I recently had conversations with both the editor and the publisher of my new book…and we decided to change the working title because I was nervous that my “marketing book” might be perceived as a “personal development book.” Not that there is anything wrong with personal development…we all need it!…but I feel strongly that ...
I’ve got a 10 minute video to share with you this week…and here’s a little background: If you are not familiar with the TV series “Mad Men,” I definitely recommend a binge watch at some point in your future…especially the first few seasons. The show centers around the advertising industry of the 1960’s, which was as ...
As I was preparing today to head out to one of my favorite masterminds–and seeing my latest flight getting cancelled due to today’s “Nor’easter,” “Bomb Cyclone” or whatever this Connecticut snowstorm is being called– I should have been relieved. What a great excuse to stay home, watch a good movie and avoid all the ...
“Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist” I use this quote from Pablo Picasso a lot…most recently two weeks ago when talking about Steven Spielberg’s career in “Sharks, aliens and dinosaurs.” And I was reminded of it again this past week as I completed the chapter in ...
Advertising opportunities are now infinite -A wise investment banker, circa 2012 If there is a number called “more infinite,” that would be more appropriate for 2018. There are just so many media opportunities out there, making this the best time (ever!) to be a marketer. But it’s a dangerous time too. ...
When the most prolific filmmaker of a generation came on the scene in 1975 with his first film that had major distribution—it was about a shark—he broke all box office records at the time, which caused many to ask, “Who is this flash in the pan named Steven Spielberg?” Side note to the copywriters ...
Of all the “Hallmark holidays” I love Valentine’s Day the best. We eat much better chocolate than we eat at Halloween…it reminds us of the gratefulness we all celebrate at Thanksgiving…the generosity (and love) that surrounds the Christmas season…and then we can add hearts anywhere we like…and of course we all have an excuse ...
I remember many years ago there was an award given for winning direct mail packages that remained a control for at least 5 years. I always thought this was curious…was it a control for 5 years because it was so invincible or because the marketer just wasn’t testing enough? Hopefully you are convinced from ...
After spending the last week at Titans Mastermind with some of the best copywriters I know (including John Carlton, Mark Ford, David Deutsch, Marcella Allison, Caleb O’Dowd, Lori Haller, Jon Benson, Traian Sava, various folks from Agora), I am more convinced than ever that being a great copywriter is not just reserved for those ...
With copywriting legend John Carlton coming to my Titans Mastermind meeting next week as a guest speaker, I was reminded of a conversation I had with him a few years ago that is as relevant today as it was then. John and I were ranting about all sorts of things…John is the most “constructive ...
If it doesn’t lose an order or cause a rejection, it doesn’t matter This is a marketing rule of thumb that has been pinned on the bulletin board next to my desk for the past 25 years, always in my line of vision. I believe it prevented me from obsessing about stuff that ...
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…and keep them all well fed” I remember many years ago getting an award from the Direct Marketing Club of New York…one of those awards that felt like a “lifetime achievement award”…and one of those awards that felt like someone was trying to tell me to just ...
During the “go-go 1980’s” in direct marketing, everyone seemed to have the answer (i.e. the hot new technology or methodology), especially in the areas of database building, regression modeling and advanced list segmentation techniques through cooperative databases. And if any of the terms above don’t ring a bell, shame on me for trying to ...
Here is today’s shocker: Using bonuses and premiums is an idea that was not invented by an online marketer. Believe it or not, bonuses and premiums have been part of the best direct response offers since the beginning of time. In his “31 Rules of Thumb,” direct mail guru Dick Benson devoted two of ...
Your next big idea might be right under your nose…or in a drawer somewhere…or filed away in something called a file cabinet…or simply sitting on your hard drive.The alternate subject line for this post, which also happens to be the title of one of my favorite books by Jay Abraham, isGetting Everything You Can ...
Ned Hallowell is the country’s leading expert on all issues pertaining to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); and he is also the leading expert in what drives all of us, ADHD or no ADHD, to distraction. He often says that there would be no entrepreneurs without ADHD being present in some form…and the key ...
I read recently in a Facebook group for copywriters that if you receive an email without a P.S. you know it probably came from an amateur…or it certainly came from someone who has not studied direct marketing like so many of us have over the years. I am guilty of “no P.S.” on occasion…since I ...
The doorbell rang…I could see a guy through the window wearing a brown suit (not one of my favorite fashion colors)…and while I was reluctant to answer it, when I made out the “UPS” logo on his shirt and then saw his matching brown truck in my driveway, I ran to open the door. ...
I love receiving cards and e-mails around Thanksgiving more than any other holiday. And for those of you from outside of the United States, you don’t have to celebrate Thanksgiving to understand this post…not to worry. In fact, when my book editor wrote to me this week—she’s Australian and lives in Portugal—and she told ...
I just returned from an incredible trip to Nicaragua which included a 3-day marketing seminar (more on that below). I also had the privilege of vacationing there after the event and learned what a fascinating and expanding country it is…and sadly for me, I was advised to invest there over a decade ago but ...
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