Hi, I'm Category Archives for Marketing
Finally, a new Train of Thought website
The new Train of Thought website has finally launched. This is a quick reminder to not put off until tomorrow what your marketing needs today. A client (accidentally) told me one day that they didn’t know the breadth of our … Continue reading
I wanted you to know what’s wrong with “I wanted you to know”
When your sales calls, messages or advertisements begin by stating, “We’d like you to know” or “I wanted you to know”, you’re really saying, “I am more important than you.” And that’s a pretty ballsy thing to say in a … Continue reading
Ouch wow, the wrong kind of wow
Wow is often problematic because it provides a wow moment (oh boy!), then does nothing at all in regards to selling, instead prompting the viewer to look for the next wow. Of course, you can’t keep wowing all the time. … Continue reading
Advertise better, not more aggressively
It’s no secret that advertising creative has gone down the tubes in the last decade. Businesses are now substituting aggressive online placement in place of strong concepts. Good advertising creative is smart marketing. Poor advertising creative, all too common today, … Continue reading
Is graphic design a profession or a hobby?
The real question may be, do companies hire graphic designers to fill a budget sheet or fuel their marketing? The industry and billions of dollars would seem to suggest graphic design is a real profession, yet there has never been … Continue reading
The longcut – the greatest of all marketing shortcuts
Marketing shortcuts often come with a hefty price, as I was reminded a couple nights ago. I had an allergic reaction to soy that hurtled me into health hell, throat nearly shut, the rest of me swollen like an overstuffed … Continue reading
Why most advertising fails
When you’ve been in advertising as long as I have, you learn that there is really only one reason why most advertising fails, and it’s called fear. How fear manifests with regard to advertising presents in an almost endless list … Continue reading
Mass transit, bicycles and obesity – how about some direct dialog?
As I enjoyed an early morning ski in my neighborhood a week ago, I tried to take a few moments to enjoy the silence of the night. Except I found that 4:00 a.m. Seattle is no longer silent. The noise … Continue reading
Fear: how bad hair, habits and horrible has-beens happen
Fear is a convenient excuse, a procrastination technique, an avoidance tool. Fear is free, so it’s easy to wield it in the face of anything in life that imposes difficulty. A better method is to state your fears, then dispel … Continue reading
On categories – People are people, human is human.
People are people, human is human. All the rest are just categories used to market ideas. Sometimes those ideas are valid, legitimately protective, promoting community and joy. Often though, categories are used as means to impose oppression and promote separation. … Continue reading
