Are Canceled July 4th Celebrations Bad Community Relations and Marketing?

Published July 3, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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3207327155_8331b2b221_sI’m all for fiscal responsibility, but I have to admit I’m disappointed to hear about all the canceled Fourth of July celebrations around the United States due to cutbacks by local governments.

On NPR yesterday, I heard about how the city of Colorado Springs canceled its Fourth of July event because they don’t have the $75,000 to spare. Ipswich, Mass., billed as “The Birthplace of American Freedom,” is in the same boat, as are many other locales.

Maybe I’m naïve or idealistic, but aren’t there alternatives? Something scaled back, or a campaign to rally the community to help fund a public celebration? The parks and community spaces already exist for some sort of holiday gathering.

It seems to me that in these difficult economic times we need to continue to take opportunities to promote civic pride and a feeling of togetherness. Canceling traditional community events isn’t helping to do that.

(Image: Stephanie Vacher/Flickr)

The Advertising Downturn and Other Thoughts

Published July 1, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Ad spending may be down (print ads in particular), but there are still those who believe in advertising. A friend of mine who is a business owner expressed his belief early this year, recalling the blunt statement of a Coca-Cola executive (paraphrased):

“When I advertise, my sales go up. When I don’t advertise, my sales go down.”

That seems like a no-brainer for a mega brand such as Coca-Cola. Even in leaner times they surely have a gargantuan advertising budget.

But Coca-Cola was also bullish on advertising in its early days when the fledgling soft drink company painted farmers’ barns at no charge throughout the South. All re-painted barns prominently displayed the Coca-Cola name in bright red.

Continue reading ‘The Advertising Downturn and Other Thoughts’

Take Relationships to Next Level

Published June 29, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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13880423_e848647237_t(“Take Relationships to Next Level” by Hesha Patel, one of 11 articles and mini essays in my free 20-page report, Smart Communication Strategies in a Down Economy.)

When times are rough, it becomes even more important to take relationship management between you (the company) and your customer to the next level. Personalize your interaction by picking up the phone, talking to your customers and find out first hand how the economy is playing a part in their business and how you can be there to help!

Holding webinars can be an effective way to market to current and prospective customers on a low-key budget as they eliminate travel, accommodations and various other expenses.

Targeted email marketing to opt-in lists is another economical way to communicate with current and potential clients. Provide as much value as possible by sharing knowledge and expertise, such as whitepapers, case studies, success stories, articles and more.

Download the entire report:
Smart Communication Strategies in a Down Economy (PDF)

(Image: Beatnic/Flickr)

Can an 83-Word Billboard Work?

Published June 26, 2009 Uncategorized 1 Comment
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Click image to enlarge. (Daniel Bowen/Flickr)

Conventional advertising wisdom says to keep words to a minimum on a billboard – or in any form of advertising, for that matter. In an age of 140-character attention spans, messages should be super short and lightening quick. At least that’s what the experts often say.

So, the above billboard (technically a giant poster) with eight lines of copy and 83 words is definitely zagging when others are zigging. It’s located in the main concourse of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne.

Is it smart or misguided?

Continue reading ‘Can an 83-Word Billboard Work?’

The Proliferation of Online Newsletters

Published June 25, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Do you publish an online newsletter or ezine? How about a print newsletter?

Not surprisingly, print newsletters are quickly falling out of fashion while online newsletters are skyrocketing.

This from B to B:

Online and e-mail newsletters increased to 6,055 from 1,053 over the last five years, according to the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters.

The 2009 edition of the directory is slated for release Tuesday. Print-only newsletters listed in the directory decreased 43%, from 7,395 to 4,180 in the same time frame. The number of newsletters in both print and electronic formats increased slightly, to 4,949 from 4,859.

I’ve published a monthly e-newsletter on copywriting and marketing communications called HEADLINES FROM FLOYD for about five years. If you aren’t already receiving it, please sign up at right. Admirable people say kind things about it.

8 Effective Headline Types for B2B

Published June 22, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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“If you haven’t done some selling in your headline, you have wasted 80 percent of your client’s money.”
−David Ogilvy, Confessions of an Advertising Man

Writing a compelling headline isn’t as easy as it looks. That’s why it’s good to consider all the possibilities.

I thought of headline types after seeing a recent post at copyblogger. Actually, headline types haven’t changed much, if any, over the years. Following are eight variations that can work well for both B2B and B2C copy.

1. Direct. Direct headlines make a straightforward statement to readers. (Save up to 70% on generators.)

2. Indirect. Indirect headlines are designed to pique the curiosity of readers, providing the payoff in the body copy. (Issaquah is now home to 42,469 of your favorite authors.)

3. News. News headlines can be used when you have news or a special announcement. (Introducing the first watch you can wear with a wet suit and tie.)

4. How to. How to is the workhorse of headlines, promising useful information. When you’re drawing a blank, try a how-to headline. (How to get more mileage out of yellow pages advertising.)

5. Question. Question headlines are effective when your audience wants to know the answer. Craft a smart question and you’ll have them eating out of your hand. (What does the pilot strike mean for your travel plans?)

Continue reading ‘8 Effective Headline Types for B2B’

‘I Like Pigs’ Direct Mail Piece

Published June 19, 2009 Uncategorized 1 Comment
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(Click image to enlarge)

Have you ever used pigs in marketing? Or marketed on their behalf? I haven’t.

The above is part of a direct mail campaign by RSPCA to help improve the welfare of pigs in Europe. It’s based on a quote from Sir Winston Churchill:

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

(Image: Howard Lake/Flickr)

Brainstorming at the Library

Published June 17, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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I’m in the back of the town library, feet propped up, laptop on lap, staring out the window. In other words, I’m brainstorming. Sort of.

Some days the best thing to do is give the brain a rest. That’s the way I feel today. I’m working on a new campaign, but I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere.

That’s the way brainstorming often seems. Like a big fat nothing.

When I’m brainstorming, I like to doodle on a pad. I like to tap on my keyboard. I also like to look at magazines, especially pubs such as the Atlantic Monthly that have a lot of smart ads. The big advertisers and companies with the large budgets typically have the smart ad campaigns with sharp creative.

I’m looking for inspiration – words and images that spark something, anything. Currently, I’m looking for some simple, direct and authentic-sounding ways to say “community.” I haven’t found them yet. But that’s OK. I have until early next week (not very long, actually). Which means I’m still brainstorming.

The Calculator Concept

Published June 15, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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135168824_a23f67c327_s“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
-Yogi Berra, baseball legend

Hard times and hard-hitting creative often go well together. More specifically, I’m thinking about creative – I’ll call it the calculator concept – that computes savings or demonstrates a financial benefit in dollars and cents. Examples follow.

An Avaya ad featured in B2B’s Chasers section is straightforward. The copy reads, “With Avaya Unified Communications for Small Business, we’re ready to grow.” The call to action, which serves as a link to a landing page, reads, “CALCULATE YOUR ROI >>.”

Here’s another example from last year’s election season. On the home page of BarackObama.com, a headline read, “What’s Your Obama Tax Cut?” A calculator graphic accompanied the payoff copy: “Barack Obama’s plan will cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and their families.” The click-button copy was “FIND OUT.”

Whether used in B2B, B2C, or even politics, the calculator concept is solid because it focuses like a laser beam on a monetary benefit. That’s a smart creative strategy in hard times.

(Image: atomicshark/Flickr)

Vintage Pillow Ad from Ladies Home Journal

Published June 12, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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cowtools

I spotted this advert on Flickr. Ah, the good ‘ol days of advertising when wordplay and silly jingles were the norm.

How about that headline? It’s simply the product name and an exclamation point!

My favorite line of copy, though, is below the body copy: “Enjoy the Rest of your life!”

(Image: Cowtools/Flickr)

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Floyd is an actual place, not a person. Neil Sagebiel is the actual person who writes headlines and a lot of other stuff from Floyd.







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  • Are Canceled July 4th Celebrations Bad Community Relations and Marketing?
    I’m all for fiscal responsibility, but I have to admit I’m disappointed to hear about all the canceled Fourth of July celebrations around the United States due to cutbacks by local governments. On NPR yesterday, I heard about how the city of Colorado Springs canceled its Fourth of July event because they don’t have the $75,000 [...]