Advertising Week Walk Of Fame Announced For 2009

Vote For Your Favorites

Advertising Week, the newspaper for institutional advertising, announced its 2009 Advertising Week Walk of Fame Candidates.

Previous winners in the Icons Category include:

Aflac Duck, M&M's Mr. Peanut, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Tony the Tiger

Previous winners in the Slogan Category include:

"A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" - United Negro College Fund

"Can You Hear Me Now" - Verizon

"Melts in your mouth, not in your hands." M&M's

"Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't." Almond Joy, Mounds

"Where's the beef?" Wendy's

2009 Candidates Announced - Icons

AOL Running Man - AOL

California Raisins - California Raisin Advisory Board

Fruit of the Loom Guys - Fruit of the Loom

Big Boy - Big Boy Restaurants International

Captain Morgan - Diageo

Jolly Green Giant - General Mills

2009 Candidates Announced - Slogans

"All the news that's fit to print." The New York Times

"Because you're worth it." L'Oreal

"Friends don't let friends drive drunk." US Dept of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

"Give a hoot. Don't pollute." US Forest Service

"Got Milk?" California Milk Processor Board

What Can You Learn From These?

You don't have millions to spend on institutional advertising, so why do I even bring these up to you?

Because they're memorable. Those you recognized immediately have worked. Those you recognized and new what the PRODUCT or SERVICE was worked WELL. And those you knew the product, service, AND who sponsored it work VERY well.

Keep that in mind when building your own slogans or graphics to work with your materials.

Oh, and one more thing: repetition really DOES work! YOU get tired of your own materials MUCH faster than your prospects, clients, and customers do... so keep with it for a while: changing your look, statements, logos, slogans too quickly leave a prospect confused, and a "Confused Mind Always Says NO!"

By The Way... if you want to vote, go here: Advertising Week Walk of Fame Voting - Click Here!

See MY blog for more thoughts: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More! This is much more complete than the few points I made here.


Advertising Week Walk Of Fame Announced For 2009



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Lessons For Life - Optimists Live Longer

Go To Bed Happy, Wake Up Happy

I've known for a long time that when I go to bed happy, I wake up happy.

I saw this first-hand when my younger daughter, Liz, needed some oral surgery... even the doctor told us this: however she is feeling when the anesthetic puts her to sleep, that's how she'll wake up.

Liz was REALLY nervous about having surgery under her tongue, and wouldn't you be too? She's a singer and if whatever her problem was caused too much damage in her mouth, taking it out MIGHT affect her vocal chords and her singing. (If you've heard her singing, you'll know that the surgery came out OK - Hear Liz Seymour Sing On Her New CD - Click Here!)

Liz's nervousness turned into tears as she was put under, and when she awoke with the ranula removed, she was VERY upset and in tears.

There is a life lesson here - how we go to sleep affects how we wake up. And how we wake up affects how our day goes.

"As goes the first hour of the day, so goes the day," a marketing guru friend of mine used to preach.

Wake up happy, refreshed, grateful for what you have and you jump out of bed and into your work.

Go to bed angry, upset, down on yourself, and you'll struggle to take any positive action during the next day.

The way YOU want to approach the world, get things done, find your dream and pursue it? Make sure you have positive thoughts, attitudes, lessons all around you. Those alone can't create the success you're looking for, but without them, you'll be mired in self-pity and stuck in the mud on the road to success.

See MY blog for more thoughts: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More! This is much more complete than the few points I made here.


Lessons For Life - Optimists Live Longer



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Twitter For Business - The Twitter Effect

Microblogging can help, or hurt, a business

I really have to chuckle: Hollywood is all a buzz about The Twitter Effect.

Where the heck have they been?

Newspapers Tell About Hollywood's Fear Of People Who Send Tweets

Did you see this article in your local paper? (You DO still read the newspaper, right? If Baby Boomers are part of your market you should - THEY still read papers almost as much as they read online information.)

The headline was, "Hollywood a flutter about the 'Twitter Effect.'

It's as if Hollywood producers just woke up.

Didn't they see all the reports about Iran's election when the population sent messages around the world? Don't they believe the reports that people like Proctor and Gamble (you can't get much more "main stream" and "institutional" in advertising than P&G) are using Social Media. Don't they see that the "kids" are using text messages in the THOUSANDS each month, going one on one with their friends... and then using the same texting technology to use Twitter to go one to MANY?

So... what is Hollywood so afraid of?

YOU. Me. And THOUSANDS like us being able to communicate freely and within seconds of discovering what we like or dislike.

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog - I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting.

And then see MY blog: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More! This is much more complete than the few points I made here.


Twitter For Business - The Twitter Effect



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Website - Make Yours Really Sell

Marketing - Hold Onto Your Leads When They Arrive

I cringe when I see the "old-style" websites - you know, those places where you arrive at the front page, have no idea what the site is about, and they expect you to know which button to press to learn enough about them so you can make sense of what is in front of you.

And most of them are static, hardly ever change, and though they may be graphically appealing, they don't help the visitor and they don't encourage Google either.

What's The Biggest Problem With Most Websites?

Most websites are created by graphic designers who don't know marketing. But even that isn't the biggest problem with most websites.

Most websites are created without a Clear Goal In Mind.

What do you want your website to DO?

With most of my clients, they generally are building an email list, so THEIR goal is to capture the name and address of the visitor. Period.

Not convince them you are a genius. Not sell them three of your best products. Not to amuse or entertain them.

All of those are FINE goals, but YOU must define the ONE goal of your site and then be sure you meet it.

What Should You Do To Hold A Visitor?

Here is a quick list that should help your visitors once you get them to your site (getting them there is a whole other topic!).

1. Always have a headline that calls out to your visitor. The NAME of your site or YOUR name means no more to any of them than Joe's Bar and Grille means to you. Give them a statement in a headline to tell them why they are at your site and what you want them to do.

2. Offer something immediately - and it's best if it's free. A free downloadable audio. A free report in pdf. A free with shipping offer. GIVE something so you get their name and email address. THEN let them see more of your website. Most people search the internet for information, not something to spend their money on... so show them that YOU have that information and give it to them - when they want MORE, they can get it from you (and by then you will have their name and email address so you will be staying in front of them). NOTE - If you are a site where people go already expecting to buy something (like QVC, Staples, Amazon, etc) the rules are different because people DO want to purchase - give them a chance with very few clicks!

3. Ask for as little information as you really need. JUST getting an email address is easier than and email address and name. And email address and name are easier to get than email address, name, physical address. Start where you know you want to begin, and that is, at a minimum, getting their email address.

4. Take as small a step as you can when someone first comes to your site. Think of it as a conversation between two attracted people. Clearly you wouldn't see the person of your dreams and say, "Will you marry me?" But that's what LOTS of people do to people first coming to their sites: they want TOO much information and they ask the visitor to take a big leap of faith, trust them, and buy from them. Hey, it's not IMPOSSIBLE to sell to someone the first time s/he visits your site... but it's MUCH more difficult.

5. Be different, stand out from the crowd, have people remember you and your site. Be sure not to use the same template that everyone else in your industry uses - people want to work with people, not a carbon-copy of someone else.

6. Have a Welcome and a Welcome Video. Say hi to people when they join your site. Realize that lots of people view your website at work and often work does not allow speakers, so you need a text message there too. But welcome people, tell them quickly what your website is about and how they can use it, and then get their name and email address.

7. And one more thing: check how your website looks in a variety of web browsers. For my OWN websites, I find that close to 40% of the viewers still use the very old Microsoft Internet Explorer 6... and with today's advances, that old browser doesn't correctly process all the new advance techniques. So check to see how you look to avoid any bad curb appeal.

There are SO many more things you can do... but these 7 are a good beginning.

Hope this helps.

And then see MY blog my clicking HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More! This is much more complete than the few points I made here.


Website - Make Yours Really Sell



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Blogging - Julie and Julia, The Movie

Blogging - Find out what passion you have and keep writing!

My wife, Pam, and I saw the movie Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, and I thought I should blog about it.

It is a movie about the life of Julia Child AND the life of blogger, Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two true stories: Julie and Julia by July Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child.

The story lines are interwoven and the two never meet, being separated by time and locations. (The way the story is told reminded me of Cabaret which was originally written as two stories (inside the Cabaret and then the story about Sally Bowles) which was meshed together by legendary director-producer Harold Prince like the fingers of your hands when clasped together.

Julia is the world-famous American chef and Julie is the completely unknown blogger in the early turn of this century when blogging wasn't really known. (I admit that MOST people STILL don't know what blogging is, but since you are reading this YOU do... but in 2002 or 2004, I have a feeling you didn't know what it was!)

Why focus on this movie in this blog?

Because Julie found something that interested her and she started writing. She didn't know if she'd find an audience, she didn't search thousands of keywords, she didn't probe deeply into Google to see if she'd gain traction: she just started writing.

And NOW look at her success.

My parents, in their late 80s, love the movie and so did Pam and I. I, however, saw it on a much deeper level from my other family members: as a blogger, podcaster, and consultant, I felt what Julie was going through when writing to an undefined audience. I felt her pain of doing it day after day. I shared her triumph when the NYTimes discovered her and let the print-world learn about her.

See the movie if you need a pick-me-up... it's bound to give you a bit of cheer just when you need it.

And then see MY blog my clicking HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Blogging - Julie and Julia, The Movie





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Unemployment and the Bad Economy

Unemployment - You never forget that time you were fired

The Philadelphia Inquirer is probably like a lot of newspapers in the world - understaffed, losing money, trying to stay afloat.

And as it does, it features a series of articles about Being Fired. Well, that's not what THEY call it; their title is Jobs At A Loss - Upheaval in the Region's Job Market but believe me, those PEOPLE who are listed as statistics know what it is: they've been fired.

The Headline is:

The ax falls, and then what?

The article by Inquirer Staff Writer Alfred Lubrano is filled with statistics and anecdotes. And it's filled with one more thing: pain.

Human pain.

Human suffering when 13.2 million people in the USA are unemployed (that only counts those still looking for work - those who have given up don't count, it seems) and 210,000 in our immediate 8-county area.

"But while the Philadelphia region is papered with pink slips, a layout can still hit with the potent surprise of an unforeseen meteor."

It has been known for a long time by psychologists that being fired is as difficult on the individual as a death in the family, divorce, or other traumatic, stress-producing situation.

And what goes deeper is what happens to the individual, and it's repercussions are long-lasting.

"Shame, fear, and panic can barge into a person's head after the initial trauma."
People have pointed out that in this Great Recession people who thought they were recession-proof are now on the unemployment lines - in Philadelphia, as an example, a major law firm collapsed and closed. (And when I was selling investment real estate in the 80s and 90s, this was THE real estate law firm.)

Where Did The Dream Go?

I've often written about and created a video about The Dream - Where Did The Dream Go? It's gone for many people.

We were told to grow up, do well in school, select a major carefully, specialize, earn a good living, get married, raise 2.5 kids, help them grow well, get married, and the circle continues.

We did that, but things have come crashing down for many people.

I started a whole website to help people who were fired, unemployed, thinking about working from home.

See if this movie, which I created, speaks to you: Where Did The Dream Go - Click Here To See Short Movie!

What can I do to help YOU?


Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Unemployment and the Bad Economy





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Salesmanship - YOU Are The Front Door

Looking for a new job OR selling a product or service, you client/customer sees YOU first?

Did you ever hear the story about the blind men and the elephant?

The first man touched the elephant's trunk and described it as a flexible, long creature.

The second man touched the elephant's tusk and thought it was a very hard, smooth, upward-pointed animal.

The third touched the elephant's hoof and thought it was a large, flat, very heavy creature with several smoothe places (the tone nails).

And the fourth touched the tail and thought it was a short, pliable snake-like animal with hair at the end.

Each one "knew" the elephant for what his experience told him... and each was correct, but only PARTIALLY correct.

The same is true for YOU... whatever you show your prospects is how they see YOU and the work you do.

Be confident, they see confidence. Be a great salesman, full of knowledge, and they see a knowledgeable salesman. Be their adviser and advocate, and they see someone on THEIR side of the table who is there to help.

Be a wimp, and they see someone they don't want to do business with again.

If you are looking for a job, looking for employment, looking for a way to start your own business, be sure that what you show to people is the side of you that you want exposed.

And by the way, are you blogging yet? Are you telling the world through online methods what you are about and why they should be doing business with you?

I hope so... people coming in touch with you will be pre-sold if you let your words and videos tell part of your story for you.

Find your niche expertise and get busy... let others FIND you, rather than YOU knocking on their door - they will be MUCH more likely to hire you (whether as their consultant or their employee)!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Salesmanship - YOU Are The Front Door





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