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  • Marketing Mishaps

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    Grrrrr . . . Starbucks Baristas Are Trying My Patience

    Friday, May 2nd, 2008

    You can love something or someone absolutely and still have to occasionally give them the Cher/Cage Moonstruck  “Snap out of it!” bitch-slap back to reality. 
    Such is the case with my beloved Starbucks, who seems to have suffered a bout of Worst Practices coupled with my personal favorite, Bad Customer Service with a dollop of Indifference on [...]

    "By Hook Or By Crook We Will," MJR’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - Part 2

    Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

    A video dramatization (though not by much) of the titanic struggle to save our homes from the faceless corporation . . . for sake of clarity and drama, picture me as the guy who’s taking on The System . . . all will be explained on the other side –

    There’s not a way in the [...]

    King Of The Squirrels Case Study - A Rookie Goes Dumb

    Friday, January 25th, 2008

    So . . . read this and tell me what you think. Did he get his million dollars, or did he opt to become King of All Squirrels? Stay tuned because I’ll give you my post-mortem which will help you prevent this from happening — ever.
    I knew this fellow copywriter. We need a name, don’t we? [...]

    A Million Dollars Or King Of The Squirrels? The Copywriter’s Dilemma

    Thursday, January 24th, 2008

    “Is it better to have a million dollars or be King of the Squirrels?”
    A fellow software Test Lead would ask this question of his team whenever there was an indecisive moment about where to go next on a project.
    Believe it or not, there were some who had to think that one over.
    Today, I see many [...]

    Best/Worst Practices Showdown: American Backbone Trumps Russian Deceit

    Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

    “Thirty-five dollars.”
    Me: “What?!”
    My question was on two levels — first, his accent was so thick you could layer it on with a trowel. That, and the fact that the price was wrong.
    His “Thirty-five dollars” sounded more like “dirty bibe dollarsusk.” Mentally I’m trying to nail down the accent’s geography. Russian? Chechen? Georgian?
    Since I didn’t [...]

    How Information Marketing Screws Over Copywriters

    Friday, December 28th, 2007

    If you are a copywriter or someone who hires them, then pay attention — the entire dynamic between those who  produce products for sale and those who write their sales messages has changed.
    But just like shooting a dinosaur, it will take some time for the tail to register that the brain is dead.
    What I’m revealing [...]

    2 Really Good Questions To Ask About Global Warming

    Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

    Two really damn good questions, in fact. So good, they make you wonder why more journalists aren’t asking them.  Would NBC still have done their pandering ‘green’ messaging during November sweeps, complete with green peacock symbol if they had asked themselves these questions?
    Probably, but keep in mind that most are Hollywood pinheads, after all.
    So listen [...]

    Newsletters Without Websites, Part 2 — From Questionable To Worst

    Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

    [cue 60's Lost In Space announcer voice] . . .
    ‘Last week we left our intrepid hero confronted by a Mental Cyclops bent on selling newsletters without an online presence to support it. Desperate, he tried to lure our hero into his lair, but Professor Robinson (ok, work with me here) was not so easily misled.
    Little did [...]

    Questionable Practices - Can You Have A Newsletter Without A Website?

    Friday, December 14th, 2007

    “I’m not going to wind up on your damn blog, am I?”
    What an unusual way to open a phone call, I thought. He has an interesting way of winning friends and influencing people. Hmmm, he’s at least piqued my curiosity. 
    Me: “I don’t know. Depends. How interesting or wacky are you intending to be today?”
    I’m [...]

    Spam-Free Copy For Your Marketing Campaigns

    Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

    Did you screw up? Did you emulate another marketer’s email and use one of those despicable SPAM filter work-arounds like “freeee,” “F.ree,” “f.r.ee” and now you’ve been branded a spammer? And now your open and response rates suck to high heaven? Infusion Software’s Ryan Peterson reveals what you can do about it in today’s guest post.

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