Question: is Anthony Hardwick of Omaha, Nebraska, the next Molly Katchpole?
Katchpole is the Washington, D.C., graduate student whose angry social media petition sparked a nationwide revolt against Bank of America’s plan to charge customers $5 per month for their debit cards. After losing thousands of accounts, B of A backed off.
The target of Hardwick’s online [...]
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AFTER B OF A, IS BLACK FRIDAY NEXT?
THE MONUMENTS WE CARRY: AN ODE TO STEVE JOBS
When I heard the news of Steve Jobs’ death, my mind detoured back almost 300 years to the great English architect, Sir Christopher Wren.
Wren’s most famous design is St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, whose dome vies with the towers of Parliament as the city’s most recognizable structure. When Wren died, his body was placed in [...]
QUICK – WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE YOU?
I’m a consumer. I’m thinking about buying your product or service right now, at this very moment. Quickly, now – why should I? Have you given me a reason?
Did you make me feel special? Did you offer me insider privileges if I “Like” you on Facebook? Am I on your e-mail list for discounts – [...]
THE HANGOVER, PART 136
Preakness officials are triumphantly crowing that ticket sales are up over last year, especially in the beer-soaked infield. Excuse me if I’m less than excited.
Don’t get me wrong: I want the Preakness to succeed. Its value to Baltimore – especially in this battered economy – is inestimable. But while shouting their success to the housetops, [...]
ARE YOU TALKING TO YOURSELF?
Edwin Newman, NBC correspondent and crusader for clear language, passed away last week. Sadly, he leaves us just as marketers need his wisdom more than ever – especially when writing their companies’ websites.
Newman loved lancing such pretentious linguistic boils as “motorized attendance module” (translation: “school bus”) and other polysyllabic puffery. He advocated a lucid, muscular [...]
ONCE AND (OVER) DONE
by Dave Spivey, Senior Copywriter on Feb 06, 2012 in Advertising, Commentary
New rule: if you want to predict how the Super Bowl commercials will go, your best barometer is the National Anthem.
This year, Kelly Clarkson larded her performance with quavers and grace notes until the poor “Star-Spangled Banner” sagged under their weight like Charlie Brown’s forlorn Christmas tree. And as the anthem went, so went the [...]