Last week marked the 100th birthday of David Ogilvy, legendary advertising executive. Nicknamed “The Father of Advertising,” Time called Ogilvy “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry.” It’s no secret that I’m a big, BIG fan of David Ogilvy, and have been heavily influenced by his words and wisdom. So to celebrate his 100th [...] Read more »
How Domino’s Leverages Credibility Full-Tilt to Elevate Awareness and Persuade: Deconstructing Domino’s “Rate Our Chicken” Ad
Today, I deconstruct Domino’s “Rate Our Chicken” ad, which, with it’s direct, left-brain approach, contrasts nicely with the symbolic, right-brain Dodge Challenger “Freedom” commercial. Both are powerful and persuasive in their own right. So grab a latte, pull up a chair, and let’s get started. First Mental Image (FMI): Viewers are introduced to Tate, Domino’s [...] Read more »
Why You May Be Sabotaging Your Advertising Efforts and How to Avoid This Mistake – Part Two
Welcome back to Part Two of this post… The customer experience meltdown I described last week is not at all uncommon. I see stuff like this all the time. And I bet you do too. Things like: Disgruntled Employee grumbling openly about hours, work conditions, or other co-workers. This tends to happen most frequently as [...] Read more »
Why You May Be Sabotaging Your Advertising Efforts and How to Avoid This Mistake – Part One
I’m concerned that you may be sabotaging your advertising efforts… and it has nothing to do with poorly written ads, or choice of media. Truth be told, I’ve carried this concern for a long time. But it took a customer experience meltdown to remind me that I need to make sure you’re maximizing every penny [...] Read more »
Strategic Questions #6 & 7: What is the felt need of your customer that you are willing and able to meet?
(This post is a continuation of our detailed look into the 13 strategic marketing questions that every marketer must answer.) What is the felt need of your customer that you are willing and able to meet? Persuasive communication demands relevancy. Which means your marketing message must communicate an idea, feeling or outcome that the customer [...] Read more »
Strategic Question #5: What are your limiting factors?
(This post is a continuation of our detailed look into the 13 strategic marketing questions that every marketer must answer.) What are your company’s limiting factors? What’s holding your business back? What are the distractions and limitations preventing you from reaching your goals? Okay, this one’s pretty straightforward. But that doesn’t mean thinking this through [...] Read more »
How Observing The Law of Polarity Can Attract an Army of Loyal Customers to Your Door
Bland and colorless marketing is the result of trying to be all things to all people. And far too many ads are written NOT to offend, rather than persuade. But, as I’ve said before, persuasion is the goal of marketing. And convincing your customer to take action often requires that you choose a segment of [...] Read more »
Tom is in high demand as a 
