Indeed! Want to be sure that all your hard work isn’t being lifted by nefarious people too lazy to write their own great copy? Check out CopyScape.
Posts from the Einstein-esque Category
Web Copy Writing Is Hard Work
November 3rd, 2006 by Chief Nut
Naming Cloud 9
November 2nd, 2006 by Chief NutWe’ve assisted numerous clients with the process of coming up with a corporate name. Let’s just say it’s tough … very tough. There are lists of considerations; legal, logical, brand, design, marketing, audience, advertising, longevity, and on and on and on. Once you come up with a fabulous name, you can’t marry yourself to it just yet. You have to run it through your IP Attorney and pass muster with the US Patent and Trademark office (which is no small feat).
Watch this video about a real life scenario (Cloud 9 Shuttle in San Diego, CA) where John Hawkins, President and CEO of the company recounts the creative process and how it bumped up against and conflicted with all logical thought processes. This is a GREAT lesson in how business minds need to learn to “let go” of all of those shackles if their marketing plans are expected to soar.
23.5 Million Dollars Per Letter
November 1st, 2006 by Chief NutRobert Scoble posts a few weeks ago about the YouTube acquisition for 1.65 Billion. Astutely, he points out that Blinkx didn’t get the big deal for several reasons. One, you can’t spell it and two, you “can still say YouTube even after drinking four beers”. Under the guise of third party verification, I have independently verified that this last claim is, indeed, true (hic). It is, however, very difficult to say 10 times, fast in this state (even sober …€” go ahead, try it).
Eight years ago, our company was three months into the process of changing our name because we found that we were breaking all of our own “rules”. In December of 1999, the Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, allowing trademark holders to force the release of infringing names, was passed and Image Engineering, Inc. let loose on us its team of legal beagles (rightfully so). At the time, our company name was ImagEngineering (ACK! BLECH! Note the shared “E” in the middle) All this did was put the turbo on a re-naming that was already underway. Far and away, this was the best business decision we’ve ever made.
Here are the rules that we followed to come up with Acorn Creative. If Blinkx had follwed these rules they wouldn’t … well … they wouldn’t now be Blinkx. Use the rules in good health! If you have any ideas to add to the list, please do share!
Right Brain, Left Brain
October 31st, 2006 by Chief NutI have two degrees … a B.S. in Biology and a Minor in Fine Art. Whooptie doo …€” so what. It means I’m fairly unique in that I use both frontal lobes equally well. This comes in handy with things like … ummm, say, building model cars or other activities that require a sense of logic/precision AND a sense of aesthetics. It’s terrible for things like doing brain surgery or painting water lillies at Giverny (Leornardo was a rare exception).
In this article in The Hindu (referred to by Dan Pink in his post called “Up The Value Chain“), we find that IIT Madras is establishing a centre of excellence in engineering design that will attempt to teach aesthetic design in addition to the traditional engineering curiculum. Is this just a waste of time? No ….. BUT! (Isn’t there always a big “but” in these kinds of things?) But, you’d have to temper your expectations with an understanding that this is not an approach to get all the greatest work you’ll need out of a single individual. If the new graduate excels in computer design, they’ll very likely be pretty mediocre at industrial/product design, which uses the other side of the brain.
The advantage of taking this approach is that you’ll get engineers that will be able to better communicate and understand the thought processes of their design cohorts. This would certainly lead to an improvement in most complex teams. Conversely, artists and designers would benefit from courses on logic, math and engineering principles. Please, no BioChem … that just about made my head explode! 
Readin’, Ritin’, Rithmatic … and RWeb 2.0
October 28th, 2006 by Chief Nut“Web 2.0″ certainly doesn’t work in that whole fake alliteration lingo from days gone by, but that’s OK. It fits GREAT with the new direction that education will most certainly take in your schools soon …€” if not already. Take a peek at what’s in store for your kids. Read this comprehensive (long and three part) article from Solution Watch. It covers the gamut … everything from “applications” to “wikis” … and covers all the right technologies and how these new tools will impact the learning process.
Get It Boy … Fetch!
October 11th, 2006 by Chief NutNeed to get information on the latest, greatest gadget? Guy Kawasaki tells us about an old business associate of his that has built a new search engine designed for this kind of specialty search … called Retrevo.
Type in your typical keyword search (better yet, a specific product with a product number) and, unlike your usual Google results, you’ll get a breakdown of;
- search results
- product documentation (with a separate window for viewing pdfs)
- manufacturer information
- reviews and articles about the product
- links to blogs and forums talking about that product
This guy is a (as Wiley Cayote would say) suuuuuuuper genius!
NEXT!!
October 6th, 2006 by Chief NutThe back-end, programming folks have done their bit. Now we just need a couple of hundred (or ten thousand) out of the box thinkers to launch some fabulously unique ways to reinvent online shopping!
Uh One, Uh Two, Uh Thrrrreeeee
September 22nd, 2006 by Chief Nut
Here’s an age test. Raise your hand if you remember the animated Tootsie Roll Pop Commercial where the little boy goes up to the wise owl and asks “how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”. The owl says “let’s see” and counts out as he licks …. “uh one, uh two, uh thrrrreeee” CRUNCH “Three”. Admit it, if you remember the commercial you’re smiling right now, yes?!
I saw this commercial on cable television YESTERDAY!!! This really threw me and begs several questions … Does a great brand always have to reinvent itself? Can a generations old company like Tootsie Roll Industries effectively use an old standby commercial from the 1960s and have it be just as effective with today’s market? My vote is YES! The beauty of that commercial is that it’s tight, it’s simple, it’s memorable and it oozes well implemented humor.
The next big picture question would be “can a great commercial or a great marketing idea really become timeless?” The world may never know.
A Standard For Success
September 21st, 2006 by Chief NutYears ago I read a bit by Tom Peters where he talked about giving employees “standards” instead of job titles or even descriptions of tasks. If you give a person a standard by which to work, they can invent the process on their own AND will be more apt to succeed at achieving the goal. At Acorn Creative’s most recent Monday morning meeting, I set the standard that project managers are NOT immediately responsible for creative design, web development or brand strategy development … their first and foremost duty is to “make sure the customer is happy“. Now THAT’S a standard! Will they succeed in achieving this? Let’s knock on wood. If they do (and they already do a great job), then we have few, if any, problems in the near future.
Similarly, Seth Godin asks “How much do you care?” with a revealing snapshot of two bathrooms in New York. Clearly one attendant is working with a higher standard than the other. They’re probably both being paid roughly the same and they both likely think they’re doing their job. Big difference in results, don’t you think?
Sooo, what standards are YOUR people using to measure their success.
Getting Wet Stuff
September 9th, 2006 by Chief NutThere’s a not so fine line between common sense and taking that idea and bloating it to the point of ineffectiveness. Take, as an example, the recent restriction of liquids on commercial airline flights. We were faced with a clear danger and we responded to the problem quickly (GO TEAM!!), however, the implementation is leaving something to be desired (Sigh). I’ll let you google on your own any of the thousands of stories that support this.
So, what can an entrepreneur do to help bring sanity back to the situation? How about providing a fast, convenient, way for a traveler to avoid the airport hassles? Yep, that’d work! Check out www.MyWetStuff.com.
Feeeed Meee
