Category Archives: Branding

Context Matters

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Rod Schwartz

Whenever I meet with a new advertising client or prospect, one of the first items of business is to come to a meeting of the minds concerning the singular importance of: The Message. What-the-ad-says has more to do with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Communication, Copy, Copywriting, editor, graphic design, Newspaper, Print, Problem-solving, Professional Services Advertising, Promotions, Proofreading, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Your Brand a Joke?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Rod Schwartz

I enjoy a funny story as much as anyone.  But not every joke is worth telling, certainly not in all places, at all times. Just because you can tell it doesn’t mean that you should. Context matters, it really does.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Communication, Copywriting, Print, Professional Services Advertising, Promotions, Sales & Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Best-Selling Wizard of Ads Trilogy…FREE!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Rod Schwartz

If Roy H. Williams has advertised this elsewhere, I’ve not seen it.  But earlier this week, as I was poking around the Wizard’s website, I happened to notice that he’s making available FREE (for how long?) all three of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Communication, Problem-solving, Professional Services Advertising, Promotions, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

David Ogilvy on Writing and the Spoken Word

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Rod Schwartz

From Brain Pickings… On September 7th, 1982, Ogilvy sent an internal memo to all agency employees, titled “How to Write:” The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Client-voiced commercials, Communication, Madison Avenue, Ogilvy, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Radio Production, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling, Voice Acting, Voiceover | 1 Comment

“WORD-OF-MOUTH IS MY BEST ADVERTISING.”

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Rod Schwartz

“I don’t need to advertise.  I rely on word-of-mouth. My customers tell their friends.”   How often have you heard those words? Personal referrals and recommendations are powerful, especially when we’re considering the purchase of a product or service from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Client-voiced commercials, Communication, Problem-solving, Professional Services Advertising, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Radio Production, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

RADIO (Still) Gets Results!

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Rod Schwartz

The fact that I retrieved this presentation from a cassette tape tells you something about how long ago I put it together. (Hint: it was before we recorded onto flash memory cards, before we emailed MP3 files, even before we burned CD’s. Seinfeld was … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Client-voiced commercials, Professional Services Advertising, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Production, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling | Leave a comment

The Power of Words

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Rod Schwartz

“Choose your next witticism carefully, Mr. Bond.  It may be your last.”   –Auric Goldfinger to James Bond, who is about to be cut in half by a laser beam. Bond: “Well, you’re forgetting one thing. If I fail to report, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Casting Talent, Client-voiced commercials, Communication, Professional Services Advertising, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Radio Production, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling, Voice Acting, Voiceover | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

CAR DEALER RADIO ADVERTISING…IMPROVED

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Rod Schwartz

Too many car dealer radio and TV ads sound the same. They all use the same tired clichés, hyperboles, and ad-speak. They shout at the listener, thump their chest, and answer questions nobody’s asking. Small wonder that consumers find it … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Client-voiced commercials, Communication, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Radio Production, Sales & Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Problem With Groupon-style Deals

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Rod Schwartz

Earlier this month a friend shared a story about a bakery owner who lost $8000 cash honoring an ill-advised experiment with Groupon. Not surprisingly, their unfortunate experience isn’t an isolated incident.  An article in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel detailed a Milwaukee … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Communication, Professional Services Advertising, Promotions, Sales & Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Happy April First!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Rod Schwartz

This is one of eight different commercials running heavily all day April 1st on all six commercial radio stations in the market.  (If the local NPR affiliate would allow it, they’d be running there, too.)  It’s a special one-day campaign, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Branding, Client-voiced commercials, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Radio Production, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment