5 Most Listened to Podcasts in 2009

Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand blog and podcast published a list of the 5 most listened to podcasts that she hosted in 2009, and I’m happy to announce that one of the podcasts that I particpated in with Anna ranked at the top of the list.

In this particular podcast, I spoke with Anna about my book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, and the craft of creating compelling and effective marketing communications.  You can listen to my podcast here.

Check out the list of the top 5 podcasts on The Engaging Brand in 2009 below.  There are some great discussions!

1. Susan Gunelius with Tips on Business Writing
2. Sydney Finkelstein on Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions
3. Costas Kataras on Are we facing the death of the brand
4. Roz Savage on Facing the Fear
5. Roy Spence on Its not what you sell
   

Also, check out Anna’s blog for a list of the top 5 podcasts on The Engaging Brand of all time for more great conversations!

10 Reasons Your Marketing Messages Stink

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 thoughts!

Mercedes E-Class Ad Copy – ‘Butt’ of Critics’ Jokes

One of the points I stress in my book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, is the importance of writing copy that speaks to your target audience.  If your audience doesn’t ‘get’ your copy or it doesn’t speak directly to them in a language they understand, appreciate, and relate to, then your ad won’t drive the sales you need from it.  Case in point — the new Mercedes E-Class print ads shown below.

Ad #1 Copy Reads: “Superfect. The E-Class Coupe. It deserves a whole new language.”

Ad #2 Copy Reads: “Fabuttractive. The E-Class Coupe. It deserves a whole new language.”

The problems with this copy are two-fold:

First, how many Mercedes customers would be motivated by the pre-teen, Valley Girl (okay, I’m dating myself there) language used in this copy?  Who is the target audience for these ads?  How many of them would be positively influenced by the word “superfect” or “fabuttastic”?  And would they want to be associated with a product and brand that is linked to those words?  It’s doubtful.

Second, the glaring inclusion of ‘butt’ within the word ‘fabuttastic’ is hard not to notice.  It’s almost laughable and is a great example of another point I make in my book – always show your copy to many people before you approve it.  While the creative team behind this ad may not have noticed the word-within-a-word subliminal message, many advertising critics have.  I don’t think many brands like Mercedes want to see the word ‘butt’ in such close proximity to their products and brands.

I’m just saying.

I’m Not a Doctor but I Play One On TV

Remember that phrase from the mid-1980s Vicks 44 commercials — “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”

There were two versions of that commmercial that I recall – both with soap opera actors (a quick web search reminded me the actors were Peter Bergman of All My Children and Chris Robinson of General Hospital). Both actors said that famous line, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV,” and consumers everywhere were expected to think that acting like a doctor on a soap opera gave them some kind of special authority to recommend an over the counter cough medicine. Looking back, the only surprising thing was that it worked.

Do you think a similar direct claim like that would work with today’s more jaded and less gullible consumer audience?  If an actor from a soap opera used that famous line today, would consumers listen or would they laugh? 

Marketing messages have had to change a lot over the past 20 years to keep up with changing consumers.  Take a look at your current marketing and ad campaigns.  Are you speaking to consumers like it’s 1986 or 2009?

Kick-Ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps Reviewed by Deb Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs

Deb Ng of the number one online community for freelance writers, Freelance Writing Jobs, published a review of my book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, this week.  In a nutshell, she liked it!

It’s a great write up, and you can read it here.

Susan Gunelius Interviewed on The Engaging Brand Podcast

Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand interviewed me about business communications, and the interview is now available as a podcast here.   Just click the “Play” button on the right side of the screen to listen.  You can subscribe to The Engaging Brand show on iTunes.  In the interview, Anna and I discuss:

• Has business writing changed over the last decade?
• Has business writing itself become more informal or is it that business people have brought their personal style to the commercial world?
• How words are now important but it is harder for those words to stand out from the crowd.
• Tips on how to develop your writing skills
• How creating the message is like building a house!
• Is it about the words you use or how you construct the message?
• The importance of writing as though to your best friend.
• Which marketing trigger words work?
• How do you develop your writing style?
• Where does creativity come from – is it from the tools, the person or the message? 

Valpak – The Original Stimulus Package

Kudos to Valpak for coming up with creative advertising copy that’s generating a buzz.  At the end of 2008, Valpak was laying off workers as more and more businesses cut their advertising budgets.  This month, Valpak introduced a new ad campaign that dubs the company’s iconic blue envelopes as the “original consumer stimulus package since 1968.”

The copy goes on to say, “It doesn’t take an act of Congress or a trillion bucks to stimulate consumer spending. You can reinvigorate the economy today by putting a money-saving offer in the hands of targeted consumers.”

The message is even on the Valpak website.  Check out the screenshot below.  I love the life preserver.

At a time when small business owners can’t afford to cut advertising and consumers are actively looking for ways to save money, the new Valpak ad campaign is both timely and effective.  Well done!

Remember, an economic downturn can present new opportunities with out-of-the-box thinking.

Your thoughts?

10 Steps to Effective Marketing by Susan Gunelius on Entrepreneur.com

A new excerpt from my book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, was published on Entrepreneur.com today.  The excerpt is titled, “10 Steps to Effective Marketing” and highlights the steps that are the basis for the book. 

You can follow the link to read 10 Steps to Effective Marketing or view the PDF.

Creative Ambient Advertising from Revita

I love creative ambient media, so when I stumbled upon this ad for shiatsu massage at the Revita Beauty Spa in Brazil on Adgoodness, I had to post it here, too.  While I admit, the ad might get dirty as people walk on it, I think the placement and creativity is excellent.  This ad will definitely get noticed. 

The copy simply says, “Relax with Shiatsu,” and includes the Revita logo and phone number.  I think this ad is a great example where simple copy and clever ad placement can work very well.  What do you think?

Read an Excerpt of ‘Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps’ by Susan Gunelius

An excerpt of Susan Gunelius’ book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, is now available on Entrepreneur.com. 

You can read the excerpt by following the link to Entrepreneur.com or open the PDF.

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