Recently I was walking the aisle of my local grocery store and saw the most peculiar thing. A golf ball for sale in the beer section. No, this is not a case (no pun intended) of someone placing an unwanted item in the wrong section. This is a brilliant campaign launched by Bridgestone Golf and Michelob Ultra. Think about it. What better a marriage than golf and beer?
Many would argue that art is timeless but design is not. In fact, timeless design is almost an oxymoron but timeless art is accepted by many. If that is the case, then consider the design of something as banal, yet as useful as a spoon. From the oldest to the newest, the basic design of a spoon has not changed for years. That does make it timeless, doesn’t it? Look at a bespoke suit, the Volkswagen Beetle, Le Corbusier’s buildings. All of them are classic examples of classic designs. A particular style can’t emerge and expect to stay at the top indefinitely. Designers indicate that trends have a short lifespan, going through a “now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t” kind of roller coaster. New trends…
Hello. It’s nice to meet you. Wanna be friends? I mean life-long friends who will always need one another.The most simplistic explanation of advertising is the desire to introduce a brand to a target audience. Brands go about this by creating awareness, enticing trial, building loyalty and, hopefully, enlisting brand ambassadors to help spread the gospel. In advertising we look at people’s wants and turn them into needs. Because when I need something, I buy it. A great example of a company introducing themselves to potential customers was seen recently with LivingSocial. By now most everyone has heard of Groupon. If not for their group coupon offerings, then for their ability to decline a $6 billion buyout bid from the nice…
Back in the late 50’s and early 60’s, the United States was trying to regain its position as a leader in technology. Fostered by the launch of Sputnik 2 in 1958, many of the great minds of the US (especially those of the military) speculated upon the creation of a disaster-proof network that would allow global/domestic communications to continue uninterrupted during periods of war and unrest. (Well, that plan hasn’t been 100% successful as some Islamic nations can attest, but hey, it was America’s idea.) It wasn’t even a year after Russian’s spectacular breakthrough – launching a three-year-old mongrel canine into Space – which the US reciprocated with its own technological brew. The organization ARPA was formed out of a…
Is it possible to write advertising copy that will truly resonate with a reader? To inspire someone to take action? To persuade a person to buy your product or service? Through words? Communicating appropriately and compellingly is not easy—but it can be done. To that end, I say the answer is yes. Yes, through words you can inspire, persuade, motive and even rouse introspection. Yes, you can provoke one to do the unthinkable: to change. And yes, you (who often doubts your writing abilities) can write well. My only rule is that you consider the importance of Ernest Hemingway and his unintentional—yet powerful—affect on writing for mass media. Ernest Hemingway pioneered a style of writing that was simple and direct. His concise storytelling…
Between year-end, New Year resolutions, and tax season; this is a popular time for accounting. In both our business and personal lives we are taking a closer look at our finances. Receipts are carefully organized rather than stuffed in glove compartments. Budgets are being created and financial statements meticulously examined. But much like our diligent flossing begins to dwindle a month after each dentist appointment, our focus on accounting begins to take a back seat as the year goes on and we are sidetracked by other projects and deadlines. So, as we enter deeper into 2011, let’s take a look at why the financial health of a company is so important, and what we can do to avoid breaking our…
A recent post suggested “7 Things That Annoy Website Visitors.” Experience has taught us that, “one size does not fit all.” Neither does one set of guidelines. As a leading sales and marketing agency, providing services to developers of luxury real estate since 1983, Cotton & Company takes pride in the quality and performance of the custom websites created for its clients. Focusing upon lifestyle, each website is an attempt to create a vivid representation of the personal comfort and joy to be found as a resident of that particular community.The buyer of a one-of-a-kind, $17 million, oceanfront penthouse does not share the same perspective as the individual who is trying to find the best price for Duracell® Batteries. Commodity buyers have…
How to Establish Credibility with Assignment Editors and Producers When a publicist calls a contact on behalf of a client and asks, “Do you have a minute, I have a story that might work for you?” If the producer, editor or writer says, “Sure, what do you have for me?” you actually have less than a minute. You have one sentence in which to pitch your story. John Resnick, an Associated Press editor, is generous with the one-sentence pitch; Resnick is actually open to a two-sentence pitch, he says: “When you pitch a story to me, give me two-sentences, maybe, but after that, I’m going to throw a lot of questions your way, I’m going to want to know about the…
