Random facts and interesting tidbits.
Once in awhile, you can’t beat a good case study. And what better case study for a copywriter or direct marketer to learn from than the profile of a legendary direct-mail publisher: Rodale. Continue Reading
I’m sure, by now, you’ve heard that there are “right-brained” and “left-brained” people. The idea is that “left-brained” people are the type you’d expect to find at, say, your accounting firm’s Christmas party. “Right-brained” people, on the other hand, tend to be more artistic and possibly a little eccentric or scattered. Like, say, the bulk of ex-poets and actors working the tables at your local coffee shop. Like most generalizations, this isn’t quite right… Continue Reading
On D-Day, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops pulled off the largest invasion in history, forcing their way into Nazi-occupied Europe. Strategy was key. So was equipment. But the real mettle of the moment came from the soldiers staging the… Continue Reading
When Kathleen retired recently, it was national news. Why? Precisely because, at the moment I write this, Kathleen is exactly 62 years, one month, 25 days, 17 hours, and 42 minutes old. That makes Kathleen the absolute very first born of… the “Baby Boomers.” Continue Reading
I’ve noted often how strange it was that so many copywriters play instruments. And wondered, too, whether listening to music… or even playing it… makes for better writers. Two new studies suggest that might be exactly the case. Turns out,… Continue Reading
In the another post, we asked why some people are creative and others aren’t. This time around, let’s put it even more plain: Are YOU creative? Even though I.Q. tests supposedly measure your brain power, there is still no “Creativity… Continue Reading
The common wisdom is that everybody loves a pretty face, right? Not always so, says Bryan Eisenberg over at grokdotcom. Oh sure, the pretty face does attract attention. But that’s the problem. In ads, a real looker can pull a visitor’s eyes away from your message… Continue Reading
What time do real writers get out of bed? It’s a good question, regardless of what kind of writing you do… Continue Reading
Time magazine did a back-o’-the-napkin calculation. Suppose you estimate about five million of these “25 Random Things” messages in circulation in a single week. Given 25 details in each note, that’s 125 million random facts making the rounds. Even at… Continue Reading
Carnegie-Mellon, says the book “Made to Stick,” did a study. They invited participants in to take a survey. The topic wasn’t important — something about tech products — but what mattered was the small payout. Each participant got paid with five… Continue Reading