by Chuck McKay | Jul 9, 2015 | Ad Critique / Classic Examples, Advertising / Marketing Strategy
You get your new insurance bill, and grumble about the rate. You’ve grumbled every month when the bill comes, but today you’re especially irritated. “I wonder if I’m overpaying,” you mumble as you walk to your computer and search for “auto insurance.” You go to the...
by Chuck McKay | Jan 31, 2014 | Advertising / Marketing Strategy, Persuasion / Power of Words, Video Post
Swipe Files / Headline Banks Have you seen those ads for “headline banks” or “swipe files?” Collections of the 100 greatest advertisements of all time so you don’t even have to learn anything about marketing or advertising. You just have...
by Chuck McKay | Jun 14, 2013 | Image Advertising, Branding, and Positioning, Presentation, Publicity and Public Relations (PR)
Originally published August 14, 2005 Half a century ago a pair of researchers, Herbert Harari and John W. McDavid gave eighty experienced teachers papers to grade. Eight essays, all of comparable quality were supposedly by boys named David, Elmer, Hubert, and Michael,...
by Chuck McKay | Apr 18, 2013 | Credibility and Critical Non-Essentials, Customer Focus, Retention, and Evangelism, Trophy Catch
Originally Published July 12, 2006 The scene is a national restaurant chain. I’m meeting a client for lunch. I notice that our hostess, who doesn’t appear to be much more than 19 or 20 is wearing a pin on her apron with the number “10” on it. I must have looked a bit...
by Chuck McKay | Sep 9, 2012 | Advertising / Marketing Strategy, Publicity and Public Relations (PR)
Scott is a musician. Scott’s band isn’t getting enough paying gigs. He thinks he has a marketing problem, but he’s wrong. He has a focus problem. Scott came to me to help him sell his band’s services to club owners. I pointed out that 40 years ago bands got $700 a...
