Perhaps it’s indicative of alcohol’s margins that they often have great advertisements. That is, they can afford to get their words right. So, and in no way condoning or encouraging alcohol consumption (though I do drink), here’s a very clever way to remind people Stella Artois has stood the test of time. “600 years of … Continue reading A more than beerly acceptable way to promote yourself
Category Archives: million dollar message
It would be interesting to know how long it took DHL to come up with its slogan/tagline (first, most important story). You can see it on their distinctive yellow courier vans – Excellence. Simply delivered. According to DHL’s website, this its actually its mission; its vision being to be the Logistics Company for the World. … Continue reading Three words – well chosen. Period
The great default word for businesses trying to describe their ‘what’ is…solutions. You see it everywhere, far too often. The trouble is, we all provide a solution of some kind. And by using the term, you then immediately have to explain what your particular solution is. So why not use the wonderful extent of english … Continue reading ‘Solutions’, a sign of desperation or lack of imagination
To know what your business really really is, and express it in a form that resonates with all is rightly a holy grail. Understand and use your business essence, expressed as words, and you: Have the basis of your first, most important story…and all other stories Have an internal company rallying call Have soul However … Continue reading Your essence – the gem at the heart of your business
Words have power, and people have “an appetite for well-expressed wisdom, motivational or otherwise,” says Ward Farnsworth. He’s dean of the University of Texas School of Law, and author of Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric. The book shows examples of rhetoric (the art of persuasion) from the famous such as Churchill, Lincoln and Dickens, and lesser … Continue reading The power of language
The backbone of any business, and its story, is its metaphor. It’s the picturable image, the mindful impression of your what and why. Subway espouses fresh when it comes to fast foods. Wellington used to promote positive. Coke’s bought its way to the idea of opening happiness. You ‘see’ something when you hear their (very … Continue reading Why business survival depends on your Gateway Metaphor
“You’ve got to tell a story” is heard so often it’s almost a cliche. Such an exhortation is more often than not heavily directed at science and science policy storytelling. But no one ever tells you how. Well, here’s a (summarised) how – based on a ‘science of stories’ – written by Michael D Jones … Continue reading How to write a scientific narrative
Your first story must Ring true; unearth an aha. Use a metaphor.
We have seven words to propose an idea according to Andrew O’Keefe of Hardwired Humans. 7±2 words is about two seconds – which is our brain’s working memory with information says the Sydney based people-strategies- design author and consultant. Our human instinct when we propose an idea, delegate a task or make a request is … Continue reading Hardwired humans…first seven words
Naturally we’d like everyone to read all of our stories all the way through. But what encourages readers to keep on engaging, hang in there until the end? A fascinating study by Jonah Berger, Wendy Mae and David Schweider has unearthed that not all emotion is created equal when it comes to encouraging extended online … Continue reading How to get longer reads of your online content