A design colleague and I were asked recently to help find a solution for a marketing piece that was in its eighth round of revisions. Imagine. Eight rounds! Unfortunately, at this point, the client had begun both re-writing and re-designing the piece herself, apparently despairing of ever getting what she needed. On further analysis, we (designer and I) decided that – before putting … [Read more...] about When Eight is Enough, Time for a Messaging Strategy
Ideas, Insights, Quick Notes & Commentary
Tips on building better PowerPoint presentations.
How to not hypnotize chickens. Okay. Let’s be honest. The reason the PowerPoint presentation software has “power” in its name is that the program’s hidden agenda is to conquer the world, via boredom. Case in point: the news item in the New York Times recently on the U.S. military’s use (or rather, mis-use) of the medium. Apparently the ubiquitous use of computer-generated … [Read more...] about Tips on building better PowerPoint presentations.
In the interest of levity …
... and courtesy of the government's Plain Language site, enjoy these headlines that prove once again that English can be a very difficult FIRST language! Iraqi Head Seeks Arms Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax Farmer Bill Dies in House British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands Teacher Strikes Idle Kids Miners Refuse to … [Read more...] about In the interest of levity …
The Debate Goes On
Today, I offer a quick follow up to my last post on the Digital vs. Print Debate, using excerpts from a recent Wall Street Journal article by Teri Evans, who interviewed small business owners and marketing experts for her story, “Firms Hold Fast to Snail Mail Marketing.”[1] What she discovered: Some entrepreneurs who were quick to write off direct mail as too pricey or passé are finding … [Read more...] about The Debate Goes On
Digital or Print? – Revisiting the debate
In an intriguing MarketingProfs.com post last spring, Doug Stern observed that “digital or print” is the new “paper or plastic.” It’s hardly news that most companies have moved from delivering print messages via the USPS to going totally online for a variety of economic and philosophical reasons: to “go green,” to save money on paper and postage, to get to market more quickly, and to tap into … [Read more...] about Digital or Print? – Revisiting the debate
Among my resolutions for 2010: Tackle Twitter
This week, after considerable research, I started using freeconference.com to host and record the expert interviews I do for various freelance writing assignments. Using the service – which requires only that both parties dial a central number and key in an access code – doesn’t exactly classify me as an “early adopter” (I’m sure it’s been available for ages) but it is a vast improvement over … [Read more...] about Among my resolutions for 2010: Tackle Twitter
Can you tell your story in less than a minute?
In today’s time crunched world, we’re all getting better at processing our electronic inboxes at breakneck speed, rapidly discarding what looks superfluous, quickly scanning what captures our attention, and giving less than 60 seconds to our subscription e-newsletters. In fact, according to a 2006 study by researchers at Nielsen Norman Group (NNG), the average time spent after opening an … [Read more...] about Can you tell your story in less than a minute?
An arresting case for clarity …
Brit Police Chiefs Suspected of Word Crimes My thanks to professional writer and editor Richard Ketchen for sharing the missive below in his recent Exchanges e-newsletter. The 102-word sentence, excerpted from the Association of Chief Police Officers' response to the British Government's green paper on policing, is a top contender for this year's Golden Bull Awards competition (sponsored … [Read more...] about An arresting case for clarity …