10 Reasons Your Marketing Messages Stink

Posted by on Nov 25, 2009 in Blog, Copywriting, KeySplash News | 3 comments

My latest article is live on Entrepreneur.com.  It’s called 10 Reasons Your Marketing Messages Stink, and I look at the craft of writing effective copy from a different perspective than you might be used to. You can check it out here. What do you think is the main reason marketing copy is ineffective?  Leave a comment and share your...

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There’s a Brand Opening in Hollywood – Who Can Fill Oprah’s Shoes

Posted by on Nov 20, 2009 in Blog, Branding | 2 comments

Calling all females in Hollywood! Oprah Winfrey announced she is leaving the Oprah Winfrey Show after 25 years as the face of afternoon television for women — a role that helped position her as one of the most powerful women in entertainment and the world. The official end to her run as the queen of daytime TV is scheduled for September 9, 2011 — plenty of time to position a successor. Those are big brand shoes to fill.  Who can step up to the challenge?  Some might point to Ellen Degeneres who is already positioned firmly with her own talk show, but Ellen and Oprah represent...

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Are You Overthinking Your Marketing?

Posted by on Nov 11, 2009 in Advertising, Blog | 4 comments

I have written many times about my preference for transparent marketing and an aversion to marketing buzz words and rhetoric.  My motto is, cut to the chase.  If I hear the word ‘paradigm’, I’m leaving.  So I laughed out loud today when I came across a video published on Ad Freak, which was created by U.K.-based freelance animator and illustrator Joseph Pelling. Joseph’s hilarious video pokes fun at the overthinking of the advertising and marketing creative process.  I have to share it here. I’m all for thinking out of the box, but you need to know when...

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Dan Schawbel Interviews Susan Gunelius about Hugh Hefner, Playboy and Harry Potter

Posted by on Nov 3, 2009 in Blog, Branding, Interviews, KeySplash News | 0 comments

This week, I answered some questions posed to me by Dan Schawbel of Personal Branding Blog about my new book, Building Brand Value the Playboy Way, and my book about the Harry Potter brand, Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon. You can read the full interview on Dan’s blog and learn how Hugh Hefner, Playboy and Harry Potter are connected in terms of branding strategy. Bet you never thought you’d hear that Playboy and Harry Potter can be compared to each other! Here’s a brief excerpt from the interview: Dan Schawbel: What branding lessons can we learn from...

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