by Geoff on September 7, 2010
In advertising, no word causes more confusion perhaps than the word “creative.”
At one end of the spectrum, we see TV commercials so creative and entertaining that we forget what they are selling! At the other end is the daily onslaught of advertising that seems to be following the chant of cheerleaders for Team Boring: “Same old! Same old! Blah, Blah, Blah!” Read more…
by Geoff on August 30, 2010
At the height of World War II, with bombs raining down on London, prime minister Winston Churchill was called upon to make a speech which would be broadcast to the people of Great Britain. Churchill stood up, and here is what he said, in its entirety:
“Never, never, never, never, never, never give up!”
Then he sat down. His spirit and his words helped to rally his people during those dark times. And they are also good words for a struggling small business—especially with regards to marketing. Read more…
by Geoff on August 12, 2010
One of the things that inspired me to go into advertising was David Ogilvy’s book, “Confessions of an Advertising Man.” So I was thrilled when I landed my first copywriting job at Ogilvy & Mather, the agency he started—although, by the time I got there, Ogilvy himself was semi-retired and living in a castle in France. Read more…
by Geoff on August 3, 2010
Do you have a marketing plan? I know, I know, you’re too busy to work on one.
That’s like the woodcutter who was wearing himself out chopping wood with a dull ax. A friend came along, watched him working, and finally said, “Why don’t you sharpen your ax?” Exasperated, the woodcutter said, “I don’t have time for that! I’ve got all this wood to chop before nightfall!”
To put it bluntly, the difference between success and failure in marketing is often the plan and nothing else. Read more…