“Like the sand and the oyster, it’s a creative irritant. In each poem, I’m trying to reveal a truth, so it can’t have a fictional beginning.“ – Carol Ann Duffy, Born Dec. 23, 1955. I’m no poet, that’s for sure. But what is quoted here is certainly true about persuasive writing. Perhaps even more true […]
We Can’t Lead With Pleasure – We Must Begin Our Work at the Point of Pain Read More »
“We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.” – Abigail Adams, Born Dec. 22, 1744. In our line of work, it can be easy to be attracted to other ads that are clever, or funny. We envy the creativity of their writers and conceivers. We mentally (or even physically)
A Funny Sign You Saw Is Not Good Copy Read More »
“The fame of heroes owes little to the extent of their conquests and all to the success of the tributes paid to them.” – Jean Genet, Born Dec. 19, 1910. Let’s talk about idols. Idolization. Idolatry. Let’s talk about you in that role. It’s yours if you want it. But most people don’t understand how
To Become a Guru, You Must Nail This Change Read More »
“Indeed, the hereditary gift of prophecy will go to the grave with me.” – Nostradamus, Born Dec. 14, 1503. Man, this dude was a genius of bullshittery. There wasn’t anything “hereditary” about his “gift” of “prophecy”. Basically, he would write a metric shit-ton of vague nonsensical poems, and then eventually some real-world event could be
How to Predict the Future: Predict ALL the Futures! Read More »
“I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything, and finally that what one calls conscience is only inner vanity.” – Gustave Flaubert, Born Dec. 12, 1821. This is one that will be useful to people who have trouble with making your marketing jive sound authentic. It’s all about
Even Dumb Uggos Are Susceptible to This Magic Influencer Read More »
“Attitudes are more important than facts.” – George MacDonald, Born Dec. 10, 1824 I can’t persuade anyone with JUST the facts. Facts are boring. Static. Motionless. Some dummies keep saying we live in a post-fact age. I think that’s dangerously untrue. But I digress. If facts alone could close the sale, I’d still be a
Facts Can’t Sell Anything Without Feelings (Doot Doo Doot) Read More »
“The will is never free – it is always attached to an object, a purpose. It is simply the engine in the car – it can’t steer.” – Joyce Cary, Born Dec. 7, 1888. What we want to do is entice people to move in the direction we want them to. Right? It can be
Harness the Buyer’s Will to the Drives Already Inside Them Read More »
“I’m not going to talk about Picasso. I have done my duty to those memories. I have had a great career as an artist myself, you know. I’m not here just because I’ve spent time with Picasso.” – Françoise Gilot, Born Nov. 26, 1921. This is why you’ve got to toot your own horn, and
How To Become Legendary: Betray Your Masters, Kill Your Gods Read More »
“Good lies need a leavening of truth to make them palatable.” – William McIlvanney. Born Nov. 25, 1936. People get upset when I compare marketers to liars. Or I talk about manipulation. And coercion. Your hands are already dirty! Just own it! It’s better! But I digress. Here is what you need to realize. Even
Getting Good at Lying Makes You Better at Making Truth Believable. Read More »
“Give me a laundry-list and I’ll set it to music.” – Gioachino Rossini, Born Feb. 29, 1792. I hate hearing people say they have nothing to write about or nothing to say. Take a thing. Any thing you find. Scroll way down your news feed. Click “random” on Wikipedia. Then, connect it to your core
Pumping Up Reader Brains With Metaphorical Muscle Read More »
