I’ve read a lot of great books about advertising and marketing, but none even comes close to one I read as a teen. It still occupies a prominent place on my bookshelf.
It’s a 1972 text called “Madvertising (or Up Madison Ave.),” and it was created by the same geniuses who guided Mad Magazine through its glory years. Many of those writers and artists had cut their teeth in the advertising industry, and they used the book to skewer the many tricks and techniques major advertisers employ.
HOW TO ALWAYS HAVE NEWSLETTER CONTENT
One of the many lessons I learned during my ad agency days was the importance of a good “swipe” file. Never heard the term? It’s simply a file (or box) where you threw ads, articles, brochures – anything you liked or thought was particularly effective. When you were given a tough assignment, you’d sift through the swipe file, and often, what you saw would trigger a new idea or a new direction.
I continue to use a couple types of swipe files. If your organization published a newsletter, one of them can help you ensure that you have a steady stream of content.
HOW SHOULD YOU END A LETTER?
I was recently teaching a class about writing better business letters. With the advent of email and texting, letter writing is one of those arts that appears to be fading, and I welcomed the opportunity to share some basics.
One participant wondered about the best way to send letters. Is “sincerely” the right word?
P.S. I LOVE THEM
Way back when people used to compose something called “letters,” they often ended them with a brief afterthought called a postscript. If you’re too young to remember “duck and cover,” you may not have heard of these quaint messages, but they would begin with the abbreviation “P.S.”
JUST NOT TOO PERSONAL
When I was in college, I received a very compelling sweepstakes promotion. Were I the winner, the sweepstakes would build my beautiful dream home right there at P.O. Box 501! I have a healthy imagination, but I’ll admit I struggled with envisioning the home of my dreams fitting into a 5-inch by 5-inch post office box.