29Sep 2004 by Bob Cargill

The Yellow Wristband and The Bracelet

Fundraising
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to cancer prevention and survivorship, isn't the only Foundation using something you wear on your wrist to draw attention to its cause. The Until There's a Cure Foundation has been raising funds and awareness about HIV/AIDS for a number of years now through the sale of what it calls The Bracelet. Of course, unless you have been a sequestered juror for the last couple of months, you know that in the LAF’s case, we’re talking about those ubiquitous, thin, yellow rubber wristbands that have become almost de rigueur among young and old alike. As Lance himself wrote in a direct mail fundraising appeal I received last summer just days before he was crowned victor once more on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees,…
Read More
23Sep 2004 by Bob Cargill

The Raging Bonfire That is the Blogosphere

Blogging
Adrants made my morning today, referring me to an article written by Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing and customer satisfaction officer of Intelliseek, that, in my mind, adds fuel to the raging bonfire that is the blogosphere. Blackshaw, appearing in MediaPost’s MediaDaily News, says, “Blogs and bloggers have made a huge mark in 2004, and this should give every major marketer and advertiser pause for deep reflection.” Not mincing words, he warns marketers and agencies alike that “the blog revolution brings with it unmistakable tradeoffs and potent new ‘rules of engagement.’ Ignore them at your peril.” He says, “bloggers promise to hold marketers to new levels of accountability, impacting just about everything advertisers do, say, and claim.” One of his recommendations for brands is to “Listen to the pulse: Know exactly…
Read More
21Sep 2004 by Bob Cargill

Broken Line, Solid Practice

Advertising, Copywriting, Direct Marketing
Historically, the prototypical direct response ad has always included an order form, which is invariably surrounded by a broken line. To those who don't respond by phone or – today – computer, such a plain and unmistakable border tells the audience to get out the scissors, detach along perforation and mail before said offer expires. Even if there’s no form to complete, coupon to save, or paper to shuffle in any way whatsoever, it’s still an incredibly strong call to action. It’s Pavlovian, really, consistent with the laws of the conditioned reflex. But evidently all this is no secret to the marketing team at Boston Sports Clubs. I can’t tell you how many ads of theirs I’ve seen framed by broken solid – as opposed to dotted – lines. For…
Read More
15Sep 2004 by Bob Cargill

Recycling References to Popular Culture

Advertising, Copywriting, Direct Marketing
Before you attend your next brainstorm meeting, I have a little homework assignment for you. Watch a few hours of television. Take in a couple of good movies. Listen to some talk radio. Punch up The Lycos 50. Then grab the latest issues of People, Time and Rolling Stone magazines, and read them cover to cover. I know, all that’s going to seem like information overload to some of you (and, to the others, perhaps a disdainful exercise in futility), but if you can stomach all the mind candy, the ideas will come rolling off your tongue. You’ll recycle a few references to popular culture and have everyone at that meeting – and, ultimately, your customers – singing your praises. Trust me. Using current events and popular culture to call…
Read More
08Sep 2004 by Bob Cargill

A Big Lesson in Marketing

Advertising, Direct Marketing, Miscellaneous
The success of any advertising or direct marketing campaign depends on a coalescence of elements, not the least of which are the motif of the creative and the timing of the launch. If you can tie those two together, you're likely to be sitting pretty. For example, take the Sunday newspaper insert I received recently from Target, which prides itself on selling quality, stylish merchandise at reasonable prices. Scheduled to arrive in-home about a week before the first day of school, it was obviously designed by the retailer to look like a classic composition notebook – ruled pages, marble red cover and all. But the “back to school” theme doesn’t stop there. This bold, eye-catching, 8-1/2” X 11” insert is divided into three two-page spreads – one each for middle…
Read More
01Sep 2004 by Bob Cargill

Cause-Related Marketers and the Runners They Chase

Cause-Related Marketing
For more than two decades now, I have been running an average of about 20 road races a year, and practically every one of them benefits at least one local or national charitable organization. As an athlete, it's not necessarily the first thing you think about at a race, but besides all the physical training you have behind you, the idea that your entry fee (or at least a percentage thereof) is going to some worthy cause can’t help but serve as a strong, underlying motivating force. Of course, any such philanthropy is probably an afterthought for some runners – understandably. After all, we’re preoccupied with our performance. We’re running for time and place. But if you’ve competed in as many 5K races as I have, you come to realize…
Read More