Has the American consumer become immune to advertising? Has marketing become a waste of your time and effort? “Bullshit,” in the words of the Ad Contrarian, a/k/a agency owner Bob Hoffman. “Here’s what the consumer has become resistant to: generic, undifferentiated products supported by smug, benefit-free advertising.” FTW! Nailed it.
Author Archives: Tom McKay
Web hosting: who's best?
That’s the question a weekend New York Times article sought to answer. The fact is, there’s no clear-cut answer. But for us non-superstars of the Internet, my favorite Web hosting company is NearlyFreeSpeech.Net. Why? Their pay-as-you-go, pay-for-only-what-you-use hosting plan. Like many people, I own a bunch of domain names, most of which are nearly dormant, […]
Beat writer's block — with a kitchen timer?
For me, it’s not really “writer’s block.” It’s more like a reluctance to apply the seat of my pants to the seat of my chair. Sound familiar? In his awesome book, The War of Art, Stephen Pressman nails it on (practically) the first page. “There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, […]
Perceptions and price
“Sometimes, the easiest way to make the consumer happier with a purchase is to increase the price.” – Jonah Lehrer, The Psychology of the Sale
How Kellogg's came to dominate the cereal market
Thinking of cutting back on your marketing during these tough economic times? It’s a natural reaction. After all, money is tight. But look back at history, as the New Yorker’s always-interesting James Surowiecki did this week, and you discover an amazing secret: when everyone else is disappearing off consumers’ radar, you can take over an […]
Hourly rates or flat fees?
I don’t believe in charging hourly rates for my work. First of all, real value can’t be measured in hours – only in quality and results. Paying hourly rates for creative work is upside-down and counterproductive. Sometimes they’re even a ripoff for the client. Suppose you needed heart surgery. Would you shop around for the […]
Upgrade your emails in three easy steps
Sometimes we forget that it’s OUR job to write letters, emails and business communications so they’re clear and understandable. It’s not the poor reader’s job to try and puzzle out what we meant. That way, my friend, lies heartbreak (and possibly Chapter 11). Author and blogger David Silverman offers some good advice on how to […]