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But we are proud to say that Anna Goldsmith contributed 173 entries already.
In a previous blog post, I discussed how American businesses besieged NBC News with requests when it offered insights into what made Japanese companies successful. This was the result of its in-depth news show, “NBC White Paper,” and the businesses wanted the information contained in the report. Of course, NBC created the report as a […]
“It’s possible to blow away three-quarters of our readers simply by choosing the wrong type.” So says Colin Wheildon, author of Type & Layout: Are You Communicating or Just Making Pretty Shapes, in an article by John Wood. That’s a lot of people to lose right out of the gate. Think about what that represents […]
The business world is full of terms that are widely used, yet often misunderstood. Case in point: white papers. Defining your terms is critical in order to get agreement on a subject. That’s particularly true with the term “white paper.” If your team can’t get in sync about what everybody means by the phrase, you’re […]
If you’ve ever done any online dating, you’ve probably been asked to think about “your personal brand.” This is really just a clever way of asking, “What makes you ‘you’ and different from your competition?” As in dating, the best brands in business are distinct, consistent and memorable. Because let’s face it, there are a […]
This PowerPoint presentation really speaks for itself. And that is EXACTLY what you don’t want to do if you’re trying to engage with your audience in any meaningful way. The slideshow was directed at professors, but anyone can benefit. Well, anyone who uses PPT. My favorite tip: If your audience can understand everything they need […]
“I’m designing a new app” is the new “I’m writing a screenplay” for creative types who want to get rich quick — or just impress attractive women at cocktail parties. Yes, a rare few do actually manage to create a killer app with potential. The next step (at least for the marketing team) is breaking […]
Further dispatches from the world of smart branding: On my way home from dropping my son off at school, I was flipping around the radio and stopped on an interview on NPR Business News with Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports. They were talking about how Subaru had been able to increase sales […]
During Hurricane Sandy, Boloco made a huge mistake: They sent out an email bragging that they were open during the hurricane. The moment they hit SEND, the hate email (and Tweets, status updates, etc.) rained down. Within an hour, CEO John Pepper had issued the below apology. From: John Pepper (Boloco CEO & Co-Founder) Sent: […]
The request came in from Cam Brown at King Fish Media: “We need you to make wheat germ sexy.” He went on to say that they had just landed the Kretschmer Wheat Germ account and the brand — which had been languishing in relative obscurity since 1936 — was ready to get some attention. I […]
Flipping though a recent New York Times Magazine, I saw this ad. It called to mind the long-form copy of David Ogilvy (“the father of advertising”) that left an indelible mark on the advertising world. Ogilvy believed — and there’s now plenty of research to back up his hunch — that although most people won’t […]
