No Fear

A client called me several years ago with a spectacular idea for his marketing program. “I love it!” I said. “It’s fresh, it’s different, it’s relevant to your customers, and it’s testable. Let me know how the CMO likes it!” He grew silent on the line. And then said quietly, “Um, could you bring the […]

Ads from the Outside

In the quiet, quaint, dry-until-a-year-ago town of Ephraim, Wisconsin, there is a soup bar called Czarnuszka Soup. A recent ad mentions that the restaurant seats 11, but having been there, I think 11 is a stretch. Weekly, the owner (Paul Wanish) publishes ads that would never be approved by anyone in advertising, ever. But as […]

The YOLO and FOMO Challenge

Five Things Direct Marketers Should Be Doing in the Experiential Economy YOLO (You Only Live Once) and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) are phrases often associated with Millennials. They suggest that you should enjoy life and take risks because there may not be another opportunity. Both reflect a key insight for today’s marketers: For Millennials, […]

Garages and Jelly and Some Other Stuff

The other day, I was running through The Container Store on a lunch break. I like The Container Store. But on this particular day, I was running. This wasn’t a fun errand. I needed—not wanted—a bunch of stuff that I didn’t feel like spending money on. And I needed to get back to work. But […]

THE FIRST RULE OF WRITE CLUB…

1. The first rule of Catalog Write Club is you DO NOT talk about Write Club. 2. The second rule of Catalog Write Club is … YOU … DO … NOT … TALK … ABOUT … WRITE CLUB! Are we clear? ARE? WE? CLEAR? Good. Now, let’s talk about Catalog Write Club. 3. The third […]