Saturday, September 29, 2007
Home Sweet Home
Even when I lack experience in a specific industry, I can usually study existing marketing communication tactics and catch on pretty quickly on the most effective strategies.
But I must admit that there are some forms of advertising I just don’t get.
I mean come on, what’s the deal with real estate advertising?
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Friday, August 31, 2007
Click Here? Click There? Hmm…
Navigating through a company’s web site shouldn’t be an exploration of discovery into unknown lands.
It should be an intuitive experience because your visitor will have preconceived notions of how your site should operate. You may not like it, but if you deviate from these prevailing standards, you do so at your own peril.
Yet some web designers still feel there’s a need to be creative. I’m all for creativity, provided it doesn’t interfere with usability.
I ran across a web site for a company called ShareChive. The company’s products and services may be excellent, but the site presents some serious stumbling blocks to any visitor.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Sunday, July 29, 2007
Now Available Online
I get a kick out of some of those sponsored ads you see on the search results pages at Google and Yahoo.
Some of them seem quite strange …
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Saturday, June 30, 2007
Poison Gas
Advertising legend George Lois characterized great advertising as “poison gas.” He said “It should absolutely attack you – it should rip your lungs out.”
I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I think a message that’s surprising and unexpected packs more power than the usual and ordinary fare we’re all used to.
And nothing it seems is more ordinary than direct mail letters from mortgage lenders.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Package Deal
Guess what? I have good news! I received a letter informing me that I qualify for a $50 gift card. All I have to do is open a PMA Package.
There’s only one problem. I have no idea what a “PMA Package” is.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Sunday, April 29, 2007
Less Buzz. More Meaning.
Buzzwords seem to come and go. Sometimes, there’s little choice – you have to use them. In limited doses, I suppose they can communicate well enough to specialized audiences. But when overused, all you get is a long string of dull nothingness.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Friday, March 30, 2007
Metaphotically Speaking ...
I’ve just had it up to here with copywriters who rely on metaphors just for the sake of pushing the envelope.
Using metaphors to make your point can certainly light the way for your audience. Who knows? You might even knock their socks off. But sometimes you just have to hold your horses because too many analogies can turn your copy into a three-ring circus and leave your readers out in the cold.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Are You An Enabler?
Given the number of times I see the word “enable” in company product descriptions and press releases, there’s a lot of enabling behavior out there.
I find this word rather awkward, and while I admit I’ve used it from time to time, I try to find a way around it.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Monday, January 29, 2007
I’ve got a lot of gas
No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m talking about natural gas – the fossil fuel.
I happened to be writing about natural gas recently and needed to explain that one company’s proven reserves totalled one trillion cubic feet.
That’s really hard to visualize, so I wanted to provide some way for the reader to imagine just how large those natural gas reserves really are.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Sunday, December 31, 2006
Why Chinese is So Hard
Some people have an innate ability to pick up a second language quite rapidly, but I don’t seem to have that gift so I just do the best I can to communicate effectively in English.
One language that’s notoriously difficult to master is Chinese. Until now, I thought this was mostly a problem for Westerners. But as it turns out, Chinese is tough for anyone – even for Chinese people.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Thursday, November 30, 2006
Big Brother’s Father on Writing
Let’s say I write a passage like this:
Medical practitioners indicate that the most effective change catalyst for a proactive weight reduction methodology is to downsize average daily caloric intake.
Instead of this:
Doctors say the best way to lose weight is to eat less.
What would George Orwell say?
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Felony Sentences
Everyone has their own rules for writing effectively, so quality is sometimes just a matter of opinion.
But occasionally you’ll run across a sentence that virtually any writer would agree is just awkward and unwieldy.
I offer you six sentences in desperate need of help.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Thursday, September 28, 2006
That Lovable Lizard
I certainly admire Warren Buffett, but I’m not so sure that he’d be a good judge on what’s a good creative concept.
And given that GEICO is part of his Berkshire Hathaway empire (current share about $95000), those clever GEICO ads won’t stay on the air very long unless they perform.
So I imagine they work – and work well…
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Monday, August 28, 2006
The Rhetorical Shield
I was behind a few people in the checkout line at Safeway the other day. Near the end of each transaction, the clerk said, “I’m required to ask you if you’d like to make a contribution to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.”
I thought that phrasing was rather odd, so when it was my turn, I asked the clerk whether he was required to say, “I’m required to ask you...”
It turns out that he wasn’t, so I gave him a suggestion.
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Posted by Richard Bloch
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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Happier Landings
In the past six months or so, I’ve helped three B-to-B clients test and refine their landing pages.
More than ever I’m impressed with how seemingly minor changes in copy and layout can bring significant boosts in conversion.
While I can’t share specific proprietary information about these tests, I can give you some general tips on what you might try if your conversion rates seem low.
