When straplines go bad…
01 May 2009
See on the back of an ambulance recently: 'We care about you' Now call me old-fashioned but surely that's the minimum standard of service one can expect from an ambulance? What next? Sainsbury's: We sell food. ...
May 2009
What’s the worst thing you can do during an economic downturn?
28 Apr 2009
Here's your answer: cut the marketing budget. That's it in a nutshell. When times are tough do not - one more time - do not cut your marketing spend. It's tempting though, right? Marketing is often seen as a bit of a luxury. Something to do when times are good. But as soon as times are bad budgets are often slashed...
Why Anglo Saxon rules (in business writing anyway)
24 Apr 2009
When it comes to business writing or copywriting, it's always better to use Anglo Saxon words rather than Latin words. But why are Anglo Saxon words better? And how can we tell the difference? To find out, let's take a brief look at the history of the English language. What have the Romans ever done for us? Latin words have been around...
Apple think different. Or should that be differently?
22 Apr 2009
Have you noticed that people on TV and radio have a real aversion to adverbs? Politicians, weather girls and football managers seem to be the biggest culprits. So what is an adverb and why should I care about it, I hear you cry. Ok, here's a quick recap. An adverb is used to describe a verb, an adjective or another adverb....
Punctuation: Make it a part of your daily workout
14 Apr 2009
Used correctly, punctuation can often be the difference between a blah blah statement and a really powerful headline. Take this sign at my local gym. Our weight loss course lasts 12 weeks and the results could last a lifetime. It's not wrong. It's just a bit dull. So what's missing? How about a semicolon? A semicolon joins two complete sentences which are closely...
Please stand back from the edge of the platform while we confuse our words
08 Apr 2009
This exit is tempoarily...
Licensed to kill but apparently not licensed to spell
07 Apr 2009
It's not like James Bond to get it wrong. But take a look at Daniel Craig's laptop in the closing sequence of Casino Royale and you may notice an email with the subject matter 'Stationary Order'. Now, either M has given instructions for Bond to be still; in which case it is the correct use of the word stationary. Or more...
If this is the solution, what was the problem?
03 Apr 2009
I hate the word solution. I really do. It's now so over-used it has lost all its meaning. Lunch solutions? Right. That would be a sandwich then. Or how about plumbing solutions? Got it. You're a plumber. Or spotted on a bin in Glasgow the other weekend: 'Providing refuse solutions'. But my favourite, seen on a website this week, 'Contemporary quality...
Our punctuation has gone missing. Reward offered
31 Mar 2009
Trawling the interwebs this week I came across this little beauty (names have been removed to protect the innocent). There are three issues that are consistently addressed in our work: client needs, purpose, cost + the site, its context, history + materials, light, volume. Hmmmm. I'm guessing there's punctuation missing. Some semicolons probably. Or a comma or six. But nope, I have...
How to improve your writing technique in 7 simple steps
26 Mar 2009
We've all been there. It's called blank page syndrome. It's that feeling you get when you've been asked to write a report, a press release, a case study or a sales letter. But after 20 minutes you've only typed two words on the page; and that was your name. So where do you start? What technique can you use to get...