9/28/2007
Copywriting Company - Ambient Billboards
As a copywriting company, we are always interested in new and innovative marketing ideas. Setting yourself apart from the competition in such an advertising-saturated world is no easy task. The following are some creative examples of billboard advertising that do something very unique. These so-called "Ambient Billboards" interact with the environment, making them more than just a standalone outdoor ad. They really reach out to those who see them, making a lasting impression and successfully conveying their marketing message. This is precisely the sort of thing we strive for with in copywriting. Not necessarily being shocking to completely out of the ordinary, but connecting with potential customers on a level that goes beyond simply telling them about a product or service. It is our goal to help clients reach out beyond the superficial, to make their message meaningful, memorable and actionable.
This is a genius example of a billboard interacting with its environment. Not only does it make for an interesting billboard, the way that it interacts with its environment is directly related to the product, in this case suntan lotion.
An interesting concept, I love how they made the Jeep mockup look like a bug by simply opening its doors and putting matching surf boards on top (if that wasn't obvious
An interesting take on these ambient billboards is actually changing the shape of the billboard itself to realize the concept. This is a perfect, although probably very expensive, execution of this idea.
As we continue to run out of advertising space in cities, many apartment buildings have begun selling ad space over windows. Generally I find this annoying/gaudy, but at least this one does it creatively, and recognizes that it is on a building inhabited by people.
Some of the best ambient billboards interact with individuals. This great example from The Economist does just this by conveying value through an interactive (idea) light bulb.
Simply Stunning. The paint even splashes on to another company's ad.
Sorry if you have seen this one before, but this billboard was too cool to leave off the list.
The only problem with this one would be the upkeep, it probably doesn't send a good brand image unless you mow the grass every day...
The more the interaction, the better the effect and the more memorable, although I think this one falls a bit short on incorporating meaning into the way it interacts with the environment
Conceptually genius, it would be even better if you got some sort of prize if you actually grabbed one of those brochures. This billboard was not only a sensation on the streets of Tokyo with bystanders, it also became an online viral success. Two birds with one stone, and a lot of great publicity for Adidas. Labels: Advertising, Billboards, copywriting |
9/27/2007
Copywriting is not creative writing
| Copywriting is all about writing for businesses, writing to sell. There can and often is an element of creativity to it, but it's not creative writing, and I find myself often explaining this to people who call or e-mail asking about our "creative writing services." Copywriting is NOT the same as writing fiction, a novel, poetry or a play. To give all of us more insight into this distinction, I asked Dawn Goldberg, Chief Writing Officer of Write Well U, to give us some insight into how to write with voice, which is a key part of many kinds of writing, especially the more creative pursuits. 1. Good writing comes from the heart. Writing from the heart and letting the real you shine through is crucial to a strong voice. The reader gets a great sense of you, the author, and what kind of person you are. Maybe you have an irreverent voice and you're always railing against the status quo. Maybe your voice is comedic, and your readers laugh right along with you as you tell tales of office politics to make a point. Maybe your voice is gentle, quiet and kind, and the reader feels drawn in to hear what you have to say. If there's a type of voice you're most attracted to (be it irreverent, wickedly funny, gently humorous, kind, irate, political, you name it), you'll write more passionately if you use that voice. 2. Good writing is strong. Good writers choose a stand and believe in it. If your writing is filled with "I think" and "I guess" and "I believe" and "it seems," you come across as wishy-washy. Take those words out and stand firm. Say what you believe and believe what you say. 3. Good writing is original. You don't have to say it like everyone else does. You don't have to follow all the rules. You don't have to incorporate all the great advice you read in articles on writing (even in mine!). Do it your own way and stand out from the crowd. If you're like everyone else, what would make people gravitate toward you? Give them a reason to pick you. 4. Good writing is authentic. You're not the answer for everyone, and not everyone is going to be attracted to your stuff. However, if you write authentically, then you have a better chance of people sticking around to see what you have to say. It's basic Law of Attraction. 5. Good writing is passionate. Enjoy what you're writing about. Write from the heart. Be passionate. If you like humor, be funny. If you like word play, add a few puns. If you're thrilled by what you're doing, let that joy come out in your writing. Labels: copywriting, creative writing, writing |
9/26/2007
Get It In Writing 's Allison Nazarian featured in WomenEntrepreneur.com column
| Read Margie Zable Fisher's column with Allison's tips on optimizing press releases here. Labels: optimized press release, press release |
9/25/2007
Mistakes...we all make 'em but who among us actually deals with them?
| Really insightful and honest article on FastCompany.com by Keith Ferrazzi. I believe in this "get over it" mentality as well. Get support, reach out to your friends and trusted ones, be the person they reach out to when they have a crisis, too. Don't harp on what happened -- do something about it. Here it is in its entirety with a link back at the end: Mistakes Were Made. Now Recover. by Keith Ferrazzi Rebounding from a career crisis. When I was an undergrad at Yale, I ran for alderman of New Haven. I lost, but after the election, William F. Buckley Jr. invited me to his home. When I visited Buckley, we talked about starting a foundation to support some of Yale's student groups. At least, I sure thought we did. Brimming with pride, I went back to school and persuaded Yale alumni to donate to the foundation. Naturally, I told them that Buckley was our chief supporter. When one donor mentioned the foundation to Buckley, he said, "What foundation?" He didn't remember our conversation the way that I did. The whole setup fell apart. By not being careful in talking with Buckley and others, I had harmed my reputation among powerful people and the Yale community as a whole. We all make mistakes, sometimes awful ones. Whether or not you deserve the condemnation of your peers and the general public, this is how you recover: 1. Get some perspective. It's easy to panic in a crisis. Calm down and compare your problems to the crises that others have suffered. For instance, look at what Bill Clinton or Martha Stewart went through. If they can rebound, so can we. In fact, it's simpler for us, because we're not on the world's radar screen. We're not on CNN or the topic of conversation at cocktail parties. 2. Assess and forgive yourself. Think about it: Are you really a jackass? What I mean is, are you fundamentally evil? Do you harm people consistently and laugh about it? If the answer is no, then you need to forgive yourself. You need to get over it so you can move on and be a better person. You have to forgive yourself before you can expect others to forgive you. 3. Go to the confessional. Come clean and admit to your frailties and stupidity. Let the people around you know what really happened so they can trust you again. They're not going to trust you until they feel you've fully divulged. Open up to everyone, not just your friends. It's tempting to isolate yourself among glad-handers, but that's no way to recover from disaster. You have to face people who'll be angry at you. The most disarming and successful thing you can do with these people is agree: "You know what? You're right. I was a total jackass. We all do stupid things; this was maybe more stupid than most." 4. Get back on the horse and start going again. Do not crawl into a hole, tempting as it may seem. Prove to yourself and everyone else that you are a good person. Commit to making a positive change in the world. Look at the work that Mike Milken has done with the fight against cancer. The Mike that I know today gets up at 5:00 in the morning and works his butt off to make the world a better place. He's very focused on his philanthropy work, and people are giving him credit for it. The turnaround in perception is well-deserved. In fact, more people than ever are now saying that the original mark on Mike's reputation was ill-founded. 5. As always, treat people right. Show genuine caring and appreciation for the people around you, and you're likely to attract their aid if you get in trouble. Show gratitude to the people who support you. One more thing -- don't abandon your friends when they are in crisis situations. When Martha Stewart was at Alderson, I was constantly sending her positive e-mails in an effort to lift her spirits. As you can see from these examples, hitting a career or personal brand crisis doesn't mean it's all over. In fact, if addressed properly, the crisis can be an opportunity to come back stronger, smarter and better than ever. Link to article. Labels: making mistakes |
9/24/2007
Taking Advantage of Online Networking
| I have been meaning to ask you for some time if and how you are using and taking advantage of online networking (aka "social media" or "social marketing") sites? This includes sites like MySpace, LinkedIn and Ryze as well as countless others depending on your business, social goals and age, such as Facebook, Second Life, You Tube and countless (and I mean countless!) others. (By the way, I'm asking solely from a business standpoint, not from a social, dating or personal relationship standpoint! So no stories about match.com, eHarmony or JDate...please!) What have you been doing? What's working? How, if at all, have you been able to monetize (love that word!) these online tools and gathering places? Let me know here and I will start including your comments (with links to your website, MySpace page, whatever you want) in upcoming blog entries. This is an exciting time, with new and still-not-totally-mapped territory. So as you make your mark, let me know about it! |
9/19/2007
52 Tips
| As some of you know, I've recently made my 52 Tips e-book available. I've gotten some great feedback from people in business, including entrepreneurs, sales people and consultants, looking for effective but super-quick ways to improve their copywriting and marketing skills. This book is a one-a-week kit of tips and tools for copywriters and do-it-yourself marketers. Here is a taste of the kinds of information you'll get in this book: Respect the strength. Some words, terms and word combinations can be quite strong and effective. Let them stay that way and avoid bogging them down with nonsense and meaningless fluff. Know thy audience. To connect with your target, visit online gathering places - ones that your customers are likely to go - and pay attention to what they have to say, what interests them, what business issues concern them. Read their trade magazines as well. Then familiarize yourself with features and benefits that your customers appreciate. Finally, address these issues and use your audience's terminology in your copy. If you want the order, ask for it! Let's say you have a fabulous product... the greatest thing since sliced bread, a better mousetrap, whatever. But no matter how great it is, you will still have to ask for the order and tell your reader just what to do. You must tell your prospects exactly how to order and tell them to do it now. In other words, make it as easy as possible for them to buy from you and immediately start enjoying your product's or service's benefits. Want more quick tips to use today? Click here to order 52 Tips. |
Happy ADD Awareness Day!
| A really cool article from my colleague Ali Kaufman of Space of Mind: Today is ADD Awareness Day! I am not sure what the salutation is for such a holiday, but I wish for all of you much awareness of those things you can't ever remember to pay attention to. Of course, in my world, every day is ADD Awareness Day, so I think it is funny that this day even exists. But please, send presents. Or better yet, give yourself - and your favorite ADD-er - a present today. See if you can't take a few minutes to just BE. Don't be busy DOING, but instead take a pause (a what?!) and just get busy BEING. Pauses are great, and I admit that I don't always remember to take enough of them. Today I am taking a lot to make up for some I have missed - it's part of my pre-Yom Kippur atonement, I suppose. In any case, it's important to pause regularly, and here's why: 1. Pauses prevent foot-in-mouth disease (the leading cause of ADD embarrassment). 2. Pauses remind your body to breathe (and ADD-ers are known for being ineffective breathers). 3. Pauses keep you tuned in - to your mind, your body, your space + your relationships. 4. Pauses allow other people to get a word in! (When you are talking, you aren't learning!) So, wait until you are finished reading this email and then go ahead, and give yourself a pause. Take a minute to think about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I dare you. Happy ADD Awareness Day! Ali Kaufman founder + chief ADD-er, space of mind Labels: ADD, ADD Awareness, take a break |
9/12/2007
The Public Relations Mistake Nobody Talks About
| by guest blogger Margie Fisher, President, Zable Fisher Public Relations Chances are, it's happened to all of us at one time or another. But it's a mistake that can have long-term P.R. repercussions. What triggered this was a recent conversation with a small business owner who happened to mention that she didn’t rush to do work for a certain person because that person doesn't pay her on time. That was a wake-up call -- an important reminder about the power of public relations relative to paying vendors on time. Many small business owners are often tempted to postpone paying other small business owners -- in the mistaken belief that the repercussions will be less than if they don't pay bills from bigger vendors (such as American Express). But we forget some very important factors: Small businesses need the money in a more timely manner than bigger vendors, because they do not have the "float" available to larger companies. It's only human nature that small business owners will not rush to do work for those who don't pay them on time (which may be the reason why your computer guy stops giving the prompt service you'd been accustomed to). Remember -- it's a small world -- and small business people may tell many others about customers who do not pay on time (and really, this is bad public relations). So, the next time you're tempted to hold off on paying a small business vendor, think again. You could be creating a lot of negative public relations for yourself and your business. Be aware that the check that is "bounced" or "lost in the mail" can cost you far more than you realize. Better to sign up with your bank for overdraft protection. Or, if things are really tight, be up front and honest with your vendor, and make every effort to make payment as soon as possible. By doing the right thing, you're maintaining your business integrity and your good name -- and you'll get to the front of the line as a preferred customer! Labels: P.R., public relations, small business |
What does the end of summer mean to you?
| This is usually the time of year where everyone laments the end of summer and the return to "reality." You won't find that from me, though. I'm a big believer in treating all 12 months equally. I don't believe in declaring some times slower than others because you know what happens? Inevitably, those times, like summer or mid- to end-of-December, slow down. Whether it's the principles from "The Secret," a self-fulfilling prophecy or something else, what you expect will happen does happen. (Also, it doesn't hurt that I live in Florida where it's hot all year round, and where we look forward to the Fall and Winter because the weather is simply glorious during that half of the year.) So I like to expect great things and all sorts of new and exciting projects exactly when everyone else is expecting slowdowns and guess what? That's exactly what I get! (Of course, we all need down time, so I'm not suggesting you need to be super-busy all the time...unless that's what you want.). And speaking of busy, you know what I am being asked about multiple times per day, every day? Blogs and SEO Copywriting, blogs and SEO Copywriting, blogs and SEO Copywriting. Everyone wants information, pricing and advice. And that's great, that's what I'm here for! |
9/09/2007
Tips for Picking a Web Host That Rocks
| By guest blogger Mitch Keeler For any web-based project you have, the first thing you need before project planning, before even copywriting, is a place to host it. Now there are millions of choices out there of hundreds of types of hosting. How can you keep away from the snake oil salesman and find the right web host for you? The first thing I want you to do is write down what you need from your hosting account on a piece of paper. If you don't expect too much popularity from the start, a cheaper non-dedicated hosting plan might be the best way to go. This way you can also save yourself some cash too. Disk space is also a must to investigate because that is how much actual space you will have to store your project. Bandwidth is key, too, because without a high enough bandwidth limit, people will not be able to get to your website when it does start getting significant traffic. Everything else after these issues will be secondary. If you have a content management system (like WordPress or Joomla) in mind, you might want to make sure you take those requirements under consideration, too. Next, apply your list to the web hosts you find. Don't feel intimidated by the web host, because in most cases, they more intimidated of you! If they want to do their job right, they will want to sell you a web hosting account. So feel free to ask as many questions as you feel are important. You might cover the important features first and then after a few replies then get into the more specific questions. If someone starts losing patience with you, go to the next web host on the list. There are plenty to pick from. The last thing you need to do is remember you don't want to find a web host you can work with, you want to find a web host that works for you. The best ones always do - but you might have to kiss a few frogs before you find that perfect hosting prince. Article by guest blogger Mitch Keeler: Mitch Keeler is the web hosting industry's media rock star and a skilled freelance writer. To learn more about Mitch, check out Mitchelaneous.com. Labels: web hosting, web projects, web traffic |
9/08/2007
Business Writing 101, Part 2
People ask me all the time for a couple of quick writing tips that everyone in business needs.
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9/06/2007
Technologies Changing Copywriting, Advertising and Marketing
There is no doubt that we are in the midst of many changes in the world of marketing and advertising as new technologies are changing the way we view and interact with businesses and products. As copywriting professionals, we feel these changes too. Attention spans are shrinking, new mediums are developing and competition is increasing. Staying on top of it all has become essential in staying competitive. As copywriters, our job is to convey information in a way that best informs the reader (usually aka a potential buyer) with the least amount of friction, while keeping their interest and convincing them of an idea. To do this, we need to intimately understand the medium and technology that we are writing for. Today, I will be looking at some of these new technologies that will be helping to shape the next revolution in marketing and advertising. 1. Hypersonic Speakers"The HyperSonic Sound technology gives you the ability to direct sound where you want it and nowhere else. With the combination of an ultrasonic powered emitter and a proprietary signal processor/amplifier, HSS can focus sound into a tight beam for optimal sound directionality and intelligibility. Similar to a beam of light, HSS uses ultrasonic energy to "shine" your sound on a very specific area. Using any media player with line-level output, HSS converts music or voice into a complex ultrasonic signal prior to amplification. Once emitted, the converted sound forms a sound column in front of the emitter, which remains focused as it encounters a listener located in the narrow column of sound." - m-media.com Imagine the advertising implications of this technology. It would enable advertisers to direct messages at specified targets, delivering specialized copy to only those who might be interested in hearing it. This technology could single handedly bring voice based advertising to the real world. Think about the applications in supermarkets, malls, etc. From a copywriting perspective, it would certainly be a challenge to adapt to this new medium. Radio and TV have the advantage of a semi-captive audience that accepts and expects advertising. Copywriting in this medium will have to be interesting enough to grab attention and non-intrusive enough to avoid annoyance. 2. RFID Targeted Advertising
RFID stands for radio-frequency identification and is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag can be stuck on or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. As applied to advertising, RFID's provide a way to individually track real world buyers, referring information such as buying habits and location and more. This would allow for extremely specific targeted advertising. Imagine this combined with the HyperSonic speaker technology. Personalized ads delivered to your ears only that is relevant and effective. Scary stuff. 3. Elimination of a restricted on-page real estateStepping back from the offline world, a new technology was introduced this past year at the TED convention that can overcome the problem of limited on screen real estate space. Here is a video of the amazing technology, the video explains the implications in detail. 4. OLEDs and the next generation of outdoor advertisingThis amazing technology promises paper thin video screens that are flexible and can be affixed to most surfaces. The breadth of possible applications for this new display technology is staggering. Here are two videos showing the technology and showcasing some possible future applications. Although cheap OLED displays are still years off, it is not hard to imagine a time when almost every available advertising surface will be covered with these flexible vibrant screens. 5. Transformation of New Space for AdvertisingIn a world increasingly more crowded with TV, Radio, Internet and Outdoor advertising, advertisers are having a harder time than ever distinguishing themselves from everyone else. This has led to an increase in "outside the box" type advertising, especially in the outdoor space. Guerilla and Ambient advertising have taken off as extremely effective techniques. Here are a few examples of how advertisers are increasing their visibility by transforming almost anything into an opportunity to advertise.   6. Mobile AdvertisingAs the youngest, but probably most exciting, new marketing and advertising medium, there is still tons of speculation as to how exactly advertisers are going to be able to interact with mobile phone users. There are many different schools of thought on how mobile advertising will be most effective. 1. Marketing Via SMS/MMS -Simple text or multimedia based advertising. Obtrusive, and not necessarily targeted, but easy to do. Much of this done today is "coupon" based, where text messages offer some sort of discount for the products or services of local advertisers. 2. Mobile Web banner advertising -This is advertising on the mobile web. Similar to today's traditional online banner advertising, but on your mobile. 3. Location Based Mobile Advertising -Using GPS-enabled phones to serve up advertisements (usually as text messages) when in proximity to a local advertiser. A great concept with many hurdles. It would need many advertisers and users signed up for this to work. I could see it working well in large cities. 4. Video Ads -Video ads served on video enabled cell phones. This is certainly a workable concept, but the technology is not quite there, video on cell phones is slow and has a low market penetration with a minority of phones being video-enabled. 5. Interstitial Ads -Ads displayed during downloads, or other cell phone downtime. Probably the most versatile and least obtrusive advertising idea for mobile phones. These ads would play during ringtone, game, or application downloads. |
9/04/2007
It's here! Copywriting 101 on sale now...
| Allison Nazarian's Copywriting 101 for Small Businesses, Entreprenuers, Coaches & Consultants is on sale now! Download your copy and take advantage of our special introductory price. Labels: copywriting, copywriting 101, copywriting book |