Strong, powerful, confident words communicate and convince. Lame, wimpy writing kicks the legs out from under your message, and waters it down. The most common kind of wimpy writing are “qualifiers.” If you remember what your 7th grade English teacher told you, qualifiers are adjectives and adverbs that limit (“qualify”) your message — thus modifying […]
Author Archives: Tom McKay
Are you leaving would-be customers hungry for more?
The always-interesting Freakonomics blog in the NY Times recently cited a recent study that confirms the importance of providing lots of product information in your marketing and sales material. The MediaPost headline says it all: “Majority Of Online Shoppers Check At Least Four Reviews Before Buying.” Take-away point: A solid 68% do their homework before […]
Mortgage crisis? What mortgage crisis?
The mortgage market is in turmoil, thanks to the subprime fiasco. Millions of homeowners face foreclosure, mortgage lenders are losing billions, new loans are impossible to get — hey, wait a minute. If mortgage loans are so hard to get, why are Countrywide, Ditech and other big lenders still running TV ads every 5 minutes? […]
McKay gets a makeover (finally!)
No, not me personally, of course. I’m nearly perfect just the way I am. (cough-cough) But after nearly three years on Blogger, it was time for this blog to get a facelift. (No Botox shots, however.) So now this baby has a whole new look, a sporty leather interior and fuel-efficient hybrid engine. It even […]
Forget the rebate, I'm holding out for a "bonus" check
What’s in a name? Or any word, for that matter? A lot, it seems. Take those rebate checks Uncle Sam will soon start mailing out. If the government really wants us to stimulate the economy by encouraging us to SPEND that money, they need a better name than “rebate.” Like “bonus.” In a recent experiment, […]
Your mustache doesn't match your garter belt, pal
Who says winters in Maine are boring?
Shocker: "Botox" contains BOtulism TOXin
Another brand shoots itself in the foot. Botox, the popular anti-wrinkle drug, and its competitor, Myobloc, have both been officially linked to dangerous botulism symptoms. In a few cases, the symptoms were so bad that children given the drugs for muscle spasms have died, according to the Food & Drug Administration. This should not be […]