In the Middle, Where Elephants Sit…
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
Years ago, Volvo ran an ad in which an elephant sat on the hood of a station wagon to prove how strong and safe the car was. Which brings me right to the point – in the case of brands, sitting beneath the butt-cheeks of a ponderous pachyderm is a good place to be.
Often, the middle is not a good thing. The middle seat in the back of a car is usually tight and always windowless. In politics, the middle is equated with an inability to take sides on an issue. To be nowhere. Finding yourself between an elephant and a car hood…well, you get the picture.
But in storytelling, the middle is where the action is. It’s where the plot thickens and builds on itself as it rolls inevitably to the climax.
So what, you ask, do elephants, car hoods and the middle of stories have in common? Here’s what: (more…)
Tags: brand messaging, brand story, Branding, Copywriting, storytelling
Posted in Messaging | No Comments »
In the Beginning…
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
Every story has a beginning, middle and an end. So, too, do companies and products. Today, I want to talk about the beginning.
In storytelling lingo, the beginning is often called the “catalyst” or the “inciting incident”. It is the big bang, the moment the protagonist loses his job, the death of the beloved king. It is the moment that brings about monumental change to which we as readers can often relate at a personal level.
In company and product parlance, the catalyst is that place where your brand first started talking shape. And, for consumers, it is often that place that explains why companies are doing what they are doing in the first place. In other words, it gives the rest of the “story” meaning and purpose.
Here are some great examples of company catalysts: (more…)
Tags: Apple, Branding, Copywriting, Google, marketing communications, marketing messages, marketing messaging, Napster, storytelling
Posted in Marketing, Messaging | 1 Comment »
Does Your Brand Have Wings?
Friday, January 7th, 2011
Recently I walked into a clothing store, and noticed a cool t-shirt hanging on the rack. The front of the shirt was emblazoned with a gopher with wings. As I bent in for a closer look, the salesman piped up: “Do you know the story about our brand?”
A great story is meant to be told
The salesperson explained enthusiastically that the t-shirt’s graphic is the logo of the brand, Topo Ranch, that was founded by folks whose ancestors were survivors of the Donner Party. And that their family did actually own land called ‘Topo Ranch’ from the 1800s until they lost it to the Great Depression. The store’s mission is to (more…)
Tags: brand messaging, Branding, content development, Copywriting, marketing messaging, Marketing Writing, storytelling
Posted in Marketing, Messaging | No Comments »
A Brand New Year – A Brand New Story
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
Welcome to Story Craft and a brand new year. Marketing for entertainment technology is the game we play at Neology. It’s a multi-player game in an ever-changing world. It keeps us on our toes and makes us want to blog about it.
In this blog, we share our insights, experiences and case studies — those head-scratching and “eureka” moments — about how we help entertainment technology companies strengthen their brands and subsequently increase their revenue. As we arm our clients with the right tools to do the job, we spend a lot of time ruminating on brand building and the essential storytelling that goes along with it.
Same old story?
As I stated in an earlier post in August 2010, storytelling in marketing ain’t new. Marketing in its earliest form was based on the sharing a compelling stories with a potential customers. The goal was then, as is now, to create an emotional reaction in the customer, an urgent desire, which could only be fulfilled by purchasing the product or service. What’s different is that in ancient times, the audience could take part. Somewhere along the way, we as storytellers forgot how to impart stories that invited interaction.
(more…)
Tags: brand message, brand story, Branding, Copywriting, marketing, Marketing Writing
Posted in Marketing, Messaging, Visual Effects Technology, video game technology | No Comments »
Latest Project: Southpaw’s TACTIC 3.0 Launch
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to update everyone on some of my project work. Here’s a project I completed last June and July with my client, Southpaw Technology. Southpaw wanted to launch the latest version of their digital asset management (DAM) system, TACTIC 3.0, at SIGGRAPH 2010. Neology defined a cost-effective launch strategy, and assisted in all marketing tactics, including product message development, PR, trade show booth setup, direct mail, collateral design and more. The campaign captured 2x as many leads as projected.
Tags: Copywriting, digital asset management, Entertainment technology, launch campaigns, marketing communications, PR, Southpaw, TACTIC, tradeshow, visual effects
Posted in Marketing, Projects, Visual Effects Technology | No Comments »
(Written) Content is Still King
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
For those not paying attention, there has been a pretty monumental shift in marketing over the last few years. To put it simply, we’ve evolved from the more traditional world of interruption marketing to the world of permission marketing.
So what does all that mean for copywriters who have built their careers on catchy ad slogans? For the savvy copywriter who knows how to evolve, it can spell opportunity.
Consider these points:
(more…)
Tags: content development, copywriter, Copywriting, interruption marketing, Marketing Writing, permission marketing, web content
Posted in Messaging | No Comments »
Do You Need a Messaging Expert?
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Well, do you? Anyone can write. After all, we are taught to write in school. Some people excel at it, and some people don’t. But putting words on paper is something almost anyone can do. Right?
Not exactly.
(more…)
Tags: Branding, Copywriting, marketing, marketing messaging
Posted in Messaging | 3 Comments »
Meet Me @ the Corner of Marketing and Messaging
Monday, October 12th, 2009
When people ask me whether I am a copywriter or a marketer, I always answer the same way – I am both. Why? Because the two professions are intrinsically connected.
Here’s an example of what I mean: Executives at an early stage company want the company to have more visibility in the market. Their idea is to run ads, reach out to editors, do direct mail, re-design the web site, and other tactics – all of which can be effective tools for raising awareness and driving leads.
(more…)
Tags: Branding, Copywriting, marketing, Marketing Writing
Posted in Marketing, Messaging | No Comments »
Dictionary 2.0 – Neologisms Accepted
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
It seems that the world is going 2-dot-0. Marketing 2.0. Web 2.0. Enterprise 2.0. Business 2.0. So where’s the Dictionary 2.0?
The world is changing, and our language is striving to keep pace. The advent of new technology and evolving culture is taking us into places for which we have no descriptive vernacular. To wit, words like “google”, “blogosphere”, “tweet”, “phishing”, “crowdsourcing”, “vaporware”, and “skype” didn’t exist 10 years ago. Now it’s hard to get a sentence out without using one of these neologisms.
(more…)
Tags: Copywriting, dictionary 2.0, neologism, neology, Random Thoughts, words, wortespiel, writng
Posted in Random Thoughts | No Comments »
Writing Effective Web Site Copy
Saturday, June 20th, 2009
Web sites have become a necessity in today’s business world. These seven tips can help companies get the most out of the words they put on each page.
1. Know your Audience. Before one word is put on a site, it is critical to understand your audience and what motivates them to act. Without that key information, you run the risk of producing rambling, ineffectual copy and organizing it in such a way that does not motivate your customers to contact you.
(more…)
Tags: Branding, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Writing, web content, writing for the web
Posted in Messaging | 1 Comment »
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