Marketing. One Customer at a Time.

It kills me when a copywriter actually uses the words "You, the customer" in an ad, something like...

"We value you – because you, the customer, are our customer."

Ads cost the same amount of money to produce and execute whether they're good or bad. In the case of marketing, advertising and communications in general, producing disingenuous material equates to a "missed" opportunity. When marketing communication's are approached like a standard conversation and the audience is fully considered, only then can a message resonate.

To communicate this point, over the summer my wife sent out a letter, as many teachers do, to all 29 of her students. This letter introduced herself; wished them a nice summer; told them how excited she is to meet them; then provided tangible activities they could do during the summer to best prepare them for the school year ahead. The letter was heartfelt, yet exactly the same for all 29 students.

When the first day of class rolled around just recently, a half dozen or so of her students came up to her at different points during the course of the day to tell her how special it was that they received such a personal and encouraging letter from their soon-to-be 5th grade school teacher. The letter obviously made an impact and communicated the fact that she was looking forward to having them on board.

The Point (Yes, I have one):

My wife's "audience" consisted of 29 distinctly different little people and their immediate families. However, based on how she fashioned the communication, each student felt as if they were the only one who the letter was written to. The same effect may not have been realized had the letter said something like...

"I personally welcome you, the student, to a wonderful year..."

Effective marketing should be approached like a personal conversation. Honest, genuine, compassionate, respectful of who you're talking to, when you talk, and how much you say. Because after all, your brand's the collective feeling your audience has about you. And your audience are in fact people, who live and breathe (like you). They reach their conclusions based on the collective interactions and communications they're exposed to, by you. And the receptionist. And through conversations on weekends. You get the drift.

Like this post suggests, the problem with marketing is unfortunately so often, well, marketing. Follow this link to Mark Bixby.com. He too sees this from a similar angle as I. Mark is smart.

"Keeping it Real"

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Here are (but just) a few links to real creative and real unique ad campaigns for real companies by real advertising agencies who charge real money to develop and run real expensive ads and create real communications for what has the potential to be real customers that if pursuaded might become real customers.

I am real tired of this.
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Tobias! Outerwear for Books.

A book designer with a nice blog and real healthy client list.

Baker Publishing Group * BookPros * Broadman & Holman * Dana Press * Guideposts Books * Hachette Book Group * Harlequin * Hartmann * Integrity Publishers * P & R Publishing * Reader's Digest * Regnery Publishing * Shepherd Press * Thomas Nelson, Inc. * Upper Room Books * Waterbrook Press * Zondervan

How Far Did I Run?

If you've ever wondered how far it is from point A to point B on a map, try this. It's especially helpful if you are a runner.

Look Mom, One Hand Only!

Hi, Please may we order another 200 thumbthings. Thanks.
Fraser Jansen, Methven's Booksellers Windsor

A brilliant new invention for reading books – it makes reading more comfortable.

( via swissmiss )

Want a Zestimate of your home's worth?

Type in any address in the USA – and viola - it's home value is displayed for all the world to see. An amazing and somewhat creepy (in a stalker kind of way) concept.

Try it for yourself!

Your Logo Doesn't Matter (Sort of)

Don't get me wrong. A logo is an intregal part of your product or corporate identity. However for all that it "is" – some things it's "NOT."

Here's one person's take...

( via Mark Bixby ) Highly recommended.

While on the subject of logos...

Plenty sites showcase logos. Some are cool. Some, not so hot. Then along comes LogoPond. A collection of user submitted logos that allow viewers to rate (on a five star system). Kinda demographic, right?

By the way. Don't rip off other people's logos. These sites are for reference only. But you knew that.

Da HipHop Raskalz, Kickin' It Grade School

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Da HipHop Raskalz are grade-school students in Harlem who make their own kind of music… much of it about candy. Their producer is an acclaimed classical musician with a rather unusual day job.

Stock Photography - Top 10 Cliches

As a routine part of my job as an art director, I spend mucho time sifting through stock imagery. It never ceases to amaze me how many useless shots I pile through for every good one. 200 to 1 perhaps? Now thanks to Forty Media, I realize I am not alone. They've generously developed a Top 10 List of the most cliche images you can't avoid.

( via swissmiss, via chrisglass, via design*notes, via fortymedia )

Outstanding Graphic Designer

An outstanding designer. Period.

You, an author?

Here's yet another LuLu-like self publishing model. Since I work at a publishing company, and considering one of my best friends is an author relations director, I know first hand how unlikely it is to become a published author. Therefore I'm curious about these sites as an option to those with Oprah book deals on their minds. If you have experience with this site, LuLu or others, I would enjoy your comments.

"Labor Day Live" Launch Message (1:51)

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Teach Design Thinking to Kids

As God would have it, my wife and I are currently sans-children. Should we ever realize such a blessing, I just might refer back to this resource.

It's written by Dr. Charles Burnette, and edited by Yi Ji Hyun, and is provided free to anyone interested in teaching children and young adults the creative and critical thinking skills they need to cope with any subject or situation.

Admittedly, I have absolutely no idea if Chuck is a wacko or not, but judging by the website, it appears this site is legit.

( via swissmiss )

Designer; Mother; Blogger Extraordinare

Who comes to mind when you think someone who's always slightly ahead of the curve? With style. With information. For me, that person is Tina Roth Eisenberg. Not only is she a great designer, but she's also a new mom. She somehow manages to create and update my favorite blog everyday.

Props to swissmiss. The blog of a swiss designer gone NYC.

How high is your word ranked?

If you're a wordsmith like myself, you'll love this site.

A visual barometer presenting the 86,800+ most frequently used English words, ranked in order of commonness.

Way Better than "OKAY"

Many of you have seen or heard of Dave Werner. If you haven't, you're in for a treat.

Around Town Chicago

I've found this to be of particular interest as the inlaws come marching in to town.

Gapers Block is a Chicago-centric web publication providing information on news and events around town. There are many terms for the slowdown in traffic that occurs when there's an accident on the side of the road. Some people call it rubbernecking, others a lookie-loo. Here in Chicago, we call it a gapers block (or gapers delay). What better name for a site that asks you to slow down and check out all the cool things in the city?

Innovative Product by Penguin Books

On vacation in Colorado, I stopped in the infamous Tattered Cover bookstore on Colfax Avenue. Inside I found a free standing floor display by Penguin Books. My attention was drawn to the incredible cover designs and their clean and highly simple typographic solutions. To make a long story short, the books are a rebranded Reference Library, and have sold well over a million at 3.99/each! Most are two color covers, but letterpress I believe.

I've since researched and discovered that Penguin's in-house designer designed a similar line called "Great Ideas," which was the precursor to these books. Penguin Claims...

“Some were bought by people who wanted accessible versions of the text, and some by people who liked the packaging.”

I find the latter statement highly interesting.

If you are interested in learning more, check out these articles...


Penguin uses design to revitalise its back catalogue with Great Ideas and a revived Reference Library

New ways to judge books by their covers

Great Ideas = great design

Television Boxing Schedule

If you're a boxing fanatic like myself, this is a great place to check out what's in store for the evening.