Tom Ruwitch
Here in St. Louis, MO itās cold today. Really cold. Itās also cold in Washington, D.C. where President Trump tweeted this yesterday: āIn the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People canāt last outside even for minutes. What the hell…
My friend Richard Terry asked me to help him with some marketing copy. Heād heard one of my presentations recently, and he thought he might benefit from my expertise. We met earlier today, and hereās what I told himā¦ …Richard, you donāt need my help. I was honored he asked. I welcome new business. I…
My pal Adam Kreitman and I both write story-driven emails with marketing lessons. Occasionally, we challenge one another by sharing a story that might be a bit strange or saucy or…whatever… and then daring the other to turn it into a meaningful email.Ā Adam dropped one of those challenges on me yesterday. His text message…
Itās only January 2, and I just read some marketing wisdom that will make my āBest of 2019ā list in 12 months. A marketing guy at an auto dealership posted to an online marketing forum this question: āWhat would you suggest I do to get everyone to understand why we use social media?ā The salespeople…
One of Saturday Night Liveās most popular advertising parodies almost didnāt make it on the air. The fake ad was for āKotex Classicā — feminine pads described as āthe originalā and āyour motherās pad.ā Some historical context…for the men in the audience or those women too young to remember: Sanitary pads were much bulkier back…
I keep seeing this television ad promoting āTap to Pay With Visa.ā It touts a feature known as ācontactless cards.ā You complete a transaction without sliding or inserting your card. Just tap the card on (or wave it over) a reader. No confirmation necessary. No signature required. Tap and you’re done. Card charged. Purchase completed. In the…
Earlier this year, a new luxury shoe store opened in a Santa Monica mall. The store, called Palessi, invited fashion writers and other influencers to its grand opening. The fashionistas got first crack at the merchandise. They paid up to $600 for the shoes… …and then they celebrated. One held up a pair and chirped,…
Do you sprinkle salt on your food before tasting it? If so, Thomas Edison would not have hired youā¦ …and your marketing might suck. When interviewing job candidates, Edison would offer them a bowl of soup. If they salted the soup without first tasting it, Edison would disqualify the candidate. Edison didnāt want assistants who assumed the…
In July 1968, a young sound engineer named Geoff Emerick grew annoyed with his employers and quit his job. Geoffās employers muddled through without him. And fifty years ago this month, they released a double-albumā¦ …with a plain white coverā¦ …entitled, simply, āThe Beatles.ā So, yeah this really happenedā¦ A 22-year-old sound engineer is hanging…
Last month, I told you about conspiracy theorists who tried to āproveā that the moon landings were a hoax. (Hereās that email.) In that email, I noted that many marketers remind me of the conspiracy theorists. They take a couple of facts and paste them together to create a wacky, inaccurate picture. A few weeks ago, my…