They just don’t make cars or ads like they used to.
(Image: Pink Ponk/Flickr)
Old Volkswagens Never Die
Published February 5, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: ads, volkswagens
Roy Blount Jr. on Writer’s Block
Published February 2, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Roy Blount Jr., writer's block
“I think writer’s block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible.”
-Roy Blount Jr.
I think Mr. Blount has put his finger on something. It’s not that I (or you) can’t write, it’s the fear of writing pure crap. There’s an easy solution. Go right ahead. Let it flow. You can always fix it. The smell will dissipate.
You have to write it first, though. You have to risk writing awful stuff, even though your first efforts may be much better than you expect. As someone else once said (sorry I can’t remember the name at the moment), “You can’t edit a blank page.”
That is a true fact. We don’t need CNN to check it.
New Baby Talent for E*TRADE
Published January 27, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: baby, E*TRADE, spots, Super Bowl
E*TRADE is rolling out a new baby for its upcoming Super Bowl spots. The new baby is already appearing in two commercials, “Lottery” and “Barbershop.”
Are E*TRADE baby spots effective? Not sure, but I’m guessing they are. Are they funny? Absolutely. (Well, they are to me.) They’ve been among my favorites of the more recent Super Bowl ads.
I’m not sure how much I’ll like the new baby. I admit I’m partial to the original, who, apparently, is now retired. All washed up at 10 months old. It’s a tough racket, I tell you.
My favorites, including the above “Barf” spot, are the ones with the clown (“I really underestimated the creepiness”) and Frank (Shankapotamus).
Steve Slaunwhite’s 3 Tips for Writing Faster
Published January 21, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: B2B, copywriter, copywriting, Steve Slaunwhite, writing
Steve Slaunwhite is an accomplished copywriter, author and speaker. He is a B2B specialist who sends out a monthly email that always has solid nuggets about copywriting and related topics.
Following are three tips Steve recently shared about how to write faster. It’s simple but powerful advice for novices and veterans.
1. Schedule writing time.
“I find that putting writing into my daily schedule, like an appointment, works best for me,” Steve says. I agree. This is also a must for me. It includes ignoring all other distractions.
2. Plan what you’re going to say before you say it.
“Some writers create a detailed outline,” Steve says. “Others make a simple list of bullets. I prefer mind-mapping ….” My plan varies, depending on what I’m writing. Longer, more complex pieces might necessitate an outline. For short pieces, a list or informal notes and scribbles can do.
3. Ask the editor to leave the room.
Again, Steve scores a bull’s-eye. Nothing can kill the spirit of a writer like the fussy editor (that’s you, of course) who is dissatisfied with first efforts. It’s paralyzing. In fact, you might have to tell (instead of ask) the editor to leave the room. Walk him or her to the door, if necessary.
I like baked potatoes. So I wouldn’t mind seeing a billboard like this, even though it’s about 60 years too late.
The dining car of the Northern Pacific Railway must have been a great way to travel and enjoy a meal in the first half of the 20th century. It was a different time. The kind of time that ad men put giant Russets on billboards. Pass the sour cream.
(Image: Thewlis/Flickr)
Help! I Need a Game Change
Published January 14, 2010 Uncategorized 2 CommentsTags: cliches, game change
I need a game change on “game change.” Apparently a darling of the media and business world, this cliché is everywhere. I just heard it on All Things Considered. If this cliché continues to spread like kudzu, the program might become All Things Game Changed.
Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin is the new big political book in the news. It’s being talked up on CNN and other news outlets. Actually, the book sounds pretty interesting, even if it has been infected with a cliché.
Google returns more than nine million results for “game changer.” For “game change,” there are 600 million Google search results. That’s too many.
Look, I like sports. But have you ever wondered why almost all our clichés are from the sports world? (“At the end of the day” is one exception.) And once people start using them, they never seem to stop.
Which is why I think it’s important to stop “game change” now before it’s too late. That, my friends, would be the ultimate game change.
The Return of the Pen and Notebook
Published January 12, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: copy, headlines, journal
I like to write things down in the evening. Ideas. Headlines. Copy. It could be anything related to what I’m working on. But, as important as it is and as much as I like it, I get tired of being on my laptop. Like a lot of people, I’m on the computer a lot. It can turn into a kind of sickness.
So it was quite enjoyable for me to scrawl ink on real paper last night while I was sitting on the couch with the TV on, my daughters close by. The pen was a cheap ballpoint and the paper was from a wire-bound notebook I bought at the drug store a few years ago. Nonetheless, it just felt good to write and doodle. It also felt especially satisfying and healthy to leave the laptop upstairs in my den.
Recently, I read an article about “unkeeping” a journal. The idea presented in the article was to not “keep” a journal, treating it as a writing regimen or chore, but rather to “unkeep” it, using it whenever and however you like.
That’s appealing to me, especially as a break from being on my laptop and the Internet. I can play with ideas and, if something emerges, transfer it from the notebook. The pen and notebook are fun and liberating, creative toys without rules.
Transcription Is a Worthwhile Writing Task
Published January 7, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: article, editing, transcription, writing
The idea of transcribing a recording is often a turnoff for me. It can be a tedious and time-consuming exercise. But it’s also necessary work for some writing projects, and it’s often rewarding, too. The time spent transcribing can cut down on writing time. It aids understanding of the material and can help create a structure for a first draft.
This was the case for me on a recent project. My assignment was to ghost write a year-in-review article for a company president. My source material was an online town-hall meeting during which the president gave a state-of-the-company presentation. I also had his PowerPoint slides, as well as other background material.
I decided to transcribe his talk, which lasted about 35 minutes, a rough transcription instead of word-for-word. His presentation created a built-in outline for the article. Once I completed the transcription, I had a very raw draft of the article. I cut and polished his words, added an opening and ending, and set it aside. Later I refined the article and turned it in. My client liked it.
As it turned out, the transcription and other prep to write the article took much longer than the actual writing and editing. For the most part, the article wrote itself, a case when a full transcription was well worth the time.
I saw a term in American Profile, a newspaper supplement, that caught my eye: “silent salesman.”
It’s the term W. Atlee Burpee used to describe his annual garden catalog. Burpee borrowed $1,000 in 1876 to start his seed company. He was the first to guarantee his seeds and later produced an annual mail-order catalog, which became his highly successful silent salesman.
Today, the catalog is mailed to 2.5 million customers on the day after Christmas. And W. Atlee Burpee & Co. is the largest mail-order seed company in the United States.
Catalogs may not be as prevalent as they once were, but the idea of a silent salesman strikes me as very current, especially in our somewhat marketing-averse culture.
What are today’s “silent salesmen,” or, to be gender neutral, “silent salespeople”?
Congratulations, you’ve put another year in the books. I don’t know how things went for you professionally—or personally—but merely getting through another year can certainly be an accomplishment. Especially a year like 2009.
Experts abound with advice about how you can get an upper hand in any business setting in any economy—up, down, or sideways. While some of the counsel is solid and noteworthy, I tire of it. I suspect that, for many people, 2009 was one of those years to survive rather than thrive.
As the company president of one of my clients put it, “We probably worked harder this year than we ever have, but our results don’t reflect it.” He went on to say he was proud of the company’s efforts and the hard work would pay off in 2010 and beyond.
