Magic Dozen Workshop

The Wizard of Ads are putting on a marketing workshop in Seattle this September 18th and there are still slots open. If you’re an owner-operator of a local or regional business that advertises — or that you think ought to advertise… And if you’re not a…

The Wizard of Ads are putting on a marketing workshop in Seattle this September 18th and there are still slots open. If you’re an owner-operator of a local or regional business that advertises — or that you think ought to advertise… And if you’re not already working with a Wizard of Ads partner… I can […]

Radio’s Missing Creative Revolution

The Creative Revolution in advertising came in late 50s and 60s, courtesy of Bill Bernbach and his agency, Doyle Dane Bernbach. To understand what was so revolutionary, it’ll help to review what advertising was like in the early to mid 50s: Text domina…

The Creative Revolution in advertising came in late 50s and 60s, courtesy of Bill Bernbach and his agency, Doyle Dane Bernbach. To understand what was so revolutionary, it’ll help to review what advertising was like in the early to mid 50s: Text dominant ads with pictures applied after the copy was created, mainly to add […]

Why Radio NEEDS Theatre of the Mind

I’ve slammed radio pretty hard for forgetting about and basically forsaking Theatre of the mind. So it’s fair to ask: what’s so darn important about Theatre of the Mind? First, I believe that Theatre of the Mind is radio’s secret weapon — both for cont…

I’ve slammed radio pretty hard for forgetting about and basically forsaking Theatre of the mind. So it’s fair to ask: what’s so darn important about Theatre of the Mind? First, I believe that Theatre of the Mind is radio’s secret weapon — both for content and advertising. On the content front, every audio content industry […]

Radio’s Ugly Baby

Radio Ink has had a lively discussion lately between radio executives and agency owners about their frustrations in dealing with each other. It’s a worthwhile conversation, but mostly for how what’s not being admitted is warping the dialogue. Here’s wh…

Radio Ink has had a lively discussion lately between radio executives and agency owners about their frustrations in dealing with each other. It’s a worthwhile conversation, but mostly for how what’s not being admitted is warping the dialogue. Here’s what neither the agencies nor the radio industry seem to want to admit: Most advertising clients […]

Political Advertisers Discover the Power of the Genesis Story

Few advertising strategies work as well as telling your Genesis (or Origin) Story. I’ve seen that time and again in working with local business clients in a wide variety of industries and I’ve written about Origin Stories in some depth. My marketing me…

Few advertising strategies work as well as telling your Genesis (or Origin) Story. I’ve seen that time and again in working with local business clients in a wide variety of industries and I’ve written about Origin Stories in some depth. My marketing mentor agrees with me and has seen the same astonishing results. Now, it […]

The Persuasive Power of Privileged Moments

Check out this video: Ok, now check out a similar technique: Or how about the same general technique used for another cause: And just so you can really see the pattern, how about this: In every case, the ad’s effectiveness comes from what Cia…

Check out this video: Ok, now check out a similar technique: Or how about the same general technique used for another cause: And just so you can really see the pattern, how about this: In every case, the ad’s effectiveness comes from what Cialdini calls Pre-Suasion and the creation of “Privileged Moments.” Cialdini’s overall thesis is that the […]