04Mar 2006 by Bob Cargill

How to Subscribe to the NEDMA Conference Blog — and Maybe Win a $10 Starbucks Card for the Effort

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Direct Marketing, Marketing
As you may recall, I announced here in January that the New England Direct Marketing Association had launched a blog to help promote its upcoming conference, NEDMA ’06, It’s a Brave New World. I also told you that, in addition to my position as co-chair of this conference, I couldn’t be more excited to be taking on the responsibilities of moderating this new blog. “Yes, like any blog, it’ll be a labor of love for all involved, but the truth is that using a blog as an online propagation tool should almost be a requirement for anyone staging a major conference amidst today’s new marketing landscape,” I wrote in this space some six weeks ago. Well, so far, so good. If I do say myself, I believe we have a…
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01Mar 2006 by Bob Cargill

David Baker: “Clients Care More About How the Work is Managed and Delivered Than the Work Itself”

Advertising, Branding, Client Service, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Public Relations
In an article published recently in his firm’s newsletter, David Baker, Principal of ReCourses, Inc., a management consulting firm that works exclusively with public relations, advertising, and design firms, makes the rather startling claim that “your clients care more about how the work is managed and delivered than the work itself.” At first, that notion may seem preposterous to many of us agency folks, especially those of us who toil away in the creative department day in and day out. After all, why would our clients care how we get it done, as long we get it done well? However, having had the opportunity to have met David before and to have been on the receiving end of his professional advice, I’m inclined to defer to his experience and expertise…
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27Feb 2006 by Bob Cargill

Yvonne DiVita: Author, Marketer and Publisher of Two Blogs, Lip-Sticking and A-ha!

Blogging
I’ve never met Yvonne DiVita, but I feel like I’ve known her for a long, long time. Sure, that’s in part a credit to the camaraderie of the blogosphere, where many of us who have been out here for any significant period of time (in my case, just over two years and 50,000 words) certainly look at each other as kindred spirits out to change the world, word by word, link by link. But it's much more a testimony to Yvonne, who really is a great role model and mentor, a very dear and generous friend -- to me and so many others who spend so much time here in our own “third place.” Yvonne is a kind and gentle blogger (see both Lip-Sticking and A-ha!), a baby boomer grandma…
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24Feb 2006 by Bob Cargill

Thank You, Blogosphere

Blogging
Earlier in the week, I posted here on A New Marketing Commentator what I called “my career imperative, my own personal brand mantra, my clarion call to any potential employer who will listen and accede to my dream of a new and even better way of doing my work.” And while I suppose what I wrote in this post could have been perceived as over the top, I can tell you that it was straight from the heart, honest, urgent (at least in my mind, it was – and still is) and extemporaneous (although I second-guessed it for hours before I dared publish it). It certainly was a reflection of who I am not just as a blogger, but as a person at home and at work. I can’t help…
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20Feb 2006 by Bob Cargill

A Career Imperative at the Crossroads of Change

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Cause-Related Marketing, Client Service, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Public Relations
If you know of an organization that’s looking for an experienced direct marketer and enthusiastic, entrepreneurial creative director, copywriter, blogger and public speaker, I know of someone who fits the bill. Moi. Yes, I’m here to tell you that even though my employment with one company has just recently come to an end, I have no intention whatsoever of letting even a few blades of grass grow like a contagion under my feet. Given such urgency and resolve, I have already touched base with my network of friends and colleagues in the terrestrial world, letting them know of my availability and desire to land a new full-time job – or contract assignment – as soon as possible. And, of course, I've been wading my way through Monster, Talent Zoo and…
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17Feb 2006 by Bob Cargill

Alan Rosenspan to Receive Caples’ Andi Emerson Award

Advertising, Direct Marketing, Marketing
Congratulations to my fellow New England direct marketer, Alan Rosenspan, for being chosen by the John Caples International Awards committee to receive the prestigious Andi Emerson Award, honoring his years of “exemplary service to the creative community.” As reported today in DM News, the award will be presented to him on March 2 in a ceremony held at New York’s Metropolitan Pavilion. A past winner of the New England Direct Marketing Association’s Direct Marketer of the Year award (1997), Alan is an icon and inspiration to so many in the industry in which I earn my livelihood, and a kind and generous man as well. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading his book, "Confessions of a Control Freak," don’t hesitate to treat yourself and order a copy now.
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15Feb 2006 by Bob Cargill

Deval Patrick’s Online Fundraising Campaign

Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing
Not unlike Howard Dean did with his phenomenally successful – and groundbreaking – Web-based campaign in 2004, Massachusetts democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick is leveraging today’s new online marketing tools to bring in more donations and, ultimately, votes. According to an article that appeared in The Boston Globe on December 31, 2005 (the article in its entirety can be found in the Globe archives, which are free to home delivery subscribers), Patrick’s “Internet donations have topped $240,000, or about 15 percent of the $1.6 million Patrick has raised from donors since he began running early in 2005.” “Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick is bringing the Internet age to Massachusetts politics as never seen before, setting up an online fund-raising system that has brought in nearly a quarter-million dollars in the…
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14Feb 2006 by Bob Cargill

Let’s Gather Together on, well, Gather

Blogging
If you’ve haven’t discovered Gather yet, it’s certainly an interesting concept and yet another testimony to the burgeoning blogosphere. “Gather is a place for you to connect with people who share your passions. It's a place where you can contribute thought, art, commentary, or inspiration. We will reward you for all the great things you will share with others in your communities of interest. And together, we think we will create a pretty special place to hang out online,” says Gather CEO, Tom Gerace, on the company’s Web site. I’ve already signed up as a member and published six of my articles on the site, all of which you can see -- and comment on -- by clicking here.
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09Feb 2006 by Bob Cargill

Instead of the Black Door, It’s a New Blog

Blogging
Like Debbie Weil (a highly regarded online marketing consultant specializing in new media strategies), I couldn’t feel more strongly that fear is what’s keeping many Fortune 500 companies from staking a rightful – and long overdue – claim in the blogosphere. To blog or not to blog is largely a top-down, C-level decision, and those in the front offices, executive suites and boardrooms of corporate America are typically conservative and cautious about trying almost anything new. With that said, I’m reminded of a parable I’ve heard many times before (which you can read in its entirety here) about a spy who had been captured by the enemy and sentenced to death. To make a long story short, the condemned man was given the choice between the firing squad and the…
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