday Deals | NORTON SECURITY SOFTWARE”

     I never showed any interest in this or similar products from this particular retailer.

     “The CyberMonday FREE SHIPPING Event! (All Day…3+ Bottles Ship Free!)”

     I do like wine, but I live in a state that by law doesn’t allow alcohol through mail order.

5 All-Time Great Ads

There have been scores of great ads over the years. Ads that inspire. Ads that sell. Ads that innovate. These are five of the very best and most important. 

I want to hear from you. What ads would you include that didn't make this list?

Move beyond benefits for better results

Most people with a basic understanding of marketing know that you should turn features into benefits. But if you’re stopping there you’re severely limiting the persuasive power of your promotion. To take your copy to the next level, translate those benefits into motivations.

Features are attributes of a product or service. Benefits are what those features do for people. Motivations are what the benefits mean personally and emotionally to the prospect. Here’s an example.

Advertising has gone to the dogs

Seriously. Nestle Purina PetCare is releasing a commercial aimed not just at dog owners, but also at the pets themselves. The ad for Beneful dog food, which will run in Austria, includes a series of squeaks and high-frequency tones that take advantage of a dog’s sharp hearing. You can read the article about it here.

All of this brings up some interesting questions.