Category Archives: Creative

"The most ignorant e-mail campaign ever …"

And you thought I was a harsh critic? In his column titled “Stupid E-Mail Watch,” Ken Magill, Editor-at-Large at Direct Magazine, rants about a recent e-mail he received from Bing energy drinks and the latest annoying trend in online media: “Here’s a hint: We don’t need surprise audio blasting out… Read More

Tableau E-Mail Tells Their Story Well

In a recent edition of his newsletter “Business Common Sense,” Denny Hatch writes: One rule I came to late in life: You cannot judge good direct marketing; it judges you. In other words, good direct marketing does what it was designed to do. It doesn’t matter if you hate it/don’t… Read More

How Not to Market a Marketing Magazine

I received an unsolicited copy of Deliver Magazine this week. I don’t get a lot of business mail in general, and, as a certified junk mail junkie, I look at everything. It took me more than a few seconds, however, to discern the focus of the publication (more on that… Read More

5 Mistakes to Avoid on Your Next Webinar Invitation

This Webinar invitation from IBrix, a developer of software-based file-serving solutions, arrived in my inbox recently. Alas, it reads more like an abstract for a thesis presentation than a compelling sales event. Here are the all-too-common pitfalls the invitation so painfully illustrates: 1. Don’t place speaker photos and gratuitous clip-art… Read More

Symantec E-Mail Not Up to the Challenge

Occasionally a good concept gets lost in the execution. Take this recent e-mail from Symantec as an example. What I like about this campaign, besides the eye-popping color scheme, is the overall concept. Symantec could very easily have prattled on about the merits of their product, but instead they’ve couched… Read More

Disintermediation & the Irrational Fear of Non-Media Expense

Excuse me while I rant for a minute, but what is it about buying media that makes it seems so benign? Here’s what I mean: companies spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on media, often with little purpose or strategy behind it, because buying media – and media… Read More

Landing Pages: Who Cares Anymore?

Making even modest changes to landing pages can be the quickest and easiest way to increase online response rates and decrease cost per lead, yet in more cases than not, far more attention, scrutiny, and investment is dedicated to the front end of demand generation campaigns. Case in point: not… Read More