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…
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21Jul 2004 by Bob Cargill

Viral Marketing Gone Good

Advertising, Direct Marketing, Miscellaneous
Wednesday, July 21, 2004 – Chances are you’ve already seen the Flash parody of the Woody Guthrie folk song, "This Land Is Your Land," that’s been racing its way across the Internet this week at lightning-like speed.  My good friend, Michael Chinnici, emailed it to me a few days ago, and initially I didn’t think twice about it.  Spoofing President Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, it’s amusing, sure.  But at first glance, I though it was just another joke du jour encumbering my Inbox.  However, on second thought, turns out this clip (produced by the Los Angeles-based animation studio, JibJab) is an instant classic, the perfect example of viral marketing gone good.  So good, in fact, that JibJab is getting so many hits on its Web site that its principals,…
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14Jul 2004 by Bob Cargill

Marketing Miscellany

Advertising, Direct Marketing, Fundraising
Wednesday, July 14, 2004 – Say cell phones, and my first thought is Nextel -- probably because I’m hooked on a clever, little walkie-talkie feature called Direct Connect. But now I have another reason to be enamored of this wireless communications behemoth: its new tagline, “Done,” which, in one four-letter verb, speaks volumes….However, just because I like it doesn’t mean Thomas L. Collins wouldn’t be able to suggest a better alternative. After all, perhaps no direct marketer out there has a more critical -- and more experienced -- eye than Thomas, "The Makeover Maven" columnist for DIRECT magazine. Seriously! Read him -- and reap….I have to hand it to the folks at the United States Postal Service for practicing what they preach in a glossy, tri-fold self-mailer that came to…
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26Feb 2004 by Bob Cargill

A Very Good Thing

Advertising
Thursday, February 26, 2004 – In almost every issue of ADWEEK, I come across an article or two that’s particularly relevant to my career. Sure, the magazine doesn’t feature as much local news as it used to back in the day, but it’s still a must read in my book. For instance, a column written by Tony DeGregorio about what it’s like to go small after a career at the big agencies caught my eye this afternoon. This guy’s further down the road in his career than me -- I probably have at least another two decades left in the tank! -- but his take on the feeling of relative emancipation that comes with working at a small shop certainly resonated with me. Tony claims infrastructure is highly overrated, and…
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