I've actually had many people tell me they read my blog. Not big commenters I guess. Anyway, if you're out there reading, and you attended the DMA Conference in Las Vegas ... Just wondered what you thought.
Compared to others, it was slow. Not as many people. Luckily it turned out well for me. I think Las Vegas is NOT a great place to hold a business convention. Too many distractions. Too many "expense account junkies. Too hard to get around.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Bill and Jerry Show
I saw an article yesteday on today's biggest (and no doubt richest ) "ad guy"... Alex Bogusky. Part owner of a big general ad agency credited with helping Burger King and some big beer company do "amazing" things with viral markting.
His latest project (even though he's an admitted Mac user) is Microsoft. If you've seen their latest non-sensical attempt starring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, you probably said what the rest of us did ..."Huh?" Does that make you want to buy a PC and run Windows on it?
Of course they yanked the ads and said. "Oh, we were going to pull them anyway."
My point is this ... They are no-doubt viral marketing stars. Creating millions of hits on websites and getting people talking ... but only about the ad. The one thing NO ONE seems to know or care about is SALES!
None of the companies, shelling out millions of dollars for this guy, has mentioned anything about increased sales. My guess is because creating buzz alone, does not make people buy anything.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
His latest project (even though he's an admitted Mac user) is Microsoft. If you've seen their latest non-sensical attempt starring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, you probably said what the rest of us did ..."Huh?" Does that make you want to buy a PC and run Windows on it?
Of course they yanked the ads and said. "Oh, we were going to pull them anyway."
My point is this ... They are no-doubt viral marketing stars. Creating millions of hits on websites and getting people talking ... but only about the ad. The one thing NO ONE seems to know or care about is SALES!
None of the companies, shelling out millions of dollars for this guy, has mentioned anything about increased sales. My guess is because creating buzz alone, does not make people buy anything.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Direct Marketing Seems Alive and Well
Since I've been on my own as a freelance DM copywriter, Summers tend to be slow for me. Which is both good and bad. Good because it gives me lots of time to do what I want and spend time with the famly. Bad because it's no fun to not have your phone ring anymore. Typically, in the Summer, my clients don't want to mail because America is on vacation, and my clients tend to take long vacations as well.
This Summer, the wave of work never stopped. It only got bigger.
To be honest, I was a little worried that the usual Summer slowdown coupled with the recession, or start of a recession, was going to really impact my workload.
It appears to have had the opposite effect. I've been swamped. My clients are still working like crazy, testing new ideas and pumping out marketing dollars. Which many companies understand is the smart thing to do. When things get slow, don't yank the marketing budget, INCREASE the marketing budget.
It's been reasurring to see that the DM industry is alive and well in these tough economic times.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
This Summer, the wave of work never stopped. It only got bigger.
To be honest, I was a little worried that the usual Summer slowdown coupled with the recession, or start of a recession, was going to really impact my workload.
It appears to have had the opposite effect. I've been swamped. My clients are still working like crazy, testing new ideas and pumping out marketing dollars. Which many companies understand is the smart thing to do. When things get slow, don't yank the marketing budget, INCREASE the marketing budget.
It's been reasurring to see that the DM industry is alive and well in these tough economic times.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Great beer Advertising
Though not a beer drinker myself, I always nod my head and say "Yes!" when I see the Coors commercial that tells you how they keep it chilled at ALL time, even during shipping ... show you their neat label that tells you if your can of Coors is cold enough to drink ... and then wrap things up by calling themselves "The Most Refreshing Beer in the World!"
I LOVE that! I love when companies step up and claim a title like that. Are they in fact the most refreshing beer in the world? Maybe? Who can know? But they say it, and no one else does. Plus, people will latch on to anything. Instead of lots of cute, clever, funny image advertsing, Coors took it to a new level to differentiate themselves. They created their own uniqueness with the Cold angle, and used a neat, interactive tool to help you, then they bravely placed a crown on their own heads and declared themselves the most refreshing beer in the world.
THAT is good advertising and solid marketing.
Now if they were even smarter, they'd direct us to a website to print a coupon or do something interactive, or ask us to call for a sweeptakes or discount code or something. They've almost got it!
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
I LOVE that! I love when companies step up and claim a title like that. Are they in fact the most refreshing beer in the world? Maybe? Who can know? But they say it, and no one else does. Plus, people will latch on to anything. Instead of lots of cute, clever, funny image advertsing, Coors took it to a new level to differentiate themselves. They created their own uniqueness with the Cold angle, and used a neat, interactive tool to help you, then they bravely placed a crown on their own heads and declared themselves the most refreshing beer in the world.
THAT is good advertising and solid marketing.
Now if they were even smarter, they'd direct us to a website to print a coupon or do something interactive, or ask us to call for a sweeptakes or discount code or something. They've almost got it!
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
So true ...
I heard a great saying the other day on the radio. I think I'd heard it before, but it really caught my attention this time. It was for a local company, might have been a window installer.
The saying was something close to this ... "The dissapointment of poor quality long outlasts the sweetness of a low price." I thought that was great, and so true! We've all done it. Gotten a killer deal, paid a very low price for some product or service we thought was high quality. Only to find out it was, in fact, very poor quality, and we're stuck with it.
This saying is a close cousin of "You get what you pay for."
I see this problem a lot in my own busniess. People who tell me they once found a bargain copywriter, who they trusted, then paid a lot in printing and postage to mail what this bargain writer had done. And then watched it bomb. My clients know they're better off paying a higher price for a top writer as insurance against a mailing with disasterous results.
This applies to all of us as consumers, as something we should be wary of. And it is also a responsiblity for busineess owners to provide the highest quality products and sevices at a reasonable price.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
The saying was something close to this ... "The dissapointment of poor quality long outlasts the sweetness of a low price." I thought that was great, and so true! We've all done it. Gotten a killer deal, paid a very low price for some product or service we thought was high quality. Only to find out it was, in fact, very poor quality, and we're stuck with it.
This saying is a close cousin of "You get what you pay for."
I see this problem a lot in my own busniess. People who tell me they once found a bargain copywriter, who they trusted, then paid a lot in printing and postage to mail what this bargain writer had done. And then watched it bomb. My clients know they're better off paying a higher price for a top writer as insurance against a mailing with disasterous results.
This applies to all of us as consumers, as something we should be wary of. And it is also a responsiblity for busineess owners to provide the highest quality products and sevices at a reasonable price.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
Monday, May 19, 2008
Being taken to task ...
I got a comment on my last post about the "Poor Pizza guy" who I wrote about and believe will fail. I was asked. "Well, then why don't you go help them?" Good, thought-provoking (and simple) question! The easy answer is because I've tried this with other people/companies, and most, I feel, don't want help. They think they know what they're doing.
I've actually given TONS of pro bono marketing help to friends, neighbors and family over the years. I'll help anyone that asks. And I think that's the key, if they ask, they truly want help, and will respect what I suggest to them.
Marketing is just marketing. While I believe it makes the world go round in many ways , it's not like I'm a doctor with the power to heal. But I'll always help.
And finally, I have recently taken steps to make myself available to the general business world. I have a very unique client base(hardcore direct marketers and mass mailers), that pay me very well, and we help each other easily. But I have realized that maybe others out there would take my help if offered.
I'm kind of excited to see what happens with my experimenting. I'll keep you posted.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
I've actually given TONS of pro bono marketing help to friends, neighbors and family over the years. I'll help anyone that asks. And I think that's the key, if they ask, they truly want help, and will respect what I suggest to them.
Marketing is just marketing. While I believe it makes the world go round in many ways , it's not like I'm a doctor with the power to heal. But I'll always help.
And finally, I have recently taken steps to make myself available to the general business world. I have a very unique client base(hardcore direct marketers and mass mailers), that pay me very well, and we help each other easily. But I have realized that maybe others out there would take my help if offered.
I'm kind of excited to see what happens with my experimenting. I'll keep you posted.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Poor Pizza Guy
The other day I got a flyer on my front door with a menu for a new pizza place that just opened nearby. It was a pretty shoddy job, tons of typos, missing sentences, crooked printing, obviousely done by hand. And the biggest mistake, no mention of why their pizza is any better than the other 2 dozen competitors within 5 miles of my house.
It's another case of a guy/girl with a dream ... "I want to have my own pizza shop someday." Nice dream, but probably a big waste of their money, as several others have tried and failed. Not to be cynical, but he/she has no marketing plan. The first attempt (and impression) was simply bad.
In today's economy, shelling out likely tens of thousands of dollars to refit space, buy equipment and supplies, and take on a payroll, is not a good idea. Especially with rising food prices, and shrinking family budgets that are cutting down on eating out habits. With so many good, low-cost-to-start home businesses today, I wonder what they were thinking.
At the very least, he/she should tell us why to choose their pizza over their competition. My prediction: Six months and they're gone. UNLESS they can convince us they have the best pizza in town. But I don't see it happening. Moral of the story ... A good/smart marketing plan could save him. And a poor one, or lack of one, will make him wish he'd never tried.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
It's another case of a guy/girl with a dream ... "I want to have my own pizza shop someday." Nice dream, but probably a big waste of their money, as several others have tried and failed. Not to be cynical, but he/she has no marketing plan. The first attempt (and impression) was simply bad.
In today's economy, shelling out likely tens of thousands of dollars to refit space, buy equipment and supplies, and take on a payroll, is not a good idea. Especially with rising food prices, and shrinking family budgets that are cutting down on eating out habits. With so many good, low-cost-to-start home businesses today, I wonder what they were thinking.
At the very least, he/she should tell us why to choose their pizza over their competition. My prediction: Six months and they're gone. UNLESS they can convince us they have the best pizza in town. But I don't see it happening. Moral of the story ... A good/smart marketing plan could save him. And a poor one, or lack of one, will make him wish he'd never tried.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
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