The process of irritation by imitation
Anyone that runs a website knows how irritating spam can be. Since the early days of just posting links, the systems that spammers use have gotten increasingly sophisticated, aiming to…
Nike re-defines greatness
If you're tired of watching CGI footballers and sportsmen bouncing balls across the neighbourhood/plane/planet, you are probably ready for Nike's wonderful new ad (which I was not involved with, by…
Belfius: 2 reasons this name is wrong
It's not often that a brand name generates so much interest. Belgians woke up March 1 to discover that the retail branch of the troubled bank Dexia is now called…
Are your communications aligned with your mission statement?
Coincidentally, I've worked on a number of corporate branding projects recently that threw up a similar problem. Although the brand statements and guidelines were developed with intelligence and insight, their…
Writing Christmas wishes with a wish
If you're struggling to come up with an original idea for writing Christmas wishes, I have a word of advice: don't. Let's not forget that Christmas and New Year wishes…
Levis, riots and teenage aspirations
https://youtu.be/EXu2W4o0CP8 This ad, surely one of the most evocative for a jeans company, has become iconic in a way. Just as the turbulence of May 1968 fueled a new…
Open letter to an SEO copywriter
At least once a year, I am contacted by a customer or agency that has produced some web texts to meet SEO criteria and that wants a copywriter to brush…
Writing e-mail messages: what do you want to achieve?
I just received an e-mail message a few minutes ago which hit my irritation button. Everyone has their pet peeves. One of mine is wasting my time with e-mail. The…