Author Archives: Tom McKay

The PC maker has been the brunt of many a bad rap in the blogosphere (and beyond) lately. As I mentioned earlier, it started with a series of “Dell Hell” memos from blogger John Jarvis. First, he had major problems with his Dell laptop. When he complained (or tried to) he experienced nightmarish Customer Service […]

Copywriter extraordinaire Bob Bly posted this interesting quiz for marketers on his blog recently. It’s quick, but not easy. Ready? Here are three different offers: (A) Half price.(B) Buy one, get one free.(C) 50% off. One of them pulled 40% more replies than the other two. Which do you think was the winner? And why? […]

Bert Decker points out that a bad ending can torpedo a good presentation. He offers six ways NOT to end your next presentation. In brief: 1. Don’t step back. 2. Don’t look away. 3. Don’t move on the last word. Hold still for a half-beat after the “you” in “thank you.”4. Don’t raise your hands. […]

Six Feet Under is gone. The HBO series about an undertaking family is itself six feet under, alive now only on DVD. (Warning: plot spoiler ahead) Is your marketing message as lifeless as Nate? Life, energy, enthusiasm — your marketing collateral need these qualities. In addition, the closer your sales letters and brochures come to […]

Sometimes “free” is just too expensive. Take those free business cards you can order online. While their quality and appearance can be quite nice, they often gossip about you behind your back. They may be sending subtle, negative messages about your company and you, which can undermine your best efforts at marketing. Let me give […]

Wanna write a book? Wanna watch someone else do it? Marshall Brain has been an education and an inspiration to me and, I’m sure, many others. He’s best known for his website How Stuff Works and his essay/ slide show, How to Make a Million Dollars. (If you haven’t read the latter, do so immediately. […]

Lots of people, including PR firms, are wary and distrustful of reporters, producers, the media in general. If you’ve ever been misquoted, misled or simply mystified by what appears in print or on the air after an interview, you know what I mean. But as David Koretz remarks on his blog, “I met an editor […]