“Let loose the large” was the theme of my presentation on thinking big in copywriting, unleashed to UMSL media and advertising students 4/13/12. Meaning: make a large list of large ideas; pick the largest one; use your large powers to make it a large reality; and be the largest version of yourself you can imagine.
The students seemed to enjoy this combination of tips and pieces from my portfolio. The questions, smart; the connections, invigorating. After, I got this nice certificate from UMSL’s Dr. Kristy Tucciarone, central energy of the school’s advertising program. (Was the “awesome advertising” certificate for me, or my Beatles t-shirt? Either way, thanks, Dr. T!)
P.S. Reporter Myra Lopez from UMSL’s marketing department was there, and posted a fun article/photo in UMSL Daily. Read the article and comments: “Award-winning copywriter lets loose the large.”
….for Nurse Response, the national, 24-hour nurse hotline provider, a division of Centene Corporation. The line has been embraced by the company as the central theme of its marketing communication, including the brand-new Nurse Response website.
As many of you know, I typically advocate against the three-adjective tagline, ala “Integrity. Dedication. Experience.” But this is actually one phrase, made dramatic with punctuation to communicate each of the three beats. See it in use.
“All over Miami, they’re shaving their heads! Like Jon-Luc Picard, the bold, bald head of Star Trek: the Next Generation!” This is one spot in a multi-media “Shaving My Head” campaignI wrote for WCIX-TV, Miami. It ran all over South Florida in the 1990s; those of you there might remember it. This spot has quite a few views on YouTube, and is generating some funny comments there. Producer: Paul Fey. Agency: Paul & Walt Worldwide.
Two new outdoor boards for the SSM Joint Replacement Center. Agency: Dovetail. Designer: Paul Maring. Writers: Paul and me. Everything I believe about advertising is communicated in these boards: (1.) People connect with brands via their hearts, not their heads. (2.) There’s nothing that can’t be made interesting. (3.) For a medium processed at 60 miles an hour, you gotta keep it simple.
…for Parkside Financial Bank & Trust, Clayton, Missouri. To its credit, this industry-leading bank now uses the “path” metaphor in all its messaging, and its URL is even http://ParksidePath.com. Here are a few images from the website, demonstrating how a rich, expressive tagline can be carried out. And on.
Need a tagline with this kind of messaging power? Call me. 314-479-1966. Need a great bank? Take the Parkside Path.
“Best TV Campaign” in the 2011 Awards from the Missouri Association for Healthcare Marketing went to Dovetail’s series for SSM. I wrote two of the three spots in the campaign, including this one, “See the Future,” about advancements in breast cancer detection.
Creative Director: Paul Maring. Producer: Tom Barry, SSM. Director: Mike Sneeden. Production: Arbor Group.
I also wrote another spot in the award-winning campaign, “Nine New Knees.”
Writing in social media requires spontaneity, commitment to the thread, and the ability to invoke group improv. It helps to have really funny friends, which I do. Here’s a funny Facebook thread about something that really happened to me at St. Louis Bread Company. Was amazed by what people will discuss loudly in earshot, and just had to share. It starts like this:
