Advertising Archives - Bob Cargill

19Nov 2024 by Bob Cargill No Comments

Does Your Business Have Its Own Selfie Station?

Advertising, Boston, Branding, Business, Marketing, Selfies, Social Media

You might call it a chair. Or a bench. In 2024, when it's right in front of a store, I would call it a selfie station. I would call it brilliant. I would call it an opportunity for this store, Rustic Marlin, to attract more prospective customers into their store and perhaps increase their sales. It's a great idea. Especially with all the stickers, in this case, emblazoned on it that say, #Boston. It's something a lot of different brands and businesses could take advantage of themselves. Think about it. This bench is located in a crowded tourist destination in Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Lots of people are walking by on a regular basis. They might want to sit down and relax. They might need to take a break for a…

13Aug 2024 by Bob Cargill

A Great Sign for Lyrik Back Bay in Boston

Advertising, Boston, Branding, Business, Marketing

I have no idea how many new commercial developments are built in Boston every year, and I hardly know the names of any of them, but I know quite a bit about this big, new office, hotel and retail development. Lyrik Back Bay. Sure, it's situated on Massachusetts Avenue between Boylston and Newbury Streets over the Mass Pike in the Back Bay neighborhood, so it's hard to ignore. But it's some of the street-level signage that really caught my eye, not necessarily the unique location punctuated by two tall buildings that will house a citizenM hotel, the LEGO Group's new US headquarters and CarGurus. Seeing a line - er, a lyric, I should say - from the Led Zeppelin classic, Stairway to Heaven, especially caught my attention, admittedly because I'm…

07Aug 2024 by Bob Cargill

Nike’s Great, New Ad, “Winning Isn’t for Everyone”

Advertising, Branding, Marketing

Am I a bad person? That's the question that Willem Dafoe, as narrator, asks in the great, new Nike ad entitled, "Winning Isn't for Everyone." Am I a bad person? In this ad, he's asking that question on behalf of a team of superstar athletes, incredible, iconic personal brands in the world of sports like LeBron James, Serena Williams and others. This is a great ad because of its storytelling and filmmaking, because it is both inspirational and motivational. This ad is an example, if you ask me, of advertising without advertising, of commanding your attention before you even realize it's all about Nike, not the athletes. "Winning Isn't for Everyone," of course, but it is for those who are willing and able to make that commitment to excellence. And…

24Apr 2024 by Bob Cargill

WHOOP, There It Is

Advertising, Boston, Marketing

Make people aware of what you have to offer. That's of the utmost importance in advertising. If nobody knows about you, nobody is going to do business with you. You have to call attention to yourself. You have to build an audience for your products and services. You have to get the word out. Your brand name can help do that alone. WHOOP, "the human performance company," certainly stands out. To say it's a catchy name for a company would be an understatement. Locational excellence can be a competitive advantage in business as well. WHOOP's 121,000 square-foot office space in Boston's Kenmore Square is certainly conspicuous in its presence, especially with the huge sign on top of it and the spectacular promotional banner I saw across the front of the…

13Jan 2023 by Bob Cargill

Social Media, Samuel Adams and More

Advertising, Marketing, Podcast, Social Media

In this episode of my podcast, which celebrates its five-year anniversary next month, I talk about a number of topics. I start off by talking about how I'll be running the Boston Marathon again this year, the 15th time I have run this historic race for a charitable cause. I then share my feelings about how much I love teaching, something I've been doing a lot of at this new stage in my career, and being involved as a member of the leadership team - as president - of the American Marketing Association's Boston chapter. I talk about my new book, Twenty Jobs, Twenty Lessons - a Long, Strange Career in Marketing, from Junk Mail to Social Media. I go on about the importance of knowing how to use social…

03Nov 2022 by Bob Cargill

Treating Your Customers to Something Free

Advertising, Boston, Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Restaurants

Boloco, a chain of restaurants founded in Boston, offered free small bowls to its customers in three of its locations in the area the other day. I saw the long line of people waiting to take advantage of this ridiculously awesome offer in front of its Longwood Avenue store. Good for those happy customers, getting such a great deal on such great food. And good for Boloco, too, for being so kind and generous to those folks. From a marketing perspective, why would Boloco do such a crazy thing? There are plenty of reasons, actually. Besides just being a nice thing to do for others, in doing so, the business may see a lot of those seeking freebies buying additional menu items at the same time. They may have the…

13Aug 2022 by Bob Cargill

Attracting the Attention of your Audience

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing

If you don't attract the attention of your audience in advertising and marketing, you won't have any customers and clients. It's that simple. And in this day and age, it's more difficult than ever to stand out among the competition and clutter, to get people to notice what you have to offer them. However, I couldn't help but notice a truck recently that was conspicuously parked in the huge, empty parking lot along Sudbury Street outside of Mill & Main, the old, historic mill complex in Maynard. Bull Spit. That was the name on the truck. Bull Spit. Catchy name for a business. Right? Attention-getting to say the least. Both the double entendre of the name of this brewing company and the fact that this truck was so strategically parked…

17Jun 2022 by Bob Cargill

My New Book is Available NOW on Amazon

Advertising, Branding, Business, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

My new book, Twenty Jobs, Twenty Lessons - a Long, Strange Career in Marketing, from Junk Mail to Social Media, is available NOW in the Amazon Kindle Store here. It is a story for young professionals with bright futures in front of them and senior executives who have been there, done that. It may be my story, but it could be your story, too. See for yourself. Read it today.

05Sep 2021 by Bob Cargill

Marketing, Social Media, Healthcare and Teaching with James Gardner

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media

In this episode of my podcast, episode 134, I talk to fellow adjunct professor and marketing professional, James Gardner, for over an hour. While our conversation covered everything from marketing to social media, teaching to technology, healthcare and more, this is the quote of his I want to leave you with today because I think it is a such a great example of James' words of wisdom. "I think the challenge for tomorrow's leaders is...keep the best of yesterday, but overlay it with the tools of tomorrow." ~ James A. Gardner About James Gardner James is a digital sales and marketing leader with 20 years of B2C and B2B experience. While his career’s roots are in consumer packaged goods and strategy consulting, James has held leadership roles with fast-moving tech…