Jack of all trades
and master of the write one.
I’m a generalist, somebody who knows a little about a lot of things and has an insatiable curiosity about the rest. I’m a good listener, a quick study with excellent recall. I usually do well in trivia contests.
Those traits have come in handy the last 35+ years, as I’ve poured out a steady stream of nonfiction projects across a variety of media.
I’ve done a fair amount of editorial work: more than 400 newspaper articles and magazine features, particularly in art and architecture, business and financial, and health and medicine, with many side trips to travel, heavy industry, manufacturing, and processing.
Most of my nonfiction, however, has been in advertising, marketing and public relations.
That covers a lot of territory. I’ve written 50,000 radio spots, and thousands of television commercials, film and video scripts, brochures and pocket folders, press kits and new product releases, packaging, instruction manuals, newspaper and magazine ads, annual reports, billboards and bus cards, direct mail, point-of-purchase and aisle displays, Web content, posters, hang tags and other collateral.
Projects have encompassed high-tech, low-tech and no-tech, for consumers and business-to-business in local, regional, national and international markets.
Raw facts don’t tell the whole story
Here are just a few of the many interesting projects that advertising has led me to:
• Wrote assembly and operating instructions for a new Hewlett-Packard printer, translated into 20 European and Asian languages
• Devised the Pizza Hut “Smelling Bee,” a contest for kids, with giveaway rubber animal noses, that attracted tens of thousands of customers in six Northwest states
• Coined the trademarked CrystalSwitch for a vacuum deposition sensor, and posed as a hand model for the product in print materials for Inficon Leybold-Heraeus, a German manufacturer of high-tech devices for monitoring various processes in the production of computer chips
• Introduced Syracuse Cablesystems to millions of customers in upstate New York
• Ghost-wrote Sleep: A How-to Manual for a psychologist
• Researched and wrote books on the history of chinaware and silverware, and tips on selling for door-to-door salesmen of Oneida Silversmiths
• Created a successful anti-drug campaign that ran for several years: “Don’t let Idaho go to pot.”
• Greatly expanded the sales territory of Helluva Good Cheese from two states to fifteen states and three Canadian provinces with television, newspaper, radio, billboards, and in-store displays
• Wrote 90,000-word illustrated biography, Spacey’s Brother: Out of the Closet, commissioned by Randy Fowler, a victim of child sexual abuse and the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey
• Wrote film and video scripts for agribusiness giant Simplot, on growing, processing, freezing and handling potatoes and other food products, translated into English and Spanish, and premiered the Simplot Games to high school athletes across the West
• Came up with a billboard warning about undercover policewomen posing as hookers who had entrapped innocent people: “Is she a cop, sucker?” A literal traffic stopper, the headline had to be changed to: “Don’t try to lay down the law in this town.”
• Wrote roast-style one-liners, humorous speeches and multimedia presentation scripts for the Ore-Ida national conference in Hawaii
• Introduced the US West Foundation, a large charitable organization headquartered in Denver, to the world
• Wrote speeches, position papers, and conceived complete campaigns for mayors, governors, US Congressmen and Senators
• Wrote script on proper procedures for handling plasma, used at all American Red Cross branches west of the Mississippi
• Wrote brochures and signage for the historic gold mining town of Idaho City, once the largest town in the state, and for a while, Idaho’s territorial capital
• Researched and wrote the book, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Albertson’s Supermarkets
• Invented the “International Snow Plowing Contest” held annually in northern New York, near the headquarters of Frink, snowplow inventor and world’s largest manufacturer of snowplows
• Wrote some 350 biographies for Literary Reference Center, a new, encyclopedic resource covering 20th Century authors, published by Salem Press
• Created sweepstakes contest aimed at satellite dish dealers for Satellite ORBIT magazine
• Wrote script for “Signature” video presentation of the Nature Conservancy
of Alaska
Now I’d like to give you a good, swift kick in the ads
Is it any wonder that advertising consistently excites me as a writer?
Each new project is unique, a chance to learn something I didn’t know before. It’s the opportunity to pass that information on in a way that will interest and stimulate an intended audience toward a desired action. With constant practice, I’ve become quite efficient in absorbing facts and translating them effectively into consumer benefits.
What I’ve done so well for others, I can do for you, as well.
If you have an advertising, marketing or public relations project you’d like to discuss, check my client list and portfolio, then send me an e-mail outlining the job. I look forward to hearing from you.
Link to: Client list
Link to: Clients by type of product/service
Link to: Salem Press
Link to: Spacey’s Brother web site
Link to: Advertising FAQ
Advertising in general
The advertising profession
Breaking into advertising
Advertising problems
Creative solutions
Broadcasting to the masses
One ad person to another
Advertising terminology
Student projects
Advertising history
All about billboards
The agency business
Ad quirks: tell me why?
Unanswered questions
The media
Print ads
Gotcha!
Trade secrets
Miscellaneous answers to various advertising questions
Consumer psychology
Trivia
Link to:
Advertising portfolio
Print—magazine & newspaper ads
Radio spots
TV commercials
Outdoor
Direct Mail
Brochures
Web content
Packaging
Collateral
(CLIENT LIST)
SELECTED ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PR
WRITING PROJECTS, 1970-present
• = Award winner
[NOTE: HIGHLIGHT COMPANIES FEATURED IN PORTFOLIO]
A
Aamco Transmission [NY] (radio)
Acme Manufacturing [ID, metal replacement parts] (Mission statement)
Advance Cyclery [NY, bicycle retailer] (radio)
Agri Beef Company [ID, regional agribusiness] (brochures, division profiles, print ads) •
AJ's Health Clubs [ID] (newspaper, brochures, direct mail, ID package) •
Albertson's Supermarkets [National] (50th anniversary folio, video scripts, A/V shows) •
Albertson Foundation [National] (brochure, annual report) •
Allstate Swimming Pools [NY] (radio)
American Red Cross [Regional] (instructional video for Western Region)
Anderson Orchards [ID, real estate] (brochure)
Angell's Bar & Grill [ID] (print, radio)
Apollo Group [ID, advertising/marketing agency] (print series)
Applied Management Associates Ltd. [ID, company reorganizations] (brochure)
Arctic Circle [National] (radio, TV) •
Area Agency on Aging [ID] (pro bono brochure, poster)
Art Attack Gallery [ID] (brochure)
Arthritis Foundation [ID] (pro bono poster)
Arturo’s Pizza [NY] (radio)
Audiology Associates [ID, hearing aid sales] (TV)
Aurora Capital Group [CO, investment management] (brochure)
Auto Finishers [NY, auto supplies] (radio)
B
B & D Foods [CA] (brochures)
Sarah Baker for City Council [ID] (flyers, brochure)
Ball Hog [ID, device for carrying basketball on bicycle] (packaging, brochure)
Bank of America [Regional] (newspaper, radio, brochures, billboards) •
Barrel of Fun [NY, nightclub] (radio) •
Baskin-Robbins [NY, ice cream parlors] (radio) •
Batt for Governor {ID] (complete 1994 campaign, including slogan, brochures, radio, TV, newspaper ads, flyers, billboards, speeches, statement papers, PR, collateral)
Bazaar [ID, clothing stores] (radio, newspaper, direct mail, outdoor, collateral) •
Behrman Homes [ID, custom home builders] (folder)
The Benchmark [ID, outdoor clothing and gear] (television)
Bennett-Ireland [NY; maker of fireplace furnishings and accessories] (brochures, displays, videos, P-O-P, PR, collateral, packaging, instructions for assembly)•
Benson Ranches [OR; quarter horse breeders] (newspaper & magazine)
Arthur Berry & Co. [NW Regional, business brokers] (brochure, print) •
Big Bad John’s Tape World [NY, audio equipment & supplies] (radio)
Big Brothers and Big Sisters [NW Regional] (pro bono brochures, flyers, collateral)
Big O [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Billings Racquetball Club [MT] (newspaper, radio, brochures)
Norm Bishop Volkswagen [ID, car dealership] (radio, print, PR) •
Blier-Connelly [NY, skating rink construction] (radio)
Bliss Valley Growers [ID, commercial mushroom operation] (A/V)
Boarding House [ID, restaurant] (radio)
Boise Basin Chamber of Commerce [ID] (brochure, signage for Idaho City visitors' center) •
Boise Cascade Corporation [National] (brochure, posters, video scripts) •
Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau [ID] (direct mail campaign)
Boise Dental Center [ID] (brochure)
Boise Heating & Air Conditioning [ID] (newspaper, TV, radio)
Boise Jazz Project [ID] (grant proposal, PR, print ad, collateral)
Boise Magazine (feature article, spring 1998)
Boise Physical Therapy [ID] (brochure)
Braden Stauts, D.D.S. [ID] (brochure)
Brass Lamp Pizza [ID] (radio)
Bresee Chevytown [NY, car dealer] (radio)
Bristol Heights [ID, real estate development] (brochure)
James Brown Enterprises [NY, entertainment] (radio)
BSU Safety & Health Consultation Program [ID] (brochure)
Buffalo Festival [NY, concert promoter] (radio) •
Builder/Architect Magazine [NW Regional] (feature articles)
Buddy's Italian Restaurants [ID] (menu) •
Wally Byam Caravan Club [NW Regional] (brochure for international rally)
C
Cactus Petes [NV, casino & resort] (newspaper, print ads) •
Café Garzone [NY] (radio)
Cafè Ole [ID] (radio)
Calendar Clipper [National, bar/cafe marketing program] (series intro/how to use)
Calliope Talent Agency [NY] (radio)
Camille Beckman [Nationally distributed skin-care products] (newsletter) •
Canyon Vocational Center [ID] (newspaper)
Capital Matrix [NW regional, Certified development corporation for SBA 504 loans] (brochures, newspaper, newsletter, PR, direct mail, ID package) •
CareerCo [NY, employment agency] (radio)
Carl's, Jr., Restaurants [National] (brochure)
Carrier Air Conditioning [NY] (brochures, retailer promotion kits, collateral) •
Carroll’s Cinemas [NY] (radio)
Carroll's Restaurants [NY, now Burger King;] (TV, radio, PR)
Cary’s Truck Driving School [NY] (radio)
The Castaways [NY, restaurant] (radio)
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception [Syracuse, NY, historic building] (brochure, poster) •
CCF Frame & Collision Service [NY] (radio)
Cedars Restaurant [ID] (PR, posters, newspaper)
CellNet of Idaho [Cellular phone service] (print ads)
Centro [Upstate NY bus line] (radio) •
Chappell’s Junior Directions & Outer Limits [NY, women’s clothing] (radio) •
Charney’s [NY, clothing stores] (radio) •
Chef America [CA, food products] (brochure, theme lines)
Clark Music [NY, stereo component & musical instrument retailer] (radio) •
Classic Signs Express [ID] (print ads)
Coldwell Banker-Aspen Realty [ID] (direct mail)
Coles for Mayor [ID] (complete campaign, including brochures, flyers, radio, TV, PR, newspaper)
Columbia School of Broadcasting [NY, education] (radio)
Commercial Brokerage Co. [ID] (Public relations)
Commercial Tire [ID] (radio)
CommTek Publishing, Satellite ORBIT magazine [ID & DC] (articles, direct mail, Christmas cards, video and A/V scripts, magazine ads newsletters, contests, collateral) •
Community Motors [NY, snowmobiles & supplies] (radio)
Competition Porsche/Audi [NY, car dealer] (radio)
Cooper Decorating [NY] (radio)
Coral Reef Aquarium [NY, exotic fish] (radio) •
Costume Shop [ID] (newspaper ad series) •
Country Tavern [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Court House [ID & MT, fitness centers] (newspaper, radio, TV) •
E. Cramer & Son [NY, clothing stores] (radio)
Creno & Kelly [NY, Bowlers’ pro shop] (radio)
Crouse-Hinds [NY; maker of lighting systems, most of the world's stoplights] (brochures, print) •
Cutlery Shoppe (National, direct mail, catalog)
D
Dairymen's Creamery Association [ID] (brochures)
Davies-Reed [ID, importer] (print ads, direct mail)
Day-Lee Foods [California] (product names)
Decision Point, Inc. [ID, computer software for business] (brochures, fact sheets, direct mail, PR) •
DeJulio’s Army-Navy Store [NY] (radio)
Diet Center (complete national campaigns, including annual theme, newspaper, radio, TV, Yellow Pages ads, newsletter, press releases, franchise materials) •
Discount Records [NY chain] (radio) •
D’Jima’s [NY, fur coat retailer] (radio) •
Doctor’s Pet Centers [NY] (radio) •
Doremus for Governor [ID] (brochure, collateral)
Down Under [NY, custom leather goods] (radio) •
Dr. Joan Gail [ID, Psychologist] (video packaging)
Dutch Pantry [NW regional, restaurants] (radio)
E
Earhart for Governor [ID] (complete campaign)
Eastern Talent Association [NY, concert promoters] (radio)
Economy Bookstore [NY] (radio)
Elmwood Laundromat [NY] (radio)
Emerald Park [ID, real estate development] (radio, TV, print)
Entech Corp. [Manufacturers of internationally distributed anti-friction metal conditioner, related products] (pocket folder, direct mail, brochures, PR, catalog) •
F
Fabco Fireplaces [ID] (TV, radio, newspaper, brochure)
Fairmount Miniature Golf [NY] (radio)
Falso Heating [NY, heating and air conditioning] (radio)
Farmers National Bank [ID] (radio, TV, newspaper, brochures, collateral) •
Fay’s Drugs [NY chain] (radio) •
Finnegan’s {NY, car dealership] (radio)
First Eagle Corporation [ID,, mining exploration] (brochure, prospectus)
First Federal Savings [ID] (newspaper, radio, TV, brochures, PR)
First Interstate Bank [NW regional, now Wells Fargo] (newspaper & magazine) •
ForBio America/Plant Biotics [Australia-headquartered; operations in England, CA & ID; plant genetics] (brochure)
Forest Hotel [NY] (radio)
Sam Francis [CA, fine artist] (brochure, PR) •
Frank’s Pizza [NY] (radio)
Fred’s Men’s Shop [NY] (radio)
Fred’s Sport Motors [NY, motorcycle dealership] (radio)
Friends of Capital City [ID, beautification project] (newspaper, direct mail, brochure) •
Frink Sno-Plows [International; inventor and world's largest manufacturer of snowplows] (brochures, spec sheets, PR, trade ads, contests, direct mail, collateral) •
G
G & S Distributing [NW regional, purveyors of PREVENT disposable breath alcohol detectors] (flyer, direct mail) •
Gargoyles Sunglasses [WA] (PR)
Gary’s Clothing Store {NY] (radio) •
Gay 90s [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Gem State Gymnastics [ID] (brochures, flyers, TV, radio, direct mail)
Global Travel [NW regional] (radio, direct mail, newsletters) •
GME, Inc. [NW regional, investments] (brochure)
Golbon [National, foodservice distribution network] (trade ads, brochures, video) •
"Great Days Afield" [National syndicated fishing show] (scripts)
Greater Syracuse Youth For Christ [NY, non-profit organization] (radio)
Green House [ID, graphic designers] (Christmas card, promo brochures) •
Greenhurst at Longbranch [ID, nursery/garden center] (radio, newspaper)
Greenwood's Ski Haus [ID] (newspaper, radio) •
Grizzly Bear Pizza [NW regional] (print, radio, PR) •
Group One [NW regional, real estate brokers] (newspaper, flyers, brochures)
Guitar Studio [NY] (radio)
Gym Outfitters [ID] (print ads)
H
Hair Den [NY, barbershop] (radio)
Hair Shoppe [NY, hair stylist] (radio) •
Hall & McChesney [NY, microfilm and microfiche] (brochures, PR) •
Hamilton Racing [ID, corporate sponsorship for Indy-style racers] (brochure, insert) •
Happy Dog [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Hardlife Boutique [NY, water beds] (radio)
Hawley Troxell [ID, attorneys] (brochure)
Headquarters Boutique [NY, clothing & novelty shops] (radio) •
Healthwise [ID, wellness promoter] (newspaper, magazine, manual copy)
Healthwords [ID, wellness promoter] (brochure, print series)
Healthworks [ID, psychologist] (print)
Helluva Good Cheese [International] (brochures, folders, trade ads, P-O-P, PR, TV, radio, billboards, packaging, collateral) •
Hennessey's at the Top [ID, restaurant] (newspaper, collateral)
Heritage Park [NY, residential development] (radio)
Hewlett-Packard (print, instructional brochure, international marketing matrix for new printer, packaging translated into 20 languages)
Homco [ID, residential builder] (capabilities brochure)
Home Dairies [ID] (TV, radio, newspaper, direct mail, video) •
Home Run [ID, real estate] (brochure, print ads) •
Home-Style Industries [National, bedding manufacturers] (Complete Style-Rest campaign, including promo sheets, audio tapes, print, A/V, collateral) •
Hosford Larson Rudeen [ID, architects] (brochure, proposal to satisfy RFP)
House of Tape [NY, recordings and stereo equipment] (radio)
H.J. Howe [NY jewelers] (radio) •
Hungry Charlie’s [NY restaurant chain] (radio) •
Hydro-Press USA [ID, industrial trash compaction] (booklets, brochures, direct mail, manual, PR)*
Hypnosis & Personal Development Center [ID] (brochure)
I
Idaho Apple Commission (posters, brochures, PR, trade show booth, collateral) •
Idaho CEO Magazine (feature articles, print, PR, radio)*
Idaho Citizens for Freedom & Jobs [Political advocacy] (tabloids, newspaper ads, brochures)
Idaho City Chamber of Commerce (brochures, signage) •
Idaho Commission on the Arts (brochure)
Idaho Department of Law (complete campaign for "Don't Let Idaho Go to Pot," including radio, TV, poster, PR, collateral) •
Idaho Education Association (poster) •
Idaho First National Bank [Later West One] (newspaper, radio, newsletters, articles, flyers) •
Idaho Foot & Ankle [Physicians] (brochure)
Idaho Governor's Cup [National golf event to benefit education] (brochures, PR, direct mail) •
Idaho Humanities Council (poster, brochure)
Idaho Hunger Action Council (pro bono brochure) •
Idaho Lottery (campaign proposal)
Idaho Primary Care Association (web site content)
Idaho Shakespeare Festival (poster) •
Idaho Special Olympics (direct mail, brochure)
Idaho Sports Medicine Institute (brochure) •
Idaho Transportation Department (Anti-littering TV campaign with actor
Wilford Brimley; Adopt-a-Highway program TV, radio, newspaper) •
Idaho Wildlife Federation (“Save the Salmon” insert)
Image National [ID, sign company] (magazine ads)
Inficon Leybold-Heraeus [Germany & NY; makers of surface analysis equipment, residual gas analyzers, vacuum deposition monitors] (brochures, print, A/V, PR, folders, booklets, collateral) •
Intermountain Environcare [ID] (brochure)
International House of Pancakes [NW regional] (FSIs, coupons)
Internet Outlet [ID, internet software, hardware & service] (TV)
Interstate Food Processing Corporation [ID] (trade ads)
InterWest Management Associates [ID] (brochure)
Ionics, Inc. [CN; maker of programmable chemical analyzers] (brochures, PR) •
ITC Companies [UT; telecommunications] (flyers, magazine ads)
J
Jacksons Food Stores [ID & NV] (radio, newspaper, PR, poster, direct mail) •
The Jailhouse [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Jam Factory [NY, nightclub] (radio)
J & B Bookstore [NY] (radio)
Joker’s Place [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Whit Jones [ID, psychologist, author] (print, ghostwritten how-to-sleep book]
Joslyn & Morris Lithoprinters [ID] (created children’s game/fun kit, company capabilities brochure) •
Edward Joy Lighting Center [NY] (radio) •
Jreck Subs [NY chain] (radio) •
K
Kastle Chocolate [ID] (specialties catalog) •
KBOI Radio [ID](billboard, transit, radio, TV) •
Kendall Employment Plus [ID] (orientation video, TV, radio)
Keypunch Academy [NY, computer instruction] (radio)
Kimberly Furniture [NY] (radio)
KIVI-TV [ID] (newspaper series)
KJ’s [NY, supermarket hardware stores] (radio)
Laurence Knighton [ID, designer, illustrator, Walt Disney cartoonist] (brochure, direct mail) •
Kovo's Salsas [NW regional] (on-package brochure) •
Kuyahoora Outdoor Sales [NY, snowmobiles] (radio)
L
Lakeland Garage [NY, snowmobiles & clothing] (radio)
La Pizzeria [National] (print)
Alan Lance for Idaho House (handout cards, radio)
Learned-Mahn [National, medical software] (brochures, flyers)
LeClair's [National, barbecue and sweet & sour sauce] (packaging) •
Lempesis for Lt. Governor [ID] (complete campaign, including radio, TV, newspaper, billboards, collateral) •
Leroy for Lt. Governor & Leroy for Governor [ID] (complete campaigns)
Lexington Hills [ID, real estate development] (newspaper, magazine ads, radio, billboards, PR, brochures) •
Lincoln National
Bank [NY]
(newspaper, brochures, flyers, posters, radio, PR, collateral) •
Lippert’s Florists
[NY] (radio)
Lissons
[NY, jewelers] (radio)
Liverpool Golf & County Club
[NY] (radio)
Lloyd’s
[NY, television sales & service] (radio)
Loew’s Theaters [NY] (radio)
Loon Outdoors [National, environmentally-friendly fly fishing products] (catalogs, packaging) •
Lott-Karran Company [ID, kitchen sinks] (brochure)
Louie's [ID, Italian Restaurant] (TV)
Lyndon Lawns [NY, outdoor furniture] (radio)
M
Mac's Hobby & Craft Superstores [ID, OR & UT] (TV campaign, print) •
Mad Hatter [NY, nightclub] (radio) •
Madison's Furniture [ID] (TV) •
Magic Bus [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Mark III Music [NY, concert promoters] (radio)
Jim Marshall Prosperity Seminars [National] (newspaper, flyers)
Martin’s Furniture [NY] (radio)
McMurray for US Congress [ID] (complete campaign: radio, TV, print, PR, collateral)
Medical Software of Idaho (trade ads, direct mail, PR, flyers)
MedXpress [ID, emergency clinics] (newspaper campaign) •
Meltzer’s Auto Supply [NY] (radio)
Mercy Medical Center [ID] (print)
Metal Building Components [MT] (video)
Metropolitan Bank [NY] (radio)
Meyers & Pluckebaum [ID, advertising agency & publisher] (print, PR, radio)
Michael’s Men’s Shop [NY] (radio) •
Micron [International, computer/computer chip manufacturers] (direct mail, magazine ads, brochures) •
Middle Fork River Tours [ID] (brochure, inserts) •
Mid-River Marketing [ID, outdoor gear] (flyer, collateral)
MIICOR [ID, computer sales & service] (brochure)
Miller & Miller River Trips (ID, brochure, poster, direct mail, fact sheets, collateral) •
Millwright Construction [ID] (flyer) •
Modular Storage Concepts [CA] (print ads)
Molenaar Jewelers [ID & OR] (radio, direct mail)
Montana Boots (catalog, flyers) •
Moonchild Boutique [NY, clothing & accessories] (radio) •
Moore Financial Group [UT] (print, brochure) •
Morrison Knudsen [International construction] (brochures, print, videos, flyers, fact sheets for Railroad and Helicopter Divisions, and for Land Communications Group)
Mountain Bell [Later US West, then Qwest] (multi-page newspaper inserts announcing divestiture and new fiber optic technology, print, poster) •
Mr. Burke’s [NY, clothing] (radio)
Mr. Joseph’s Beauty Salon [NY] (radio)
Mr. Panel [NY, unfinished furniture] (radio)
Mr. Salvatore’s Coiffures [NY] (radio)
My Brother’s Place [NY, nightclub] (radio
N
National Bank of Geneva [NY] (newspaper, flyers, direct mail, PR, collateral) •
The Nature Conservancy of Alaska ("Signature" video, 30-minute video pilot project)
Nedrow Nursery [NY] (radio)
Will Nelson [ID, fine artist specializing in wildlife] (brochure, direct mail, print ads)
Niles Auto Supply [NY] (radio)
Northland Division [NY; manufacturer of small custom engines] (brochures, PR) •
Northpoint Mall [Spokane< WA] (TV, outdoor, print, collateral) •
Northwest Arts [ID, fine artists group] (print, brochures, direct mail)
Northwest Mushroom Company [ID] (direct mail, brochure, fact sheets)
Northwest Printing [ID] (brochures, direct mail, video) •
The Nude Shop [NY, unfinished furniture] (radio)
O
Oakport International [ID, pocketknives] (direct mail)
Oak Ridge [NY, residential development] (radio)
Odell's Clarified Butter [National] (trade ads)
Ole Mug [NY, nightclub] (radio) •
Omni Studio [ID, graphic design firm] (demo reel script)
Oneida Silversmiths [National] (instruction manual, sales kits for door-to-door silverware and china salesmen, PR) •
Onondaga Aquatic Club [NY] (radio)
Oppenheimer Company [ID, food distributor] (print, trade ads, brochures, video) •
Ore-Ida Foods [National[ (newspaper, FSIs, P-O-P, letters, direct mail, flyers, video, film & A/V scripts, product names, brochures, sales kits, posters, radio, packaging, PR, coupons, collateral; Weight Watchers campaign for Texas) •
Otter for Lt. Governor [ID] (complete 1994 campaign, including direct mail, TV, radio, newspaper, collateral)
Owyhee Plaza [ID, hotel and restaurant] (brochure)
P
Pacific Northwest Broadcasting [ID] [KBOI, KLCI, KSEI, KMGI radio stations] (billboards, TV, direct mail, newspaper, PR, contests, collateral) •
Pacific Steel Fabricators [ID] (brochure) •
Pacific Western Beverage [Regional] (radio, print, in-store displays, contest) •
Page Data [ID, paging sales & service] (radio)
Paragon Commercial Group [ID, real estate] (pocket folder, display ad)
Park Pointe Realty {ID] (brochure)
Park View Apartments [ID] (print) •
Patrician’s Pizza House [NY] (radio)
Pay Less Drugs [NW regional, now Rite Aid] (posters, flyers, employee communications, sales presentations, direct mail) •
Pearl Shoes [NY] (radio)
Pet Paraphernalia [NY, pet & pet supplies shops] (radio) •
Peter’s Men’s Shop [NY] (radio)
Pierce Muffler Shop [NY] (radio)
Piper Pub [ID] (collateral) •
Pizza Hut [120 restaurants in ID, WA, OR, NV & CA, 60 restaurants in NC, MD, VA] (TV, radio, video, coupons, PR, flyers, newspaper, PSAs, contests, table tents, place mats, in-store displays, collateral) •
The Place [NY, nightclub] (radio) •
Plan B [ID, computer troubleshooters] (direct mail) •
Plus Office Services [NY] (radio)
Poco Lounge [NY] (radio)
Pojo’s Family Fun Center [ID] (radio)
Poorhouse [NY restaurant chain] (radio) •
Positive Action [ID, primary teaching program] (brochure, children's stories)
Precision Craft Log Structures [ID] (trade ad series) •
Premier Foods [OR & UT] (spec sheets, direct mail, brochure) •
Prep Department [ID, illustration and graphic design] (brochure, postcards) •
Primary Health [Emergency clinics] (direct mail, newspaper, flyers, PR, investor brochure) •
Prism Productions [ID, video production] (direct mail)
Pro Golf of Idaho (television)
Project Help [ID, employment for the elderly] (pro bono brochure, poster)
Pro-Team [NW regional, industrial strength vacuum cleaners and attachments] (print, public relations)
Provident Federal Savings [ID] (print, direct mail, brochures, poster, TV, radio, collateral) •
P.S. Ltd. [ID, Professional psychologists] (print)
Psychological Associates [ID] (print ads)
Pulver Laboratories [International, product regulations seminars & workshops] (print ads)
Pumice Products, Inc. [ID] (trade ads)
Q
Quail Ridge [ID, upscale real estate development] (brochure, radio, TV, outdoor, print, PR, newsletter) •
Quick 'N Easy [CA, food products] (package copy)
R
Radio Shack [NY] (radio)
Ralph’s Sport Center [NY, motorcycle sales] (radio)
Rawlings Construction [MT] (video)
Raymour’s [NY furniture stores] (radio) •
RC Cola [NW regional] (P-O-P, TV, radio, contest)
Reachout [ID, pro bono mental health hotline] (radio, posters) •
James Read [ID, psychologist] (print) •
Record Exchange/The Edge [ID, music and gift store] (brochures, print, radio, collateral) •
Red Coach [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Referendum #1 [ID, Right-to-Work] (complete 1986 campaign, including radio, TV with actor Charleton Heston, newspaper, brochures, flyers) •
Re/Max of Boise [Real estate development] (print ads)
Jose Reynoso [ID, fine artist] (PR)
Rice Road [CA, food products] (sales sheets)
Rincover Associates [ID, financial planners] (print) •
Ringert for Senate [ID] (brochure, handouts, radio, TV)
RMH Company [ID, property management & charter air service] (print, brochure) •
The Roasterè [NW regional, coffee manufacturer] (packaging) •
Robert-Martin Company [ID, real estate brokers] (brochure, slogan)
Rocktile [ID, natural rock building & landscaping products] (brochure) •
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation [ID, naturalist organization] (direct mail, collateral)
Rodeway Inn (ID, outdoor, airport posters)
Rogers Brothers Seed Company [International] (brochure, sales sheets)
Roger’s Slack Shack [NY] (radio)
Rooster West [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Round the Corner [National restaurant chain] (radio, direct mail, posters, table tents, collateral) •
Run of Stone [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Russell Corporation [NW regional, construction company] (brochures) •
A.F. Ryan & Sons Dodge [NY] (radio)
S
Salem Press [CA, publisher of references] (literary biographies)
Salon Rodeo Drive [ID, hair styling] (TV)
Sassy Office Systems [ID, equipment rental] (radio, newspaper, direct mail)
Satellite ORBIT Magazine [National, satellite dish publication] (video and A/V presentations, contests, print ads, direct mail) •
Sawyer's [ID, exterminators] (radio, brochure, direct mail) •
The Scene [NY, nightclub] (radio) •
SCP Global Technologies [International manufacturer of automated computer wafer washers & dryers] (capabilities brochure)
Security Title Company of Idaho (newspaper)
Selkirk Metalbestos [NC-based manufacturer of industrial piping]
(videos, trade ads, A/V)
Sexty's [ID, Gift and jewelry stores] (radio, newspaper, direct mail, collateral) •
The Shack [NY, restaurant] (radio)
Shangri-La East [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Willis Shaw Express [ID, trucking company] (print ads)
Shifty’s [New York nightclub] (radio)
Shoestring, Inc. [Sun Valley, ID, "Willy's Easy Laces" stretch shoelaces] (brochures, flyers, packaging, video, P-O-P, collateral) •
Simmonds Precision [NY, makers of custom resistance temperature detectors, thermocouples, rare-earth alternators] (brochures, PR)•
J.R. Simplot Company [International agribusiness]] (brochures, feature articles, PR, print, radio, TV, video & film scripts, in-store demo materials, military broker ads; materials for regional Simplot Games) •
Stan Sinclair [ID, photographer] (poster, direct mail, brochure, web site) •
Roland Smith for Idaho Senate [ID] (handouts, direct mail)
Smyser for US Congress [ID] (complete campaign)
Snake River Alliance [ID, anti-nuclear organization] (flyer, slogan)
Dave Snodgrass [CA, drum lessons] (print ads)
South Warren News [NY, newsstand] (radio)
The Space Game [National] (instruction booklet, board for nationally distributed game)
Spacey’s Brother (ID, 90,000-word biography, web site content for book promotion: spaceysbrother.com)
Spease’s Ltd. [NY, clothing stores] (radio)
Special Days [ID, gift store] (brochure) •
Sportman Center [NY, snowmobiles & accessories] (radio)
Startime [NY, concert promoters] (radio) •
Stereo World [NY] (radio) •
Stinker Stations [Regional gas station/convenience store chain] (radio campaigns, PR) •
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center [ID] (children’s brochure, collateral) •
Stockbridge Valley Flying Club [NY, flying instruction] (radio)
The Storm House [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Streamside [ID, upscale residential development] (brochure, manual introduction)
Stylemates [ID, hair care products] (print)
Summer Lawns [ID, lawn care] (direct mail) •
Summit Mountaineering [ID, climbing and hiking gear] (radio)
Sunburst Boutique [NY, clothing] (radio)
Sunlighting Lamp and Shade Center [NY] (radio) •
Sunquest Solar Systems [ID, passive & active solar energy products] (brochure)
Sunset Interiors [ID, flooring & wallpaper] (newspaper, radio, TV, collateral) •
Sun Valley Health Institute [ID] (newspaper, video, A/V) •
Superior Electric
[NY, lighting] (radio)
Superior Sound Stereo Center
[NY] (radio)
Surga Sharp Systems [CA, surgical instrument repair & service] (brochure)
Swanson & Setzke [ID, attorneys] (TV)
Symms for U.S. Senate (complete 1986 re-election campaign, including TV, radio, brochures, flyers, billboards, posters, PR, collateral)
Syracuse Cablesystems (NY, complete introductory campaign, including television, radio, outdoor, brochures, direct mail, PR, collateral) •
Syracuse Manpower [NY, employment agency] (radio)
Syracuse New Times [NY, publication] (radio)
Syracuse Savings Bank [NY] (radio, newspaper, PR, collateral) •
Syracuse Symphony
Orchestra
[ [NY] (brochures, posters, direct mail, PR, collateral) •
Syracuse University (posters, direct mail) •
Syroco [NY; household furnishings] (catalogs, magazine ads, PR, collateral) •
T
Jerry Tarter [ID, licensed public accountant] (brochure)
TCBY [NW regional, frozen yogurt chain] (radio, newspaper) •
Archie B. Teater [ID, fund for handicapped] (pro bono brochure)
Terra Distributing [ID, wholesale electronics] (direct mail)
Thomas Development [ID] (company profile)
Thriftway [ID, building materials chain] (newspaper) •
Today's Physician Magazine (feature articles)
Toggenburg Ski Center [NY, recreation area] (radio)
Tom’s Clam Cove [NY, restaurant] (radio)
Tomlinson & Associates [ID, property & investment management] (brochure) •
Tops & Bottoms [NY, clothing] (radio)
Townsend Shoes [NY] (radio)
Tracy’s Karate [NY, martial arts instruction] (radio)
Treasure Valley Bank [NY] (folder, brochure)
Treasure Valley Litho [NY] (flyer)
Trus Joist Corporation [International, manufacturer of laminated building products] (brochure, print ads) •
Tub o’ Suds [NY, nightclub] (radio)
Tuesday's Child [ID, art gallery] (print)
Twin Falls Bank & Trust [ID] (newspaper, radio, TV, brochures, PR, collateral) •
U
Consuelo Udave [WA; fine artist] (direct mail)
Uhl's Stamps [ID] (radio)
Uncle Sam’s [NY, nightclub] (radio) •
Uncommon Graffiti [OR, restroom advertising] (brochure, direct mail, PR) •
United Cable Television [NW regional, changed to TCI, then AT&T Cable Services, then Cable One] (TV series)
United First Federal Savings [ID] (newspaper, brochures, PR, radio, TV, direct mail) •
University of Idaho (video scripts about education of deaf & blind child)
US West [Regional, changed to Qwest] (newspaper, magazine, PR, inserts) •
US West Foundation [Regional] (print, annual reports) •
V
Val’s Motors [NY, auto dealership] (radio)
Valley Bank [ID] (PR, print, radio)
Valli Information Systems [ID] (print)
V-Gay [NY, fabrics] (radio)
Video Motion Images [ID, video production studio] (demo reel script, feature articles)
Videon [ID, videotape & video equipment rentals & sales] (newspaper, direct mail, booklets, collateral) •
W
Washington Group International [international construction company] (newsletter)
Wayne’s Bike Shop [NY] (radio)
West Genesee Car Wash [NY] (radio) •
What’s Your Beef? [NY, restaurant] (radio) •
Whiteman Industries [National, manufacturer of Power Trowel] (instructional videos)
Wicker & Wood [NY, furniture store] (radio)
Wilkinson for Senator [ID] (handouts)
Pete Wilson Design Works [ID, graphic designer] (PR, web site)
Wilson’s Jewelers [NY] (radio) •
Winters of Syracuse [NY, men’s clothing] (radio)
Lynn Wisehart [National, travel lecturer] (brochure)
Woolworth’s [NY] (radio)
World Book Encyclopedia {NE regional] (radio)
World Envelope Manufacturing, Inc. [GA] (trade ads) •
Y
Yellow Balloon [NY, nightclub] (radio) •
Z
Ziebart’s [NY, automobile rust-proofing] (radio)
Zot Software [ID] (flyers, instruction booklet, packaging) •
CLIENTS BY TYPE OF PRODUCT OR SERVICE
(Note: some clients fit more than one category)
Ad agencies, graphic designers, illustrators & photographers
Apollo Group
Calendar Clipper
Green House
Laurence Knighton
Meyers & Pluckebaum
Will Nelson
Omni Studio
Prep Department
Prism Productions
Stan Sinclair
Consuelo Udave
Uncommon Graffiti [restroom advertising]
Video Motion Images [video production studio]
Pete Wilson Design Works
Agribusiness
Agri-Beef
ForBio America/Plant Biotics
J.R. Simplot Company
Art & artists
Art Attack Gallery
Sam Francis
Idaho Commission on the Arts
Laurence Knighton
Will Nelson
Northwest Arts
Jose Reynoso
Tuesday's Child
Consuelo Udave
Audio & video equipment & recordings
Big Bad John’s Tape World
Clark Music
Discount Records
House of Tape
Lloyd’s TV Sales & Service
Radio Shack
Record Exchange/The Edge
Stereo World
Superior Sound Stereo Center
Videon
Automotive aftermarket
Aamaco
Auto Finishers
CCF Frame & Collision
Commercial Tire
Entech Corp
Meltzer’s Auto Supply
Niles Auto Supply
Pierce Muffler Shop
Ziebart’s
[rust-proofing]
Automotive sales
Norm Bishop Volkswagen
Bresee Chevytown
Competition Porsche/Audi
Finnegan’s
A.F. Ryan & Sons Dodge
Val’s
Motors
Bicycles, motorcycles & snowmobiles
Advance Cyclery
Community Motors
Fred’s Sport Motors
Kuyahoora Outdoor Sales
Lakeland Garage
Ralph’s Sport Center
Sportman Center
Wayne’s Bike Shop
Book, magazine & newspaper retailing
Economy Bookstore
J & B Bookstore
South
Warren News
Broadcasting
"Great Days Afield" [syndicated television show]
KBOI Radio
KIVI-TV
Pacific Northwest Broadcasting [KBOI, KLCI, KSEI, KMGI radio stations]
Syracuse Cablesystems
United Cable Television
Business management, investments & financial planning
Applied Management Associates
Aurora Capital Group
Capital Matrix
Commercial Brokerage Co
GME, Inc
InterWest Management Associates
Rincover Associates
Tomlinson & Associates
Casinos, resorts & gaming
Cactus Petes
Idaho Lottery
Toggenburg Ski Center
Cellular phones, telecommunication & service
CellNet of Idaho
ITC Companies
Mountain Bell
US West
Charities
Albertson Foundation
Arthritis Foundation
Big Brothers and Big Sisters
Idaho Governor's Cup
Idaho Hunger Action Council
Idaho Special Olympics
Project Help
Reachout
Archie B. Teater [fund for handicapped]
US West Foundation
Chemical analysis & analyzers
Inficon Leybold-Heraeus
Ionics, Inc
Clothing, footwear & apparel
Bazaar
The Benchmark
Chappell’s Junior Directions & Outer Limits
Charney’s
Costume Shop
E. Cramer & Son
DeJulio’s Army-Navy Store
D’Jima’s Furriers
Fred’s Men’s Shop
Gary’s Clothing Store
Headquarters Boutique
Michael’s Men’s Shop
Mid-River Marketing
Montana Boots
Moonchild Boutique
Mr. Burke’s
Pearl Shoes
Peter’s Men’s Shop
Roger’s Slack Shack
Spease’s Ltd.
Sunburst Boutique
Tops & Bottoms
Townsend Shoes
Winters of Syracuse
Computer hardware & software retail sales & service
Decision Point, Inc.
Hewlett-Packard
Internet Outlet
Learned-Mahn
Medical Software of Idaho
Micron
MIICOR
Plan B
Valli Information Systems
Zot Software
Computer hardware & software manufacture
Hewlett-Packard
Inficon Leybold-Heraeus
Learned-Mahn
Medical Software of Idaho
Micron
SCP Global Technologies [automated computer wafer washers & dryers]
Construction
Behrman Homes
Blier-Connelly
Homco
Metal Building Components
Millwright Construction
Morrison Knudsen
Precision Craft Log Structures
Rawlings Construction
Russell Corporation
Washington Group International
Convenience stories
Jacksons Food Stores
Stinker Stations
Education
Canyon Vocational Center
Cary’s Truck Driving School
Columbia School of Broadcasting
Idaho Education Association
Keypunch Academy
Jim Marshall Prosperity Seminars
Positive Action [primary teaching program]
Pulver Laboratories [product regulations seminars & workshops]
Stockbridge Valley Flying Club [flying instruction]
Syracuse University
Tracy’s Karate
University of Idaho
Lynn Wisehart [travel lecturer]
Employment
Careerco
Kendall Employment Plus
Keypunch Academy
Syracuse Manpower
Entertainment, culture & promotion
James Brown Enterprises
Boise Jazz Project
Buffalo Festival
Calliope Talent Agency
Eastern Talent Association
Fairmount Miniature Golf
Hamilton Racing
Idaho Shakespeare Festival
Mark III Music
Middle Fork River Tours
Miller & Miller River Trips
Pojo’s Family Fun Center
Startime
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
Toggenburg Ski Center
Entrepreneurial projects
Ball Hog
First Eagle Corporation
The Space Game
Farming & ranching
Anderson Orchards
Benson Ranches
Bliss Valley Growers
Northwest Mushroom Company
J.R. Simplot Company
Fast food
Arctic Circle
Baskin-Robbins
Carl’s, Jr.
Carroll’s Restaurants (now Burger King)
TCBY [frozen yogurt chain]
Financial
Bank of America
Farmers National Bank
First Federal Savings
First Interstate Bank
Idaho First National Bank
Lincoln National Bank
Metropolitan Bank
Moore Financial Group
National Bank of Geneva
Provident Federal Savings
Syracuse Savings Bank
Treasure Valley Bank
Twin Falls Bank & Trust
United First Federal Savings
Valley Bank
Fireplace furnishings & accessories
Bennett-Ireland
Fabco Fireplaces
Food and variety retailers
Albertson’s Supermarkets
Fay’s Drugs
KJ’s [hardware]
Ore-Ida Foods
Pay Less Drugs [now Rite Aid]
Thriftway [hardware & building materials chain]
Woolworth’s
Food & drink manufacturing & processing
B&D Foods
Chef America
Day-Lee Foods
Helluva Good Cheese
Home Dairies
Interstate Food Processing Corporation
Kastle Chocolate
Kovo's Salsas
La Pizzeria
LeClair's Sauces
Odell's Clarified Butter
Ore-Ida Foods
Pacific Western Beverage
Premier Foods
Quick 'N Easy
RC Cola
Rice Road
The Roasterè [coffee manufacturer]
J.R. Simplot Company
Foodservice distribution
Golbon
Oppenheimer Company
J.R. Simplot Company
Furniture & household furnishing retailers
Hardlife Boutique
Kimberly Furniture
Lott-Karran Company [kitchen sinks]
Lyndon Lawns [outdoor furniture]
Madison's Furniture
Martin’s Furniture
Modular Storage Concepts
Mr. Panel
The Nude Shop [unfinished furniture]
Raymour’s
Office equipment
Sassy Office Systems [furniture & equipment]
Syroco
Wicker & Wood
Gardening, florists, nurseries & landscaping
Greenhurst at Longbranch
Intermountain Environcare
Lippert’s Florists
Nedrow Nursery
Summer Lawns
Health, fitness & exercise facilities
AJ’s
Billings Racquetball Club
Court House
Diet Center
Gem State Gymnastics
Onondaga Aquatic Club
Health & beauty products & services
Audiology Associates
Camille Beckman
Hair Den
Hair Shoppe
Mr. Joseph’s Beauty Salon
Mr. Salvatore’s Coiffures
Salon Rodeo Drive
Stylemates
Heating & Air Conditioning
Boise Heating & Air Conditioning
Carrier Air Conditioning
Falso Heating
Heavy equipment
Frink Sno-Plows
Hydro-Press USA [industrial trash compactors]
Whiteman Industries [power trowels]
High-tech
ForBio America/Plant Biotics
Inficon Leybold-Heraeus
Ionics, Inc
Micron
SCP Global Technologies [automated computer wafer washers & dryers]
Simmonds Precision [custom resistance temperature detectors, thermocouples, rare-earth alternators]
Hobbies & crafts
Mac's Hobby & Craft Superstores
Radio Shack
Uhl's Stamps
Hotels & motels
Owyhee Plaza
Rodeway Inn
Interior decorating
Cooper Decorating
Sunset Interiors
Jewelry & gift retailing
Davies-Reed
H.J. Howe
Lissons
Molenaar Jewelers
Sexty's
Special Days
Wilson’s Jewelers
Lighting manufacture & retail
Crouse-Hinds
Edward Joy Lighting Center
Sunlighting Lamp and Shade Center
Superior Electric
Metals manufacturing & fabrication
Acme Manufacturing
Metal Building Components
Pacific Steel Fabricators
Selkirk Metalbestos [industrial piping]
Miscellaneous manufacturing
Boise Cascade Corporation [wood & forest products]
Home-Style Industries [furniture]
Northland Division [small custom engines]
Pro-Team [industrial strength vacuum cleaners and attachments]
Pumice Products, Inc.
Rocktile [natural rock building & landscaping products]
Rogers Brothers Seed Company
SCP Global Technologies [automated computer wafer washers & dryers]
Simmonds Precision [custom resistance temperature detectors, thermocouples, rare-earth alternators]
Sunquest Solar Systems
Trus Joist Corporation [laminated building products]
World Envelope Manufacturing, Inc.
Miscellaneous products, retailers & wholesalers
Down Under [custom leather goods]
G & S Distributing [disposable breath alcohol detectors]
Gargoyles Sunglasses
Northpoint Mall
Shoestring, Inc. [Willy's Easy Laces" stretch shoelaces]
Spacey’s Brother (90,000-word biography)
Terra Distributing [wholesale electronics]
V-Gay [fabrics]
Music, musicians & musical instruments
Guitar Studio
Dave Snodgrass [drum lessons]
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
Nightclubs, bars & taverns
Barrel of Fun
Big O
Country Tavern
Forest Hotel
Gay 90s
Happy Dog
The Jailhouse
Jam Factory
Joker’s Place
Mad Hatter
Magic Bus
My Brother’s Place
Ole Mug
Piper Pub
The Place
Poco Lounge
Red Coach
Rooster West
Run of Stone
The Scene
Shangri-La East
Shifty’s
The Storm House
Tub o’ Suds
Uncle Sam’s
Yellow Balloon
Organizations & agencies
American Red Cross
Area Agency on Aging
Boise Basin Chamber of Commerce
Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau
Wally Byam Caravan Club
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception [historic preservation]
Dairymen's Creamery Association
Friends of Capital City
Greater Syracuse Youth For Christ
Idaho Apple Commission
Idaho City Chamber of Commerce
Idaho Commission on the Arts
Idaho Department of Law
Idaho Education Association
Idaho Humanities Council
Idaho Hunger Action Council
Idaho Special Olympics
Idaho Transportation Department
Idaho Wildlife Federation
The Nature Conservancy of Alaska
Project Help
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Snake River Alliance [anti-nuclear organization]
Outdoor advertising & signage
Classic Signs Express
Image National
Periodicals & publishers
Boise Magazine
Builder/Architect Magazine
CommTek Publishing
Idaho CEO Magazine
Salem Press [publisher of references]
Satellite ORBIT Magazine
Syracuse New Times
Today's Physician Magazine
World Book Encyclopedia
Pets
Coral Reef Aquarium
Doctor’s Pet Centers
Pet Paraphernalia
Physical & mental health providers
Boise Dental Center
Boise Physical Therapy
Braden Stauts, DDS
BSU Health & Safety Consultation Program
Dr. Joan Gail
Healthwise [wellness promoter]
Healthwords [wellness promoter]
Healthworks [psychologist]
Hypnosis & Personal Development Center
Idaho Foot & Ankle
Idaho Primary Care Association
Idaho Sports Medicine Institute
Whit Jones [psychologist]
MedXpress
Mercy Medical Center
Primary Health
P.S. Ltd. [professional psychologists]
Psychological Associates
James Read [psychologist]
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center
Sun Valley Health Institute
Politics & political issues
Sara Baker for City Council
Batt for Governor
Coles for Mayor
Doremus for Governor
Earhart for Governor
Idaho Citizens for Freedom & Jobs
Alan Lance for Idaho House
Lempesis for Lt. Governor
Leroy for Lt. Governor & Leroy for Governor
McMurray for US Congress
Otter for Lt. Governor
Referendum #1 [Right-to-Work]
Ringert for Senate
Roland Smith for Idaho Senate
Smyser for US Congress
Snake River Alliance [anti-nuclear organization]
Symms for U.S. Senate
Wilkinson for Senator
Printing
Joslyn & Morris Lithoprinters
Northwest Printing
Treasure Valley Litho
Real estate sales, rental & development
Arthur Berry & Co.
Bristol Heights
Coldwell Banker-Aspen Realty
Emerald Park
Group One
Heritage Park
Home Run
Lexington Hills
Oak Ridge
Paragon Commercial Group
Park Pointe Realty
Park View Apartments
Quail Ridge
Re/Max of Boise
RMH Company [property management & charter air service]
Robert-Martin Company
Security Title Company of Idaho
Streamside
Thomas Development
Restaurants
Angell’s
Arturo’s Pizza
Boarding House
Brass Lamp Pizza
Buddy’s Italian Restaurants
Café Garzone
Café Ole
The Castaways
Cedars Restaurant
Dutch Pantry
Frank’s Pizza
Grizzly Bear Pizza
Hennessey's at the Top
Hungry Charlie’s
International House of Pancakes
Jreck Subs
Louie's
Owyhee Plaza
Patrician’s Pizza House
Pizza Hut
Poorhouse
Round the Corner
The Shack
Tom’s Clam Cove
What’s Your Beef?
Services
Elmwood Laundromat
Hall & McChesney [microfilm & microfiche]
Hawley Troxell [attorneys]
Hosford Larson Rudeen [architects]
Page Data [paging sales & service]
Sawyer's [exterminators]
Surga Sharp Systems [surgical instrument repair & service]
Swanson & Setzke [attorneys]
Jerry Tarter [licensed public accountant]
West Genesee Car Wash
Sporting events, facilities & providers
Idaho Governor's Cup
Liverpool Golf & County Club
Middle Fork River Tours
Miller & Miller River Trips
Stockbridge Valley Flying Club [flying instruction]
Toggenburg Ski Center
Tracy’s Karate
Sporting products
Allstate Swimming Pools
Creno & Kelly
Cutlery Shoppe
Greenwood's Ski Haus
Gym Outfitters
Loon Outdoors [environmentally-friendly fly fishing products]
Mid-River Marketing
Oakport International [pocketknives]
Pro Golf of Idaho
Shoestring, Inc. [Willy's Easy Laces" stretch shoelaces]
Summit Mountaineering
Theaters
Carroll’s Cinemas
Loew’s Theaters
Travel, transportation & delivery
Centro [bus line]
Global Travel
Willis Shaw Express [trucking company]
Advertising FAQ
For several years early in the 21st century, I answered hundreds of
questions on a variety of topics on the now-dead web site AskMe.com. I was
top-rated among other “experts” who responded to communal questions in about
20 different categories, including Latin, Greek, French and Russian
languages, English composition and grammar, stamps, coins, and other
specialized subjects. The following are some of the many answers I gave to
questions I fielded in the “Advertising” category.
Advertising in general
Q. What are the types of advertising? How does each of them affect the buying habit of the people? Please explain these by giving concrete details
A. Advertising can be broken down into three basic categories:
1. Print
2. Broadcast
3. Everything else
This category includes magazine and newspaper ads, brochures, booklets, pocket folders, company histories, press releases, direct mail and postcards and business letters, flyers, handouts, and similar printed pieces of marketing communications. In general, printed pieces are aimed at an older, more affluent segment of the buying public (i.e., those who don't mind reading, who can afford to subscribe to publications where the ads will seen, or who have a stable address where sales pitches can be mailed). Most combine words and pictures to present an effective, persuasive message. Print ads must usually be targeted to a specific audience; each publication offers a profile of its readers.
ADVANTAGES: Print allows potential customers to study, and reread if necessary, the details of an offer for a product or service, and to make an informed decision about whether or not to purchase. Direct mail, in particular, allows advertisers to target very specific audiences (for example, doctors, who might be in the market for a new medical product), by use of mailing lists. Brochures and booklets can give potential buyers a wealth of information, thereby anticipating and overcoming sales objections.
DISADVANTAGES: Print ads, in all but the most rudimentary forms, are costly, both to produce and to place in various publications. They must be produced well ahead of time, so print is not a flexible medium. It takes a savvy media buyer to place ads in the proper print vehicles to attract desired audiences.
BROADCAST
Broadcast includes radio and TV commercials, infomercials, sales or information videos, and web advertising. Because of their short duration (usually 30 or 60 seconds) and dynamic form (offering sound and/or movement and immediacy) TV & radio ads appeal to impulse buyers. In addition, thanks to demographic studies, ads can be targeted precisely to a specific audience of radio listeners (premium rates, and heavy listener-ships apply during "drive times," that is, the hours when radio listeners are most apt to be in their cars, driving to or from work), TV watchers, and web browsers. For example, skateboards and youth-oriented clothing would be good products to advertise during extreme sports shows, while brokerage houses and investment firms would be ideal for programs like "Wall Street Week."
Web banner ads and pop-ups, the up-and-coming medium, seem to fill the gap between print and broadcast, employing elements of both. This form of advertising is still in its infancy, and it is too early to know whether effectiveness outweighs annoyance when computer users are confronted with a constant stream of sales messages.
ADVANTAGES: Broadcast allows considerable flexibility; if a commercial isn't working in one program, it can be easily moved to a new time slot. Again, demographics can make placing ads in programs fairly precise--each quarter, rating books come out for both TV and radio, showing which networks or stations are leading in their markets in numbers of viewers/listeners, according to age group, sex, education, and other parameters. When done right, TV and radio spots can inform, educate and entertain. Better still, they can convince buyers to take immediate action: "Don't wait, call now!" (Apple's memorable "1984" Super Bowl ad, for example, convinced thousands of viewers to invest in personal computers, and literally jump-started today's technological revolution.) In addition, radio commercials are usually quite inexpensive to produce, since they rely only on voices, sound effects, music, and the listener's own imagination. They can also be produced rapidly, allowing fresh information--for example, a politician rebutting his opponent-- to go out over the airwaves in a timely fashion.
DISADVANTAGES: Television commercials, videos and infomercials can be very expensive to produce. While a local ad, using all type, for example, can be done fairly cheaply, it might not prove very effective. At the other extreme, if you use a celebrity spokesperson, backed by a thousand dancing elephants, and employing elaborate special effects, the cost of production could be astronomical. Placement of TV ads in top-rated shows can also be fairly pricey: a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. If your commercial is scheduled for the second half of the game, and it's a runaway by halftime, 75 percent of the viewers may have changed the channel before they have the chance to view your million-dollar ad.
EVERYTHING ELSE:
This category includes outdoor (billboards, bus cards, bench cards, posters, signage) which is often intended to attract attention or leave a favorable impression of something, rather than spur an immediate sale. (This may be changing, however, with the prevalence of cell phones, which permit consumers to call a number listed on a billboard and instantly gratify their desire for the featured product.) Also included is collateral, the advertising industry's name for anything that doesn't fall readily into the two main categories above. Such items might include product packaging, hang tags (tags that hang from products), table tents (often found on tables in restaurants), shelf talkers (the rectangular labels inserted into the front of shelves in supermarkets), coupons, point-of-purchase (displays at the check-out counter), aisle displays, wobblers, danglers, and other such brief, colorful messages, generally found in windows or inside shops and stores, which often serve to reinforce an impulse buying decision when the consumer is near the product in question, or actually has it in hand.
ADVANTAGES: Billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising, by their size and prominence, are hard to miss. Packaging can often make the difference in a product's success or failure. The other collateral items can be considered auxiliary sales tools--the main sales pitch has been made elsewhere, and they act as last minute, on-the-spot reminders to consumers.
DISADVANTAGES: Billboards, in particular, are relatively expensive to produce and sites for them, depending upon local ordinances, may be quite limited in number and configuration. All the other collateral items, while not usually costly to produce in quantity, suffer from the same negatives as advertising in general: overexposure and sensory overload. The average American, while driving, watching TV, shopping, or reading magazines and newspapers is exposed to more than 2,000 advertising impressions, good and bad, each day. It takes an extraordinary effort on the advertiser's part, no matter what medium is chosen, to cut through the clutter, crystallizing the message in an appropriate form that attracts the consumer's attention and ultimately results in a desired response: a sale.
Q. How would you describe effective advertising?
A. Effective advertising is that which successfully performs the function for which it was intended, namely, to persuade a consumer to buy a product or service.
Q. Briefly explain any 10 reasons why letters are used extensively in business communications?
A. Letters:
1. Are easy and quick to write
2. Are cheap to send
3. Can be personalized to the recipient
4. Can emphasize important points typographically
5. Can say a lot in a few words
6. When written on company stationery, can help remind the recipient of your business
7. Are private.
8. Are more personal than many other forms of inter-business communication.
9. Allow for the inclusion of photos, samples, tickets, currency or other lightweight, flat items
10. Are capable of allowing the thoughtful, considered expression of ideas that someone might be too tongue-tied or scatterbrained to say in person
Q. What is advertising? Give advantages, tips and techniques, and types of advertising. What is the best way to advertise and understand target audience?
A. Advertising, in simplest terms, is disseminating information about a product or service in a persuasive manner calculated to make recipients of the message buy.
Types of advertising include:
* Broadcast--radio and TV
* Print--magazines, newspapers, brochures
* Outdoor--billboards, marquees, posters
* Point-of-purchase/point-of-sale--counter toppers, aisle displays, literature racks
* Packaging
* Direct mail--letters, dimension (specialty) marketing, flyers
* Web site
* Collateral--shelf talkers, wobblers, danglers, bumper stickers, T-shirts
Each of these types of advertising has advantages and disadvantages; components of an advertising campaign should be selected according to efficiency in reaching the target audience, budgetary constraints, traffic flows or viewing/reading habits. Each should be selected or rejected according to a marketing plan that gives strategies and tactics for achieving the advertiser's specific objectives.
The primary advantage of advertising is its ability to spread the sales message among large groups of people--particularly via TV, radio, outdoor, print, and the World Wide Web--for a relatively low cost per impression (an impression is one person being exposed to the ad one time).
The most important basic premise of advertising is to "Stop the consumer with a believable promise;" in other words, give the customer a benefit that makes him/her want to find out more about the product or service being advertised, and ultimately, to buy it.
Effective advertising, especially in broadcast and print, usually consists of a four-step approach to getting the message across.
1. Get the customer's ATTENTION
2. Create INTEREST in the product/service
3. Generate DESIRE in the customer to own the product/service
4. Tell how or where to get the product/service, and impart urgency to ACT
The first letters of each of the highlighted words give AIDA, which serves as a simple mnemonic device for remembering the four steps.
Target audiences for particular audiences vary tremendously. The best way to understand a specific target market is to undertake research to determine demographics (age, education, income, etc.) of typical consumers and to find out what's most important to them in selecting the type of product or service under consideration.
Q. What are the dos and don'ts of good advertising?
A. Advertising dos:
Before you can sell something, you must first get the customer's attention.
You must appeal to a customer's self-interest.
You must turn features into benefits.
You must create interest in and generate desire for the product or service.
You must tell the customer what to do or where to go to buy the product.
Advertising don’ts:
Don't lie.
Don't assume the customer already knows anything about your product or service.
Don't use long words, long sentences, or long paragraphs.
Don't use jargon.
Don't forget to put a benefit in the headline.
Q. What is the difference between advertising and marketing?
A. Marketing is the catch-all term for the various issues and activities behind a product or service: planning, positioning, target audiences, packaging, strategy, promotion and public relations, pricing, demographics and other research, etc. Advertising consists of the actual sales messages--based on conclusions developed through a marketing plan--seen by the public.
Q. I would like to know the advantages and disadvantages of advertisement, and the different appeals of ads, like moral, emotional etc. Please explain each
A. Advantages of advertising:
1. The best way to let people know you have something to sell, to announce the existence of a product or service, to disseminate information about your company.
2. When well done, advertising can transcend commercial appeal and become art.
3. There are many different ways to advertise--by radio, TV, print, outdoor, direct mail, computer banners, or skywriting--and attract potential customers' attention.
4. Advertising is well accepted by the public as a necessary means to an end, and has been proven to be effective in achieving business objectives.
The main disadvantages of advertising:
1. It costs money, and not everyone who'd like to can afford to advertise where and when they should to achieve desired results.
2. When poorly done,
advertising annoys people.
Some of the major appeals of ads:
1. The desire to be well liked
2. The desire for romance
3. The desire to be thought of as smart
4. The desire for wealth
5. The desire for fame
6. The desire to be better looking
7. The desire for safety and security
8. The desire to be happy
9. The desire for comfort
10. The desire to be part of a group
There are many other, more subtle appeals, as well.
Q. Tell me about the origin, the advantages, and the medias of advertising and why it is essential to business today.
A. Advertising has been around for thousands of years--advertisements and graffiti, for example, have been found in the ruins of Pompeii, buried by a volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, and there is evidence the ancient Egyptians also practiced it. However, until the invention of moveable type by Gutenberg, and the spread of literacy beginning in the 15th century, advertising consisted of vendors shouting out the quality and prices of their wares—a practice that continues to this day in locales where the populace is illiterate.
Businesses of all types realized quite early that advertising's primary benefits--information and persuasion to buy--were essential in both disseminating information about products and services, and in making sales of such items. Advertising was common in European newspapers in the 1600's, and came to the American colonies in the same century, beginning an unbroken chain of advertising that has continued to this day.
Today, there are dozens of outlets for advertisements, from TV ads to radio commercials, from Internet web sites to magazine and newspaper ads, from billboards to direct mail, from packaging to in-store displays, and from T-shirts to skywriting. Most modern businesses acknowledge the necessity of advertising; word-of-mouth worked fine, if slowly, two hundred years ago, but in a fast-moving, competitive world, if you fail to advertise in some form, your business will never get off the ground.
Most businesses, often through advertising agencies, choose the media which are determined will work best for their particular product or services--visually-oriented products, for example, almost demand visual ads; sound-oriented products are best promoted through a medium that incorporates sound, such as radio. Complex products often require long, written copy, so prospective buyers can read about a product's features and benefits at leisure before coming to a buying decision.
Q. What are three major reasons why it is essential that advertising objectives be established prior to making decisions regarding message selection and media determination.
A. While there are many good reasons for establishing objectives before determining message and medium, here are three major ones:
1. What is the unique selling proposition (USP) for the product or service?
It is essential to differentiate what is being sold from competitive offerings, as this will determine the strategy of how and where to advertise.
2. What are the primary, secondary, and tertiary markets for this product or service?
It is vital to determine who is most likely to buy what is being advertised; demographics can help pinpoint the target audience's age group, sex, ethnicity, income, location, buying habits, and other motivating factors.
3. What results will be expected from the advertising?
Advertising is not done in a vacuum. Goals need to be set to see if the objectives are met, thereby determining the effectiveness of the marketing plan.
Q. I would like to know about advertising ethics—the meaning, the types, and the laws covering it, the causes, the effects and the ways in which it could be avoided.
A. Here's the beginning of the chapter headed "Ethics and Truth in Advertising" from Sandage and Fryburger's ADVERTISING THEORY AND PRACTICE:
"Advertising is a powerful economic and social force. Consumers look to it for information in respect to products and services that might help to meet their material needs and wants. Consumer actions are influenced by the character of advertisements that are distributed by our mass media.
“Because of the power and influence of advertising, it is vital to the welfare of out society that high ethical standards guide the action of advertising practitioners.
“High ethical standards are also vital to the long-run economic health of advertising itself. If advertising does not have the confidence of most consumers, it will lose its influence and surely die. If people grow to disbelieve a substantial percentage of the advertising messages that come to them, they will soon tend to reject most or all advertising."
Some of the types of advertising that are considered unethical are:
* Untruthful--The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and other governmental agencies monitor advertising and can impose severe penalties on a case-by-case basis (including stiff fines and the possibility of having to cease and desist their lying ways) if an advertiser makes "definite suggestions of fact which cannot be literally proven." The Wheeler-Lea Amendment to the Federal Trade Commission Act states:
"The term 'false advertisement' means an advertisement... which is misleading in a material respect..."
* False testimonials—celebrity endorsers are supposed to actually use the product they tout; if it cannot be proven that they do, a disclaimer—"paid endorsement"—is supposed to be included.
* Misleading names and labels—the practice of using names on products and in advertising that tend to give a wrong impression as to quality or origin. For example, many products using the word "natural" have chemical additives —that's one reason packagers are now required to list ingredients and nutritive value. If you use, say, "Greek" in your product name, there has to be some connection with Greece, or it is considered deceptive. Likewise, you cannot intentionally mimic an established product, in name or package design, as this may cause confusion among consumers. If, for example, you make a chocolate sandwich-type cookie with a vanilla filling, you would probably be prohibited from calling it MOREO, because this would be too close to OREO.
* Exaggeration and misrepresentation—Advertising has always been plagued by overstatement, or "puffery" in an attempt to outdo the competition for a product or service. Ads with "best," "most," "first," "only," and other such superlatives should be viewed with suspicion, and often come under the scrutiny of the FTC and the FCC; advertisers who use such high-toned claims for superiority may be asked to prove their claims.
Similarly, misrepresentation is verboten. In a famous case from some years ago, a company offered three yards of pure silk for a low price. Consumers sent in the money, thinking they would get a bolt of cloth, receiving instead a spool of silk thread. In another case, an advertisement offered a picture of George Washington made from a steel engraving--the suckers who sent in their money received a one-cent postage stamp.
* In poor taste--This is becoming more of a gray area. It used to be that the blatant use of sex or sexual symbols, references to the most personal body functions, vulgar language, and other tricks of the trade were once considered in bad taste. The standards of what people will accept change constantly and what plays today may not play tomorrow.
* Disparaging of competitors—This is another gray area. It used to be considered shady practice to tear down a competitor to build up your own product. However, it is common nowadays to see Coke vs. Pepsi, Burger King vs. Macdonald's, and other comparison ads. Such ads seem to run in cycles, and often confuse the viewer as to which of the products being compared is actually the one being advertised.
* Inconsiderate of the reader, listener or viewer—This includes such things as bumping up the volume of commercials to attract the listener's or viewer's attention, excessive repetition (like the same TV spot repeated forty times a day on a single channel), or "road-blocking"— playing the same commercial at the same time on all TV channels, so that no matter to which channel you turn, you can't escape the advertiser's message. These techniques are in common usage today, and consumers, unfortunately, have come to accept them.
The best way to stamp
out such practices is through strong self-regulation by national and state
advertising associations, backed up by governmental agencies empowered to
come down hard on those who violate ethical standards.
Q. I would like to know the different stages in making an ad?
A. I've written thousands of ads, and the basic process usually goes something like this:
1. Information gathering: I learn everything possible about the product or service to be advertised by reading previous ads, brochures, and research, by talking to various people at the advertiser's company, and sometimes by trying the product or service (Where’s that Rolls-Royce account I’ve been looking for?)
2. Data absorption: I mull over what I've learned, organize facts in logical order, and try to attribute consumer benefits to product features.
3. Copy writing: most projects begin with a script, which is my responsibility. I start with a dynamic headline, which ideally contains a unique selling proposition and will stop the consumer with a believable promise. After getting the consumer's attention, I work to generate interest, to create a desire for the product, and to tell the user where and how to acquire the product. Usually, after the copy is written and polished, the advertiser sees and approves it at this stage.
4. Brainstorming: working in league with an art director or graphic designer, we suggest potential visuals to complement my words. (Sometimes this step comes before #3 above.) At this point, the art person takes over the completion of the ad--selecting type, laying it out, making arrangements for photographs or artwork.
5. Completion: once the copy and pictures are laid out, the finished product is approved by the client, after which it goes to a media buyer who purchases space in a publication or broadcast time.
Q I'm just curious if there are any laws in advertising, like if you can or can't, must or must not do something.
A. There aren't too many formal rules/laws in advertising. The most important rule is to tell the truth, or you could be in trouble with the FCC or the FTC for fraud.
A couple rules of thumb are:
KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)--this means to write ads in a conversational manner, as though you're talking to a friend, using short words, short sentences, short paragraphs, and easy to understand concepts.
AIDA (this stands for the logical progression of a typical ad; each letter stands for a step in the process: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. First, get the customer's attention, then make him interested in what you're selling, next create a desire in the customer to own what you're selling, and finally, tell him how and where to get the product).
Fast, cheap, or good--pick any two. Advertising clients always want a champagne idea on a beer budget, and they want it today. Good creative that achieves desired results, however, often takes time to develop. Clients that want ads fast and cheap can't expect them to be good; if they want the ideas fast and good, they won't be cheap; and if they want them good and cheap, they won't be fast.
USP--this stands for Unique Selling Proposition; every product or service should have something about it that makes it different than competitive products.
Q. What tendencies in human nature does advertising play upon?
A. There are five basics to which advertising appeals:
Physiological--food, shelter and clothing
Safety--security, protection from physical harm and avoidance of the unexpected
Social--the desire to be accepted by members of the family and other individuals and groups
Esteem--the need to feel a sense of accomplishment, achievement, and respect from others; the competitive need to excel, to stand out from the crowd in some way
Self-actualization--fulfillment, realizing one's own potential, using one's talents and capabilities totally.
Q. Why do we as a population seem to deny the influence of advertising in our lives?
A. I don't believe we as a population deny the influence of advertising. I think rather that we've come to accept it as a part of our lives--otherwise, we'd refuse to buy advertised brand names. But we don't; consumers embrace trendy brands--Nike, Calvin Klein, Hard Rock Cafe, Sharper Image--that give us a cachet of being part of the "in" crowd, part of those in the know. Advertised products are becoming more prevalent in movies and books; advertisements consume an increasing amount of time on television and radio, and more space in periodicals and on the Internet. There would be more public outcry if consumers objected to the commercial increase, but there hasn't been so far.
Q. Hello, I'm looking for some statistics on advertising. If you can provide websites or books I could use to try and find some information, I'd be very grateful. What I'd like to know is: what percentage of people who see a paid ad respond? How many times do you have to run an ad before people start to respond? What is the most effective type of advertising (paid or ...) and by what percentages? Is there any form of advertising that's especially good? (i.e. press releases, newsletters, brochures, etc.)
A. The best place to find up-to-date advertising statistics is through the two major organs of the industry, ADVERTISING AGE and AD WEEK
Advertising Age (follow links)
Ad Week
As far as your questions go, they can all be answered by two words: It depends. There are no sure things, no guarantees in advertising.
Response rates vary tremendously, depending upon the quality of the ad, the frequency that the ad runs, and the reach of the ad (that is, how many people will see the ad). In direct mail, for example, where an advertising message is sent to a select group of potential customers, a 2-3% response rate is considered average; a 5-7% response rate is considered excellent. I've done direct mail campaigns where the response rate was 90%, but the offer was so good, it's probably a fluke.
The same thing applies to the number of ads run (frequency) before people respond. If the offer is exciting, you may only have to run an ad once before people beat a path to your door to buy what you're offering (Macintosh, for example, revolutionized the computer industry by running its "1984" ad once during the 1984 Super Bowl, and sold millions of Apple computers from that single commercial.) On the other hand, if your message is dull, or the offer not persuasive, you can run ads until you're blue in the face, and nobody's going to buy.
Effectiveness also depends upon the offer and the creativity employed to disseminate the offer and the prospective audience for the product or service being advertised. All media--TV, radio, print, billboards and outdoor, direct mail, Internet--have the same potential to achieve results, and you can get heated arguments from representatives of each media that theirs is the best.
Generally speaking, if you have a product/service with lots of details, requiring a good deal of reading from customers, the print form--such as newspaper, magazines or brochures--gives readers everything they need to know to make an informed decision. If, however, your product's advantages can be shown quickly, or you want to leave a fast impression about the company, TV, radio, or outdoor may be the best bets.
All forms of advertising can be especially good, again depending upon circumstances. Free advertising, such as that gained through press releases, is always a good thing, as long as the information contained therein is newsworthy. Most companies also go to the trouble to make up handout/ takeaway brochures giving an overview of their product or service--the quality of these varies from amateurish to professional, and from completely worthless to invaluable as part of the company's overall image. Likewise, in most cases, newsletters can be of significant assistance in giving further details about a company and its products, and thereby keeping its name prominent in the hearts and minds of its customers, present and future.
Personally, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for direct mail. You can precisely target a particular audience, and hit them where they live, often with an offer they can't resist accompanied with a specialty item (such as a logo-imprinted pen or calendar) that keeps the company name in front of the customer. They may throw away the mailer, but they'll keep the specialty item.
I also like radio: it's cheap, it can also be targeted to specific audiences, it works with the listener's imagination, and it can be changed cost-effectively to respond to changing market needs.
Follow-up: Wow, thank you so much for offering such a comprehensive, and quick, response!
Q. If you had the choice of devising an ad campaign for a product of your choice, would you use a new product or promote an existing product to a different audience?
A. Personally, I'd rather introduce a new product. But practically speaking, it's easier to promote an existing product to a new audience, because generally you don't have to devote as much of your ad budget to establishing name recognition or touting benefits, since you're bound to get some carryover by word-of-mouth from present consumers.
Q. I was wondering could someone tell me some pros and cons of sex in advertising.
A. PRO:
Sex sells: a good-looking, scantily clad model can help dress up a dull product.
Some products--swimming pools, lingerie, and condoms--lend themselves naturally to advertising with a sexual connotation.
Subliminal message--a sexually oriented ad sends a powerful message to the viewer: if you use this product, this could be YOU in the picture.
CON:
Some products (such as life insurance or funeral homes) do not lend themselves readily or tastefully to an association with sex.
Many people in our seemingly open society are actually sexually repressed, and may be extremely offended by sexual connotation, and by extension, antagonistic towards the advertised product.
The biggest argument
against using sex to sell is that potential customers may be so distracted
by the sexual appeal they may miss the point of the ad or forget the product
being advertised.
The Advertising Profession
Q. I realize that what follows is a rather gutsy question to ask the experts in the Advertising category, but there are probably more copywriters here than in any other section. So here goes:
Whenever I ask around about copywriting, I usually hear about opportunities at advertising agencies. Unfortunately, I'm reluctant to work in a traditional corporate environment (although "creatives" do get cut slack when it comes to projecting the corporate image).
Might you know of any other way to get a start in copywriting without going through the ad agency route? I understand that I may be limiting myself severely by doing this, but I thought I'd get some initial impressions from those with experience.
Also, is age a big factor in copywriting, at least when starting out? I've been told that this is the case at ad agencies.
A. I've been copy writing since 1970; during more than half that time I've freelanced. I started out writing commercials at a radio station, later went on to become copywriter, copy chief or creative director at four different ad agencies (only one of which broke the "corporate" mold), and freelanced in between the office gigs. (Since 1995, I've gone back to fulltime freelancing and will probably never work in any office but my own from now on).
I'd suggest trying the freelance route, selling your services to agencies and businesses. To do this, you need to first build your reputation by putting together a portfolio of your work. The best way to start doing this is to begin by writing advertising materials for friends and acquaintances that own small businesses—for free or for minimal cost—and work your way up. Even in slack times, you have to continue practicing by writing at every opportunity, to keep your skills sharp.
Realize, however, that freelancing is not for the faint of heart; there will be times of feast, and times of famine. There's not a lot of security (regular paychecks), there's no paid vacations, no healthcare plan, no pension. On the other hand, there is a lot of freedom in picking your own hours to work, and selecting projects you want to work on. The object of a freelancer is to establish a base of loyal repeat customers who will stick with you for years to come, and to find a corps of compatible people (illustrators, graphic designers, artists, photographers) with whom you can work to produce outstanding examples of the art of advertising.
Age isn't so much a factor in the copy writing game—if you're talented, you'll get work—though if you're extremely young, it is hard for people to take you seriously, and it's difficult to get your foot in the door.
Q. I am an art director in as ad agency and I've got 6 years experience; how much should I be making?
A Salaries for art directors, creative directors, copywriters, media buyers and other agency positions depend strictly upon the size of your ad agency, the budgets of its clientele, and the community in which you work. Experience does count for more, of course, in any situation, but how much more depends upon the above factors, and how your experience relates to the others in your department (for example, if all the other art directors in your agency have 10 years or more of experience, you're the bottom person on the totem pole).
Here's a very rough guide:
In a small agency (less than 10 people) in a small town (less than 50,000 population), you would probably be lucky to make $20,000-30,000.
In a mid-sized agency (less than 50 people) in a medium-sized city (250,000-500,000 population), you should probably be earning double what you would in a small community.
In a large agency (more than 100 people) in a large city (more than 1,000,000 population) you should probably be earning triple what you would in a small town.
Q. I am 19 yrs old and am currently in my final year. I have a great attraction towards advertising and am quite keen to take up a career in this field. What do I need to do, what are the professional courses available and what kind of a future does this field have? I would like to know about specific courses and institutes into advertising.
A. To take up a career in advertising, you really don't need a degree, but it can't hurt. A broad curriculum is fine, since advertising covers a wide field of interests.
Courses I would recommend would include marketing and advertising (to get a feel for the whole process) and, depending upon your particular interest within the field, writing courses (if you're interested in copywriting), art and computer science (if you're interested in graphic design, illustration or art direction), business administration and sales (if you're interested in advertising management), finance (if you're interested in bookkeeping or accounting) and mass communication (if you're interested in media buying or any of the other positions listed above).
I think the future of advertising, like its past hundred years, is extremely bright. Countries where advertising is particularly strong, such as the United States, Japan, and those in Western Europe will continue to be strong, and other countries will eventually catch up in quality and quantity of advertising.
As far as particular institutions that specialize in advertising or have strong programs, I cannot help you, since I have been out of academia for more than 30 years. I would suggest doing a web search, using keywords "advertising, university programs" or similar.
Q. I'm very interested in pursuing some sort of advertising career. I'm fascinated in all aspects of it - the art, the writing, the branding, and the selling. I'm an accomplished web designer and graphic artist who is also a savvy writer, so I think I would be a good fit in an advertising career.
Here's my question: I would like to pursue a professional education in the field (I currently possess a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field), and am wondering where to focus my studies. An MBA in Marketing seems ideal, but I'm not exactly sure *what* marketing is. Is it geared more towards the creative, or the business side? Is it a little bit of both? What's the difference between marketing and advertising? What does a "marketer" really do for a living?
By the way, if someone can recommend a good, and not too expensive school that features a Distance Learning MBA program, I'd be much obliged.
A. As somebody who's been on the creative side in the marketing/advertising field for the past 35+ years, I see marketing as incorporating both creative and business aspects.
Marketing deals mostly with the strategy of how to present a product or service to the public. It considers product strengths and weaknesses, competitive products and proper product positioning, product features and benefits, product research and development, demographics--who potential buyers are, where they live, their ages and salaries, their likes and dislikes--what media are most appropriate for getting out the message about the product, and all the other details of a proposed campaign.
Advertising is more the result of that marketing--the actual message presented in a creative, persuasive manner to the public, based on the information gathered in the marketing plan.
If you're more interested in the business side of things, then an MBA with a marketing emphasis makes sense. If, however, you enjoy the creative side, you might want to reconsider your higher degree, and opt instead for an MA, with an emphasis in advertising. For distance learning programs in either discipline, search the web, using "distance learning" and either "advertising" or "marketing" as keywords.
Good luck. And welcome to my world.
Q. I have two questions. I want to work in an advertising firm in the creative department (where they think of the concepts for commercials, print ads). What degree do I have to have? And do companies generally have their own advertising departments or do they mostly go to advertising firms?
A. While it's not absolutely essential to have a degree of any kind to originate creative concepts for advertisements, most advertising agencies these days, particularly the larger and better-known firms, require at least a Bachelor's degree. Many copywriters, like me, majored in English and/or creative writing in college and/or grad school. Others majored in marketing or business; agency art directors usually major in design or illustration.
It's difficult to land a creative position at an agency fresh out of college, unless you're really talented. Most agencies prefer you have some business experience under your belt. Many of the larger agencies offer intern programs where, at a low salary, you can get your feet wet while learning about various aspects of the business.
Whether or not a company has its own in-house advertising/marketing department generally depends upon the size of the business. Large companies, like Ford or Hewlett-Packard, often maintain fairly complete advertising departments that are capable of producing much of the advertising for those companies. However, even large companies usually hire advertising agencies to coordinate national campaigns, to provide an unbiased perspective, to handle promotional efforts, and to take advantage of an agency's specialized media-buying expertise, which can help a company not only save a considerable amount of advertising revenue, but can as well make sure the company's messages reach specific target markets.
Q. I am a junior in college majoring in advertising. I don't want a typical college job, restaurant, etc. I want to work for a ad agency (which no one seems to be hiring) or I want to start my own agency, but just something simple where I can make about $20/day or 200 a week. That should be simple right? What should I do?
A. You could check with the ad agencies where you live--many offer internships, which are usually low-paying positions in which you assist in various departments of the agency.
Setting up your own agency is more complex, because you need to spend money to make businesses aware of your existence, and you're competing with established agencies. It might be better to just offer your services as a freelancer to the community in your creative specialty, such as graphic design or copy writing or media buying.
Q. I am giving a presentation on advertising for a class and I have a few questions concerning your job in advertising.
What is a typical day like for you?
What responsibilities do you have?
What is the work environment like?
What are the positive and negative aspects of you job?
A. As a freelancer, I don't really have a typical day; every day is different. However, when I worked as copywriter or creative director at advertising agencies, my typical day consisted of:
--Reading/thinking/brainstorming/ writing about a project (50%);
--Meetings with clients, account executives, graphic designers/art directors (25%);
--Everything else--phone calls made to and received from suppliers, media people, potential employees; composing business letters or marketing plans; filing; travel; photocopying; arranging or directing photo shoots, etc.
As both a freelancer or an agency copywriter/creative director, my main responsibilities would be the same: to gather all possible information about a product or service, distill and organize that information in a logical sequence and, turning features into benefits, conceive and write persuasive advertising materials to convince a designated target audience to buy that product or service.
As a freelancer, my work environment is very relaxed and pleasant, since I work my own home office, and can do pretty much as I like. The agency environment, however, is usually much more tense, with the crackle of creative energy in the air. In most agencies, there are many projects in the works at once, so there may be clients coming and going, various employees rushing around to get things done for particular deadlines, meetings being conducted, and phones ringing.
The positive aspects of freelancing are:
--I'm my own boss and set my own hours of work;
--I work in my own home, so all my references are right at hand;
--I can accept or refuse projects as I wish, and I earn a healthy hourly amount;
--I can dress or not dress as I please, eat, drink, or smoke as I'm working;
--There are also certain tax advantages.
The negative aspects of freelancing are:
--The work is not always steady--sometimes it's feast or famine;
--Working alone, you don't have access to other creative brains;
--You have to arrange for your own health insurance and pay for your own vacations.
The positive aspects of agency life are:
--There is a synergistic effect--the whole is greater than the sum of the parts;
--There's usually camaraderie among agency staff;
--There's a regular salary, yearly vacation, paid health insurance, retirement plan, profit sharing, and other benefits;
--It can be a very exciting and rewarding career.
The negative aspects of agency life are:
--It can be a very stressful environment;
--Not all clients are good clients, and not all employees pull their own weight;
--At some agencies, there is a high turnover rate, so you frequently have to get used to working alongside new people who may not have the same skills as a former employee;
--A bad agency boss can make for a bad climate;
--Sometimes, particularly during political campaigns, the eight-hour days turn into 16-hour days.
Q. My girlfriend is a student of journalism in her final year. However, after her last apprenticeship at a TV station, she told me that she seems not fit well in the world of media. In her words, there are so many hidden norms required that she isn't capable of. She said she wants, upon graduation, to find a job in the field of public relations or advertising (copy writer). She even said that, since her long-time passion is drawing, she may think of applying for a place at a school of industrial art.
I'm confused of what advice I could give my girlfriend. Is it normal for a girl to realize all these things in HER FINAL YEAR at university? Does it have something to do with my girl's maturity?
Professionally speaking, is it easy to turn to PR or advertising if you are a student of journalism?
A. Thoughtful people keep searching for their particular niches until they find them so, yes, I believe your girl is relatively normal in that regard; I can't comment on her maturity, because I don't know her.
Can she go from journalism to PR or advertising? If she can write well in one venue, she should be able to write well in another, with a little practice —I was an English major in college and grad school, with nary a class in advertising or marketing, and I fell into copy writing fairly easily.
Becoming a graphic designer or an art director might take a bit longer, because ad agencies usually expect a fair degree of expertise. If your girl is serious about studying art, be sure to tell her that, in addition to being able to draw fairly well (in order to sketch rough layouts and thumbnails), she should also become proficient at as many art-related computer software programs as possible (Pagemaker, Freehand, Quark, etc.) since that will greatly increase her chances of landing a job in a field that now relies heavily on computers for producing commercial artwork.
Q. I'm a senior in high school, and I am currently in the process of applying to colleges, thinking about a major, and so on. I have really considered mass communications as a major, but I'm still not sure if it's the thing for me. I was planning on specializing in advertising, and I was wondering if it was right for me. Will you please give me some general info on a career in advertising? Any help is greatly appreciated!
A. I didn't plan to enter advertising as a career--it just worked out that way. As an English major in college, I always wanted to write the Great American Novel; after publishing five novels, I'm still trying.
I started in advertising as a copywriter at a Top 40 radio station in 1970. For more than 3 years, I often wrote as many as 40-50 commercials per day, which not only taught me to write fast, but also earned me a number of awards for my work. An advertising agency hired me away from the radio station; I earned more money, but it wasn't as fun, so I quit after a year, and freelanced for the next several years (taking a variety of part time jobs during slow periods). Then I was hired as creative director at a small agency, where I worked for three years--I loved it and won lots of awards. In 1980, I moved from New York to Idaho, and was creative director at my third agency: a bad experience, which only lasted 1 1/2 years. I freelanced fulltime until 1986, when I was hired as part time creative director/ consultant at a fourth agency, where I primarily worked on political campaigns. After the election, I went back to freelancing, until 1992, when the last agency hired me fulltime as CD, where I worked until 1995, and I've freelanced ever since.
Here are the pros and cons of advertising as I see them.
PRO--
* If you like writing, you'll write a lot. You'll have the opportunity to work on a variety of different products and services. Copywriting (if that's your field) will improve your other writing considerably. If you're into the art side of the business, you'll also learn to produce quickly. There are also many opportunities in sales and media buying.
* If you're good at what you do, you'll earn a good salary, enjoy a prestigious job, and have some good benefits: paid vacation, health insurance, profit-sharing, retirement plans, and other perks, like industry awards (I've won more than 200 for my writing over the years.) If you're talented, you can work anywhere in the world.
* If you're on the creative end, you'll typically work with some talented people.
* If you don't mind working without a net, you can freelance.
CONS--
* There are lots of jerks in advertising, particularly in agency administration--some of my bosses, who weren't creative people, insisted on putting their fingers all over the copy I wrote, which usually resulted in dull, unimaginative work that didn't achieve the desired results.
* Many clients are also jerks.
* It's a fast-paced environment. If you don't work well under pressure, or to tight deadlines, or if you're not good at juggling a dozen projects at once, it's not for you.
* If you're high-strung in personality, it's a career that will probably give you ulcers.
Q. Finally a copywriter!
I am currently a Copywriter in CA who has been writing for promotional marketing agencies for several years. I have had the fortune of writing anything from: direct mail to sweepstakes to video package copy to infomercials to ads to pr materials to articles. I have also been the only writer for my agencies and have been published. I am looking for Senior Copywriter positions focusing on advertising (working in ad agency).
I seem to find resistance from Creative Directors in ad agencies; a certain feeling that someone who has focused more on promotions can't write ads (I have written some, but not many) or that I should start off at a junior level or make a lateral move since it's a new industry (even though they praise my portfolio--full of mainly promotional writing).
I am very confident in my writing abilities and have proven in present and past jobs that I can adapt to new writing skills with little or no direction. What do you suggest to give me a better chance to win over the hearts of advertising people? This is very serious to me. I want to permanently make the transition into advertising to meet new challenges. I was considering taking an advertising class (I have read countless books on how to write ads etc...). One Creative Director has even asked me to brainstorm for a current client and submit ideas (how appropriate is that?).
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. It's very valuable to me.
A. Sounds to me, based on the description of the type of work you've completed, that you have experienced much of what a fulltime agency copywriter is likely to run into.
However, in my experience, most of the larger agencies require 7-10 years under your belt to consider someone for a Senior Copywriter position (there are always exceptions). Mid-size (20-50 people) and smaller (20 or fewer people) agencies often don't make the distinction between Sr. and Jr. levels; indeed, at some of them, Creative Directors frequently double up as copywriters and wear a variety of other hats.
Also, keep in mind that at some agencies, Creative Directors are more art-oriented than copy-oriented, and at those places they may pay more attention to visual than verbal fireworks. If you show pages of text with no illustrations to artists, their eyes tend to glaze over; they see copy blocks merely as gray space, an annoying design element that has to be dealt with, and generally could care less if the words are upside-down.
My advice, to win the hearts and minds of Creative Directors, would be to pick at least a half-dozen widely diverse products or services (choose those you use and like), and write ads for them to show what you can do. If they're print ads, include a sketch of what you see as an illustration (stick figures are okay), so they know you can think visually. If they're TV spots, do a rough storyboard. (If you can really draw, that's gravy.) Intersperse these ads throughout your portfolio or put them in a separate section; this will demonstrate your interest in advertising, give an inkling of your abilities, and show that you're serious about pursuing a career in copywriting.
As far as the CD suggesting you brainstorm and submit ideas, I'd say, "Sure, how much are you paying?" Your time, like everyone's, is worth something; try to negotiate a reasonable fee (say $25-$35 an hour) that will allow the agency to make a nice profit on any of your ideas that they use while they're testing out your skills. It could lead to more freelance work from the agency and--who knows?--maybe even a job offer.
In the meantime, it certainly would not hurt you to take a class in advertising to refine your skills. Keep reading and practicing your craft.
Good luck!
Breaking into Advertising
Q. I thought of a really catchy headline for some current events and am wondering how I can market this and ensure that I get some money. How can I be sure that my idea isn't stolen? How much is a tabloid headline worth in NYC?
A. Headlines, unfortunately, are a dime a dozen; tabloid writers, like advertising copywriters, churn them out by the bushel, and they have no real value at all unless they're attached to a well-written article, book, or ad.
If all you have is a catchy headline, the best you can do is to link up with a graphic designer or illustrator and put your words, along with an appropriate picture, on a T-shirt or poster or bumper sticker and hope to turn a quick profit from the sales of such items. But you'd better hurry, because interest in topical goods often wanes fast.
Follow-up: But y cant I sell the idea for the headline to the guy that writes the article?
A. You can try, or you can try selling it to a comedian as a throwaway one liner (if it's really good), but most article/feature writers, or their editors, typically dream up their own headlines. Other than the uses I mentioned (t-shirts, posters, bumper stickers and the like), there's just not much market for a headline that isn't attached to anything else.
Q. Recently I applied for the position of Public Information Coordinator at a local community college. While I believe I qualify for the job one of the requirements posted asks this: [produce written documents using proper news style English sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation]
Now, I am familiar with APA format etc. but I have no idea what they are asking here. Could someone enlighten me please!
A. There are numerous style guides (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style, the Associated Press Manual of Style, etc.), which set forth the rules of composition for writing for the publications of specific organizations. These cover grammar, sentence structure, verb and object agreement, nonsexist usages, punctuation, acceptable variations in spelling, capitalization, use of references, footnotes, bibliography, whether to spell out numerals, proper manuscript format (margins, fonts, leading between lines), and so forth.
Most of the style guides--I have about a dozen in my personal collection--show very little variance in their rules (some, for example, demand that you spell out numerals through "twenty," while others ask that you spell them out only through "ten"; some want you to put a comma before "and" in a series, and others eliminate the comma). So, chances are, if you are already familiar with a particular formal style, you are already well prepared for the position, and will not go far wrong by writing in the way you know best. If there's any question about it, ask the college if they have their own prepared style guide to deal with grammatical situations not covered in APA (bet you they don't).
Q. I'm interested in copywriting, but I honestly don't know where (or how) to start. I've ticked the keyboard for money on a number of occasions, and several coworkers have mentioned that I'd make a good copywriter.
On a hunch, I scooted over to amazon.com, and I saw what appear to be several good books that provide an overview of the specialty. Might any of you know of a particular volume that is excellent for curious wordsmiths like me?
Tossing "copywriting" into google led me to many excellent sites promoting the work of individual copywriters, but I had a difficult time finding a good online *overview* of the field. Do you know of any good web sites out there?
Do any of you have any other suggestions in lieu of reading books and web hopping? Internships perhaps? Any lead or suggestion would be super.
A. I've been a copywriter for more than 30 years, both at agencies and as a freelancer. I started writing copy at a radio station, and I would think that's still a good place to start looking. Internships at agencies are fine, if you happen to land at the right place; in my experience, they don't pay well, you do a lot of "gofer" work that's not related to your primary interest (though you can learn a lot about the operations of an agency and about advertising in general), and they seldom lead to a permanent job. Larger agencies may be willing to take on a promising rookie on a trial basis. Freelance is certainly an option--if you're good, you'll seldom be out of work.
You should be able to find any number of decent books on the subject, either at a bookstore or at your public library. Some of the best on the subject, from the practical, hands-on angle are:
John Caples--CAPLES ON COPY
Robert Bly--THE COPYWRITER'S HANDBOOK
Erica Levy Klein--WRITE GREAT ADS
Webster Kuxwa--SELL COPY
Good luck.
Q. Hi, I am a European based account planner in the media industry (have previous experience from business development and research including focus group moderation) with 14 years experience considering moving to the States. Can anyone tell me the best place to look for job openings in the advertising industry? Thanks
A. The best place to start looking for job openings is to consult the classified pages of the two top industry publications, ADVERTISING AGE and ADVERTISING WEEK.
Advertising Age is on the net at
and
AdWeek can be found online at
In addition, there are dozens of websites specifically for people in advertising. Two of the ones I use regularly to obtain freelance work are:
eLance (http://www.elance.com)
and
Bullhorn (http://www.bullhorn.com)
Other sites that regularly post jobs in advertising but are not necessarily advertising-specific include
Jobvertise (http://www.jobvertise.com)
Ants.com (http://www.ants.com)
Career.com (http://www.career.com)
Fatjob.com (http://www.fatjob.com)
Most of the above also have links to other job-related sites.
That should get you well started. Good luck in your search, and welcome to America!
Q. My wife is trying to start her own business in promotions and advertising. Some companies have made offers, but we want to know what is the going rate advertising companies charge for their services. Also are there any avenues in which my wife and I can do research to find the do's and don't of this particular market. (books, clubs, magazines, etc.)
A. In advertising and public relations, there are three primary forms of compensation for freelancers or advertising agencies: an hourly rate, a fee based on the scope of a particular project, or a monthly retainer. The numbers for each method of compensation vary widely, based upon the agency or the freelancer's experience and reputation, as well as the size of the community you operate in, the range of the advertising or promotional campaign (i.e., whether it's local, regional or national), and the budget of the company desiring the advertising. In any case, it boils down to what the market will bear: a balance between what you'd like to make and what the advertiser is willing to pay.
When I first started doing freelance copy writing more than 25 years ago, I charged $20 per hour in a community of over 250,000 people. A couple years later, I was charging $35 per hour. Today, with more than 30 years of advertising copy writing under my belt, and more than 200 awards for my work, I charge $60 per hour and up (in a community with a population of 150,000)--though these days, I usually give a quote for the complete project, based on my experience of how long the project will take. (I know, for example, that for a six-panel brochure made from an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper I will charge the client between $250-500, depending upon how much research I have to do). I also work on retainer: $1000 per month will buy 15-20 hours of my time, any way the client wants to use it. When I do freelance work for other advertising agencies, I generally charge my standard $60 hourly rate, which the agency bills out at $75-85 per hour to the client.
For more about rates, consult the latest WRITER'S MARKET from WRITER'S DIGEST, under the article entitled "How Much Should I Charge?"
For more about the business itself, there are many books that deal with the fine points of copywriting and public relations, including:
SELL COPY by Webster Kuswa
WRITE GREAT ADS by Erica Levy Klein
THE COPYWRITER'S HANDBOOK by Robert W. Bly
CAPLES ON COPY by John Caples
For a general overview of the advertising industry today and details on particular campaigns, take a look at the trades, ADVERTISING AGE and AD WEEK, usually available at your local library or online:
Good luck!
Q. I'm starting my own ad agency. And I have zero experience in ad design, except for a few samples that I made. And I know I have the talent. Now my question to you is I want to have some of my work published before I start this company. Do you know of any start-up company that needs "discounted advertising"? And what I mean by that is I will work for free or close to it just to have a portfolio.
And since I'm fairly new to advertising, any info you can give me about the b2b market or advertising industry would be greatly appreciated.
A. Your question raised several questions for me.
When you say you're starting your own ad agency, do you mean you're going to open an office, hire people, and incorporate? Or do you mean you're going to solicit business as an individual, say, as a freelance copywriter or art director?
The reason I'm answering your question with a question is that my answers would be different, according to which scenario fits your situation.
If you're surrounding yourself with other talented, experienced people, it's not as vital that your individual skills are refined yet, because there's strength in numbers and you can pick up a lot on the job from those around you.
However, if you open a one-person shop, then it would certainly behoove you to have some solid projects that were actually used by clients in your portfolio. (I think that's what you mean when you say you want to have your work "published"; that's not a term generally used in advertising. A brochure you worked on, for example, would be "printed," and in talking about that particular sample in your portfolio to a potential client, you would refer to the quantity of brochures printed, and how much they cost "per unit," that is, per brochure, to be printed.)
Your use of the words "ad design" leads me to believe that you are coming to advertising from the art side; perhaps the samples you mention were done in a college commercial illustration class. If this is indeed the case, it might benefit you to hook up with a good writer, since then you would have covered both primary skills desired by clients--a "words" person and a "pictures" person. If you're trying to do both words and pictures yourself, then you need to practice both aspects simultaneously.
I don't know where you live, so I wouldn't be aware of start-up companies in your area. If you want to learn of new start-ups, look through the financial and/or business section of your local newspaper. (Some cities also have separate publications that deal exclusively with new businesses.) Whether or not any of them, or established businesses, would be receptive to "discounted advertising" depends strictly on the individual company. I would think if you went to smaller businesses that you use--dry cleaners, restaurants, taverns--and offered to produce free ads for them, you might get some takers.
As an alternative idea, you might also consider hitting the smaller advertising agencies in your area, and offering to work as an intern for a trial period to gain experience in the business and to build a portfolio.
Regarding learning about the business-to- business market and the advertising industry in general, I would suggest reading all you can about the subjects, because the issues are too complex to deal with here. A good place to start is with the two major publications of the industry, ADVERTISING AGE and AD WEEK. You can usually find them in the periodical your local library, or you can look at them online at
and
I wish you good luck in your venture.
Q. I have a management background (Restaurant 15 years) and I just received a BA in Communication & Journalism with a minor in Management. Additionally, I have a BA in Behavioral Psychology. I am trying to break into the C & J field and I am scheduled for an interview for a Public Information Coordinator position with a local community college. I have extensive academic experience in writing, editing and presentations but not actual field experience in same
How do I play this during the interview and what are they most interested in?
A. Public Information Coordinator (what's in a title?) sounds essentially like a public relations job, one that would deal primarily with press releases and news releases to the media concerning activities, events, awards, new employees, and other newsworthy matters associated with the community college. The position might also entail acting as liaison between the college and the community. As such, the position would probably require someone:
* Who is good at ferreting out information;
* Who is a good organizer;
* Who can write accurate grammatically correct prose that is smooth and readable, and can impart a positive spin for the benefit of the institution;
* Who can juggle a number of projects simultaneously;
* Who can conduct interviews and, in a pinch, make a public announcement
* Who isn't camera-shy
I would think that, given your background, you would make an ideal candidate for the position. Your extensive restaurant management experience should make you comfortable being in the public eye (and give you an edge in leadership, should you have to manage other people in the new job). Your degree in behavioral psychology should aid you in interviewing, enabling you to ask penetrating questions. And your degree in communication and journalism, added to your previous writing experience, should give you the background necessary to quickly adapt your skills to the specific tasks at hand. Were I you, during the interview phase I would stress those factors, emphasizing the benefits to the college that accrue to them.
Q. In May I will graduate with communication degree and an English minor. Additionally, I've taken several marketing courses, including marketing communications. I have a passion for writing and I'm interested in becoming a copywriter. I want to avoid wasting time and wandering down dead ends. What's the best way to get my foot in the door of the advertising industry?
A. Unless you know someone in the industry who can put in a good word for you, there are three basic ways to break into the advertising industry: finding an employer who's willing to let your learn the craft on the job, through an internship, or through freelancing.
I got my start the former way, landing a job as a copywriter at a Top 40 radio station in upstate New York in 1970. I came to the position with BA and MA in Creative writing/ English, 3 published novels, and a couple hundred other published pieces--but that job really taught me to write. For more than 3 years, I wrote--and produced and often voiced--40-50 thirty- or sixty-second ads per day. I won a lot of awards, and got hired away by an ad agency, one of four where I worked; at the last three, I was Creative Director. Now with more than 30 continuous years in the profession, I'm on my third stint as a freelance consultant/copywriter.
You could take a similar route. Though I'm not up on availabilities at radio and TV stations and newspapers (I do see listings for such positions posted frequently on the internet), all of those media have use for copywriters. I'd think you could find a position by knocking on some doors, offering to demonstrate what you can do, and seeing what happens. If you land a job, you could use it as a stepping-stone to an agency slot.
Internships are definitely available--all the agencies I worked at, in both New York and Idaho, used interns, and several were hired full-time.
Freelancing offers the most freedom and the least security. But if you're good, the work will come to you, and you'll seldom be without projects. (Out of about 18 years as a freelancer, I've had dry spells totaling around six months; I typically earn in the high five figures, and I could easily push it well into six figures if I were more ambitious.)
Regardless of which way you opt to go, it's important to show your writing and thinking skills. So start practicing now, every chance you get, because if you get a job in advertising, you'll have to write a lot, and you'll have to write to deadline. Write some ads for real or imaginary products and services; write ads for print and radio and TV and direct mail and billboards, and begin building a portfolio. If you're diligent and smart and persistent, somebody somewhere will recognize your talents and give you a chance. After that, the sky's the limit.
Q. I have a concept for TV ads for luxury cars. How can I sell it?
Would an ad agency with an existing auto company account accept an outside concept? How should I approach such an agency?
Do these sorts of things pay, or is the glory of seeing your concept produced the only reward anyone gets these days?
Are agents ever involved in this sort of thing, and if so how would I find one for this field?
A. These questions crop up all the time: "I've got a great idea for an ad/tag line/slogan/ jingle for --"
The answer is always the same: advertising agencies don't buy individual ideas (though they might be willing to take your idea for free, if it's really good); they're paid big bucks to dream up their own concepts. You might be able to approach a small business or retail establishment with an idea (especially if the business doesn't already have an agency), and sell them on the concept. Otherwise, the only way to sell ideas to major clients is to go to work as a copywriter or creative director at the agency that handles the account. That way, you have an excellent chance of getting a good salary, reflected glory if your concept is successful in achieving the client's objectives, and personal kudos, in the form of industry awards for your work.
And no, agents (such as literary or talent agents) don't get involved in individual concepts, or short stories or articles, either. They want to represent people with lots of ideas or lots of potential mileage, since their income is made from a percentage of what the people they represent actually earn
Q. I have a knack for turning a phrase and writing snappy copy, and many people have told me I should be working as a copywriter. However, I really tend to wilt in an atmosphere that's anything that's even remotely corporate, and I can't stand the so-called "corporate culture."
I realize that I'm severely limiting myself (and I even hesitate to ask people with a background in advertising), but are there any opportunities in copywriting for "creatives" like me who can't/won't function in a conventional corporate environment? For whatever reason, my ability to write and produce good ideas and copy are just about nil unless the environment is less formal. Maybe a smaller firm is the answer? Any ideas? Suggestions?
A. I've been writing copy since 1970, both in formal (radio station and four advertising agencies) and informal (more than 20 years as a freelancer) environments. Here's my take:
First, it's difficult to get established as a freelance copywriter--that is, to make a reputation for yourself and to build a client-impressing portfolio--without having some sort of experience with corporations, either from within or without. After all, as a copywriter, you often have to deal with a variety of companies, large and small, and they want to be sure you understand their structure, their operations, their objectives. You often have to steep yourself in their business before you can write persuasively about them to consumers or other businesses.
Second, well-turned phrases and snappy copy are only a part of the copy writing business. Not all clients recognize or appreciate cleverness. But all can grasp well-organized, logically presented, and convincingly written projects. Copy writing encompasses a wide range of materials--radio spots, TV commercials, billboards, packaging, brochures, magazine and newspaper ads, direct mail, press releases, hang tags, posters, wobblers, danglers, and a plethora of other pieces. The object in all of them is not to impress consumers with your ability with words, but to sell a product or service; sometimes cleverness is called for, but more often a straightforward presentation of the features of the product as benefits is most appropriate.
There are opportunities for non-corporate creatives. You can work in a small, boutique ad shop, where the atmosphere is more relaxed. You can supply copy to other agencies as a freelancer. You can work with a loose group of other like-minded creatives--photographers, illustrators, graphic designers--which is what I've done throughout my freelancing career. But first, you have to have a thorough understanding of what corporations are all about, and what they expect from you.
Follow-up: Thanks for your answer. It's good to be reminded that copywriting is so much more than turning a snappy phrase.
Q. I am certainly of a "mature" age and have had careers in several areas. However, I am now partially disabled and seeking ways to rebuild.
All my life I've been told I have a beautiful speaking voice; a bank where I was working as a temp used me to record all the 'hold' prompts on the new phone system being installed; while raising my children, I often had positions in customer service and as a telephone operator in addition to my full-time career, and people often called to tell my employers how pleasant and professional, even soothing, my voice was. Hard to believe I know, yet I never really thought about it until recently, when I began to wonder if there is a way to begin a career doing ads, telephone recordings, etc. How does one go about getting started? I would greatly appreciate any direction.
A. The basic approaches to obtaining voiceover work are to:
(1) Call, visit or write advertising agencies and solicit radio, TV or script work
(2) Call, visit or write radio and TV stations in your area.
(3) Call, visit or write local video or audio production companies in your area.
In all instances, it would be best if you had an audio reel (cassette or reel-to-reel tape or CD) with samples of your voice work to give or send to the various places for consideration. You can write some 30- or 60-second commercials of your own (for pretend or real products), or record and transcribe some actual radio commercials to practice on. It's best to have a variety of different examples--a calm, straightforward announcement, a more frenetic ad, and a funny or celebrity-type voice (if you are capable of reproducing such a voice), to give the recipients of your tape an idea of your range.
Q. I have a natural flair for advertising and had written many captions and prepared many ads as a hobby. Now I realize that they make really good ads. I have a couple of questions in store for you and would be thankful if u can help me.
1- How can I go about making my ads productive?
2- How can I protect my rights on those captions?
***3- How much does it cost me to take the copyrights?
***4- Can I take the rights on my name or do I have to join an ad agency?
5- Can I join as a freelancer?
6- I am an Indian citizen. Does that affect me in the process of taking copyrights?
***8- I even prepare greeting cards and posters. How can I own the rights and go about getting them printed?
***9- After getting the copyrights, how can I approach the companies to market my captions?
I look forward for
your precious answers.
A. The world can always use another good copywriter. I'll do the best I can in answering your questions.
1. There are many excellent books available that can show you how to make ads productive and effective. Several that come to mind are:
John Caples, CAPLES ON COPY
Robert W. Bly, THE COPYWRITER'S HANDBOOK
Erica Levy Klein, WRITE GREAT ADS
Webster Kuswa, SELL COPY
2. Most advertising, whether completed at an advertising agency or a freelancer, is done as "work-for-hire," which means that you are paid for it, either by salary as an employee, or by a fee as a freelancer. In both cases, you have sold all rights to the person who bought the copy; and he owns it, not you. The only way around this would be to have an agreement, in writing, which states that once the ad in question has completed its run, the rights revert to you. I would guess that most people who hire copywriters would be reluctant to do this; in 30 years as a copywriter, I have never asked this to be done, and I would not recommend it.
3, 4, and 5. You, or any individual, can formally copyright anything you've written; by the very process of putting words on a page, there is a 90 percent assumption of copyright. The rules, regulations and costs of formally copyrighting your work can be obtained by contacting the U.S. Copyright Office. (On the Internet, use keyword "copyright".)
Frankly, though, I cannot see the point of formally copyrighting the captions (I'm not sure what you mean by "captions" in this context--most captions are lines explaining what is happening in a photograph) you have written as a hobby. Unless they are generic (e.g., a general ad for Coca-Cola), I cannot imagine any company wanting to use such efforts, since their marketing needs constantly change. Furthermore, if the captions you have written are for fictitious products, no real company would be inclined to use them; if the captions are for real products, there could be a problem with trademark infringement if you attempt to copyright something that incorporates somebody else's copyrighted logo, image, trademark, etc.
6. I don't believe it matters where you are from; again, check with the copyright office.
8. (What happened to #7?) Greeting cards generally work the same way as ads do: the card company (such as Hallmark) buys the idea from you for a flat fee. Then they own the rights, and you don't. There may be exceptions to this, but I'm not aware of them. I suppose you could set up your own greeting card company as an alternative, and market your own work.
Posters are an entirely different matter. You can copyright the visual and textual material as original work (contact the copyright office). Once copyrighted you can take your posters to various companies to see who offers the best price for reproducing them. Or, as with greeting cards, you could sell all rights to your creative work to a company that makes posters.
9. Again, I don't understand the purpose of marketing the captions of which you speak. To me, the best use of them would be as a portfolio of the type of work you are capable of doing, which you could use to secure more copywriting work through ad agencies or private clients.
Hope this has been of some use to you.
Follow-up: First I would like to thank you for the answers u have given me with a great detail. And another thanks, anticipating your reply for another long letter. I have somethings yet to be confirmed.
1--your words "3, 4, 5. You, or any individual, can formally copyright anything you've written; by the very process of putting words on a page, there is a 90 percent assumption of copyright."
I couldn’t follow the above lines. Can u explain me in detail.
2--explaining your words "Frankly, though, I cannot see the point of formally copyrighting the captions "
I want the rights over the captions until I market them. I'm worried just about their safety, because if I don’t have the rights, I can’t show them to anyone. And if I show them to anyone, there is always a chance that they'll simply copy them and claim that they are their own.
Can u suggest me a safer way to market my ads without spending on taking the rights.
3--explaining your words "I'm not sure what you mean by "captions" in this context--most captions are lines explaining what is happening in a photograph"
What I mean by a caption is just explaining the speciality and giving a signature line. It's just like preparing the full ad...for example "KFC--we make chicken right"
"singer-- home makers for the life time"
" 7/24/365 we'll be there. Chevrolet"
I write (have written) captions mostly for the products and not for a particular company. If a company that produces that product likes my captions, they can fit in my captions to advertise their product.
4--- and I have one question in mind.
If I had made a caption in which the name of the company appears in between the caption...for example "an MBA changes the way u look at the world, but an MBA from "( name of the university )" changes the way the world looks at u" how can I take the copyrights for such a caption where the name of the university cant be decided before i sell my caption. Please explain.
5--- Regarding the
cost of taking copyrights, I visited the website of us copyright office but
it was not very clear for me. Can u give me the approximate price for taking
rights for a single ad and also the price if I take the rights for a whole
lot of them
A. 1 & 2. What I meant was, that when you write something and put your name and the date on it, your work is automatically copyrighted, according to U.S law. The only reason to formally register and pay for a copyright is for protection in case of a future legal issue of authorship.
You can do this without formally copyrighting a work. Simply put the work into an envelope, seal it, and mail it to yourself. When the envelope arrives, DO NOT OPEN IT, but put it away for safekeeping. If a legal question of authorship later arises, you will have proof, in a sealed, dated envelope, that you wrote the work in question.
3 & 4. What you call "captions," the advertising industry calls tag lines or slogans.
Not to discourage you, but in 30 years of advertising, I have never heard of any company just purchasing a slogan or tag line. Usually, a company's advertising agency creates tag lines or slogans as part of a complete campaign.
5. While I am certainly no copyright expert, a glance at the U.S. Copyright Office web site at
http://www.loc.gov/copyright.circs/circ1.html#wccc
under the section: "what cannot be copyrighted" seems to indicate that slogans are NOT copyrightable. If they were capable of being copyrighted, it would cost $30 to register either a single piece or a whole book.
In closing, if you want to pursue your interest in advertising, I think it would be beneficial to seek employment with an advertising agency, where you could put your skills to work across the whole spectrum of advertising work: headlines, text, and slogans. If you do, this would be, as I mentioned previously, work-for-hire; and your employer, not you, would own the rights to any work you created as an employee.
Hope this answers your
questions.
Advertising problems
Q. I am the CEO of a company that is holding a 160km cross- country Snowmobile race in Canada's arctic this April. We also run the uphill and sea ice drag races during the local festival. We are a new production company that will be filming the event. We want to get sponsors to help in getting the prize money together and any other expenses we need to cover such as insurance etc. What will I need to do besides a letter to the sponsor asking for support and a description of the event?
A. The more information you can provide to potential sponsors, the more successful your event is likely to be.
The primary question sponsors will ask is: "What's in it for me?" You should answer this question in your literature before it's actually asked.
Typically, sponsors want good name identification at such events as yours: their logotypes prominently displayed on signs and banners, their products, if appropriate, in evidence at each venue. So your mailing should inform them exactly what to expect in those regards. I would think, in addition to the letter soliciting support, and details of the events, that maps and timetables of events would be useful. In addition, since you are a new production company, it would be worthwhile to describe the details of your own enterprise:
* Background of the principal players
* Experience in staging similar events
* Equipment and personnel you will employ to document the events
* And your ultimate purpose in filming the races: how, when, and where the footage will be used, and the benefits to the sponsors of this usage.
As a CEO, you know that it's necessary to spend money to make money. Towards this end, it can help your cause if your present the information you send to potential sponsors in the form of a "kit,” consisting of:
* A pocket folder containing a personalized cover letter describing the events and the advantages to sponsors in participating
* A brochure which gives details of the races, appropriately illustrated
* Samples of press releases that will be issued to various media to publicize the events
* Thumbnail-sized examples of banners and signs that will be displayed during the races
* Still photos (if available) of other similar events your personnel may have covered in the past
* Maps and timetables, and any other supportive information. The object is to overcome up-front any objections a possible sponsor might have to joining your effort, by providing every scrap of information that might be desired.
Such a kit can be professionally prepared for you by a competent advertising agency. Or you can hire an experienced, independent creative team (copywriter and graphic designer), which will probably cost considerably less than an agency while giving you a comparable finished product. However, an agency can offer additional advantages in media buying if you plan to promote the events on radio or television, or in newspapers and other print outlets.
Q. How to make a company profile for an automotive factory?
A. There are many different ways to do a company profile. Usually, regardless of what they manufacture, a profile consists of several standard elements.
1. Brief overview--a short passage that summarizes the complete picture: how long they have been in business, where they are located, what they make and in what quantity, what makes them different and better than the competition, and what they plan to do in the future. This is generally followed by more specific, detailed information, such as:
2. Company history--the usual starting point for most profiles, covering the founder(s) of the company, why they started, why they foresaw a need for the product, what makes them unique in the industry. Often, information is included to show growth--the number of products or the number of employees then vs. now, expansion of facilities or capabilities, product improvements over the years. A statement from the company president or CEO might be included here, along the lines of "we've come a long way, and we have great plans ahead."
3. Product descriptions--How they are built, quality of materials used, different models of products and their features and benefits. If they have new models coming out in the near future, they might be mentioned here.
4. Facility description--Square footage (if this is impressive or important to the industry), sophisticated equipment, workflow, other facts that might be of interest to potential customers or investors, such as employee amenities. If the company has branch offices, they might be briefly mentioned here.
5. Executives--Brief thumbnail sketches of top management, their bios and functions in the company, perhaps a quote from each.
6. Wrap-up--Usually a positive end statement that encapsulates everything: the long history, the conscientious staff, the superiority of the product, the fair method of doing business, etc., and finishing with a look ahead: "as good as yesterday has been for us, we know tomorrow will be even better."
Q. My company is interested in marketing a device to the semiconductor manufacturing industry, but we don't know exactly how to drum up the interest in the right places. How can we find out which person is in charge of maintaining the microbial quality of semiconductor process water?
I'm not asking you to tell me about the industry (unless you happen to know the answer!), I'm asking for your marketing experience. We've found out that rank-and-file microbiologists are very excited about our technology, but they don't have much authority to make this kind of major purchase decision, and the people who *do* have the authority do not get excited enough about the technology to pursue it.
So we're looking for a
way to root out the "head microbiologist" of a generic semiconductor
manufacturing facility; how do we find out who this person is when we're not
sure he even exists? How do you finesse a receptionist into giving out a
name that would be useful?
A. You have a tough row to hoe.
I've done advertising pieces for semiconductor-related companies like Inficon Leybold-Heraeus, Micron, Hewlett-Packard, SCP and others for the past 20+ years, selling everything from residual gas analyzers to vacuum deposition monitors to wafer washers and dryers. The problem has always been: how do you interest the techies (the people who actually use the product) without alienating management (the people who make the buying decisions), and vice versa?
My solution has always been to introduce the product in a way that anybody, even somebody who knows absolutely nothing about the industry, can understand. The introductory statement (in a brochure, for example) talks features and benefits, which is what the buyer wants to hear, and gives just enough technical details so that the boys in the clean room want to know more. The bulk of the brochure contains the facts, the specs, and the details that users can sink their teeth into and can employ in persuading the bean counters to buy. A general conclusion then persuasively summarizes what went before, and encourages a call for a demo of the product on-site.
I'm sure you know that semiconductor companies come in all shapes and sizes and stages of maturity, and that some of them may have microbiologists on staff, and others may contract them on an as-needed basis, and still others do without. If I were in your shoes, rather than calling and getting the easy brush-off from a receptionist (who may or may not know what a microbiologist is), I'd try mailing a letter to the CEO's of various semiconductor manufacturers (buy a good, detailed mailing list), outlining the features and benefits of your product as above, accompanied by a professionally printed spec sheet with a picture of the product, and a postpaid (bulk indicia) reply card to be sent for more information (make sure you ask the right questions). That way, you include something for people at both key levels in the company to peruse.
Behind the reply card, you have a snappy brochure waiting and/or a representative to go to the sites for a demo; you follow up every mailing with a phone call, especially the leads you gained from your reply card. This is a fairly inexpensive, efficient way to get your foot in the door and track down the names of both the scientists and the decision-makers you're after.
Q. I'm in charge of our company's
newsletter and have had a few articles given to me to be used in it. Is it
ok to use
articles as long as I reference the author and the publication they came
from or are the
copyright
laws that go beyond that? How do I know whether or not it's ok to use an
article from another
publication?
A. The answer is: it depends.
If yours is a small company, and the newsletter is for internal use--to be circulated among employees only--then it probably won't make any difference, as far as copyright goes, what you print, as long as you attribute author and source.
Likewise, if your company is nonprofit, you have much more leeway, under the "fair use" provisions of the law, in using material from other sources than if your company is for-profit.
Also, if the articles you wish to reprint are from previous company publications, then there's little danger of violating copyright laws if you attribute them properly.
However, if your company is for-profit, and the newsletter will be sent out to customers, then you must follow the copyright laws, which means seeking permission from the original source if you intend to reproduce more than a few lines from a previous publication.
For complete information about copyright, go to the U.S. Copyright Office web site:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright
Q. If I were to advertise my carpet cleaning business to approximately 20,000 homes using a weekly flyer delivered within a plastic bag with other different businesses, what percentage of new customers should I expect?
What is a percentage if I were to use prime time radio three days a week?
I would run this dual type of advertising for two months.
A. A good response rate from direct mail, forgetting any other considerations (such as a special offer, discount, or coupon) is usually 2-3%; anything more than that is excellent. If your ads feature a special offer that can promise a distinct advantage over your competitors in the carpet cleaning business, your response rate should rise a couple percentage points.
The response rate, however, does not mean that you would necessarily gain 400-600 new customers--it includes all those who respond to your advertisement; some of them may just call for further information and decide not to buy. You should also be aware that your response rate will typically decline over time; if the same people receive your flyer eight times over a two-month period, it would be unreasonable to expect a 2-3% each week--less than one-half of 1% would be more likely.
Featuring your ad on radio, particularly if your offer is time-sensitive ("This offer expires soon") should produce a similar response rate, which would likewise decline over time. I would think that you would be best served by running your ads in "morning drive time," since this will give interested customers the opportunity to react to your message that same day. If you have afternoon drive time, interested customers may not have the opportunity to act on your ad until the following day (because your business is closed, or because they have other things on their minds), by which time they may have forgotten about it.
In any case, to track the response rate, you should code your campaign. Your flyers should contain the message that the customer has to bring in the piece of paper to receive the deal (if you have different messages you can unobtrusively see which is more effective, by putting a different number on each, or by printing them on different colored paper). Your radio ad should say, "Mention that you heard this ad on station WXXX to receive the 10% discount" (or whatever your offer is).
Finally, make sure your employees know about the offer and conscientiously collect the flyers or report the verbal confirmation from your radio ad. This should give you a pretty good indication of the actual response rate you are achieving.
Q. Hi, I work for a temp agency and we are making a new flyer. What advice can you give me to help me create a killer flyer?
A. 1. Have an attention-getting headline that promises a benefit to the reader.
2. Make the message in the body of your flyer clear, understandable and persuasive. Start with the most important benefit to the reader.
3. Don't use lots of different typefaces—pick one of a style and size that's easy to read and stick with it.
4. If you have appropriate illustrations to photographs that complement your message, use them, as long as they do not distract from what you're offering. Keep your design clean, easy to read, reader-friendly; use white space for eye appeal, and don't clutter up the page.
5. Summarize your most important points and highlight them through the use of bullets (•), boldface, italicizing or underlining.
6. Tell the reader what you want him or her to do--go somewhere, call someone, buy something. Put some urgency into it--"Call now!"
7. Be sure to include a phone number, address, web site or other clue to where the reader should go or whom to call to get what you're offering.
Q. I am trying to find out which medium provides the best ROI for small consumer service businesses such as carpet cleaners, painters, lawn services, etc. I've looked at newspaper displays, inserts, television, radio, direct mail, billboards, and telemarketing. I'm starting with a limited budget of between $500-$1000, and I need to feel confident that I can generate at least 5 times my cost in return before I commit to any one method. If I can find a method that will return that consistently, I'd probably end up spending between $2,000-$4000 monthly and the thought of spending that much money without solid research on effectiveness sounds painful. Any assistance would be appreciated
A. As a freelance copywriter who often works with clients that have small advertising budgets, I have found that packages of coupons (in our area they are called ValPaks, short for Value Packages) work quite well. Each month, coupons from various advertisers are bundled into an envelope and mailed to the addresses of consumers within a specific radius of the various businesses being advertised (depending upon the size and density of your community, the radius could be anywhere from one to five miles.)
There are several advantages to this type of mailing.
First, production of your advertising piece does not have to be elaborate or expensive. Most pieces are one or two colors, and most contain special time-limited, coupon offers that encourage potential customers to benefit by coming in by a specific date.
Second, by using coupons through this medium, you can track the numbers of customers who respond to your offer and check the effectiveness of your advertising.
Third, the cost of the mailing, rather than being borne by a single advertiser using a single direct mail piece, is shared equally among all the advertisers.
Finally, most companies such as ValPak maintain up-to-date mailing lists (which can be expensive for individual businesses to buy) of customers in your immediate sales area--the very people who are most likely to become your customers.
Good luck!
Q. What is the proper way to address a Fundraising business letter? Is it Male or Female first when creating a salutation? i.e., Dear Bob and Joan, or Dear Joan and Bob
A. Traditionally, in the salutation of business and fundraising letters addressed to married couples, the husband's name comes first, just as such couples, when introduced at a function, are called "Mr. and Mrs. Soandso."
However, given the realities of the modern world, traditions may not always apply; some women in certain couples wear the pants in the family, and in some couples it is the woman who wields the power and controls the purse strings; some contemporary couples are also same-sex.
If you personally know the woman of the couple to whom you are addressing your appeal--but don't know the husband--if would not be improper in such situations to address the woman first; otherwise the "male first" rule applies
Q. Is it improper to sign a business letter with a typed signature only?
A. The proper format of a business letter closing is to type your name and your title 3 or 4 spaces beneath "Sincerely" or "Very truly yours," or whatever sign-off you use, then sign your name in the space between your sign-off and typed name. If you've corresponded many times, or are good friends with the person to whom the letter is addressed, you can eliminate the typed name and title, and just sign your first name. But whether friend or stranger, you should always sign typed business correspondence. To fail to do so will be perceived as impersonal.
Q. How do I write a letter saying why a company should go with our quote? (We are a janitorial service)
A.
* Open by thanking the company for allowing you the opportunity to make your presentation
* Briefly recap the points you made in your presentation; remind the company what you will do for them, and why it's cost-effective to go with your firm
* Close the letter by saying you look forward to working with the company and demonstrating your firm's abilities on-the-job. Thank the person once again for his/her consideration and sign off.
Q. How to create a creative brochure for a flower shop?
What is to be included in the brochure?
A. A brochure is a sales piece, first and foremost. While it may entertain and inform, its primary function is to persuade prospects to buy your products.
The elements of any advertisement are the same, regardless of the medium.
First, you have to get the customer's attention. This is done with a headline on the front cover of your brochure, which should relate to the type of product you are selling, and should stop the reader with a believable promise (e.g., "Pick our flowers and save 25%.") An appropriate graphic (illustration or photograph) can assist in getting your message across.
Second, build interest. The first paragraph of the copy inside should set the tone and expand upon your headline. Here's where you tell readers who you are, what you sell, and why you do it better than the competition.
Third, create a desire in the reader's mind to buy or own your products. This is where you expand upon your competitive advantages, turning the features of your business into benefits for the customer (e.g., "we have 12 delivery trucks"--the feature--"so we can guarantee your flowers will arrive fresh and beautiful within a half hour after you place your order"--the benefit.)
Finally, summarize the most important points of your sales message and call the customers to action. Impart urgency into your message if possible (e.g., use words like "act now" or "call today" or, if appropriate, "limited offer" or "offer expires soon." Be sure to tell the customer what you want him to do: call, write, visit, see web site, send/bring in coupon, etc. Be sure to provide all the information necessary--address and/or directions and/or map, phone/fax numbers--so customers can respond in the way you wish.
A last consideration: in designing your brochure, think about how it will be used. Will it be strictly a handout piece in a rack on your counter? Will it also be mailed, in or out of an envelope? If it's a multiple-use piece, you may have to allow blank space on the back panel for a customer's address to be typed or written in, and a stamp or bulk mailing indicia to be applied. It could be beneficial to you to hire a graphic designer and/or a copywriter to help you put together an effective, sales-producing brochure.
Q. Could you please give me some suggestions as to what I would contain in a report that is trying to persuade a company to sponsor a kayak/kayaker.
How would I attract a business to sponsor a kayak /kayaker?
A. The main question you have to answer for a sponsor is: What's in it for him? Why should he sponsor you? What advantages do you have to offer his business?
Your report should address this issue head-on.
Tell the potential sponsor how many people are likely to see his logo on your kayak or your clothing, both in person and/or through the media. Include a calendar of events in which you plan to participate.
Remind him that it's good public relations to sponsor worthwhile causes (for example, if you are kayaking for a cause, like the environment, or saving wild rivers), and that this is a unique opportunity to give his company name increased visibility in an unusual and interesting way.
You should also build up your qualifications, if any--if you have participated in major kayak events, won awards for kayaking, been profiled in sports magazines, designed and built your own kayak, have a long Eskimo heritage, etc., these should play a significant role in your presentation.
You are more likely to get sponsorship if you have a track record as a winner; sponsors then can better imagine the chance to bask in reflected glory each time you win an event, and to brag about you, and your association with them. If you're just starting out, realize you'll have a tougher sales job ahead of you than if you're a seasoned competitor, in which case you will have to emphasize your enthusiasm and your potential rather than your experience.
Spell out in detail what you are looking for from the sponsor--exactly how much money they will be expected to invest, over what period of time, what it will be used for, and what they will receive for their investment (publicity, exposure, etc.) If you expect to be sponsored by a number of different companies, make sure each sponsor knows that all sponsors will be from different industries, so they're not dealing with direct competitors.
Choose sponsors wisely—combine complimentary sponsors, say, kayak maker, outdoor clothing manufacturer, camera retailer, sports drink, healthy snack foods—and you could accomplish a real synergy among the advertisers. This could—and should—result in freebees from the sponsors (hats, t-shirts, key chains shaped like a kayak paddle, etc.) that can be used to attract further noncompetitive sponsors, as well as draw larger crowds to your events.
Finally, include snapshots: of the kayak, of yourself in the kayak, of yourself in the kayak paddling through whitewater and doing some tricky moves. That way, the potential sponsor can begin to identify with your sport and imagine his logo gracing your craft. A picture, in such a case, really is worth a thousand words.
Q. I am planning a campaign to promote 'green' energy and water efficient washing machines. What media should I use? I can place adverts in some existing mailings but I also have $15000 to spend on a campaign and some free machines to give away. The campaign will be focused in one county
A. I would think that, based on the information you have given, that print would be the best medium for your products, at least when starting out. The reason is, in addition to a product, you're also selling a concept--energy efficiency and water conservation--that may require some space to present convincingly. Print, in the form of a booklet or a brochure, a benefit-filled newspaper or magazine ad, gives you the room to include facts and figures that support your case for the need of non-wasteful products like yours. There should be, in your country, magazines that would be ideal for reaching the primary target audience you desire: people who are concerned about the environment.
Once your brand name is well established, your company is on the way to becoming a household word, and the money is rolling in, you can profitably explore other media--such as radio or television--that tout, in shorthand fashion to the uninitiated, the advantages of your products.
Q. This is my first year sending greeting cards to my clients (website clients). i want to make a good impression on them. Where can I find a good card and at a good price? (Some are Christian some are Jewish) I’d like something memorable and "spunky" that they will keep, if not on their desk then on their mind :)
A. It's probably too late to do it this year, but the most memorable business greeting cards are those that are custom-created (by an ad agency, or a freelance writer/graphic designer team) for you, with words and pictures that relate somehow to the types of products/ services you deal in and serve as a reminder of the relationship between you and your clients.
There are many greeting card companies around, and you can undoubtedly find their names and addresses by conducting a web search, using "greeting cards" or "holiday cards" or "Christmas cards" as keywords. Again, it's kind of a late date to get started, on this--usually such cards are planned several months before the event--but you may run across some company that can at least personalize the cards with your business name. A little comparison-shopping will reveal the best cost-versus-impression values.
A second option is to seek out an advertising specialty supplier in your area. They often have a variety of appropriate cards that can be imprinted with your business name. Hate to sound like a broken record, but such cards are usually ordered well in advance of the holidays, and you may have to settle for what's available at the local department store or Hallmark outlet, and hand-inscribe them. You may, however, get lucky with a specialty supplier, if your order is large enough to justify a special order; won't probably be cheap, though.
Next year, plan to do it right. Start thinking of the holidays in the middle of the year, and get your custom-designed card concept to the printer by September. Not only will you save considerable money and effort, you'll also have the cards on hand well before the snow flies.
Q. I am CEO of a college athletic scouting and recruiting company. We provide information on high school athletes, in every sport, to all the nation's 15,000-plus college coaches. The information goes to them by e-mail, fax, mail, video, and through our Web site. We provide these to the colleges constantly and our various promotions number in the tens of thousands each month. Our Web site gets well over one million hits per month. I am mentioning all these things so that you can see how extensive our coverage is. In fact, we are the oldest, largest, and generally considered the very best in our industry. We have tremendous exposure to the college athletic departments and we know this "target" audience has great advertising potential.
Finally --- here's our problem: We want to sell national advertising on our Web site and all our other promotions but we don't know how to get started, how much to charge, and how to contact the national companies who may be interested in advertising with us. We really don't want to go through some advertising agency. We have our own capabilities for producing ads in every form. All suggestions would be appreciated.
A. Given the advantages of your business--a precisely targeted market, a good record both in terms of longevity and popularity--I'd think it wouldn't take much effort to establish yourself as a viable advertising medium among companies featuring products and services (such as sporting equipment, sports medicine and insurance) that might be of interest to your clientele.
The trickiest part, as I'm sure you're aware, is the pricing--you have to give potential advertisers enough of a bargain to entice them to earmark part of their ad budget for your new service, yet you also want to make your service profitable. Here are some preliminary suggestions for startup:
1. Appoint/hire someone specifically to coordinate this new venture, and figure out the staff and resources you'll need to make it work efficiently--salespeople, copywriters, graphic designers, media specialists, etc. Will you have to invest in additional computers/software and phone lines to handle the additional volume of business?
2. Conduct extensive research to see how much the national advertisers you'll target typically spend for various advertising venues (print and broadcast ads, web banners, etc.), and price your service accordingly.
3. Based on your research, draw up a rate card and specifications for advertisers (for examples of what to include, solicit various publications or broadcasters for their rate cards); offer plans affordable for large and small advertisers alike. Draw up lists of primary, secondary, and tertiary markets to approach; poll them to make sure there is sufficient interest in what you're offering.
4. When everything is in place, plan a splashy sports-oriented, benefit-heavy direct mail campaign to inform and excite potential advertisers about your new service.
5. Track advertising results religiously, as these will determine whether you need to raise or lower your prices.
6. Finally, though you may have in-house production capabilities, realize that you might benefit, especially in the planning stages, from the expertise of a dynamic marketing/media/promotion firm. You can hire such a firm specifically--and for a limited time--to assist you in structuring your new endeavor, setting up a marketing plan, and performing other essential initial services to ensure the success of your enterprise.
Q. I am interested in raising funds (through an activist group) to run an advertisement in the newspaper opening the public's eyes to what many believe is a fraudulent activity going on in one of today's industries.
My question is, what criteria need to be met (other than having the $$$) in order to run an opinionated advertisement? I notice that many ads (particularly around election time) have a footnote at the bottom (i.e., "Paid for by Citizens for a Better such & such..."). Is that all it takes?
What do I need to do to use advertising to make our activist group's views known?
A. Different publications have different standards of what they will accept as advertising. (For example, if you belong to an anti-abortion group, many newspapers will not run your ads if they show dead fetuses.) Some avoid controversial topics altogether--especially if the industry you're taking on happens to be a major advertiser in their pages. Generally, most publications require advertisers to identify themselves, so your group should have a formal name (a professionally designed logo representing your organization doesn't hurt either, as it gives you perceived legitimacy).
The only way to know what a particular publication will allow is to prepare a rough layout of your ad and take it to the newspaper in question to see if they'll run it. Or if you prefer to know the facts beforehand, you can request their current rate card, which, in addition to giving the prices for various sizes of ads, usually contains specific advertising guidelines.
Q. Where can I get information on advertising on my car? -- Like companies pay me for putting their logos and ads on my car.
A. Cars with advertising or company logos are known as traveling or mobile billboards, or formally as vehicle graphic wraps.
One such company that offers payment for allowing advertising on your car is Ads on Wheels (http://www.adsonwheels.com/MOBILEBOARDS_Main.
asp).
You can find other similar companies and more information by conducting a web search, using "traveling billboards" or "mobile billboards" as keywords.
Q. How I can advertise my web on line for free and where?
A. Join a lot of discussion lists, especially those pertaining to the topic of your site, and join into the conversation. Contribute interesting comments about your subject, when it comes up. Be sure to include your URL just below your signature, with a few words characterizing your site; and if anybody offers to exchange site links, take them up on the offer.
Q. What is the most effective mode of advertising if your budget is under a million? The product is an alcoholic beverage.
I’m planning to use all media. However, each campaign only runs for a week. Which order should I put my press, radio, TV and outdoor in to create maximum awareness about my beverage?
A. In planning a campaign such as you describe, there are several considerations to take into account:
--Production costs
--Media costs
--Effectiveness vs. cost (CPM--cost per thousand impressions)
Radio offers the most "bang for your buck" because production costs are relatively low, placement costs are low, and you can target your primary audience fairly precisely, especially in afternoon drive time, when people are most likely to stop off for a drink on their way home after work, and on weekends when they're relaxing.
TV is probably your second best bet--though production and placement costs are much higher, you do get the tradeoff of being able to show your product being enjoyed in friendly surroundings. With astute research and savvy media buying, you should be able to hit your prime market, particularly late night, late week and weekends.
Outdoor, like TV, offers high awareness in exchange for high production and placement costs. Like radio, it gives you the homeward-bound audience. So the most effective use of billboards advertising your product would be those on major thoroughfares facing away from centers of population, to catch after-work commuters, or those in downtown metropolitan areas located near outlets where your product is available, to attract the attention of lunchtime or after working hours imbibers.
Unless your print advertising is tied to a special offer--such as cents-off coupons or "buy one, get one free" FSIs--it is probably the least effective of the options for your product, since production and placement costs are fairly high. You'd have the most success with this medium on weekends, when your target audience is at leisure.
To create additional awareness of your product, you might consider devoting a portion of your budget to collateral materials, such as posters for the windows of establishments where your product can be obtained ("NAME OF PRODUCT is now here!").
You could also create a splash by hiring a corps of attractive young ladies (or gentlemen) all dressed in T-shirts saying something like--"I've had my (name of product). Have you?"--or wearing buttons saying "Ask me about (name of product)." Have them wander main streets in prime markets, handing out bumper stickers or buttons or other logo-imprinted specialty items; be sure to record your promotional efforts, and make certain the news media knows about it (press kits are excellent for beaucoup free advertising).
To generate awareness with a small budget --especially with a type of product whose major competitors spend considerably more than you are able to--you have to be creative: think outside the bottle (or can).
Q. A customer has failed to remit the amount of $750.00 due to some 6 months ago. Despite 3 telephone reminders he failed to respond. How to write a letter demanding the immediate payment - suggest that he may choose to settle the amount in 3 installments?
A. Six months is an awfully long time to wait for payment--is there some dispute in the amount of the bill or in the work/service/product supplied?
Personally, since I deal on a net in 30 days basis, I'd never have let such a thing go on so long without resolution. My normal procedure is a reminder notice if 30 days have passed without remittance. Then, if I still haven't received payment, I send a second reminder, prominently noting that accounts that have not been paid in 30 days are subject to a monthly penalty of 10% of the amount owed. If this still gets no reaction, I send a third notice, with a new invoice showing the updated amount owed, with the 10% penalty added; at this time, I gently suggest if the payment is not sent by the time 60 days has passed from the date of the invoice, I shall seek legal redress. Usually, clients pay up before that happens, or at least call me to make excuses why they haven't paid and to give me a promise how or when they'll pay, and I usually let them have the extra time, particularly if they've been good clients for some time and have just had a business slump.
My advice would be to write your client, rather than call, so you'll have a written record of your dealings; send it by registered mail so he has to acknowledge receipt. In your letter, remind the client what you did to earn the $750, how he accepted your work/product when you delivered it, how he's been using your work/product for six months without paying for it (which is essentially stealing goods or services) how you have reminded him numerous times that he is in arrears and--if you agreed to it at the time--that he owes penalties for nonpayment on top of the original bill (even if you didn't agree to it at the time, the standard of the industry in the U.S. is to impose a finance charge of 1.5% per month for each month the payment is late, compounded monthly). DEFINITELY DEMAND IMMEDIATE PAYMENT--don't give him the option of paying in installments, since he is so long overdue, and the time for making such arrangements was before the end of the first 30 days. I'd also suggest adding that if he does not get in touch with you by a certain date, that you will start legal proceedings against him for the purpose of collecting what you are owed. (Make sure you have good records of all your transactions with the client, in case it goes to court.) At the very least, if you don't have a lawyer, you can take him to small claims court; it's not a tough thing to do--you usually have to pay a filing fee at your county courthouse, for which you'll be reimbursed if you win (though it may be a different procedure where you live) and fill out a complaint, after which they'll schedule a court date, at which time you should show up with your case figured out, and all the evidence pertaining to it, and present it all in a clear, simple, straightforward manner. I've gone to small claims court three times over cases just like yours, and have won all three cases.
Good luck to you. I hope you're successful, because I hate deadbeats like this customer of yours.
Creative solutions
Q. Could anyone give me some pointers or head me in the right direction for if I want to advertise a motel and get good results please?
We own a motel in Australia called "The Mirrabooka Homestead" www.mirrabookahomestead.com
and we need to advertise it as we aren’t getting many people through the door.
A. I love the name of your motel!
How you advertise the Mirrabooka Homestead most effectively depends upon a number of factors, such as your location, your clientele, and your budget.
First what is your location?
If the motel is situated on--or just off--a major highway, you might get good results advertising by billboard. (It's expensive, but for your type of business, it's a good bet.)
If your motel is visible from the highway, you might choose to feature the name prominently, include an arrow to point the way, and briefly list one or two outstanding features to attract potential customers, for example:
• Free TV in every room
• Kids under 12 stay free
• Continental breakfast included
(Don't put too much on the board, as speeding drivers will only have a few seconds to read it all.)
If your motel is not visible, most of the board might contain an evocative illustration or photo of your establishment, the name, the rate for a single or double room, and concise directions, for example: 12 km south, just past the Koolagarri Bridge (I made that up).
Another consideration is your clientele.
Have you been in business long? Do you have a lot of repeat customers?
If you're just opening up, you'll want to generate as much free publicity as possible (and no matter what your situation, take advantage of publicity whenever the opportunity arises). Invite a reporter from your local newspaper to stay a night in exchange for an article about your place.
If you're a new motel, and near a city, you'd probably want to advertise in the major newspaper, with some sort of Grand Opening offer. It would be good to supplement your newspaper ads with radio adds that would be broadcast during the times drivers were most likely to be on the road and in need of a place to sleep. (If radio in Oz is similar to radio in America, it should be fairly inexpensive, and you can target your ads to the type of audience you hope to attract, according to the demographics--the age, income, education, etc.--of the stations.) If you can afford it, and your motel is as colorful as its name, TV spots could give a quick, inviting tour.
On the other hand, if your motel has been around awhile, you might wish to play up its historical significance.
Have you recently remodeled? Is the motel under new--and better--management? If so, either fact is worth promoting in your ads.
Direct mail--a piece of advertising, like a brochure with a cover letter, mailed directly to potential customers--might be effective for you, depending upon your circumstances. If you're located near a recreational facility (hunting grounds, a good fishing spot, an entertainment center, or the like), you can target people, like sportsmen --through mailing lists--who would be likely to stay at your motel. If you already have a solid base of former customers, they should be at the top of your mailing list.
Finally, what is your budget?
Even if you do nothing else, you should maintain a Yellow Pages ad under "Motels" in the phone book. Buy at least a quarter-page if you can, so you'll have enough room to list the features of your place.
You should also, at the very least, have some good quality brochures made up that you can hand out every chance you get, and keep a supply by the checkout counter for satisfied customers to take along and give to their friends. (I'm sure I don't have to tell you that word of mouth is the most valuable form of advertising in the service industry.)
How much should you spend on advertising? A rule of thumb in this country is about 5-7 percent of annual gross revenues (the big motel chains often spend twice that). If your budget is large enough, you might consider hiring an advertising agency to help you decide how best to make use of your money and get, as we say here, "the most bang for your buck." Otherwise, it might pay you to pick up a book of advertising basics to learn more about what might work best for you; there are literally thousands of books that can give you good advice. Or do a web search, using the keywords "advertising" or "marketing."
I hope all this has been of some use, and hasn't unduly confused you. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor.
Follow-up: Thank you for the advice, well worth it.
Q. I am making a wonderfully mild and very moisturising soap that I am calling
Oooh!
Would you mind appraising the following slogans that I have come up with and telling me which one you think is the best, please?
1. Skin Loves Oooh!
(with a heart around the "loves" and an arrow through it).
2. Use Oooh! and water.
3. It's Good for Yoooh!
Any suggestions gratefully received should you think the three above not good enough!
Thank you very much. I plan to trademark the name, by the way.
Heather
A. It's not so much a matter of whether a slogan is good or bad, it's whether the slogan is effective. The best slogans are catchy, easy to remember, and tell something about the product; they usually take some time to develop, and it's a good idea to test-market different slogans to see what appeals most to the buying public.
I like the name of your product, and I think you could do more with it than you have done so far with your test slogans. Of the three you have presented, I think the first one does the best job of telling the benefit of the product, but I think you can do better. The second slogan tells how to use the product, which is OK, but it doesn't give a benefit. The third choice would probably confuse consumers--Is the product Oooh! or Yoooh!?
Here's another option which I think works better, because (a) it gets the brand name in, (b) it also presents the real benefit of the product to the consumer, and (c) it gives you the advantage of sounding like something somebody would naturally say:
Oooh! ® That feels good!
I think it works for your soap, but you may want to play around with words some more (for example, you might want to explore such avenues as):
Oooh! La-la that's some soap.
Oooh! That's mild.
Oooh! Get wet and mild.
Oooh! Just add water and enjoy.
Oooh! Go soak yourself.
Oooh! The call of the mild.
Oooh! We're out to soft-soap you.
Follow up: Sheer brilliance on your part! Thank you so much for the suggestions and the advice!
Follow-up #2: Bearing in mind what you said about a slogan being catchy, memorable and effective rather than good or bad...I wondered what you think of this one.
This is my final attempt and hope not to pester you again!
Oooh! It feels ooolicious!
I await your response, pregnant with anticipation!
A. Congratulations on your pregnancy, Heather.
And you're not a pest--I and my ilk are here to answer reasonable questions such as yours.
I think your latest effort falls into the same category as "Oooh is good for yoooh"--it is likely to confuse the consumer, who may not recognize the play on "Oooh!" and "delicious," and might, because of confusion, fail to make a purchase.
I believe you'd be better off using the unusual name of your product with its triple O'x in a different way, such as:
Oooh! That feels goood.
or
Oooh! That feels smoooth.
or
Oooh! The new name/new word in smoooth.
Any of these or similar, normally double-o choices (smooth, good, look, etc.) keep intact the basic structure of word you're playing off, and give it a new, different look which emphasizes the name of your product in a promotionally beneficial way.
Follow-up #3: Brilliant, yet again. Thank you very much for steering me on the straight and narrow. I shall opt for Oooh! That Feels Goood!
Q. “R.A.K Ceramics is proud to present MC5—The most high tech it has ever built.
R.A.K Ceramics takes pride of its newest Plant, MC5: a highly computerized plant used exclusively for the production of Gres porcellanato.”
1.Could you please help me come up with an opening line. I want something that is related to the meaning "take pride" or "proud to present".
2.In the first one, is it ok to say, "the most high tech it has ever built"? Do I have to mention the name of the company again? Which sounds better: “the most high tech plant ever built by the company" or" or "the most high tech it has ever built"?
A. If you want to use the "pride" motif, I think it would be best to say something like:
RAK Ceramics is proud to present MC5, its newest and most technologically advanced plant yet.
or
RAK Ceramics takes pride in presenting MC5, the company's new, computerized plant exclusively for the production of Gres porcellanato.
The phrase "most high tech" really doesn't sound good, since the superlative of "high" is "highest," which would properly make the phrase "its highest tech plant"--this doesn't sound good either, since you lose the colloquial strength of "high-tech."
I'd find a new way of saying this, such as "most technologically advanced” or "most sophisticated" or, to be straightforward, "computer-controlled."
Follow-up: R.A.K Ceramics
Born to innovate
or
R.A.K Ceramics
Reaching New Dimensio
(R.A.K Ceramics has always acquired the latest Machinery and highly skilled Manpower in order to produce top quality products and offer excellent service.)
Could you please help me with the slogan? Could you please replace "Born to innovate" with a better one? It should have something to do with the explanation inside the parenthesis. Could you please give me at least 3 options?
A. It seems to me you are searching for something very generic, whereas the best slogans are those that relate closely to the specific company and their products. "Born to innovate" and "Reaching new dimensions" could be used by almost anyone, in any sort of industry. Likewise, virtually every company claims such concepts as "top quality products" and "excellent service."
I think your slogan should focus on what they make and/or how they do it better than their competitors. While skilled manpower is important, the latest machinery is less so--all customers really want is a good product that performs as it's supposed to, and are not greatly concerned with the process.
In previous questions, you mentioned that RAK makes tiles, slabs and sanitary ware, and uses kilns (which produce heat); these should serve as the bases for a possible slogan.
I think you should try again first; then come back and I'll help you refine your ideas.
Second follow-up: Could you please summarize this:
R.A.K Ceramics incorporated in 1989 takes pride in being one of the world's leading producers of ceramic tiles, gres porcellanato and sanitaryware.
Since its inception, the company's daily production capacity has increased to 110,000 sq.mt of tiles and 5000 pieces of sanitaryware, which can solely be attributed to continuous acquisition of high-tech equipment.
At present the company has 18 production lines, 14 kilns, and 16 large presses engaged in the production of tiles. Another 2 presses and 3 kilns are used exclusively to produce special items like decors, listellos, and skirtings.
Please note the
figures (Production capacity) and the no. of production lines, kilns ad
presses should not be
omitted .They have to be mentioned in this case. Same thing with the date.
Could you please make it shorter. Because this paragraph takes up too much space.
A Since 1989, R.A.K. Ceramics has been one of the world's leading producers of ceramic tiles, gres porcellanato, and sanitary ware.
Today, 18 high-tech production lines, 14 kilns, and 16 large presses are capable of producing 110,000 sq. mt. of tiles and 5000 pieces of sanitary ware. Two additional presses and three kilns are used to produce special items like decors, listellos and skirtings.
This saves you approximately 30 words.
By the way, if gres
porcellanato is a proprietary product of RAK Ceramics, it should have a ® or
™ symbol at the end of the name at the first mention on each page of the
brochure.
Third follow-up: About the advertising copy I asked you the other day, can you change the term "house".
The gres porcellanato slabs are not only applicable to a house but also to a shopping mall building, and airport.
In the slogan you suggested "Make your house look like a million without spending thousands”, Could you please change the term House? If not, can you make another slogan?
As for your opening line you suggested, "Now you can dress up your home with the look of granite and marble at a fraction of the cost for the real thing...", Could you please replace the term" home".
A. I get the feeling now that your ad was aimed at construction companies, rather than individual homeowners. Maybe the way to go is to substitute "projects" for "home" or "house" in all instances. Other alternatives might be "construction projects" or "buildings."
Fourth follow-up: Simply Breathtaking!
* Below will be a big picture of the interior of a house. Then around it are slabs (Gres porcellanato produced by R.A.K Ceramics)
Under this picture will be: They look so real that you'll think they're granite or even a marble.....
Copy:
R.A.K Ceramics brings you the Gres Porcellanato slabs, the revolutionary alternative to granite and marble. Whether you use them for floor, walls, and vanity tops, you will be amazed with their 100% performance.
On the other space, these will be mentioned:
*Abrasion resistant
*High breaking strength
*Made with high tech equipment (Kindly replace the term" made" with a better one)
* available in various designs.
*Ideal for commercial, residential and industrial purposes.
**Kindly improve this. Can you come up with a better copy? Can you also suggest some catch phrases?
A. HEADLINE: Make your project look like a million.
(Without spending thousands.)
COPY:
Now you can dress up any construction project, large or small, with the look of granite or marble--at a fraction of the cost for the real thing.
Introducing Gres Porcellanato from R.A.K. Ceramics, the economical alternative to costly granite and marble. Perfect for floors, walls, counter and vanity tops, Gres Porcellanato slabs are durable and abrasion resistant. Manufactured of space-age materials with high-tech equipment, Gres Porcellanato stands up to heavy use, so it's ideal for residential, commercial or industrial applications. Choose from a wide variety of colors, designs and finishes to enhance any decor.
Gres Porcellanato from R.A.K. Ceramics
TAG: The look of real stone, at a genuinely affordable price.
Q. Hi Jack,
I'd like to know your opinion about an accommodation site I have since almost 4 years ago. This is a very small site and it's more a hobby than a business.
I am renewing it and giving it a new form. It's not yet in the search engines (the new one).
My question is mainly about the home page. Do you have any suggestions? Should I add or take something out?
I wrote it thinking of the problem of the keywords, however they are not well written yet in the metatags.
Thanks for your help.
Best regards.
Fernando
URL:
http://www.geocities.com/lisbonflat/index.html
A. Hello, Fernando,
I visited your site as you requested, and the apartment you advertise looks quite warm and appealing. (I have never been to Lisbon, but my brother traveled there many years ago, and had only good things to say about the city and your country.)
Your web site's home page is nicely laid out, easy to navigate, and provides a great deal of information--I could not resist looking at the pictures and the information on the other pages.
A few things you might consider when updating the site:
--Reverse typography (light type against a dark background) is difficult to read, especially when the type is small; you might want to increase the font size on the keywords and in the testimonials
--Since the apartment looks very comfortable, you might want to move some of the photos from the other pages to the home page. Perhaps you could include an interior shot, ideally of visitors enjoying themselves in the flat, an exterior shot to show the attractive apartment building, and possibly even a shot of some sightseeing spot in the area to give visitors a small taste of what Portugal has to offer.
--The keywords seem appropriate, and I don't think it would be necessary to add any extra words, unless you included additional information for first-time travelers abroad, who might want to know more about local customs; however, there were two misspellings: "Area" and "Supplied."
--The main text in the middle of the home page is of appropriate length, and inviting. There were a few misspellings/grammatical errors here as well:
paragraph 2, line 1--"to be rented"
paragraph 5, line 1--"a vast assortment"
paragraph 6, lines 1-2--"can also suit those"
paragraph 7, line 4--"guests'"
In all, the site looks good, and from the comments of your guests, they are well treated. An excellent job!
Follow-up: Thanks very much for your quick response and nice words.
Q. I want to get some attention to my business in my local newspaper, should I go with a press release or try and get an editor to do a piece on me? (what is the exact diff. between the two and does each one comprise of?)