Category Archives: slogan

BeWeDō founder Dr Mark Bradford has been developing what was originally his PhD thesis, into a marketable product for the past six years. He’s about about to leave his role as a senior design lecturer at Massey University and take BeWeDō® to market. His methodology is a way that organisations can improve meetings, workshops, seminars and other events; … Continue reading Seeing the wood from the trees; unearthing a story in a nutshell

“Perhaps you can help me,” he asked? It was July 2021, and on my way back from celebrating at my brother’s place, Ola driver Mo Hilal had found out I am a writer by trade. He was looking for a name for a kebab place/foodcart that he and two colleagues were going to kick off. … Continue reading The least I can do is gift a great name

From your business point of view – how do you see the wood from the trees? That is, when there’s many different ways you could tell the world about what you do or sell, and why this is important, how do you narrow it down to one message? It’s blimmin difficult. It’s also why it’s … Continue reading Unearthing a business first story…seeing the wood from the trees

Killing two birds with one analogy-stone is a neat trick to pull off. BedsRus has managed a wee bit of magic with its (bus shelter) ad, ‘How big are your dreams?’ It forces us to simultaneously ask ourselves two questions. An existentialist one in the form of whether what we want to achieve for ourselves … Continue reading How big are your dreams?

Perhaps our election selection should be based on a slogan that is “least likely to offend”. Or how about the slogan generating the biggest yawn should get our vote. Then of course, we might blame language blandness on Covid. Because, and this might be a reflection of an older mindset with an increasingly more cynical … Continue reading All this wonderful language at their disposal…oh how our political parties disappoint

Messaging and stories are going to be a key element of snuffing out Coronavirus over what will be a tricky target. Somewhere, but most likely spread, a bevy of government communications people are creating messages. You can’t envy their job. It’s no easy thing to nail important ideas so that all of us understand and … Continue reading ‘Stay home, save lives’ misses an opportunity to increase its impact – ‘Omne trium perfectum’

Ernest Hemingway was once apparently challenged (now believed to not be true) to write a story in six words. His supposed answer was: “For sale, baby shoes, never worn”. We fill in the dots, we figure out what must’ve happened, we feel a surge of sorry as we empathise with the parents. My partner brought … Continue reading A perfect story in four words – a true Million Dollar Message

Two words, two meanings and a demonstration of the power of the right question to…stop…and…make…you…think. You can’t help but flip between ‘over’s’ interpretation. It’s telling. Am I drinking too much? Am I sick of what drinking is doing to me? There’s no judgment, no high moral ground, no finger-wagging. There’s simply a little self-imposed jab … Continue reading A very telling two word question

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

As an individual, we are all many stories. From our sex to upbringing, religious and political affiliations, likes, food preferences…you name it, depending on your start point we can tell different yarns. Our businesses too are many stories. You could focus on many different aspects of what and how you provide a product or service. … Continue reading Why you can only tell one story (initially)