29Dec 2019 by Bob Cargill
Humanize Your Brand

Humanize Your Brand

Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Seth Godin, Social Media
Real success in business is achieved when you use real people in marketing and sales, real people in real time being really honest with their audience. When I saw Mark Schaefer speak earlier this year, he emphasized the importance of being human as marketers. I saw Seth Godin a few months later, and he pointed out that human marketing takes time. They're both right, of course. Consumers are tired of being bombarded by the constant cacophony of cries for their attention from brands. There must be a better way to win friends and influence people in business. That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of social media. Social media levels the playing field, making it possible for companies to engage with consumers - and vice versa - as human beings.…
Read More
13Dec 2019 by Bob Cargill
The Future of Advertising…It’s About to Get Real

The Future of Advertising…It’s About to Get Real

Advertising, Marketing
To break through the clutter and win consumers over, advertising and marketing need to get real. That’s what Bud Light did recently. During game five of the 2019 World Series, Washington Nationals fan, Jeff Adams, took a home run ball to the chest while holding on tightly to his two cold beers. That’s when Bud Light sprang into action. Not only did they take quickly to Twitter to call attention to the moment, they tracked down the fan and by the next game, had him the star of a television campaign that featured the actual video footage of him being hit by the ball. This scenario was remarkably well played by Bud Light, to say the least. Borrowing a page out of the social media playbook, they wasted no time…
Read More
29Nov 2019 by Bob Cargill
People Don’t Like Advertising and Marketing

People Don’t Like Advertising and Marketing

Advertising, Marketing, Social Media
I hate to break it to you, but people don’t want to be interrupted by advertising and marketing. That’s the last thing I want to hear, too, as I’ve earned my livelihood in this business for years. But we can’t bury our heads in the sand. We can’t look the other way. We can’t say we weren’t warned. Not after reading a recent article in The New York Times (“The Advertising Industry Has a Problem: People Hate Ads") that painted a very pessimistic picture of what my colleagues and I do for a living. Consumers are turning off and tuning out, going so far as to pay extra to receive news, information and entertainment without being bothered by brands’ incessant cries for attention and engagement. This is what I’ve been…
Read More
05Oct 2019 by Bob Cargill

Advertising is Everywhere

Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media
Advertising, marketing, PR and social media …all this is changing at breakneck speed. What strategies and tactics worked for us a few years ago, or as recently as last year, could easily backfire on us today. We can’t afford to have whatever messages we’re sharing with our own respective audiences be anything but relevant, timely, engaging and even amusing. Never mind the glut of content people are trying to sort through and digest, many consumers, customers and clients won’t tolerate anything that even resembles a sales pitch anymore. Stop begging for business and start earning that business. Stop trying to fool those on the receiving end of your messages and start trying to help them. Stop hitting listeners, viewers and readers over the head time and again and start listening…
Read More
24May 2019 by Bob Cargill

The End of Advertising as We Know It

Advertising
I’m not going to lie. Advertising is interruptive. Advertising is annoying. Advertising is a waste of time unless you’re doing it differently than you did back in the day. You can only throw so much money into advertising before those on the receiving end are going to completely ignore you. I read a ridiculously awesome article written by Frank McKinley recently, "Why Advertising Doesn’t Work." You can read it for yourself on Medium here. In this article, Frank talks about how much the world has changed and how ineffective “buying interruptions” is these days. Stop the insanity, I say. Personally, I love advertising. I love marketing. I love social media. But the same old same old simply isn't working anymore. You. Me. Everyone of us in this business has to…
Read More
06Sep 2018 by Bob Cargill
Take a Stand Like a Big Brand

Take a Stand Like a Big Brand

Advertising, Branding, Cause-Related Marketing, Marketing
Good for Nike. I think it's incumbent upon brands and businesses to speak up for what they believe in...not just on behalf of sales. It doesn't matter how they feel about the issue. What matters is that they realize they have the platform and the responsibility to say something...as long as they believe they can make a positive contribution to the dialogue. The marketer in me thinks this may even help, not hurt Nike's revenue. But much more important, as a human being, I have greater respect for those who are authentic, transparent, open and honest. People do business with people, not corporate logos. Iconic swoosh or not, Nike just let consumers know that they are just like us. Like it or not, they dared express an opinion and join…
Read More
21Aug 2018 by Bob Cargill

200 Boston-Area Agencies on Twitter

Advertising, Boston, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter
Who knows how many marketing, advertising, social media and PR agencies are located in and around Boston? I doubt anybody knows exactly how many there are around here, but I have found 200 of them on Twitter for you to follow. Large, small, old and new, together these agencies represent the best and brightest our industry has to offer. Seriously! Under their roofs right here in Beantown, you could arguably find enough talent, prowess, knowledge and expertise to launch the most sophisticated and successful campaigns in the world. While what they can they do in 280 characters or less on Twitter, of course, isn’t quite the same as what they can do on a blank canvas and an unlimited budget for their clients, that doesn’t mean they’re not worth following…
Read More
06Dec 2017 by Bob Cargill

Seth Godin’s Book, Purple Cow

Business, Marketing
How many of Seth Godin's books have YOU read? I've read a ton of his books, but my favorite one is Purple Cow. I think it should be required reading for anyone in business, especially for those of us who work in the advertising and marketing fields. As Seth himself says on the inside front cover of the book, "You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice." Have you read this book? Are you remarkable? Or are you invisible? Are you a purple cow? Watch. Listen. NOW.
Read More