by Chuck McKay | Sep 17, 2006 | Uncategorized
Please don’t think that I’m suggesting that you should offend small groups of people. That’s not it at all.I’ll bet the point becomes obvious as you read these examples.Example Number One:Everyone has heard the fable of the six blind men and the elephant. It’s a...
by Chuck McKay | Sep 9, 2006 | Uncategorized
Suppose that you had 50 people in a room, and asked each of them to flip a coin. Those whose coins came up “tails” were instructed to sit down, and those who had “heads” flipped again.The law of averages suggests that twenty-five of your people would flip a second...
by Chuck McKay | Sep 3, 2006 | Ad Writing / Copywriting, Persuasion / Power of Words
Has there ever been a kid who didn’t dream of becoming invisible? To pass unnoticed before people’s very eyes? To come and go with no accountability? There could be some very real advantages to being invisible – provided you’re not an advertising message....
by Chuck McKay | Aug 26, 2006 | Uncategorized
“Twenty years ago this used to be so easy,” he said. “When sales were slow we’d put up the big tent, put a bunch of boats in the tent, set up a prize registration box, grill some hotdogs, and invite a radio station. We’d sell half a dozen boats easily.“Ten years ago...
by Chuck McKay | Aug 20, 2006 | Uncategorized
Marketing consultants love to tell you their success stories. Listen to them long enough and you’ll believe they never make mistakes. Ask them about their failures. Oh, we all have them. They’re universally embarrassing. The good consultants have fallen on their...
by Chuck McKay | Aug 13, 2006 | Uncategorized
A good art instructor takes her students through a number of different “schools” of painting in the course of their education. Does she do this to give them a broader appreciation of art? No. That’s a side benefit.She does it so that they can learn specific techniques...
by Chuck McKay | Jul 29, 2006 | Uncategorized
Every business creates its own professional reputation. Sometimes we refer to it as “word of mouth.” Given enough time, a positive reputation may be all that’s necessary for a business to become successful.But even word of mouth reinforces either a...
by Chuck McKay | Jul 21, 2006 | Advertising Frequency, Customer Focus, Retention, and Evangelism
We assume that people avoid seeing their dentist because they fear pain. Perhaps that’s a valid assumption. Maybe they don’t call because they don’t have a relationship with a dentist. Or maybe they’re just busy. Then again, maybe it’s lack of foresight – the “Nothing...
by Chuck McKay | Jul 8, 2006 | Uncategorized
Americans are just so gosh darn optimistic.*Ask ‘em. Ask ‘em what they intend to buy in the next year. Then compare those results to what they did buy last year. Everyone intends to purchase major appliances, a new car, or a Caribbean vacation next year.But somehow...
by Chuck McKay | Jun 24, 2006 | Ad Critique / Classic Examples, Advertising / Marketing Strategy
Bear with me as we set up the facts of this story. This story is true. It actually happened. The people and the company involved are very real, but shall not be named. If they must have a name, call them . . . oh, let’s call them Little Brother Bob’s...
