Vintage advertising

Channeling David Ogilvy

In the middle 1980s, the ad agency I worked for had a client who was a big fan of David Ogilvy, one of the truly seminal figures in advertising of the 60s, 70s and 80s. At the time, I chafed a bit under some of Ogilvy’s rules (never reverse type out of a dark color;…

How to create marketing buzz

Thoughts on building buzz

Marketing has changed dramatically since the dawn of the digital age. Websites, email and social media have largely — but not completely — supplanted printed trade magazines and newspapers and made a sizable dent in the number and scope of direct mail programs. But even though the marketing tools have changed, if yours is a…

individuality

Establishing Your Competitive Edge

The essence of marketing is differentiation – separating your product or business from other, similar competitors in the minds of potential customers. Not exactly rocket science, but it’s astounding to me how many businesses of all stripes fail to grasp this fundamental precept. If you’re doing it right, your first marketing consideration is your competitive…

copyright

The Copyright Act Revisited

Despite my youthful appearance, I am old enough to remember when Congress changed the copyright law in 1978. It was a sea-change in the way things like photography, illustration, music and copywriting are purchased for commercial applications such as advertising. Perhaps you know all this, but a quick refresher does no harm. The change Congress…