Journey to the Past

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About My Dad

By Tom Ruwitch

I’ve completed another lap around the sun.  Time to stick another candle in the cake, make a wish, and blow ’em out.  And time to write about Dad.  This has become a tradition for me: Tell a story or two about Dad on March 7 — the day I was born (1965) and the day…

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Bob Dylan’s Secret To Create Stand-out Stuff

By Tom Ruwitch

I rummaged through my attic yesterday to double-check whether I have any classified documents stashed away. (All clear on that front… I think.) I did find a treasure, though. A vintage Zenith radio that belonged to my dad. He grew up before TV dominated, when radio was king. His favorite “shows” were on the radio…

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I Offended an Expert. Here’s The Story…

By Tom Ruwitch

I ran into a public speaking expert on LinkedIn last month who posted 12 principles speakers “must be adhering to.” #7: “You don’t pitch your books, your online courses or anything!”  Don’t pitch anything from stage!? EVER!?  I had to push back on this one. So I replied:  “…Doesn’t it depend on the event? Some…

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How to Achieve More and Bumble Less in 2023

By Tom Ruwitch

I just had the most disturbing flashback. The year is 2008. The month is December. The economy is in a free-fall. And I’m busy planning the year ahead for the email marketing company I founded and run, MarketVolt. I sit in front of my computer, fire up MS Word, and type in big, bold letters……

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The Trick-or-treat Marketing Method to Stand Out and Earn More

By Tom Ruwitch

Three riddles from trick-or-treaters that made Melissa and me smile last night: Good Q: What’s a vampire’s favorite fruit? A: Neck-tarines. Better Q: What did the obsidian say to the geologist? A: Don’t take me for granite! Best Q: What did Tennessee? A: The same thing as Arkansas! (There’s nothing like a silly Halloween joke.)…

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Paul McCartney Ain’t All That. Let Me Explain…

By Tom Ruwitch

Fifty-seven years ago today (September 13, 1965), The Beatles released “Yesterday.” Paul McCartney wrote it, and he says the song came to him in a dream. Here’s the story from McCartney’s biography Many Years from Now by Barry Miles:  “I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, ‘That’s great, I wonder…

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The Dirty Little Secret Newspaper Publishers Don’t Want You to Know…

By Tom Ruwitch

A sequel to the email I sent yesterday re: Dan Kennedy and direct response marketing (archived here in case you missed it) I worked in the newspaper industry for most of the 1990s.  By 1996, I was working on the online side.  Most newspaper display advertising was (and still is) paid brand awareness. No calls-to-action. No tracking. …

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Marketing Lessons From Horny Man-bats and Two-legged Beavers

By Tom Ruwitch

Imagine pouring your first cup of coffee, grabbing the morning paper, and reading the news: There’s life on the moon.  So it went on this day (August 25) in 1835 for readers of the New York Sun.  In a series of six articles published over one week, the paper reported that English astronomer John Herschel built…

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This Show-must-go-on Story Blew Me Away

By Tom Ruwitch

We’ve all heard the expression, “The show must go on.”  Here’s a “show must go on” story that blew me away. It was a Thursday afternoon last month in St. Louis, MO, USA.  Three days earlier, record-breaking rainfall – 9+ inches in less than 10 hours – flooded the town (I told that story here).  Another…

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Why Cassette-loving Radicals are Raging Against the Machine…or Not

By Tom Ruwitch

On my 14th birthday, Mom and Dad gave me two 10-packs of Maxell XLII-S cassette tapes. Yes!!!!!!!!!! Greatest birthday gift ever.  Back in the early 80s, before CDs or MP3s were a thing, cassettes were THE thing.  Affordable. Portable. Swappable. Indispensable. High-fidelity cool I raided my friends’ record collections and taped my favorite albums. I…

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