I am often shocked when I abuse others for sins I commit myself. I should be shot. This time there was a happy ending Recently I got an email from Peter Smith of Marketing Doctors. It had a pretty good …
Read MoreAuthor: Drayton
Booty from my disastrous trip to Oz … how to build a brand with laughs
Never try to do Australia in a week that includes two seminars. You lose lots of things including your mind – but this is brilliant I should have known better. I’ve been going there since 1971. It is a long …
Read MoreIntriguing title. Disastrous report. Why? Bad writing
An object lesson in how NOT to write stuff people will read Do you send out reports – White Papers and so on? It’s a great way to convince people you’re an expert. I sent off for one just now …
Read MoreThe best answer I ever saw to the most common copy question: why long copy? Full of wisdom
Why Long Fundraising Letters Outpull Shorter Ones My colleague Mary Hammond just sent me this. I was going to write something else, but I couldn’t wait to show it to you. It’s from The Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications: Real-World, Field-Tested Strategies …
Read MoreThe discount online bubble is going pop. So will your business if you’re not careful
Groupon and the others are suffering – and here’s why. With some observations on marketers’ foolish priorities About 30 years ago, Ogilvy and Mather collaborated with Prof. Andrew Ehrenberg and his colleagues to research the impact of discounting. They discovered …
Read MoreWhat on earth are these? Anyone know? No obscene suggestions. That’s my privilege
One of the pleasures (and sometimes penalties) of writing this guff is that people send me stuff. Take these mysterious thingies. Just as I was whizzing off to Sydney to escape my creditors Frederic Robesyn wrote saying “I’ve just stumbled …
Read MoreLike to make new friends?
… You need a common interest. This is what clever girls in Slovenia are reading, apparently. The picture was sent me by my friend Ales Lisac a few minutes ago. I’m in the Park Hyatt, Melbourne. I don’t know where …
Read MoreWill you join me in my protest march through London?
As you may know, to help improve the economy the unions are going to screw up London for a day. Let’s all have a march! On the 30th November, strikes, rallies and other jollies for people with time to spare …
Read MoreFive advertisements to learn from – good, bad, brilliant – and I’m not entirely sure
“You can observe a lot just by watching” – Yogi Berra When I started out in advertising before the dawn of history hardly anybody even knew what a copywriter was – let alone wanted to be one. Now a pretty …
Read MoreDon’t confuse a visual pun with a selling idea
Oh, and make sure people can see your brand name On the last day of EADIM I spent a few minutes going through ads I found in the Evening Standard. I may be a grouchy old bustard, and old men …
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