Some Shameless Self-Promotion This Go-Round

I’m kind of embarrassed to do this, but because of my new position, it’s probably best I spread the word anyway I can. Below is a press release of my hire, which was made official this week: American Catalog Mailers Association Adds Industry Vet Paul Miller Washington, DC, Jan. 14, 2010—Hamilton Davison, president & executive [...]

Didn’t You Hear? All the World’s a Gossip

The past two weeks have been brutal for me, albeit in a very good way. I was officially hired full-time just before year’s end. But then my new boss, whose job I’ll hopefully make a lot easier, went away on vacation. And he had other more urgent tasks to deal with. We couldn’t get an [...]

Tiger’s Mess Will Test the Media & the Public’s Short-Sightedness, Part 2 of 2

I came home last night from a trip to the Midwest for a job interview. As I walked through the world’s most easy to get in and out of airport (Westchester Airport in White Plains, N.Y.), I walked past a big billboard Accenture ad with Tiger Woods. Apparently Accenture’s massive recall of all images of [...]

Tiger’s Mess Will Test the Media & the Public’s Short-Sightedness, Part 1 of 2

The media loves to pounce on big-name celebs who get caught doing bad things, doesn’t it? Of course, all that pouncing in the form of cameras flashing and taping, and reporters digging for the dirtiest of the dirt gets consumers’ attention with genuine ease. But even celebrities like Tiger Woods, who over the past month [...]

Is it Me, or Is More of What We’re Reading Online a Bunch of B.S.?

Since becoming an independent editing, writing and marketing consultant, I’ve been reading more and more stuff coming into my email inbox than ever before. Newsletters, blogs, tweets, company Websites, you name it. I still read my trusty (and trustworthy) printed New York Times every morning over breakfast, BusinessWeek and others, but I’m finding that I’m [...]

Is The Death of Print Being Over-Stated?

Every day, you see proof that print’s dying. Almost all publications — from newspapers to magazines to catalogs and brochures — are getting smaller, both in page counts and trim sizes. But every now and then you come across some encouraging signs that there just may continue to be a viable role for print down [...]

Media’s Titles Are Often Just Insignificant Semantics

Earlier this week, I read a very insightful blog by Darrah MacLean, a copywriter at Smith-Harmon, a digital marketing services agency and a unit of Responsys, about how the media — and the general public — have adopted “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” as shopping “holidays.” His overall take on both is that they’re both [...]

Marketing, Lagging Print ROI Have Broken Up the Media Team

Considering that blogs are, by in large, highly personal ramblings, the inspiration of mine since I launched it a few weeks ago has been how I’ve shifted from being a fairly hard-core journalist to becoming more a part of the marketing world. I’m still a journalist by trade. But now that I’m a free agent [...]

They Said it Couldn’t Be Done: Journalist Becomes Marketer/Salesman

It’s basically part of our DNA: We editors are sales-phobes. Traditionally, salespeople bring in the revenue; we spend it. We’re friendly and appreciate our sales brethren, but they tend to be “the others” to us. But I’m excited because I can feel myself becoming part of that other side — at least, to an extent. [...]

Black Friday? Cyber Monday? It’s Binge Discounting All This Week

Blogger’s Note: Following today’s entry, I’ll take a hiatus until next week. So today, I offer you a broader assessment of how the discount retail shopping game is shaping up this week. Who knows where we’ll be a year from now, but at least for this season of store and online retail bargains, the killer [...]