07Feb 2005 by Bob Cargill

Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Four)

Boston Marathon, Direct Marketing, Fundraising
Ten weeks from today, I'll be running the Boston Marathon for the seventh time in my life, the fourth time for charity. This year, I'll be running it for Children's Hospital Boston. Children's Hospital Boston is a 325-bed comprehensive center for pediatric health care. As the largest pediatric medical center in the United States, Children's offers a complete range of health care services for children from 15 weeks gestation through 21 years of age (and older in special cases). Children's records approximately 18,000 inpatient admissions each year, and its more than 150 outpatient programs and emergency services care for more than 300,000 patients annually. The hospital also performs 120,000 radiological examinations every year. For the 15th year in a row, Children's Hospital Boston was recently rated one of the nation's…
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31Jan 2005 by Bob Cargill

Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Three)

Boston Marathon, Direct Marketing, Fundraising
After running for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team in 1996, it wasn't until 2002 that I legged out the 26 miles and 385 yards between Hopkinton and Boston again for charity, only this time it was for a different charitable organization, The Home for Little Wanderers. Founded in 1799, The Home is a nationally renowned, private, non-profit child and family service agency providing services to more than 10,000 children and families each year. Compared to some of the larger nonprofits taking part in the Boston Marathon Charity Program (such as the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), The Home Team was a relatively small team – but our individual fundraising goals were comparable. In exchange for the opportunity to run Boston officially, we were required to raise a minimum of $2,500 each, a…
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24Jan 2005 by Bob Cargill

Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Two)

Boston Marathon, Direct Marketing, Fundraising
I may have clocked my best time ever for this race the first time I ran it – as a “bandit” – in 1981 (3:34:24), but the best experiences I have had in Boston have been when I have run the marathon for charity.Indeed, for those who are running it for a charitable organization, this historic marathon is not just an enormous challenge, it’s also an opportunity to make a difference in other people’s lives, a good way to feel like a champion come race day even though you may be pulling up the rear.The Boston Athletic Association’s Boston Marathon Charity Program is the quintessential pledge-based fundraising event for the average runner who otherwise might never have the chance to officially take part in such an elite competition.It’s a classic…
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18Jan 2005 by Bob Cargill

Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part One)

Boston Marathon, Direct Marketing, Fundraising
Everyone has heard of the Boston Marathon. It's the mother of all road races, the most celebrated of them all. Held each year on Patriot's Day, a holiday recognized only in Massachusetts and Maine, its legendary course stretches a long, laborious 26 miles and 385 yards, country point to city point, from the sleepy, little town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to the heart of the state’s capital.I get tired just thinking about it.But seriously, for a runner like me, any agony experienced along the way is worth the ecstasy at the end. It doesn’t get any better than crossing the finish line of what is arguably the most prestigious road race in the world.Meeting the eligibility requirements to run the Boston Marathon isn’t easy, though. For me, it would be next…
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30Dec 2004 by Bob Cargill

This is the Time to Demonstrate our Philanthropy

Direct Marketing, Fundraising
If I'm only going to post once this week, there's no way I can't write about the dreadfully fierce tsunami that mercilessly struck and ravaged southern Asia the day after Christmas. This was, after all, a disaster of epic proportions, the enormity of which is almost impossible to comprehend. We can only pray and hope for the tens of thousands of helpless, innocent men, women and children caught in the path of those waves of devastation. That is, we can only pray and hope and give them all that we can in humanitarian relief. Yes, this is the time for the international community to cast aside our differences and join forces on behalf of those affected by Sunday’s catastrophe. This is the time to open our hearts and demonstrate our…
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21Dec 2004 by Bob Cargill 1 Comment

Why Advertising, Marketing and PR Pros Should Blog (Part Three)

Advertising, Blogging, Direct Marketing, Public Relations
7. Blogs are Enjoyable. There are many sound business reasons to blog, but let's not forget how much of a pleasure they are for both author and audience. Seriously, the fun factor should not be underestimated. Most blogs are quick and easy to absorb, and a refreshing change of pace from typical marketing riffs and age-old corporate-speak. Bloggers aren’t just writers, they’re also publishers, opinion-leaders, risk-takers and entrepreneurs. They’re people who are inclined to live by the mantra, carpe diem. They’re passionate about their craft and evangelical about their content. And in many cases, their readers are just as fanatical.8. Blogs are Authoritative. We’re not talking about those cathartic, diary-like blogs kept by moody, meandering teenagers. We’re talking about the most sophisticated among the blogosphere, the ones owned and operated…
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14Dec 2004 by Bob Cargill

Why Advertising, Marketing and PR Pros Should Blog (Part Two)

Advertising, Blogging, Direct Marketing, Public Relations
4. Blogs are Immediate. A blog makes it possible for the everyday communications professional to distribute newsworthy, thematic content to a large, like-minded audience – without many, if any, layers of approval – almost instantaneously. If timeliness is a critical element of your publishing plan, it’s an irresistible platform. A blog allows you to draw out invaluable feedback, too, without having to lollygag through the traditional rites of business courtship. Comments from readers are akin to free market research. If your goal is to establish an open, online dialogue with prospects and influential people who might otherwise not give you the time of day, a blog just may be your entrée – it certainly is a unique ice-breaker. 5. Blogs are Infectious. Like any good viral marketing campaign, the content…
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07Dec 2004 by Bob Cargill

Why Advertising, Marketing and PR Pros Should Blog (Part One)

Advertising, Blogging, Direct Marketing, Public Relations
Most advertising, marketing and public relations professionals know a blog when they see one, but when it comes to actually using this relatively new, self-publishing platform, there are still many skeptics and naysayers among us. This time next year, however, those people will likely have come to their senses. In 2005, I dare say you would have to be either misinformed or just plain obstinate to not at least consider adding a blog to your business plan. Here are ten reasons why: 1. Blogs are Interactive. In many cases, marketing is a monologue, a well-choreographed sales pitch to an audience of passive prospects. But one of the key attributes of a blog is that it allows readers to provide honest, public feedback that is posted below the author’s spiel. It…
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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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