Some writers love rules. All writers love breaking rules. With this in mind, I’ve put together some simple rules for copywriters. Maybe they apply to you, maybe they don’t. But the benefit of having rules is that they give you something to push against, to lean on and to inspire you to do better. 10 Rules [...]
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Only 2 Kinds of Copywriting
There are only two kinds of copywriting in the world. That line, a twist on the one piece of dialogue that seems to appear in every movie ever, falls into the first category. Spotlight Copy Most copy craves the spotlight. It wants—no, it needs—your attention. The writer’s mission is to get people to look, to [...]
A Break from the Usual Idealism
For much of advertising’s history, consumers have been presented images of the ideal. Ideal bodies, cars, kitchens. The message was simple: you can be happier/prettier/better if you buy this product. With one purchase, you too can be the envy of the block. [...]
It’s All In The Details
Do we want our customers to find what they want and make a purchase as soon as possible? Yes, please! This article, (albeit a couple years old but totally relevant) speaks to the importance of a great Item Detail Page. “A great item detail page does two things: First, it convinces you to purchase this [...]
Helping You, Help You
Over the ever-so-happy holidays, I had plenty of time to catch up on some pointless TV and some fascinating new advertisements. One innovative spot that ran was from a phone company touting a new feature on their smart phones. Here’s what it does. It slaps your hand. Ok, metaphorically it does. You turn on the [...]
Once Upon a Brand
Today I’m reminded of how much I love a good brand. A good brand takes you through an experience. An experience that envelops all of your senses and makes you feel a part of something. A good branding experience is consistent from catalog to website to store and so on. And I just [...]
The Bob Odenkirk Lesson Plan: How to Create Work that Works
Bob Odenkirk is a comedy chameleon. He’s been a part of goofy stuff (SNL), absurd stuff (Mr. Show), dramatic stuff (Breaking Bad) and terrible stuff (The Brothers Solomon, anyone?). Bob Odenkirk probably doesn’t have a resume, but he does have an IMDB page and it’s all over the place. So when he spoke at Energy [...]
Interviewing With State? Read this first.
You have approximately 30 minutes to sell yourself – GO! I’ve been through some pretty intimidating and challenging interviews in my career. Like the “Profuse Pit Sweater” interview featuring a fearsome panel of leaders grilling me over HR-approved, three-part scenario questions. The “Use A No.2 Pencil” interview with multiple pages of “homework” to complete [...]
Viral Happens.
Over the weekend, I came across a story about Jake Shimabukuro – a ukulele master who’s video of him playing a George Harrison cover has received over 10 million You Tube views since 2005. The best part of the story – he doesn’t know who posted it. It had me thinking about how videos go [...]
Personalizing Your Work Space
A cottage. An igloo. A witch’s broomstick repair shoppe. A theme park story-filled experience. A “webbed” site. These are just a few concepts I’ve introduced into my work space over the years. Why? One – it’s called the dork gene. Two – I love the freedom of expression. Three – it spreads smiles. Creating a space that [...]
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