With Love, Philly Wordsmith

This new campaign for Philadelphia has me thinking. What would Philadelphia look like as the writer of these notes? Philadelphia is writing promotional and witty letters to these groups of people (gays, historians, art lovers, suburbanites) that it's trying to attract.

What would this quintessential, inviting Philadelphia look like? First, the pen. It would be a quill. Obviously.

Some possibilities for Human Philadelphia:

1) A really, really gay Ben Franklin. He prefers "Benjamin."

2) An old woman from South Philadelphia.

3) A college hipster. Skinny jeans and bright Nike High Tops and all.

Now, you! Who would Human Philly be?

My New Fave Commercial

The new Orkin Commercial where a huge cockroach shows up at a woman's door is the most subtly funny commercial I've ever seen.

I don't know if this subtle humor is on purpose because lord knows commercial humor is almost never subtle. Even the shockingly effective caveman commercials are pretty in your face. There is a bit of subtle humor in there, but now every one gets it.

In my particular favorite, the giant roach shows up with a pizza and with perfect timing at the end, asks if he could 'place it on her table' even though she didn't order it. He has the most creepy voice possible AND he drives off in a straight-up creepy pedophile car.

Good work, whoever is responsible for this ad.

How Facebook Has Made Me A Better Copywriter

When you write on your personal Facebook Wall it is like writing a personal headline for that day (or week, or minute.) Your friends seem to respond to some more than others. Ever notice that? So, I set out to see if there are some common themes in the Wall posts or "headlines" that get the most attention. Because if I can figure out which headlines cause people to take action by responding to my post, then that will help me figure out what headlines will cause customers to take action in general - which is the goal of copywriting.

Four common themes:

1 - Something sexy. Not too sexy because we don't want to get into T.M.I. territory here, but an interesting substory to my personal story is my romantic life.

2 - Things that make people jealous. I posted that I was going to the beach on a Monday and people really responded.

3 - Humorous things. This is probably #1. Any time I write something funny, I get sooo many responses. Either people saying a simple 'ha!' or people trying to be even funnier or add to the funny.

4 - Mention love for something others already know about. This includes bands, celebrities, coffee drinks, etc. If they also like that product (or if they hate it) they respond.

If you've noticed some common take action themes, please leave them as a comment. I'm sure there are many more!

Lessons From A Good Old-Fashioned Ad Man

As a relative newbie and fresh face in the Ad Universe, I felt I needed some guidance, strength and mentorship from a seasoned pro. For a while there I launched into New Media's Social Networks and how to communicate through those avenues. I was also reading a bunch of branding books and blogs and still do, but I needed to dip my toes into the classics.

My choice is none other than "Ogilvy On Advertising."

I've never read anything so beautiful and opinionated and brash and straight-forward. While there are so many striking lines and statements, my favorite has illuminated and verified my recent personal experience.

"If you will take my advice, don't get a job in advertising unless it interests you more than anything in the world."

Those words will rest in the bottom of my heart, Mr. Ogilvy.

Armed with pictures and littered with jokes, this classic will remain close to my pitter-patterin' heart. My eyes are bright and my tail bushy. I stand here on the cusp, Mr. Ogilvy, ready to make you proud. Now let's make some art that changes people.

Twitter University

Here's to those who made this @PhillyWordsmith what I am today.

Allow me to give a bit of background to my story. I was a bit of a late bloomer in my love for advertising and copywriting. I knew I wanted to be a writer with my English degree, but I wasn't sure how. I resigned myself to having to be broke ass. My last semester at college, on a whim and because it fit in my schedule, found me signing up for an Intro to Advertising course. I graduated and with English degree in hand and one Intro course under my belt, I actually feel further ahead than many of my peers who took four years to hone their craft.

Impossible you say? Nothing is impossible when you're looking to work in Advertising.

Here's the deal. I owe a large part of my knowledge and already found success to Twitter University.

I had to catch up and I had to learn at break neck speed how to be a successful copywriter in Advertising. On top of that, with the economy being where it was and the trend in news reports was encouraging everyone to throw themselves in front of a bus because they would never find work again, I had my work cut out for me.

My good friend and One Fine Philly told me to get on this little thing called Twitter. Almost immediately, Twitter became my Marketing and Advertising crash course. It was like all these professors would throw out head lines and I got to pick what was pertinent for me that day and what wasn't. It was like being in a University filled with a bunch of professors cracked out on Red Bull.

I had fantastic accessibility to those Twitter professors across the country as well. I got to talk with and ask questions to award-winning, successful authors who I would have NEVER met outside of Twitter U.

I continue to learn and grow every single day and I get to pass on what my Twitter teachers have passed on to me. It's a beautiful thing. So thanks Twitter teachers. Especially: @ingridwiese, @steveisphilly, @robbralow, @writingprof, @newtbarrett, @themarketingguy, @sunswept, @armano, @pgillin, @thegrok, @copyblogger, @juntajoe, and @sethgoldstein. I am sure I have forgotten some because there have been so many!

Hamsters Driving Cars

The Kia Soul - A New Way To Roll. This is the new campaign for the very new and very hip Kia Soul. --Watch ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYOX5eYcViw

A couple of personal experiences have happened around this commercial that I'd like to share.

One, I am in my room doing important and smart things (finding the cure for the common cold or something) and my friend out in the living room calls me to come and look at a commercial. She says, "Look. Look. Aww." The cute, furry animals got her. That got me thinking. Why would they use little hamsters? I get the other ones are just running on their wheels and such, but there's other ways to get the same message across without hamsters. I wonder if the sole purpose of the hamsters is because they're cute and furry. It worked on my friend enough to where she wanted to pass it along to me.

Two, a bunch of us are hanging out with my friend in the hospital. Same hamster commercial comes on. One guy, the only guy in the room, says that it's a commercial for a Scion. (Uh-Oh!) I say, no it's Kia. He insists that it's Scion. Eventually I convince him that it's a Kia and he says, "Yeah, they had trouble ripping off stuff before. They got sued for using someone else's distinctive headlights shape." Careful, Kia!

So, two things learned. One little commercial. Moral of story one: cute, furry things sell. Moral of story two: if you're selling a cool-people car, make sure it's unique and original.

Is TV and Print Really Only One-Way?

At the risk of sounding like a new media heretic, I have to refute the proposition that TV/Print is talking at the customer and that there is no interaction.

One of the bonuses, they say, of social media is the direct interaction and connection between consumers and businesses. This is true and innovations in this frontier are being created at a breakneck pace.

But wait a minute. In my experience, I absolutely interact with Print and TV advertisements. If done properly, every Print and TV ad is a story. Everyone has experience knowing what it's like to interact with a story.

I would have to argue that the connection between listener and teller of the story (even if teller is TV) is an intimate one. One where messages are sent and received. The message sent by the listener or reader is this: relating. Relating leads to action. If it's a fiction romantic piece maybe that action means crying. If it's a company's story I relate to then the action is buying.

Customers do have the power of response. When they see a TV Commercial, they either relate or they don't. If they do, they buy. If they don't, then the message goes unremembered and the two-way communication has failed.

Oh, Twitter, When Will People Stop Being Too Good For You?

So I go to this advertising event and a guy - an “expert on internet marketing” - from a major media consulting firm does not Twitter.

I asked him a few questions about Twitter. Again, he is supposed to be an expert on how to make companies money by using methods such as Twitter. He answered the questions intelligently and in a friendly manner. Great! Then I asked, "So, are you on Twitter?" I assumed the answer would be yes and was going to follow up with a follow on Twitter. Instead he said no and, caught off guard, I said, "Why not!?"

"Oh, I'm just not that exciting a person to follow."

Huh? This statement said two things and neither of them what he literally said. It said to me: a) I am too cool to be on Twitter and b) I am going to make fun of you for being on Twitter.

You may be thinking, "Philly Wordsmith, you're being a little sensitive, dontcha think?"

No.

If you're an expert in social media, get the hell involved in social media. If you're so excited about these innovations and your job, then start experimenting and stop judging.

Why People Hate Your Company ...

...and therefore won't buy from you.

There is a deep mistrust in the American public consciousness at the moment. AIG, come on. Bonuses. Really? We want to trust our financial institutions and big companies. We want to know it's safe to eat a hamburger. Companies, you used to be able to get away with this lying. There are simply too many watchdog groups and forums for customer feedback. Companies are learning that the rules have changed. The American public has enormous access to information now and they are on to you.

Copy in company imaging has to be more than stats, figures, and numbers. It has to put a human face on otherwise untrustworthy companies. By becoming accessible, companies will save themselves from bankruptcy. Find marketing people who understand this need for trustworthiness.

It is more important than ever to have a great website. People cannot interact with a TV commercial. One practical and immediate solution is to respond and open yourself to feedback and criticism. The truth is always immediately uncomfortable, but it always promotes growth to bigger and better things.

Imagine if your company marketed the CEO's self-imposed pay/raise freeze so that employees would not have to be fired. Hundreds of jobs were saved because you denied yourself a 3 million dollar bonus. I don't need to do much here to convince you that sales and public awareness would absolutely skyrocket.

Click here for the NY Times article on Saturn's "We're Still Here" campaign. A great example of "putting a human face" on the public perception of an awful corporate regime.

Frank's Red Hot Radio

Have you heard the new Frank's Red Hot radio spots?

You know, the one where the old lady says, "I put that sh*t on everything." It's genius. They bleep out the curse word just enough so that you know for a fact she is saying "shit."

This spot is risky, bold and it's got everybody talking. They're not talking about hot sauce, of course, they're talking about the old lady and how funny the commercial is. You have a successful ad when average people are talking about it. I found myself saying to a friend of mine: "Have you heard the new Frank's Red Hot ad? The one where the old lady says, 'I put that shit on everything.' Well, I love it because the old lady swears AND because it's true. I really do put it on everything."

An already loyal customer spreading the word to someone who may not be. Encouraging them to try it. The call to action happens out of the customer's mouth. "You ever have Frank's hot sauce? Oh, you gotta try it."

Oh, and if your Grandma trusts it, you should too. After all, isn't she the ultimate chef?

The Advantage of a Local Freelance Writer

The writing process is an interactive one. The writer is able to sit in a restaurant and let smells, sounds, and sights over take her. She is able to watch the waiters and the customers talk and laugh. Let your copywriter see, feel, and hear the heavy machinery that makes your factories loud. The job of your copy writer is to translate the smells and sights into words that create the holographic entity your customers can feel when they read your brochure or web page copy. Invite the writer to come and experience what you have to offer your customers because it will show in more vivid descriptions and better understanding of your product and company. As a writer, if I just have to imagine a flower and describe it with words, there tends to be vague adjectives or fuzzy general language. No one wants to read that. When I see a flower right in front of me, the power of smell, color, vibrancy is easy to get down on paper. Your product then becomes not just a product, but a story and an experience. Don't make your patrons have to read a boring list of adjectives for your product or service. People like stories and they like to experience so let your writer give them both.

Ladies, We're Gonna Get Lay'd

From the NY Times: Frito-Lay Tries to Enter the Minds (and Lunch Bags) of Women

Neuromarketing? Really?