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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16Jan 2006 by Bob Cargill

The Ding Heard ‘Round the Marketing World

Advertising, Branding, Direct Marketing, Marketing
It’s not the first branded desktop application to be used for marketing purposes, but it has certainly struck a chord with consumers and marketers alike. DING, a simple, little desktop application used by Southwest Airlines to stimulate more ticket sales, has worked so well for the Dallas-based company that it’s only a matter of time before others follow suit – if they haven’t already – and launch similar initiatives of their own. In an article in DM News on December 5, 2005, Christine Blank wrote, “Online research firm Compete Inc., Boston, found that DING users are 45 percent more likely to book tickets through Southwest than the average visitor to Southwest.com. Sales driven through the services are estimated at $60 million a year.” “More than 900,000 consumers have downloaded the…
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16Dec 2005 by Bob Cargill

I Believe in “Life After the 30-Second Spot”

Advertising, Branding, Direct Marketing, Marketing
I haven’t finished reading it yet, but I’m enjoying Joseph Jaffe’s “Life After the 30-Second Spot” so much that I can’t wait any longer to post about it. After all, I don’t have to read every single page to know I’m reading one of the year’s most important books on advertising and marketing. It’s that good. I may not be able to contain myself about this book, but my giddiness is nothing compared to the author’s, who said last month in his blog, Jaffe Juice, that he would issue free copies of it to any “business/marketing/advertising-related blogger” who would agree to review it, in a bold, enthusiastic attempt to prove “that new marketing works” and “that the blogosphere is profoundly good, powerful, effective and constructive.” Joe believes that alternative media…
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07Jul 2005 by Bob Cargill

Marketing on Martha’s Vineyard

Advertising, Branding, Direct Marketing
To know Martha’s Vineyard, an island seven miles off the southeast coast of Massachusetts, is to know The Black Dog logo, which in recent years has come to represent this vacation paradise almost as much as the tavern, bakery café and general stores for which it was designed. Yes, this logo is that ubiquitous. First emblazoned on a T-shirt in 1979, today The Black Dog is found on practically every article of clothing you can imagine, not to mention on bumper stickers, coffee mugs, tote bags and key chains. For tourists, it’s a status symbol and a fashion statement, a logo that tags them popular by association. For the business people who own the rights to this logo, The Black Dog must be, well, a cash cow. Spending a little…
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22Jun 2005 by Bob Cargill

The Power of Loyalty Marketing

Branding, Direct Marketing, Marketing
Every shopper likes to belong, to feel like an insider, to get a good deal that can’t be had anywhere else. At least, those are the cravings that retailers are counting on – and playing to – by asking their customers to use so-called loyalty cards, those small pieces of plastic so many of us have been conditioned like sheep to carry around in our wallets or on our key chains. I don’t know about you, but I have a handful of them, three for groceries alone (Stop & Shop, Shaw’s and Price Chopper), one for books (Barnes & Noble) and one for, well, this and that (CVS/Pharmacy). And while I sometimes feel like I’m being subjected to undue scrutiny when asked to produce one of these cards at the…
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22Jun 2004 by Bob Cargill

The Law of the Name

Branding, Miscellaneous
Tuesday, June 22, 2004 – On page 73 of their incredibly insightful book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, celebrated marketing strategists Al Ries and his daughter, Laura Ries, couldn’t be more succinct -- and sagacious -- in writing that “the most important branding decision you will ever make is what to name your product or service. Because in the long run a brand is nothing more than a name.” Of course, it takes much more than just a catchy name to succeed in business, but the Ries’ point is well taken. And they do expound on this law, reminding their readers not to “confuse what makes a brand successful in the short term with what makes a brand successful in the long term. In the short term, a brand…
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