09Apr 2004 by Bob Cargill

Drop Us a Line

Blogging
Friday, April 9, 2004 – Keeping a blog is a remarkably simple, inexpensive way to build a community of friends and colleagues. In our case, not only is A Fine Kettle of Fish a surprisingly valuable communication channel, but it also allows us to put a personality on the agency, giving us a forum to share our knowledge, exhibit our creativity and hold forth on matters of -- ideally -- mutual general interest. Word has it that there are more than several million blogs in existence worldwide, but I’ve only been able to find a handful that are being published by marketing communications agencies. H-m-m-m…Part of me realizes the jury’s still out on their viability as a business application, and that many folks are playing the game of wait-and-see. Okay.…
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05Apr 2004 by Bob Cargill

Worry’s Not Even a Word

Miscellaneous
Monday, April 5, 2004 – First thing this morning, David and I met to prioritize our deliverables and coordinate our schedules for the busy week ahead. I’m telling you, we’re both straight out -- but that’s not going to stop us from capitalizing on all the momentum we have going for us. Working this hard is not unlike being on the proverbial high wire without a safety net below. The pressure can creep up on you. And before you know it, you can find yourself teetering. But that’s not going to happen to us. To mitigate the demands on our time, we’ve already agreed to put some of the agency’s self-promotional efforts on the back burner, including a series of new case studies we’ve been meaning to add to our…
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02Apr 2004 by Bob Cargill

Tchotchkes

Miscellaneous
Friday, April 2, 2004 – I came home from the New England Meetings Industry Conference and Exposition (NEMICE) last night with 18 business cards in my pocket and almost that many different tchotchkes in my bags, including two chocolate lobster lollipops, a Michael McDonald CD (courtesy of the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau), a battery-powered bubble clock (please, don’t ask), cotton candy for the boys and even a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers for my wife. No, all these trinkets weren’t my booty for speaking at the conference. They were (you guessed it) what I managed to amass for myself in the exhibit hall. I must say, I’ve always enjoyed the trade show experience, but the fun I had at this one surpassed all expectations. From my presentation in the…
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29Mar 2004 by Bob Cargill

Like An Animal Foraging for Food

Miscellaneous
Monday, March 29, 2004 – You look up at the clock and realize you’ll be lucky to get home in time to see the last few minutes of The O’Reilly Factor. It’s been another long day at the office. But you’re not exhausted, you’re exhilarated and enthused, because you’re feeling good about the work and you know that everything that’s worth anything is never a walk in the park. We’re not talking about brain surgery, of course, but we are talking about quality and excellence and other such superlatives you want associated with your brand. So after you hit the wall with your writing, you switch gears for a while and read articles on everything from Hispanic marketing to direct mail design to the etymology of tuna. And you’re still…
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25Mar 2004 by Bob Cargill

Salesman, Fundraiser, Actor, Mystic

Copywriting
Thursday, March 25, 2004 – A growing percentage of our business here is rooted in the world of higher education, either helping development officers raise funds or working with alumni associations to grow their membership files. If you’re familiar with agency parlance, you’ll know what I mean when I say this is one of our strongest vertical markets, an offering we’ve already established as one of a handful of our core competencies. We’ve run successful campaigns so far for clients such as Ohio University, the University of Texas and Southern Methodist University, just to name a few, which has led to a number of new engagements recently, including the University of Houston and Florida State University. As a creative guy, I couldn’t be happier with these assignments. Each one is…
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22Mar 2004 by Bob Cargill

A Good Offer Squandered

Direct Marketing
Monday, March 22, 2004 – Denny, our production artist, has performed yeoman’s duty in helping me prepare for my appearance next week at the 18th Annual New England Meetings Industry Conference and Exposition in Boston. He’s scanned dozens of direct mail packages for me, each one illustrating one of the points I’ll be making in my presentation, “The Shoestring Secrets of Well-Heeled Direct Marketers.” It’s a thankless job, all this R&D leading up to a speaking gig -- but the extra effort now makes everything that much easier come show time. A couple of the packages I’ll be sharing with my audience speak to the importance of your mailing list -- that is, a bad offer to a good list is better than a good offer to a bad list.…
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18Mar 2004 by Bob Cargill

The School of “Emo” Copywriting

Copywriting, Direct Marketing
Thursday, March 18, 2004 – In the latest edition of the I-Copywriting Digest, “moderator” Nick Usborne suggested that online marketers are becoming less and less personal online. “Why,” he asked, “are we retreating into that familiar territory of corporate-speak, when we would do better to step forward and touch our readers one by one?” I must say his commentary struck a chord with me, as I’ve always been partial to the school of "emo" copywriting. Show some enthusiasm. Express your emotions. Don’t be afraid to open up to your audience and connect with them personally. They’ll respect you for it. And respond affirmatively. That’s what I say. And that’s what I did say -- for the most part -- in a letter I wrote back to Nick (agreeing with him…
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15Mar 2004 by Bob Cargill

The Sleepless Spring Tour

Miscellaneous
Monday, March 15, 2004 – Howard Dean had the Sleepless Summer Tour. We have the Sleepless Spring Tour. At least, that’s how I’m envisioning -- and referring to -- the next several months. You could say that Yellowfin is like a candidate running for office, with a voice -- a reason d’etre -- just begging to be heard by the largest possible coalition. I would say that Yellowfin, as a brand, is a best-kept secret -- when it ought to be top-of-mind. But we know better than to just clutch at straws, articulating our platform for anyone within hearing distance. We’re not going to be accused of “interrupting jaundiced strangers,” the fundamentally flawed marketing model that Seth Godin refers to in his groundbreaking book, Purple Cow. We’re going to establish…
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10Mar 2004 by Bob Cargill

Esprit de Corps

Blogging
Wednesday, March 10, 2004 – Included among the list of stops in my career was a brief stint at a dot-com, where it was all about the Web, all the time. We were a so-called “pure play,” an organization whose business model is grounded solely in the online world. Well, you know the rest of the story (e.g., the company went belly-up). But while our obituary was only in the draft stages I was like a sponge to water, soaking up all I possibly could about how to use the Web to build relationships and spur interactivity. That was then. Now I’m looking at an opportunity to use those lessons learned at the dot-com to help us here at Yellowfin garner some attention in the marketplace. A Fine Kettle of…
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