Anything else Archives - Page 6 of 9

R.I.P. TO MY FIRST CLIENT

May 1, 2013 by Scott Flood

I just learned that my first client died in early April, and as is often the case in such situations, news of her death triggered many memories. She was one of the nation’s leading celebrities for many years, but unlike so many of today’s fading stars who claw for one more desperate moment in the spotlight, she had gracefully exited from center stage long before we met.

Her name was Maria Tallchief, and at the peak of her career in the 1940s, she was the prima ballerina for the New York City Ballet. More than that, she was widely considered to be America’s first true prima ballerina. At 17, she arrived in New York City and landed an apprenticeship in a ballet company. One of the dancers became pregnant, and Mme. Tallchief stepped into her role. Soon, the American dancer‘s talent eclipsed that of the Russians in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she met and soon married celebrated choreographer George Balanchine.

MATCH THE TONE TO THE OCCASION

March 6, 2013 by Scott Flood

I was giving a talk to a business group a few weeks back, and after I stressed the importance of keeping marketing communications conversational, one of the attendees posed a question about how much of conversational tone is enough. It was a great question.

I responded that the answer depends upon the message-sender, the recipient, the medium, and the environment. For example, if you’re responding on social media to a longtime customer, you can be far more conversational and fun than you’d want to be in an initial message to a conservative prospect.

CAPITALIZATION DOESN’T MAKE THINGS MORE IMPORTANT

November 28, 2012 by Scott Flood

There’s an interesting quirk that shows up when many companies or organizations develop content of all types. They capitalize words that have no business being capitalized. Or, to put it differently, They capitalize Words that don’t really need to have Capital letters.

I suspect the reason they do that is that they think the use of capital letters make the words seem more Important or Impressive.

START AT THE HEART

November 21, 2012 by Scott Flood

Having trouble developing your message? Suffering from a case of what some people call writer’s block? There’s a very simple technique that can help you get started.

All you have to do is identify the main message you want to convey to your audience. Don’t worry about finding the exact words or the best way to say it — just type that main message that’s at the heart of what you want to get across.

THE WRITER AS MODERATOR

October 17, 2012 by Scott Flood

Watching this year’s national election debates, I’ve been particularly fascinated by the moderators on two fronts. First, there are the styles each has used, and second, there’s the uproar their performances trigger among the partisans on either side. (Those who know me well know I’m apolitical, so if your immediate response to that sentence is to castigate one of those moderators for treating your candidate shabbily, this blog’s comments section isn’t the place.)

They fascinate me because they serve a similar role to that of the copywriter. They have to defend the interests of the audience from those who wish to control both the message and its delivery. Regardless of their own personal beliefs about the matters at hand, to be truly effective, they have to operate with objectivity and continually ask themselves whether the ultimate audience is getting the information it wants.

ASSORTED ODDS … AND ODDS

July 11, 2012 by Scott Flood

Sometimes people need to give thoughts to the placement of their signage. Take the convenience store I passed recently that had two of those temporary yard signs placed side-by-side on their wide green lawn. Being a well-trained human, I first glanced at the sign on the left, which said “Take ‘n’ Bake Pizza $5.99,” but any appetite that created vanished when I looked right and read “We have live bait.”

Can snack foods feel insulted? That was my first thought during a visit to a Target store, when I saw an aisle sign pointing the way to “Jerky Snacks.”

SOME PEOPLE JUST DON’T GET IT

June 27, 2012 by Scott Flood

Over the years, I’ve encountered many situations that were either amusing or bemusing when trying to complete projects. I’ve learned that many people don’t grasp the basics of marketing … and others seem to have missed the most basic lessons of — well, life.

For example, there are several folks who have asked me to add more information to copy while simultaneously making it shorter. Graphic designers know them as the people who want the type size larger and the type to take up less space without cutting anything.

START WRITING IN THE MIDDLE

April 11, 2012 by Scott Flood

One of the most common questions I hear from non-writers is “How do you get started?” They have something that they want to put down on paper, or something they have to write for a job, and they sit and stare at that unfriendly cursor, unable to type the first word. They assume that someone who writes for a living would know some sort of magic trigger to get that first sentence underway.

I don’t, but I’ll let you in on a secret: I don’t usually start at the beginning. No matter what I’m writing — whether it’s an article, a website, an ad, or a blog post — I usually start somewhere in the middle.

STOP! YOU’RE BOTH RIGHT!

March 14, 2012 by Scott Flood

Within the world of advertising and marketing, there are several subgroups of professionals. One of those groups is the so-called “creatives” — the writers, graphic designers, and art directors who come up with ideas for communications tools and then execute those ideas.

Within the community of creatives is an unending debate about whether design or content is more important. It shouldn’t surprise you that writers tend to advocate for content, while designers and art directors focus on the importance of design. I’ve listened to more of those arguments than any person should be expected to bear.

SUCCESS STORY: WRITING FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES

February 29, 2012 by Scott Flood

Designing a garden to accommodate the special needs of people with disabilities is a wonderful idea, but only if the intended users understand how the design works with them. When the Plainfield Plus community group secured a grant to establish such a garden in the town’s Friendship Gardens park, that’s why they included funds to create a guide to the garden and asked Scott Flood to develop it.

The book provides details of the garden and shows how its various elements address different disabilities, such as raised beds that reduce the need for stooping, and plants with scent and touch characteristics that can be appreciated by people with visual impairments. Just as important, the book detailed how people could duplicate those features in their own gardens.