Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
http://creativeclassics.blogspot.com
maggio 2009
FCB grid (vecchio arnese) può essere utile per posizionare un prodotto/marca e per valutarne i
progressivi spostamenti verso quadranti diversi.
Brand touchpoints,
Alina Wheeler: http://alinawheeler.com/brand-touchpoints
Brand love,
David Armano: http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2006/06/brand_love.html
Un'idea deve potersi adattare ai diversi canali di comunicazione.
Dalle caratteristiche di prodotto ai vantaggi, ai valori: una scala da salire/scendere per trovare una
promessa rilevante per il target.
50 Reasons Why People Buy
http://www.mortongregory.com/downloads/50_Reasons_Why_People_Buy.htm
13. To buy friendship – I didn’t know it’s for sale, but it often is
16. To protect their possessions – because they worked hard to get them
19. To access opportunities – because they open the doors to good things
20. To express love – one of the noblest reasons to make any purchase
26. To save time – because they know time is more valuable than money
27. To become more fit and healthy – seems to me that’s an easy sale
28. To attract the opposite sex – never undermine the power of love
29. To protect their family – tapping into another basic human need
30. To emulate others – because the world is teeming with role models
32. To feel superior – which is why status symbols are sought after
38. To save money – the most important reason to 14% of the population
41. To gratify curiosity – it killed the cat but motivates the sale
48. To feel younger – because that equates with vitality and energy
Aristotle taught that a speaker's ability to persuade is based on how well the speaker appeals to his
or her audience in three different areas: ethos (ethical appeals), pathos (emotional appeals), and
logos (logical appeals). These areas form something that later rhetoricians have called the
Rhetorical Triangle.
"Ethos" refers to the writer's "ethical appeal," that is, how well the writer presents herself. Does she
seem knowledgeable and reasonable? Does she seem trustworthy? Does she treat her opponents,
people who might disagree, with fairness and respect, or does she take cheap shots at them? Does
she try to establish common ground with the reader? Why do you think essays that lack this kind of
appeal are likely to be unconvincing? What effect do you think it would have if a writer included
nothing but ethical appeals?
"Pathos" refers to the argument's "emotional appeals," that is, how well the writer taps into the
reader's emotions Many times, this appeal is how a writer will make an argument "matter" to
readers. Advertisements do it all the time. Perhaps a writer will offer an anecdote to illustrate
suffering or appeal to readers as parents concerned for their children. Does the writer appeal to your
emotions—feelings of sadness, pride, fear, being young, anger, patriotism, love, justice? On the
other hand, is the essay loaded with facts, figures, and nothing else? Is the emotional appeal
effective or overwhelming?
"Logos" corresponds with the argument's "logical appeals," that is, how well the reader uses the
"text" of his own argument and evidence. Effective arguments will probably include facts and other
supporting details to back up the author's claims. They may contain testimony from authorities and
will demonstrate the writer's carefulness in choosing and considering evidence. They are likely to
be well organized, skillfully written, and well edited/proofread. Questions to consider: What is
being argued here, or what is the author's thesis? What points does he offer to support this idea? Has
he presented arguments that seem logical, or does he seem to be jumping to conclusions? Can you
think of kinds of writing that rely exclusively on logical appeals? Do they bore you?
Note that this triangle is essentially equilateral. Why? Again, the equal sides and angles illustrate
the concept that each appeal is as important as the others. It also suggests that a BALANCE of the
three is important. Too much of one is likely to produce an argument that readers will either find
unconvincing or that will cause them to stop reading.
Finally, note how each of the areas potentially affects the others. An illogical argument may move
us emotionally, but only in the sense that it makes us angry at the author for wasting our time. An
overwhelming emotional argument may make us feel that the author is relying exclusively on
emotions rather than offering solid reasoning. Finally, if an argument contains only facts and figures
and no emotional appeals, we may simply get bored. All these defects may, in turn, affect the
author's ethical appeal: how can we trust a writer who appeals only to our emotions? What common
ground do we have with a writer who doesn't appeal to our emotions at all?
Made to Stick, dei fratelli Chip e Dan Heath, è stato forse il maggiore successo editoriale del 2007
nel campo della comunicazione e del marketing. Sottotitolo: “Perché alcune idee sopravvivono e
altre muoiono”. In inglese sticky vuol dire "adesivo", "appiccicoso", ma negli ultimi anni a questo
significato si è aggiunto quello di "vincente", "efficace", "che non si dimentica o abbandona
facilmente", soprattutto riferito ai siti, ai messaggi, alle idee. Quindi il titolo si potrebbe tradurre con
"Fatti o - nel nostro caso - scritti per vincere."
Le idee vincenti devono avere alcune caratteristiche, che hanno a che fare soprattutto con il loro
modo di comunicarle. Le caratteristiche sono sei e in inglese le loro iniziali formano la parola
SUCCES. In italiano, il gioco non regge più, ma la sostanza sì.
Dei due giovani autori, uno è professore di comportamento organizzativo all'università di Stanford,
l'altro ha fondato una delle aziende più innovative di libri di testo.
I tantissimi casi, esempi e racconti sono la vera sostanza del libro, dalle grandi aziende ai presidenti
USA, da piccole realtà imprenditoriali a persone comuni, come infermiere o insegnanti dalle
fulminanti intuizioni. Per questo è un bel libro di comunicazione utile a tutti, non solo a chi scrive.
Ed è la migliore dimostrazione di quello che insegna: le sei caratteristiche di un messaggio efficace
- semplicità, sorpresa, concretezza, credibilità, emozione, storie -, ci sono tutte.
I racconti vanno ascoltati dalla viva voce (anche scritta, come in questo caso) di chi li racconta, ma
quello che io ho tratto dalla lettura del libro, i miei appunti insomma, li condivido volentieri.
Ecco quindi i sei elementi chiave per messaggi molto sticky, che si appiccichino bene addosso a chi
li riceverà per non lasciarlo più.
SEMPLICITA'
Più di tot informazioni alla volta non riusciamo a elaborare, tantomeno a ricordare (è noto che più
scelte abbiamo, più ci è difficile scegliere). E' per questo che tutti i messaggi vincenti, dagli antichi
proverbi ai payoff pubblicitari di oggi, sono semplici.
“Semplici” non vuol dire necessariamente brevi o poveri di informazioni, piuttosto selettivi e
concentrati. Selettivi, perché puntano non su mille vantaggi, ma su uno solo, quello che si immagina
più importante per l'interlocutore. Compito difficilissimo, questo di andare all'essenza di un
messaggio, soprattutto per chi il tema, il prodotto, il servizio, la politica, li conosce a fondo.
Entra qui infatti in gioco la Maledizione della Conoscenza: quando sappiamo troppo sembra
impossibile riuscire a metterci nei panni di chi al contrario non sa nulla, condizione però
indispensabile per elaborare e scrivere un messaggio che arrivi, resti, cambi un'opinione, convinca
all'azione. Condizione più facile da raggiungere se invece del cosa ci domandiamo il perché di
un'azione o di una scelta che chiediamo ai nostri interlocutori. Concentrati, perché un testo può
essere anche molto breve in superficie, ma molto profondo per ciò che fa immaginare ed evoca. I
proverbi sono semplici e brevi, ma sono anche enciclopedie compatte di saggezza, guide nelle
decisioni e nelle azioni della vita. Le loro immagini sono così universali che le ritroviamo pressoché
identiche in tutte le culture, anche lontanissime. Per chi scrive, uno dei modi classici per andare
all'essenza è quello di adottare il modello della piramide rovesciata: prima la notizia, l'idea più
importante, poi via via verso i dettagli e il contesto. Modello ottimo, che però va interpretato dalla
parte di chi leggerà, non da quello della “realtà oggettiva”, dei fatti incontrovertibili.
La raccomandazione dei caporedattori anglosassoni “Don't bury the lead”, non allontanarti dal fatto
più importante, può anche voler dire introdurre subito una domanda cruciale, creare aspettativa
attraverso un dettaglio, capire quale è la rilevanza della notizia non dal punto di vista del giornalista,
ma da quella del lettore (non “Per domani il servizio meteorologico ha previsto una terribile bufera
di neve sul paese di Paesello e circondario, che prevedibilmente porterà a una chiusura delle scuole
e delle strade principali”, ma “Quasi sicuramente domani le scuole e le principali strade che
collegano Paesello con il circondario saranno chiuse per la bufera di neve prevista dal servizio
meteorologico”). La migliore applicazione della piramide rovesciata è la scoperta di un punto di
vista. Un messaggio semplice è anche un messaggio che usa come punto di partenza uno schema
noto e familiare, per esempio un'analogia, per sovrapporvi uno strato di maggiore astrazione e
complessità (“un pomelo è il frutto più grande della famiglia degli agrumi” oppure “un pomelo è
praticamente un super-pompelmo”?).
SORPRESA
“Se potessi richiamare la vostra attenzione solo per qualche momento, sono sicura che
apprezzereste le caratteristiche di sicurezza di questo aereo. Se non siete saliti su una macchina dal
lontano 1965, vi dirò che il modo migliore per allacciare la cintura è infilare la linguetta nella
fibbia. Per slacciare, tirate su la fibbia. Come dice la canzone, avete cinquanta modi per lasciare il
vostro fidanzato, ma ne avete solo sei per lasciare questo aereo: due porte davanti, due finestre
rimovibili sulle ali e altre due porte dietro. Riconoscerete le uscite dalle insegne luminose: seguite le
luci bianche e rosse da discoteca sul pavimento del corridoio."La hostess che ha così giocato con
l'annuncio sulle “caratteristiche di sicurezza di questo aereo” è riuscita sicuramente a farsi ascoltare,
perché ha “rotto lo schema”. Schemi cui ci adattiamo così facilmente, ma ai cui cambiamenti siamo
terribilmente sensibili. Basta cambiare qualcosa nel già noto per farci alzare le antenne.
Cosa che succede per tutti i testi e i messaggi-schema: gli annunci in aereo, i saluti formali, gli
auguri… la sorpresa genera automaticamente attenzione. Quindi, alla larga dal senso comune, sia
dal punto di vista dei contenuti, sia da quelli della struttura e del lessico. Il senso comune e il già
sentito si saltano a pie' pari, scivolano da un orecchio all'altro. Se la sorpresa suscita attenzione, per
mantenerla ci vogliono l'interesse e la curiosità di chi ci ascolta o ci legge. Due cose che si tengono
ben deste quando l'interlocutore capisce di avere dei vuoti di conoscenza da colmare.
Piccoli, come in una soap opera o in giornale di gossip, grandi come il mistero degli anelli intorno a
Saturno. Anelli che un divulgatore scientifico può raccontare con lo stesso meccanismo narrativo di
un giallo, suscitando domande che tengono il lettore o l'ascoltatore incollato. Per creare sorpresa e
risvegliare l'interesse, dobbiamo trasformare la domanda “Quali informazioni devo trasmettere?” in
“Quali domande devo suscitare?”
CONCRETEZZA
“Una radio che deve stare in una tasca.” Con questa immagine, nei primi anni cinquanta, quando le
radio nelle case erano ancora dei pezzi di arredamento come i tavoli e i divani, il giovane capo di
una piccola azienda giapponese chiamata Sony, riuscì a galvanizzare una piccola squadra di
progettisti fino alla produzione della prima radiolina a transistor, un'impresa cui non credevano
nemmeno i grandi Bell Labs, che i transistor li avevano inventati. “Prima della fine di questo
decennio riusciremo a portare un uomo sulla luna, e a riportarlo indietro sulla terra."
Con questa immagine nel 1961 JFK concluse un suo famoso discorso e galvanizzò un paese
sull'obiettivo della conquista dello spazio, cosa che avvenne appunto prima della fine del decennio,
nel 1969. Due immagini semplici e concretissime, cose ambiziosissime che però sono alla portata
dell'immaginazione. Immagini di oggi. Parole che arrivano da lontano, ma trasmettono immagini
che parlavano agli uomini di 2.500 anni fa e agli uomini di oggi: le Favole di Esopo, con le loro
volpi, uva, lupi, cicale e formiche. Gli esempi concreti e il lessico quotidiano aiutano tutti, non solo
gli scrittori dell'antichità, i grandi manager e i presidenti degli Stati Uniti.
Più ci rivolgiamo a chi è completamente digiuno di un tema, più abbiamo bisogno di convincere, di
portare l'interlocutore dalla nostra parte, più dovremmo rinunciare alle buzzword, ai gerghi,
all'astrazione e avvicinarci invece all'esperienza comune. L'astrazione è il lusso degli esperti, ma
uccide sul nascere ogni interesse in chi ne sa di meno. Una grande astrofisica come Margherita
Hack lo sa perfettamente. Non dimenticherò mai la sua conferenza sotto il cielo stellato di una calda
notte romana in cui rispondeva alla domanda “Che cos'è l'astrofisica?” davanti a un pubblico di
migliaia di persone, grandi e piccole. Per spiegare l'espansione dell'universo cominciò a raccontare:
“Avete presente quando si prepara un dolce con l'uvetta dentro? Si impasta, si impasta, e appena
comincia a lievitare i chicchi di uvetta si allontanano l'uno dall'altro. E' quello che accade
nell'universo dopo il big bang, astri e pianeti si allontanano l'uno dall'altro.” Gli esempi concreti si
ricordano con più facilità e la memoria funziona come l'effetto velcro: più gancetti afferriamo, più
salda sarà la presa. Parole e cose concrete sono gancetti in più, anche in contesti teorici.
”Una radio con transistor al suo interno” o “Una radio che sta in una tasca?” E avete notato che alle
storie che si tramandano, siano leggende antiche o leggende metropolitane, vengono aggiunti
sempre nuovi e inediti particolari? Più parliamo ad esperti, più possiamo permetterci l'astrazione.
Ma se esperti e non esperti devono parlarsi tra loro, allora la concretezza rimane un'ottima
piattaforma di collaborazione e un terreno ideale di intesa per tutti.
CREDIBILITA'
Naturalmente un messaggio può essere semplice, sorprendente e concreto, ma per funzionare deve
essere anche credibile. Credibilità che può avere molte fonti diverse, a parte la scontata autorità da
parte di un famoso testimonial, cosa che solo le grandissime aziende possono permettersi:
• la credibilità delle statistiche e dei numeri, che però non vanno mai sciorinati nel loro valore
assoluto, ma utilizzati per creare relazioni, confronti, stimoli a pensare, contestualizzati nella vita
quotidiana delle persone, più che come puntelli per la propria tesi (gli attacchi degli squali fanno
notizia, ma è 300 volte più probabile morire perché la nostra macchina si scontra con un cervo –
cioè con un povero Bambi – che essere attaccato da uno squalo)
• la credibilità del “provare per credere”, quella che fa appello alla capacità di verifica di una
“persona come me”, sempre più diffusa con le “conversazioni” in rete. Ma ben prima della rete,
Ronald Reagan riuscì a sbaragliare Jimmy Carter chiedendo agli americani semplicemente “State
meglio oggi o quattro anni fa?”
EMOZIONI
Senza emozioni, non c'è azione. E per elaborare e scrivere messaggi che smuovono bisogna
togliersi dalla testa il “cappello analitico”, distogliere l'attenzione dal cervello e puntare al cuore.
Per quanto sembri strano, è difficile suscitare emozioni con le grandi teorie, i grandi numeri, anche
quelli più impressionanti. E' quello che gli autori di Made to Stick chiamano l'effetto “Madre
Teresa”, la quale ripeteva spesso: “Se guardo la massa, non farò mai niente. Se guardo al singolo,
mi metto in azione.” Ed è il motivo per il quale possiamo leggere tutti i più dettagliati e attendibili
rapporti sulla fame nel mondo, ma muoverci davvero solo quando ci raccontano la storia di un
unico bambino e del piccolo ma concreto aiuto che possiamo dare. Una lezione di cui tutte le
associazioni no-profit hanno fatto tesoro, allontanandosi dagli studi, le statistiche, persino i famosi
testimonial, per affidarsi piuttosto ai diari dei volontari e al racconto dei loro operatori, facendoci
concretamente vedere sul web un progetto realizzato, o toccare con mano l'unico contatto con il
mondo per un bambino sordocieco. Da persona a persona. Naturalmente si suscitano emozioni
anche facendo appello all'interesse del singolo o del suo gruppo di appartenenza. Interessi non
necessariamente egoistici e di parte, ma anche interessi alti, nella sfera dei bisogni affettivi e
spirituali. Dei bisogni della famosa Piramide di Maslow, che li considera in rigoroso ordine
gerarchico, i due autori di Made to Stick, ci invitano a considerarli tutti insieme, come un insieme
simultaneo. I bisogni di autorealizzazione e di libertà possono andare di pari passo con quelli più
materiali.
Altro grande suscitatore di emozioni è il senso di identità, quello sul quale ha giocato l'agenzia
pubblicitaria che ha realizzato la campagna di spot antirifiuti per lo stato del Texas. Come
convincere il texano guidatore di pick-up a non buttare fuori dal finestrino qualsiasi cosa? Facendo
appello alla sua texaneria e al suo linguaggio: “Non incasinare il Texas” è più o meno la traduzione
italiana del payoff della campagna.
STORIE
Tutti i punti precedenti si trovano concentrati nella forma espressiva più antica ed efficace, la storia,
il racconto. Se una storia ci resta dentro meglio e più a lungo di un documentatissimo saggio o di
una serie di istruzioni è perché leggere o ascoltare una storia, come ognuno di noi sa fin da piccolo,
significa viverla dentro di noi anche a livello sensoriale ed emozionale. Viverla, simularla dentro di
noi, non è come agirla direttamente, ma è quanto di più vicino ci possa essere. Per questo le storie
sono così efficaci per spingere all'azione. Qualche volta è meglio la storia di un problema risolto,
con i perché e la creatività del singolo, che una serie di passi da compiere.
Meglio il racconto di chi è riuscito a perdere 100 chili di una brochure sul metodo della dieta
rivoluzionaria. Meglio la storia di una persona del suo curriculum professionale. O meglio, meglio
queste cose insieme, in un dosaggio e in un equilibrio che ogni volta va ricercato, aggiustato,
ristabilito. Perché le storie ovviamente non sostituiscono le altre forme comunicative ed espressive,
ma sono quanto spesso può dare loro calore, compattezza, credibilità, emozione e sostanza.
Sono anche quelle che in certi ambienti e in certe culture vengono più snobbate per il loro
appartenere alla cultura popolare, alla sfera personale e soggettiva. Eppure, sono anche il materiale
che più ci circonda. Non è necessario essere un grande creativo per inventare una grande storia. Le
storie sono sotto i nostri occhi, continuamente. Nei discorsi che facciamo, nei racconti che
ascoltiamo, sulla stampa, alla televisione, sui blog.
Basta tirare su le antenne e mettersi in ascolto.
12 format di spot tv secondo Gunn Report
http://www.slate.com/id/2170872/
http://wadejolson.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/12-kinds-of-ads/
• “Show the need or problem”: The premise is to begin with a problem or issue for a
consumer. Then present the product and the solution. “Itchy throat? Runny nose? Haaaa–
CHOO! You need Wade’s Magical Health Tonic and Elixir!”
• Symbol/analogy: Use a metaphor or simile with the “need or problem” category above
to make a more sophisticated presentation. This one is ubiquitous today with cheap CGI.
From elephants trampling mud on your clean kitchen floors to talking kittens, many
commercials set up a situation and then relay it back to an issue in your life and how
their product/service helps. A CGI nose that wanders about day-to-day life miserable
encountering problems only to eventually have a cute female CGI nose hand him some
of Wade’s Magical Health Tonic and Elixir – making him feel better so they can walk off
into the sunset hand-in-hand.
• Comparison: How your product is better than the competition’s. “Why is our Ford
Taurus better than a Mercedes? Because we have a bigger trunk and cupholders!!! Why
pay extra?!?! Damned overcharging Germans!”
• Exemplary story: Tell a story or set up a situation when an event unfolds where you’re
glad you have the particular product/service handy. Another subtle take on the “show the
need” category. But here you’re giving a natural everyday situation: An overworked
mother gets ready to take her kids to their balls games after dinner, but one of them has a
cold. She doesn’t have time for this added stress, so she goes to the bathroom cabinet
and gets some of Wade’s Magical Health Tonic and Elixir. Later the children are seen
healthy and running around. The mother sighs relief, knowing she got through yet
another depressing and tedious day.
• “Benefit causes”: A convoluted scenario is created where the consumer realizes the
situation is due to the power/effects of the product. “Hey, this guy got to the hotel with
all his luggage feeling fine, but his friend only has a small bag and is really thirsty.
Why? Cause the smart guy is driving a super-awesome Ford Taurus with cupholders and
a big trunk; his stupid friend bought the overpriced Mercedes. Damned overcharging
Germans!”
• Presenter/Testimonial: Have archetype that you trust, like a neighbor or a friendly old
lady give a testimonial. Or maybe Wade Olson is in an official looking lab coat with
some test tubes and beakers telling you about his Magical Health Tonic and Elixir (snake
oil).
• Ongoing characters/celebrities: Find a character that the public responds well to, and
keep using them to create ongoing stories and familiarity. Like Jared from Subway or the
phone tech guy from Verizon or Joe Isuzu. Or…our ever-popular Gearheads.
• Exaggerated analogy: Really, really oversell what sell what your product/service. Look
at that crazy guy racing jet airplanes and lifting up cars because he dropped his wallet
underneath. How can he do all that? Ahhh…he’s using Wade’s Magical Health Tonic
and Elixir!
• Associated Imagery: Who are the people you identify with and want to be associated
with? A coffee shop full of supermodels typing away on their laptops. Panning around:
Holy shit, every single one is using KDE! Who knew? (You knew).
• Unique Personality Property: What is special about this product? What is unique and
how can I convey its Unique Selling Proposition manifested in 30 seconds?
• Parody: Popular today because people want to laugh and be entertained if they HAVE to
watch commercials. Take a well known idea/concept/situation that people recognize or
identify with. Make them laugh, then put your product name at the end. Hell, most
commercials today have absolutely nothing to do with the product, it’s all about making
the viewer “feel good” and associate that with the brand. “Look, these crazy squirrels are
doing all sorts of funny this in the supermarket. Man, those squirrels sure do crazy
things! Ha look – one is balancing on a watermelon. Hilarious!” Then the final screen
shows “Ford Taurus: Half the cost and twice the cupholders.”
11 Delicious Recipes for Successful Advertising by Dean Rieck
http://www.directcreative.com/11-delicious-recipes-for-successful-advertising.html
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a fondue pot. Stir in 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and cook on
low heat for about 2 minutes. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine and stir constantly until thick.
Add 1 1/2 cups grated Swiss Cheese and stir until melted.
Beat 4 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of thick cream, then stir into the cheese mixture. Season with
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. For an extra kick, add a dash of Kirschwasser.
Serve with cubes of your favorite breads and diced vegetables. Serves 2 to 4.
If direct marketing were only as simple as this delicious cheese fondue, I'd write a book, sell a few
million copies, and retire.
There are plenty of recipes for success out there. I have quite a few of my own. But despite what
some gurus would have you believe, selling is more complicated than cooking. And though many of
these recipes are helpful for analyzing and discussing what works, I have yet to see one that
provides a clear-cut guide for whipping up a winning ad or mailing from scratch.
Nevertheless, I've collected a few of my favorite selling recipes and present them here in the hope
that they may provide inspiration at a moment when you need it most.
• AIDA — This is the best-known recipe of all time. It suggests that every successful
selling message must attract Attention, arouse Interest, stimulate Desire, and present a
compelling call for Action.
• AAPPA — The eminent Victor O. Schwab suggested this commonsense, clear formula.
Get Attention. Show people an Advantage. Prove it. Persuade people to grasp this
advantage. Ask for Action.
• AIU — This is my own formula for envelopes. It stands for Attention, Interest, Urgency.
Something about an envelope must get your Attention, whether it's teaser copy, graphics,
or just blank paper. This should lead to Interest in the contents and a sense of Urgency to
open the envelope immediately.
• PPPP — This is a formula by Henry Hoke, Sr. It stands for Picture, Promise, Prove,
Push. In many ways, it's easier to implement than AIDA because it shows you four basic
tasks you must perform to make a sale. Picture: Get attention early and create a desire.
Promise: Make a meaningful promise or describe benefits and what the product will do.
Prove: Demonstrate value and support your promise with testimonials. Push: Ask for the
order.
• Star-Chain-Hook — This is Frank Dignan's charming and surprisingly fresh way to
approach an advertising message. Hitch your wagon to a Star with an attention-getting
opening that is positive and upbeat. Create a Chain of convincing facts, benefits, and
reasons and transform attention into interest and interest into desire. Then, Hook them
with a powerful call to action, making it easy to respond.
• ABC Checklist — William Steinhardt's formula is more detailed than most and very
practical. Attain attention, Bang out benefits, Create verbal pictures, Describe success
incidents, Endorse with testimonials, Feature special details, Gild with values, Honor
claims with guarantees, Inject action in reader.
• The String of Pearls — This is a particular method of writing copy. The idea is that you
assemble details and string them together in a long line, one after another. Each pearl is
complete in some way. Collectively, their persuasive power becomes overwhelming.
• The Cluster of Diamonds — Similar to the String of Pearls, this formula suggests
assembling a group of details under an umbrella concept. For example, an ad might have
the headline "7 Reasons Why You'll Save Money With XYZ." The copy would then list
these seven reasons. Each detail is a "diamond" in a particular setting.
• The Fan Dancer — The analogy here is perfect, though a bit racy. The idea is to tantalize
with specific details that never reveal any actual information. It's like teaser copy or
what one influential writer called "fascinations." For example, let's say you're selling a
book on reducing your taxes. Part of your copy might read: "The one secret way to pay
zero taxes and get away with it — page 32. How the IRS uses your mailing label against
you — page 122. Three clever ways to turn a vacation into a business tax deduction even
if you don't own a business — page 158." As with a fan dancer, you're left wanting
more.
16 consigli di Drayton Bird (per il direct marketing e non solo)
http://www.draytonbird.com/
Well, this is by popular request - one of you asked for more facts about pictures and illustrations.
Before saying any more let me tell you one thing that often helps. When you can't afford a letter and
a brochure in a direct mail piece, try an illustrated letter. (You know, of course, that given a choice
between a letter and a brochure, you always use the letter in preference as it's more personal).
Having said that, here are a few facts, much of them based on research by Gallup or testing.
4. People look at people. Responses for a business school nearly doubled when we put the Dean's
face in the ads.
5. Men look at attractive women; so do women. But they look at babies even more.
8. If you don't illustrate the product or the idea, the ad is 27 % less effective than average.(That
means don't be a clever-clogs)
9. Stereotypes - chatting people, loving couples, smiling sippers and ecstatic eaters kill ads. They
don't develop uniqueness. .
10. If the picture has something odd about it, people remember the message.
11. One big picture usually attracts better than several small ones.
14. Cut out pictures attract the eye better than squared-up ones.
15. Don't have pictures just for the sake of it; they cost money and can divert attention needlessly.
16. Coupons in ads used to add most conviction. Now that you often direct people to a website, that
means it should be very prominent.
By the way, never use pictures that have nothing to with the product but seem a clever idea.
Seven
handy
hints
for
succesful
ads
Adrian
Holmes,
Chairman
of
Lowe
Worldwide
shares
seven
points
for
doing
well
at
the
Worldwide
CreaNve
Review.
They're
also
great
principles
that
obviously
apply
to
evaluaNng
all
creaNvity.
Adrian's
7
handy
hints:
1.
Be
simple.
Be
simple.
Be
simple.
Too
many
ads
and
commercials
we
see
at
the
Review
are
just
over‐complicated.
They
are
either
trying
to
say
too
many
different
things
at
once,
or
else
not
enough
effort
has
been
put
into
making
things
easy
for
the
audience.
Messages
that
are
clearly
and
intelligibly
expressed
always
get
scored
higher
by
the
Jury.
So
keep
asking
yourself
when
you
are
working
on
an
ad:
how
can
we
make
this
even
simpler?
What
can
we
take
out?
As
Bill
Bernbach
once
remarked:
'it's
not
how
short
you
make
it,
it's
how
you
make
it
short'.
2.
Give
your
ad
an
unexpected
twist.
Does
something
happen
in
your
print
ad
or
commercial
that
the
audience
wasn't
expecNng?
If
it
does,
its
WCR
score
will
be
higher,
simple
as
that.
Every
creaNve
team's
mission
should
be
to
induce
that
feeling
of
'A‐ha'
in
the
viewer
by
building
in
a
clever
piece
of
thinking
‐
a
'twist'
‐
so
that
they
are
taken
by
surprise.
Ads
that
don't
do
this
are
seen
as
flat
and
two‐dimensional,
so
tend
to
score
lower.
3.
Show
us
something
we
haven't
seen
before.
So
o?en
in
adverNsing
the
challenge
is
to
express
the
same
old
selling
messages
in
new
and
untried
ways.
That's
what
we
really
get
paid
for
as
an
agency.
Just
occasionally,
a
mould‐
breaking
piece
of
work
comes
along
where
the
jury
can
honestly
say
'we've
never
seen
anything
like
that
before'.
As
a
result,
the
ad
will
score
far
higher.
Moral:
try
to
make
your
adverNsing
look
as
liOle
like
adverNsing
as
possible.
And
above
all,
don't
copy
someone
else's
approach.
ImitaNon
is
the
sincerest
form
of
the?.
4.
Make
your
layouts
elegant
and
uncluOered.
A
frankly
unacceptable
number
of
print
ads
get
low
scores
at
the
WCR
because
the
layouts
are
so
ugly‐looking.
Badly‐balanced
headlines,
too
many
elements
scaOered
across
the
page,
poor
photography,
unsightly
typography...
the
list
of
'sins'
that
we
see
print
adverNsements
commit
is
long
indeed.
But,
ah,
when
a
simple,
beauNfully
cra?ed
page
appears
before
the
jury,
you
can
almost
hear
the
joint
sigh
of
relief
that
goes
up,
and
the
ad
is
duly
rewarded
with
a
higher
score.
5.
Beware
the
'standard
award‐winning
layout'.
You
may
be
tempted
to
think
that
resorNng
to
the
'big
visual,
Nny
logo,
no
words'
formula
is
the
only
way
to
devise
an
award‐winning
ad
nowadays.
The
trouble
is,
every
other
team
around
the
world
is
beginning
to
share
exactly
the
same
view.
With
the
result
that
more
and
more
adverNsing
shares
a
kind
of
global
'sameness'
‐
check
Archive
Magazine
and
you'll
see
this
phenomenon
at
work.
There's
nothing
wrong
in
reducing
an
ad's
elements
to
the
very
minimum.
The
Daily
News
poster
from
Lowe
Brindfors
that's
reviewed
this
month
is
a
good
case
in
point.
But
to
do
that
and
nothing
else
is
simply
to
deny
yourself
the
myriad
creaNve
possibiliNes
that
the
printed
page
can
offer.
The
'standard
award‐winning
layout'
can,
in
fact,
be
quite
dangerous.
It's
all
too
o?en
the
layout
used
in
scam
adverNsing,
leading
awards
juries
to
believe
your
ad
is
possibly
a
scam
itself,
and
so
mark
it
down
accordingly.
6.
Er,
just
one
thing.
Can
we
actually
understand
your
ad?
Quite
o?en
we
see
pieces
of
work
on
the
WCR
jury
that
break
the
most
fundamental
communicaNon
rule
of
all:
we
don't
actually
comprehend
them.
This
is
not
a
lack
of
understanding
because
of
some
cultural
or
language
issue,
but
because
the
team
has
expressed
their
message
in
such
an
oblique
or
badly
thoughOhrough
way
that
their
audience
will
simply
fail
to
'get'
it.
An
adverNsement's
prime
duty
once
it
has
been
noNced
is
to
be
understood.
And
if
the
audience
fails
to
grasp
the
message
you
are
trying
to
get
over,
all
you've
done
is
to
waste
their
Nme
and
the
client's
money.
So
here's
a
Np:
when
you've
wriOen
a
commercial
or
print
ad,
take
the
script
or
the
layout
to
the
team
across
the
corridor
and
ask
them
this
quesNon:
'Do
you
understand
what
this
is
about?'
Not:
'Do
you
like
it?'
Or
'Do
you
think
this
will
get
an
award?'
As
we've
always
said
at
Lowe:
first
be
clear,
then
be
clever.
7.
Body
copy
is
not,
repeat
not,
carpet
Nling.
Again
and
again
we
see
typesePng
of
body
copy
which
make
the
WCR
jurors
visibly
flinch
in
their
seats.
Usually,
it's
set
far
too
small.
The
lines
are
too
close
together.
With
no
paragraphs.
And
with
too
many
words
per
line.
The
result
is
body
text
that's
treated
like
a
piece
of
grey
carpeNng
to
be
cut
to
size
and
stuck
somewhere
‐
anywhere
‐
at
the
boOom
of
the
layout.
Copy
is
one
of
the
most
powerful
weapons
at
a
creaNve
team's
disposal.
Our
jury
suggests
you
reawaken
yourselves
to
the
possibiliNes
of
great
wriNng,
and
the
power
of
wriOen
advocacy
to
produce
a
compelling
argument.
And
above
all,
once
those
words
are
wriOen,
make
sure
the
typographer
accords
them
the
respect
they
deserve.
17 Strategies to Killer Ads
http://thefamiliarstrangers.com/17-strategies-to-killer-ads/
After reading The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry, we have an overall look at 17 different
strategy for killer ads
This common strategy is basically :”show life without he product, show life with the product.” The
subsequent idea and execution that comes from this strategy is usually a negative visual (without
the product) followed by a positive one (with the product).
The “After” is simply the product name/logo and tagline. The idea is to let the customer figure out
the “after” stage themselves, without have to see it.
3. After Only Strategy
There are many advertising ideas belong to this category, this is the easiest method to demonstrate
the benefit of the products, or in other words, “life with the product.”
4. Advice / Knowledge Strategy
The advice strategy creates a positive image in the mind of the consumer. This is a lateral, “we can
help you” approach, usually expressed through the benefit. And also demonstrate how a quality
product of service is.
5. Empathy Strategy
This approach demonstrates how empathetic the client is toward the consumer. It demonstrates to
the targe audience “We understand and care about tou and/or your relationship with the product.”
6. Demonstration Strategy
A new, clever way to demonstrate the product benefit can actually be the most engaging, direct form
of communication. It is the purest form of strategy focuses solely on ways to show the product
benefit explicitly via a “demonstration”.
7. Testimonial Strategy
Testimonial advertising can exist as early on a the strategy stage, or it can be deduced later, during
the concept stage. This approach uses a famous or non-famous consumer to report their positive
experiences with the product or services. It is very common in the fashion ad and traditional product
ad.
8. Heritage Strategy
This is an effective strategy because no 2 company histories or backgrounds are the same: each
story is so unique.
Using the client or owner in the advertising can be hit or miss. The benefit is its down-to-earth
integrity, since he or she is the heart and soul of the product.
10. Product Positioning Strategy
In a sense, this is the broadest, most basic type of strategy — simply to position a new or
established product in a different way from its competition. One could argue that all good
advertising should adopt this strategy, with or without an additional, more specific strategy.
If a current product is losing money despite a healthy advertising spend, the product may need to
reposition itself —- switch from the original positioning due to a sudden or prolonged shift in the
market.
12. Competitive or Comparison Strategy
All clients compare themselves to their competition to a greater or lesser degree. This strategic
approach can make either an overt or subtle reference to any differences between products in the
actual advertising, rather than merely keeping it within the strategy statement.
This is the “have you got what it takes?” strategy. Some brands need to persuade people to do
something, rather than buy somthing. One possible strategic approach is to challenge the
consumber, to see if he or she is right for the “product” or service.
14. Negative to Positive Strategy
This strategy turns a boring or negative perception about a product/brand/market into a positive one,
usually by adding an extra thought or clever argument.
The honesty strategy is one that runs through the strategy, idea, executions, and tone of voice. It
means self-honesty 9about the product) rather than honesty about another related or unrelated
subject. If doing it well, the honesty approach is refreshing, disarming down to earth, and often
humorous.
"Art Direction" magazine, January 1960
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/chuukyuu/20090509/1241802355
1. Every DDB ad has a "big idea" behind the facade of the visual. The big idea shows
itself either in copy or art; it's so strong one can almost describe it without showing the
ad.
2. "Idea" is not big picture or short copy. These are techniques, not ideas. Many DDB ads
feature long copy.
3. DDB ads may look entertaining. Behind the hoopla-ho is a deadly serious purpose:
information about the product.
4. All DDB ads start with a selling point of the product. There are no exceptions to this.
38 Great Ideas for Your Next Headline by Robert Bly
http://www.bly.com
The best way to get ideas for headlines when you are stuck is to keep a swipe file of
successful headlines, and consult it for inspiration when you sit down to write a new ad
or mailing. As a shortcut, here’s a partial collection of such headlines from my vast
swipe file, organized by category so as to make clear the approach being used:
9. Tell a story.
“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano … But When I Started to Play.”
19. Be specific.
“At 60 Miles an Hour, the Loudest Noise in This New Rolls Royce Comes from the
Electric Clock.”
Even atheists kneel on a BMW. • Taunt gravity. • Armchairs cause bedsores on the psyche. • Put as much distance as possible
between you and the strip mall. • One of the two times in your life when your spirit will soar. • Buy one before the Church bans such
marriages. • If our engineers built spouses, the divorce rate would plummet. • Questions to ponder: Is there a God? Why are we
here? Can I take this curve doing 60? • Bring your girlfriend on a ride, if she’s into menage trois. • The bike is aerodynamic. Any
drag would be caused by that stupid grin you’re wearing. • People take vows of chastity to feel this way. • The police have yet to
make a radar gun that can determine how fast your heart is racing. • You don’t get off a BMW so much as take it off. • Many are the
motorcycles that say a lot about you. The rare few say a lot to you. • Every life has certain peak moments. Here’s a machine capable
of producing them at will. • George Orwell predicted that man and machine would eventually become one. • Why some men won’t
stop and ask directions. • If you feel like something’s missing from your life, here’s the lost-and-found department. • Bait for
catching air. • It wasn’t DNA experts, engineers, or microbiologists who finally created perfect fusion. • Some bikes are designed to
say a lot about you. Find one that speaks to you. • “Darling, is that... a smudge of motor oil on your collar?” • Cathedrals, mosques,
basilicas, Route 67. • The road is calling. Don’t get its message on voicemail. • The only thing at the end of the road is 23 more
miles. • Assume your rightful place in the food chain. • Runners get a high from jogging around a track at 8 miles per hour. Pathetic. •
How “joie de vivre” translates into German. • On a good day, it’s even faster than mortality. • Just ahead, Reason is standing in the
road with its thumb out. Speed up before it hitches a ride. • On any other motorcycle, he would’ve sent the package FedEx. • Soul
searching doesn’t require a compass. • While other animals were blessed with speed, God gaves us brains. And just look what we
went and did with them. • How to keep your life from going by in a blur. • It’s like 4-wheel drive, with two wheels. • Leave it to the
Germans to find an autobahn in the middle of nowhere. • Careful. It can smell fear. • What walking on air looks like. • The invitation
said to bring your significant other. She thinks it’s her. • The chauffeur of your soul. • His body is waiting in line at the grocery store.
• A prosthesis for the soul. • Curse the name of whoever invented the stopsign. • A remote control is a far more dangerous machine. •
The feeling is more permanent than any tattoo. • If you’ve ever superglued your finger, you know the feeling. • The road to self
enlightenment isn’t paved. • Fits like a glove. A metallic silver, fuel-injected,150-horsepower glove. • “Yippee! I’m off to my root
canal!” • Most bikes say a lot about you. A very few can actually speak to you. • Engineers take note: The first successful hybrid of
man and machine. • Meandering is for cows. • It speaks to you, and suddenly you’re fluent in German. • Your inner child is fluent in
German. • The last day of school, any day of the year. • A carnivore in the food chain of bikes. • There is no known antidote once it
gets into your blood. • Just another trip to the corner store to pick up some milk. • His refrigerator is stocked with 93 gallons of milk
and he’s on his way to get another. • Aerodynamically designed to catch air. • There are no words to describe it. Unless “Wooohoo!”
counts. • A translation for the German word “Weee!” • Even if you don’t speak German, you should still be able to translate the
picture. • The part of you that cries for adventure is fluent in German. • From the people who brought you unification of an entire
country, the same principle on a slightly smaller scale. • No amusement park ride can give this feeling. • While riding it, your wheels
won’t touch the ground. And once you get off, neither will your feet. • If he had on a mood ring, it would be bright green right now. •
While other bikes brag about their traction, ours is better known for not sticking to the road. • The better traction you have the less
you have to stick to the road. • Off, off, off, off-road. • “Look Ma! No hands!” •If it had a rearview mirror, you’d see your troubles in
it. • The Church has yet to comment on such a marriage of man and machine. • Lifts your spirits as well as the rest of you. •
Somewhere, some small part of you is fluent in German. • Aluminum is more pure than you are. • Horses usually want to turn back
towards the barn. 100 horsepower together and it works quite the opposite. • The highway patrol will never know you’re breaking
laws of physics. • Occasionally, aerodynamics help you catch air. • There’s something worth racing towards at the end of this road:
another 25 miles. • Become one with Nature, thirty miles at a time. • Caution. There’s no known antidote for getting this out of your
blood. • The best psychotherapy doesn’t happen while lying on a couch. • This is exactly the sort of intimacy that would frighten
Jesse Helms. • It’s as exciting as every other bike. And then you turn it on. • The excuse was to get milk. But the expiration date is
long since past. • Never has a raccoon baking in the sun smelled sweeter. • It’s not over til the fat lady sings. • If you’re trying to find
yourself, you sure as hell won’t find it on the couch. • If you had eight hours, alone, no radio, imagine what you could think about. •
Giddy. A strange word, especially to German engineers. • A bike more likely titled “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Riding.” • Put as
much distance as possible between you and mortality. • Zen masters spend their lives trying to be at one with Nature. You could do it
30 miles at a time. • Your heart races, your senses tingle. Then you turn it on. • Lots of bikes can make you feel this way while you’re
riding. Only one makes you feel like this long after you’ve gotten off. • And you thought only starfish could grow new body parts. •
The seat can comfortably fit two. But like most things this intimate, it’s best experienced one-on-one. • Yeah, the seat can fit two,
though only in foreign films are three-ways successful. • Where is it written that the love for your motorcycle must be platonic? •
Seems preoccupied. Comes home later than usual. Always wanting to get out of the house. • Men who own a BMW think have
something else to think about every 22 seconds. • A giant hearing aid for the call of the road. • People talk about riding alone for
hours. Obviously they’ve never owned a BMW. • The road is calling. Don’t let the answering machine pick up. • If you wanted to
drive something fat and lazy, you would’ve gotten a Ferrari. • Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. Don’t let the prop man give you the wrong
accessories. • Our warranty: 5 years, 50,000 miles or 5 major insights. • Stained glass windows and altars don’t have a monopoly on
spirituality. • Let’s see. You’re either riding it, or wishing you were riding it, or thinking about the last time you rode it. Now, who’s
in charge here? • Considering how much you love your bike, shouldn’t it at least treat you with a little respect? • You can tell where
his body leaves off and the machine begins. He can’t. • Keep reminding yourself, it’s just a machine, just a machine. • Not many
roadtrips could guarantee that after 75,000 miles together you’ll be head over heels in love. • Attention physicists: Man and machine
have been successfully fused. And it wasn’t in a laboratory. • You’ve got just one companion on the road. Find one you can get along
with. • Scientists brag about hybrids of mice and rats. We’ve been doing it for years with bikes and riders. • It would take a bisection
to prove exactly where the bike ends and the rider begins. • Scientists have tried to find the soul. They’re using the wrong equipment.
• Not even Chang and Eng were this close. • On a bike where riding is holy, it’s no wonder the riders look like they’re kneeling. •
Start shoe shopping for steel-belted radials. • Please refrain from using the word “machine” in its presence. • Relationships this
intimate are illegal in some states. • It goes fast, handles well, and looks good. What more could you ask in a rider. • You drive a car.
You ride a motorcycle. You actually go somewhere in a BMW. • You possess a motorcycle. You’re possessed by a BMW. •
What you’re seeing is his soul. His body’s in a board room in Cincinnati right now. • If BMW built spouses, the divorce rate would
plummet. • Long before the Berlin Wall came down, the Germans perfected unification. • Usually, this kind of connection requires
surgery. • Do you become more machine, or does it become more human? • What sounds to the uninitiated like the roar of an engine
is a brilliant orchestral duet. • Admit it, a little part of you sits in a garage right now. • And then there were two. • DNA researchers
brag about creating a hybrid of mice and rats. We did it long ago with bikes and riders. • The first truly successful genetic hybrid. •
You’ll become so much alike, you might start to crave gasoline after a while. • Spiritually, you don’t need a seatbelt to hold you in. •
Unlike many lifelong bonds, no one ever divorced from their BMW. • “Oh look, honey. What a sweet looking couple.” • Stained
glass windows and candles do not a marriage make. • After seven years, it’s a commonlaw marriage. • If you ever connect like this
with a person, marry them. • We must warn you, relationships this intimate with anyone but a spouse are frowned on by the Church. •
The only thing that comes between them is a nice comfy seat. • It handles well, looks good, and goes fast. But we understand there’s
far more to a rider. • What you’re seeing is his soul. His body is trapped in a conference room right now. • Board rooms bear an odd
resemblance to coffins. • The first few months you just hear the roar of the engine. Then you understand what it’s saying to you. •
Scientists say they don’t know where the soul actually lives. They’re obviously driving the wrong bikes. • If it looks like he’s
kneeling, you’ll understand why it’s so spiritual. • No coincidence that he looks like he’s kneeling. • We’ve successfully joining of
man and machine without surgery. • Somebody call Ray Bradbury. We’ve combined man and machine. • The Greeks had the Centaur.
Half-man, half-beast. • After a while you might find yourself shoe shopping for steel-belted radials. • It’s not a bike designed to pick
up dates. Though it can comfortably seat two. • Your bike is your only company on the road. Find one you can get along with. • Lost-
and-Found called. They have what’s been missing in your life. • Bike and rider. Separated only by a nice comfy leather seat. •
Attention physicists: Atomic fusion was finally achieved. And it wasn’t in a laboratory. • We were combining man and machine
before Terminator was ever filmed. • If you’ve been soul-searching, perhaps you’re not looking in the right places. • Put as much
distance as possible between you and inertia. • Not every spiritual union comes out of a cathedral. • Not every religeous experience
happens in a church. • More Westminster Abbey than Cal Tech. • There are basilicas, cathedrals, mosques. And then, there is Route
67. • You can be reincarnated as a Brahma bull. But if you’re very lucky you’ll be a BMW rider. • At the top of the motorcycle food
chain. • Millions of aluminum cans go to bed at night praying to be recycled into a BMW bumper. • Aluminum. In some, a soda can.
In others, a holy instrument. • About as much fun as your allowed in a religious experience. • Others give vows of chastity to have a
religious experience. • We’d be millionaires by now if we could market this connection as glue. • Usually when two people are this
happy on the road they have a Just Married sign. • There’s another reason why some men don’t stop and ask directions. • A prosthesis
for your soul. • The whole is greater than sum of your parts. • Cross-pollinate between man and machine. • Merge with traffic.
Not every other motorcycle owner. • The bike is fully assembled. And once you buy it, so are you. • Drive off the map. •If you want
to find yourself, start by pulling out a map. • Stick playing cards in the spokes of the wheels. • The path to self enlightenment is
rarely paved. • Not everyone has a bad picture on their motorcycle driver’s license. • Your heart will stop so suddenly, better hope
it has antilock brakes. • See the reflection of your soul in the chrome. • Chrome wheels, for reflecting on your past. • Rearview
mirrors, for moments of quiet reflection. • Put inertia in the rearview mirror. • Some burn candles when praying. Others, rubber. • The
glow of pride never loses its showroom shine. • Find out the turning radius of your problems. • Sitting on the sofa is far more
hazardous. • A remote control is a far more dangerous machine. • The bike runs on gasoline. Your adrenaline is self-propelled.
•Nowhere is there a BMW with a bumper stickers asking “How’s My Driving?” • The highway patrol has yet to detect a racing heart.
• Nowhere will you find a BMW-driving simulator. • There is no way to be more unlike the experience of riding in a Greyhound bus.
• On some roadtrips, the points of interest aren’t the scenery. • Your estimated time of arrival just got bumped up. • An added safety
benefit: you’ll never fall asleep at the wheel. • Where do you drive when you daydream? • If you don’t end up with a lust for life, at
least you’ll have a crush on it. • Every bike ride is a parade of one. • And together they rode off into the sunset. • Fate has chosen
your ideal mate. And it might just be metallic silver with 120 horsepower. • What walking on air actually looks like. • One of the two
times in your life when your spirit will soar. • Taunt gravity. • The invitation said to bring your significant other. She thinks it’s her. •
The chauffeur of your soul. • Remote controls are far more dangerous machines. • The feeling is more permanent than any tattoo. •
The highway patrol can’t detect how fast your heart is racing. • Armchairs cause bedsores on the soul. • Soul searching doesn’t
require a compass. • Curse the name of whoever invented the stopsign. • You know when you’re driving a car and you get to your
destination without remembering the drive? He doesn’t. • Responsibility can only ride 50 mph. • Power isn’t about wearing a red tie.
• Living too comfortably puts bedsores on the soul. • There are slower vehicles. They’re called hearses. • Yellow is for caution. Don’t
a yellow-bellied. • If your life is going in circles, here’s how to break the centifugal force. • For some, it’s more comfortable than an
armchair. • There is a messenger waiting to tell you that it’s time to go home. Hurry or he’ll catch up.• Some messages last longer
than tatoos. • He was going to get a tatoo. But decided he wanted something more permanant. • Put as much distance as possible
between you and Responsibility. • Lust fueled by gasoline. • For two bodies to be connected so closely usually requires ligaments. •
Usually when two people are this happy on the road they have cans trailing behind them. • The bike is fully assembled. And once you
ride it, so are you. • the last time you felt like this there were playing cards stuck in your wheels. • Put Reason in the rearview mirror.
• Find out the turning radius of your problems. • It’s sitting in front of the TV eating potato chips that’s hazardous. • Where do you
drive when you daydream? • Please check one: single, married, divorced, BMW owner. • Fits tighter than OJ’s glove. • Each of us
has a spiritual twin. Yours might just be metallic silver. • Who’s driving who? • The shuttle to Euphoria, now departing. •
Destination: euphoria. • A machine designed to chemically inject your body with endorphines. • How odd. Heaven is what you feel
when you’re most alive. • Don’t get bruises from pinching yourself. • Likewise, his spirit is soaring. • Usually you have to die to feel
this good. • He died and went to Heaven without the dying part. • It’s no coincidence that angels have wings. • The Germans figured
out unification long before the Berlin Wall came down. • The bike, the girlfriend. Guess which model he’ll trade in first. • The
acceleration is felt in places far more intimite than your right foot. • It makes people jealous. Especially spouses. • She wonders why
she sometimes feels like a third wheel. • All motorcycles are transporation. The difference is where you can go. • The road is calling.
Don’t get the message on voicemail. • It would take a bisection to prove exactly which is the bike and which is the rider. • Please
refrain from using the word “machine” in its presence. • Do you become more machine, or does it become more human? • Chang and
Eng weren’t so close. • Let’s see. You’re either riding it, or wishing you were riding it, or thinking about the last time you rode it.
Now, who’s in charge here? • Keep reminding yourself, it’s just a machine, just a machine. • Some burn incense while meditating.
Others, rubber. • Scoff at gravity. • No one’s ever been pulled over for being drunk with pleasure. • Your brain doesn’t get out much.
It needs a chauffeur. • Doctors who claim they can’t locate the soul aren’t using the right equipment. • Curse the stopsign. • The rider
is the bike is the road is the 17 miles left until the next stopsign. • Plenty of room for luggage. Very little for baggage. • Stained glass
and altars do not have a monopoly on spirituality.
34 ways to write a slogan by Alan Sharpe
http://www.adslogans.co.uk/ww/prvwise03.html
1. Ask a question
Does she or doesn't she? -Clairol
16. Be whimsical
It's the real thing -Coca-Cola
It’s often said that copywriting can’t be too long, just too boring. And sales writing is often only
tolerated at the best of times. So if your copy is to weave its magic it needs to be light, easy to read
and captivating. Here are 15 tips for making your sales writing more punchy and compelling for
readers:
2. Vary between short and long sentences to give your writing rhythm.
3. Split long sentences into two if they’ll survive on their own. Use connecting words such as ’so’,
‘and’ or ‘because’.
4. Wield an axe to flabby language and unnecessary words. As Anton Chekhov put it, ‘Brevity is the
sister of talent.’
5. Sales writing isn’t blessed with a reader’s patience. So ensure every word and sentence means
something to the reader and adds to your argument. Don’t waffle or descend into a longwinded
diatribe that’s of little interest to anybody but you.
6. Leave long paragraphs to novelists, and limit yours to a single thought. Two or three sentences is
adequate.
7. Showy writing isn’t sales writing. Don’t use words just because they sound impressive. And leave
jargon and corporate claptrap for the brochure (if you must use them at all).
8. Use positive inspiring language on what the reader ‘can’ achieve and ‘will’ be able to do. Avoid
negative terms that might dampen their spirits.
9. Break up up your page with subheads and bullets to aid skim reading.
10. Use power words to charge up your writing’s impact, such as ‘revealed’, ‘proven’, ’scientific’ and
‘breakthrough’.
11. Write in your reader’s language and the style they’re comfortable with. Read your target
market’s magazines and newspapers to gauge the pitch.
12. People are hardwired to respond to stories. Use storytelling on how your product has solved
someone’s problem to trigger the reader’s imagination and emotions.
13. Use facts or personal history to build rapport, empathy and to show the reader that you feel
their pain.
14. Ask the reader a simple question early on they’ll say ‘yes’ to. This will precondition them to be
more likely to agree with you and say ‘yes’ to your offer later on.
15. Sales writing is often compared to a conversation with a pal in a bar. So it should be
conversational and sound similar to how you’d speak. Read it aloud to hear whether it flows
smoothly.
Another tip I’d add is to keep a swipe file of the best sales writing you find. Study it, highlight key phrases and copy it out by hand to
gain an understanding of how to write punchy copywriting that generates sales.
E come si riconosce un buon titolo?
Ce lo dice Enrico Chiarugi con Questo, lo escludo.
www.manuscritto.it/pubblicita/chiarugi.pdf
Se hai scritto un buon titolo per una pubblicità, a dirtelo dovrebbero essere gli altri.
Se nei hai scritto uno brutto, allora dovresti essere tu a capirlo.
E a scartarlo.
Davanti a te c'è un foglio bianco. O lo schermo grigio-azzurro di un computer. Accanto a te, sul
piano della scrivania, c'è il brief per una campagna pubblicitaria. Ora, il problema non è se riuscirai
mai a scrivere un titolo nel poco tempo che hai a disposizione (in Italia, paese di santi, di poeti, di
navigatori e di copywriter, tutti sono capaci di scriverne uno, dalla casalinga di Voghera al product
manager di via Nino Bonnet), quanto se riuscirai a riconoscere quello giusto tra tutti quelli che avrai
scritto. Per tua fortuna, ti vengono in aiuto le "procedure di esclusione": tutte quelle griglie e tutti
quei "no, questo no" che, più o meno consapevolmente, hai depositato nella tua coscienza di copy e
che intervengono, sempre per tua fortuna, ad evitare il peggio. Sono dei giudizi di valore che
nascono un po' con te, con i tuoi gusti personali, e un po' sono stati alimentati da altri e da altro: dai
maestri di copywriting che hai avuto (se li hai avuti) nel tuo periodo di apprendistato, dalle
pubblicità su cui ti sei fatto l'occhio (se hai saputo riconoscere quelle belle da quelle brutte), dalla
lettura di Remember those great Volkswagen ads? (se sei riuscito a trovarlo e a fotocopiarlo),
eccetera eccetera eccetera. A questo riguardo, anche per un copywriter la verità sta nel mezzo: se
hai pochi sbarramenti e divieti, rischi più facilmente di non fare un buon titolo (e, più facilmente,
rischi di farne uno banale piuttosto che uno semplicemente brutto); se invece ne hai troppi, rischi
un attacco di impotentia scribendi. Poiché ti hanno chiesto di scrivere un articolo su come nascono i
tuoi titoli e tu hai preferito scriverne uno su come muoiono, adesso procedi. Procedure di
esclusione, il catalogo è questo.
P. E. N° 7. "Non è cheap?"
Non usi mai questa parola, ma temi che possa usarla qualcun altro giudicando un tuo lavoro. Il
dramma c'è quando il brief ti chiede di dire che quel prodotto è davvero cheap ; pardon, conveniente
e a un prezzo concorrenziale. E hai sempre presente quel manifesto di un grande magazzino che hai
visto anni fa, con il titolo "Saldi di gioia".
4. La sindrome passivo-aggressiva.
Se invece scegliamo il passivo, facciamolo sempre a ragion veduta, cioè per evidenziare con
chiarezza "chi è la vittima" dell'azione.
5. Diluilmente lunghi.
Attenzione agli avverbi. Troppo spesso diluiscono il significato del verbo e gli impediscono di
sprigionare tutta la sua forza. "Il palazzo è stato completamente distrutto", "sono assolutamente
d'accordo" vanno bene nella cronaca in diretta e nel contesto di una riunione, meno nel testo di un
articolo o di un verbale.
6. Scrivendo scrivendo...
Il gerundio raramente serve davvero. Più spesso complica la sintassi, appiattisce il suono, introduce
quel sapore di burocratese di cui anche gli uffici pubblici fanno ormai volentieri a meno.
8. Svolte improvvise.
Creare parallelismi e simmetrie, nella sintassi e nel lessico, aiuta la comprensione, soprattutto per
temi e ragionamenti complessi. Ma il lettore, dopo le strade dritte e tracciate, ama anche essere
sorpreso da una svolta improvvisa, un cambio di direzione.
EFFETTI SPECIALI
METODI
BUONE ABITUDINI
Professionals agree that these are the top 10 characteristics of a good name:
7 Linguistically clean
What are the root origins of the name? How is it pronounced by a Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese or French
native speaker? What does it mean in these languages? You need to support these languages just to do business in North
America nowadays, especially in the populous areas of California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Canada.
2. What am I naming?
The goal here is to give the product a name that has appealing associations. In all types of naming it is
important that the name evokes the right emotions, associations, and images. In addition, if you are
naming a product that will be on a retail shelf, the name should be short enough to fit on the retail box and
be legible from several feet away. If your business, product, or service is altogether new, you will generally
want its name to communicate at a glance what it concerns. For example, business names (trade names) such
as GENERAL NUTRITION, SPORTSMAN'S WAREHOUSE, BURGER WORLD, and PETSMART
communicate immediately what is at issue. On the other hand, if you are naming an additional product in an
established business, the product name need not necessarily communicate what it is. For example, it is not
necessary for names such as Mustang, Thunderbird, Marboro, and Camel to communicate that they are cars
and cigarettes, because the consumer knows what they are from the company names.
Coined names:
The trend to coin business and product names is increasing, largely because they are quite easily
trademarked. Names such as Nu Skin, Computune, and Envirocare are all recent coinages that
communicate the types of businesses they are. Pentium is a well-known product name for Intel's fifth
generation product. A recent trend in coining names for cars has been to select a prestige two-syllable
beginning, and end the name with "a." Consider "Maxima, Accura, Altima, Integra, Lumina, and others.
Observe how the names of medicines tend to end in in, possibly to evoke an association with the word
medicine: aspirin, penicillin, herpecin, corracidin, pamparin, and cholestin. And, we are all familiar with
two-word names written as single words as in WordPerfect, Microsoft, and WriteExpress. Thus, coining
names may be done in a number of ways, and coinages often follow trends. WriteExpress PowerNaming is
especially designed to help you in this creative process.
The current trend is to avoid the use of surnames unless they are well known or you have the means to
make them well known through advertising. As a general rule, they are difficult to trademark. Successful
surnames include Smucker's, Fudrucker's, Albertson's, Covey Leadership, and Franklin Quest. Successful
names that include first names include Oscar Meyer, Fred Meyer's Mama Maria's, and Tony Roma's. The use
of first or surnames often works well when linked with another identifying word. For example, Jone's Paint
and Glass, Peggy's Bridal, Crawford Electric, and Knighton Optical. Be aware that such names often work
locally, but not internationally, unless they are widerly recognized.
Telescoped or Alpha-Numeric names:
Some persons refer to names that combine numbers and letters as Alpha-Numeric names. Such names
have worked well for companies such as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company that telescoped its
name to be the 3M Company. Other good examples are Food 4 Less, A-1 Steak Sauce, 9-Lives Cat Food,
and 7-UP. (Other examples???) Many such names are successful because the numbers carry important
meanings in clever ways.
Nite skool, Krazee Kids, Kandy Korn, Peteet Neet School, tuff skins, Xtreme are all examples of deviant
spellings that play with sounds. The rhyming and alliteration features of WriteExpress can help you find
words with the desired sound combinations, but you provide the innovative spellings. Be sure that the
deviant spelling appeals to your target consumer. What appeals to one group of consumers may just be silly
to another. The advantage of such names is that they are memorable, but you may find them difficult to
trademark if there is a similar-sounding trademark with a more conventional spelling.
Acronyms and abbreviations are effective ways to shorten otherwise long names and make them unique
and memorable, particularly when the name is already known. Thus NRA is recognized as National Rifle
Association, aol is America on line, and KFC is Kentucky Fried Chicken. Otherwise, the acronym or
abbreviation must contain other information to carry its message. For example IHC Health Care, CNN News,
or M & L Rentals. In some cases a clever acronym is introduced with the product as in US West's Directory
Expert called DEX.
Place names:
The key is for the place name to carry the right associations. New York Deli, Philadelphia Cream Cheese,
Chicago style pizza, San Francisco Sourdough, Kentucky Fried Chicker. Ficticious place names can also
work if they have the right associations and are therefore memorable. Consider The Olive Garden
Restaurant, The Attic, and The Terrace. If the nature of the business, service or product is not obvious from
the name, you still have an advertising problem.
Names with alliteration are those that have the same sound at the beginning of two or more successive
words. Roto Rooter, Cellular Source, Peter Piper Pizza, Water World, and Bargain Basement are words that
are memorable largely because they contain alliteration. The WriteExpress rhyming and alliteration features
make up the world's most powerful tool for finding such names. While this is a very positive feature, don't
let it lure you into being so creative that the name is counter productive.
Prestige names:
Names such as Nike, Sundance, Lady Di, and Pierre Cardin are all prestige names. Some are from foreign
languages; others are the names of celebrities. One may expect that such names are rarely trademarkable.
It is generally good advice to avoid them unless you have some legal control over the name.
In naming businesses and services, lengthy names with three or more syllables in more than one word
should probably be avoided. Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company was wisely reduced to 3M, and
International Business Machines was reduced to IBM. If you are naming a product that will be on a retail
shelf, the name should be short enough to fit on the retail box and be legible from several feet away.
Selecting a name that tells the customer what the product is in only a few syllables is daunting but
absolutely essential. After selecting possible names, test them with potential buyers to see whether they
understand from the name what the product is. If they don't, find another short name until they do.
5. Do the sounds in the name have the right appeal?
Your name should be easy to read, spell, and pronounce, and should reflect the quality of the thing named.
It is best to avoid names with uncertain pronunciations. Part of the meaning of a word is colored by its
sounds. Words that rhyme or have alliterative initial sounds may work well for some products but not for
others. "Tiny Tots' Toys" may work well for children's products but such alliteration may not work well for
medical supplies. Would you want to buy "comfy coronary catheters?" Certain sounds such as the vowels in
tipsy and teenie weenie carry light, diminutive impressions, while the sounds in crunch and plop seem
much heavier. Similarly, the sounds p,t,k,ch, j, a,u,o seem harder and more masculine than do l,m,n, ng,
sh,s, i,e. The sounds v,f,z,s are generally associated with speed more than sounds such as p,t,b,d,l, and m.
Some experts feel that the letters q,x,z,f, and u tend to evoke negative feelings. Of course Fudruckers and
Compaq have used the sounds to their advantage. On the positive side, the letters a,b,s,t and m are
reported to evoke very positive feelings. Being aware of such subtleties may help you narrow your choices.
Would "Bud Light" be as appealing if it were "Tiffany Light?" "Bud" evokes masculine associations and
"Tiffany" evokes feminine ones. Notice that the difference is communicated as much by the sounds of the
words as by the meanings. The sounds in "Bud" seem heavier than ones in "Tiffany." A recent fat substitute
was given the name "olean," negating any notion of fat. Consider the positive associations with a name
such as "Sunkist Oranges." Some names like Ajax or Mercury evoke powerful images from mythology.
Others like Castmaster or Power Bait clearly appeal to the sport of fishing. The associations that your name
evokes are extremely important and should appeal to the specific consumer you have in mind.
Without checking foreign language associations of the word, someone at GM chose "Nova," for a Chevrolet
model, probably hoping to evoke a star-like association. Only later did they realize that In Spanish, "no- va"
means "it doesn't go." The incident has been a lesson for all who would name products for global
consumption. Successful names with good foreign language meanings include "Nike," referring to the Greek
goddess of victory, and "Taurus," meaning "bull," the second sign of the zodiac. Before settling on a name,
be sure to check its possible meanings and associations in foreign languages. Foreign language dictionaries
will help but will not suffice. Generally they will not contain profanity. Be safe by checking with native
speakers.
As you narrow your name choices, involve only persons from the group who will be the consumers. Ask
them what they think of when they hear the word you have chosen. You may also tell them what you think
the name of your product or service, but don't dwell on it. Contact them on the following day and ask them
what the name was. If several remember it, you probably have a good name. If virtually no one does, it's
back to the drawing board. Other techniques include surveying consumers with a list of possible names for
them to rank, interviewing consumers in the market place, and placing lists on bulletin boards and
requesting responses. Also test your names for political incorrectness, negative associations, questionable
meanings in foreign languages, and other connotations or associations that may render a name unwise.
Remember, the name must be unique, distinctive, and memorable. And, before you use it be sure that the
name will be free from legal problems.
If you anticipate that much of your business will come from listings in the Yellow Pages, the Internet, or
other directories, it will be to your advantage to have a business name that will be listed close to the start
of the alphabet, because these lists appear in alphabetical order. Of course, highlighting, adding pictures,
and using other attention-getting devices can help, but their effectiveness seems to be less when placed
near the end of a list.
10. Can I trademark the name?
You will probably experience some frustration when you find that your favorite name is not legally available.
Be sure you have three or four alternatives when you start your search from trademark availability. Initially,
you may want to check trade journals, and directories such as the Yellow Pages to be sure your name is not
being used. Most university libraries offer searching services so you can determine whether your name is
already listed as a trademark. This initial search may save you time and money before you engage legal
counsel. Be sure to check various similar or optional spellings for your name, because it can be denied if it
is too similar to another established trademark. Large libraries will generally have books that deal with
state and federal trademark laws. Trademark law can be complicated so you must get good advice on how
to proceed.
Fonte: http://www.brighternaming.com/name_styles.html
37 way to name a company di Alan Sharpe
www.brampton-business.com/pdfuploads/37waystonameyourcompany.pdf
Every once in a while The Name Inspector likes to step back and look at the big picture. This post illustrates
ten name categories that account for all the names in the TechCrunch company/product index. Well, almost
all of them. The name 1 800 Free 411 would have required its own category, and that would have made
eleven categories instead of the magic ten. So let’s just ignore that name for now. Though most of the
TechCrunch names are “Web 2.0•• names, there’s nothing particularly Web 2.0 about the categories. They all
represent linguistic naming strategies that can be used for companies or products of any kind.
Of course, there are different ways to categorize names. You can use phonetic properties like sonority or
number of syllables. You can use semantic criteria, such as whether they are metaphorical, metonymic, or
literally descriptive. The categories below are based on the morphological structure of names: what kinds of
meaningful pieces they have and how the pieces fit together. They’re listed in descending order of frequency.
The number of names in each category is in parentheses.
Pros: These names are short and come ready-made with rich, often multiple associations.
Cons: Expect to pay money–possibly a lot–to secure the URL. Trademarking can be tricky too.
Adobe
Amazon
Apple
Dapper
Ether
Expo
Flock
Fox
Grouper
Indeed
Inform.com
Live.com
Multiply
Pandora
Pluck
Revver
Riffs
Shadows
Sphere
Wink
Yahoo!
Yelp
Misspelled words
These are simply words that have been misspelled to make them more distinctive. This addresses the
URL/trademark issue.
del.icio.us (delicious)
Digg (dig)
flickr (flicker)
Google (googol)
Goowy (gooey or GUI)
Snocap (snow cap)
SoonR (sooner)
Topix (topics)
Zooomr (zoomer)
Foreign words
2. Compounds (31)
Each of these names consists of two words put together, with the first word receiving the main emphasis in
pronunciation. (It doesn’t matter if there’s a space between words). In most cases both words are nouns.
Names with verbs in the second position are Bubbleshare, Google Talk, and possibly Tailrank (share, talk,
and rank can all be nouns, but they’re verbs under the most natural interpretation). Names with non-nouns in
the first position are BlueDot, SocialText, JotSpot, Measure Map, and possibly Jumpcut, Rapleaf, and
SearchFox. Again, the first words here can all be nouns, but they’re more naturally treated as two adjectives
(blue and social) and a bunch of verbs. Compounds are a simple way to create new words and are very
common in English (and other Germanic languages), so it’s not surprising to find them high on the list.
Pros: The practically limitless number of possible combinations makes it easy to create a unique name.
Interesting meanings can be created through the combination of words.
Cons: There are no huge drawbacks, which is one reason that compounds are
popular, but they are longer than many other kinds of name.
Attention Trust
Bloglines
BlueDot
Bubbleshare
Facebook
FeedBurner
Filmloop
Firefox
Google Talk
JotSpot
Jumpcut
Measure Map
Netvibes
Newsgator
OPML Editor
Pageflakes
Photobucket
Powerset
Rapleaf
Salesforce
SearchFox
SocialText
Songbird
TagJag
Tagworld
Tailrank
TechMeme
Webshots
Wordpress
Video Egg
YouTube
3. Phrases (25)
These are names that follow normal rules for putting words together to make phrases (other than
compounds).
Pros: They sound linguistically natural and have clear meanings because they follow regular rules.
Cons: Phrase names can be long, and they can also sound awkward when used as nouns if they are not
already noun phrases (e.g. Have you tried iLike?)
37 Signals
Adaptive Path
AllofMP3
AllPeers
Amie Street (could be a compound, but __ Street is such a common pattern)
CollectiveX
iLike
Last.fm
LinkedIn
MyBlogLog
MySpace
PayPerPost
Planet Web 2.0
rawsugar
SecondLife
SimplyHired
SixApart
StumbleUpon
TheVeniceProject (could be a compound, but the the makes it phraselike).
TopTenSources
Included in this category are names that consist of a company name or prominent brand name followed by a
generic noun. In these names, the first word functions as a kind of modifier of the second.
AIM Pages
Google Reader
Google Video
Microsoft Expo
Yahoo Answers
Notice the Google Talk is not here–it’s on the compound list. That’s because Google Talk is pronounced with
the emphasis on Google, which means that the whole thing is treated as one word. As far as The Name
Inspector knows, all the names immediately above are pronounced with some emphasis on each word, and
the main emphasis on the second. Does anyone disagree?
4. Blends (12)
Each of these names has two parts, at least one of which is a recognizable portion of a word rather than a
whole word.
Pros: When they work, blends can be short and elegant and have all the advantages of compounds.
Cons: When they don’t work, blends can be awkward and/or have obscure meanings.
Maxthon (max + marathon)
Microsoft (microcomputer + software)
Netscape (net + landscape)
Newroo (new + kangaroo)
PubSub (publish + subscribe)
Rebtel (rebel + telephone)
Rollyo (roll + your own, or roll + your own)
Sharpcast (sharp + broadcast)
Skype (sky + peer-to-peer)
Technorati (technology + literati)
Wikipedia (wiki + encyclopedia)
Zillow (zillions + pillow, with overlap of -ill-)
Pros: As long as people recognize the word, you get all its rich meaning while still having a distinctive name.
Cons: People might not recognize the word, and some of these names can be a little cheesy and gimmicky.
Attensa (attention)
CNet (might stand for computer network, but who thinks of it that way?)
ebay
edgeio
eSnips
iPhone
iTunes
Wikia
Zoho (Soho)
Zune (tune)
Zvents (events)
Pros: These names can be distinctive and meaningful while remaining relatively short.
Cons: Sometimes these names sound contrived. The meanings added by affixes are limited in variety and
usually abstract (which means not very vivid).
Browster
CoComment
Dogster
Feedster
Findory
Friendster
Napster
Omnidrive
Performancing (performance isn’t a verb, so doesn’t normally take -ing ending)
PostSecret (post can also be a noun or a verb, making this a compound)
7. Made up or obscure origin (8)
These are short names that are either made up or whose origins are so obscure that they might as well be
made up.
Pros: Made-up names can be short, cute, and very distinctive (and therefore easy to trademark).
Cons: Made-up names don’t provide much ready-made meaning to work with (all the meaning has to come
from sound symbolism). Good ones are hard to think of, and when they’re short the URLs are likely to be
taken.
Bebo
Meebo
Odeo
Ookles
Plaxo
Qumana
Simpy
Zimbra (taken from a Talking Heads song based on a nonsense Dada poem)
8. Puns (8)
These names are words or phrases that have been modified slightly to evoke an appropriate second meaning.
They’re similar to blends, but they involve a coincidental similarity between part of the main word and the
second evoked word.
Automattic (automatic, mat –> matt, the guy who started the company)
Consumating (consummating, consumm –> consum(e))
Farecast (forecast, fore –> fare)
LicketyShip (lickety split, split –> ship, the verb)
Memeorandum (memorandum, mem –> meme)
Meetro (metro, met –> meet)
Meevee (teevee/TV, tee –> me(e), the pronoun)
Writely (rightly, right –> write)
Pros: These names are short and give personality to a company (or product or service).
Cons: Aside from personality, these names don’t provide meaning to work with. As with made-up names,
good, short ones might not be available as URLs.
Pros: These names provide short mnemonics for long, descriptive phrases.
Cons: Zzzzzz. Also, sometimes initials are short when written but long when spoken. For example, the
initials www have nine syllables when spoken, while the phrase world wide web has three.
The Name Inspector hopes that these name categories will be useful to people struggling with their own
naming problems. They might suggest naming strategies or spur name ideas that wouldn’t otherwise come
up. Good luck in your naming endeavors!