11Nov 2004 by Bob Cargill

The Tangled Web We Weave

Blogging
In case you missed it, well-known copywriter and direct marketing guru Robert Bly weighed in last week in DM NEWS with a rather unfavorable opinion on blogging, and was quickly taken to task by those in the blogosphere. Steve Hall, author of Adrants, pulled no punches in saying, “it is clear [Bly] has no idea what he is talking about.” Corporate blog strategist BL Ochman said Bly had written “a rather ill-informed assessment of blogs.” And in her blog, brand strategy consultant, Jennifer Rice, wrote, “obviously this writer didn’t do his homework.” I have to admit, I was shocked to see someone of Bly’s stature and experience with the written word so summarily dismissing the viability of this powerful publishing platform. Like my forward-thinking, early-adopting brethren, the blogger in me…
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04Nov 2004 by Bob Cargill

Sox Congratulatory Ads Swing for the Fence

Advertising
Red Sox fans had to endure a long, legendary 86 years since the home team last won the World Series, but less than 12 hours after the latest – and perhaps most remarkable – postseason chapter in Major League Baseball history was put to bed, dozens of so-called “congratulatory” ads were put to paper on behalf of the Boston baseball club. And just like their subject matter, these ads were the center of attention. All eyes were on the BoSox, after all – including everything said and written about these local baseball heroes. So like superstar sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, the copywriters behind the headlines were swinging for the fence. And I for one enjoyed this show of creative talent, as displayed in the pages of The Boston…
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28Oct 2004 by Bob Cargill

Guaranteed Indeed

Copywriting, Direct Marketing
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an extraordinary philosopher, renowned to this day for his words of wisdom, but if what he said about life's uncertainties were to still hold true, 21st century consumers might even be more reluctant to part with their money. “In this world,” he once opined, “nothing is guaranteed except death and taxes.” Of course, Ben wasn’t around when L.L. Bean guaranteed the first pair of boots its founder sold in 1912. But seriously, the world in which Ben lived was obviously far, far removed from ours today, a world in which almost everything is guaranteed – and rightly so – by those in sales. As Dean Rieck, President of Direct Creative, writes in a recent (October 18, 2004) issue of DM News, “If you really have a…
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21Oct 2004 by Bob Cargill

Scared Into Submission or Frightened Away

Advertising
There are a number of reasons why people are motivated to speak up and take action, many of which could be chalked up to feelings, not facts. Those in the business of proselytizing – such as lawyers, preachers and, yes, politicians – know that much, if not more, about the human nature of their target audience. And so do the more experienced direct marketers and advertisers among us. Play to people’s greatest fears and desires, and chances are they will respond accordingly. You can either place doubt in their minds or provide them with hope on the horizon, depending on the emotions – and response – you want to trigger. This is all easier said than done, of course. It’s not a stratagem to be taken lightly. After all, whether…
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14Oct 2004 by Bob Cargill No Comments

The Art of Client Service

Client Service
If it wasn't for a pair of brown leather cowboy boots, my career in direct marketing may have taken a different turn a long time ago. The year was 1984, and I had a great job as a copywriter at RCA Direct Marketing. But when a friend told me about another job as an account executive at Grey Direct, my youth and ambition got the best of me. I applied for it. The interview went well, but word got back to me afterwards that I hadn't dressed the part. Sure, I was wearing the requisite Brooks Brothers blue pinstripe suit, but my feet were covered in Dingo boots instead of classic wing tip shoes. My bad! Today, of course, I would like to believe the fact that I didn't land…
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07Oct 2004 by Bob Cargill

A Reasonably Good Ad Campaign

Advertising
With the home team in the American League Division Series and playing baseball like they really mean it this year, it certainly is a good time to be able to call yourself the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox. After all, winning is contagious. But that's just one thing Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has going for it this fall. Something else that’s been working in the hospital’s favor lately is its current advertising campaign, which is designed to call attention to the many different reasons people (750,000 of them annually) become patients there. In a series of large, clever display ads in this town’s two major dailies (of course, there may be other publications on the media schedule of which I’m not aware), this nationally-renowned academic…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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