Blogs

It is easier to sell a person something they actually want.

My late grandfather knew that. While it may sound like James McKie had a keen grasp of the obvious, there are still many otherwise smart business people who appear ignorant of this basic truth. If people know it, why is there such a thriving industry in literature and seminars teaching how to sell?

When I was a junior in college, back in ’87-88, I was an art student at Mississippi State University and desperately needed a job. My roommate at the time worked at the Student Union, back in a corner called The PC Place in the school bookstore where they sold computers such as IBM PS2s.

The Longevity of a Noonan-ism

You know how you hear something and it just sticks in your head—a phrase or saying that you just can’t shake? I have one of those. Mine comes from several years back, in a previous “work life” at a fantastic resort in the mountains outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Just a couple of weeks after I was hired there as the public relations director, the new Director of Sales Dennis Noonan blew onto property.

When people find out I write ads for a living, they have lots of questions.

Mostly, they ache to know just how many martinis are acceptable at lunch, or whether I get to play Pac-Man at work (I am not making this up), or the ever popular, “Is it like Mad Men?”

To fellow Students of Language, specifically English:

You know all those business students who’ve got bright futures making important business decisions, going to cool places, and doing cool stuff?

GodwinGroup has helped Mississippi Baptist Health Systems, a client since 1984, raise awareness about the quality rankings that the health system has received as a result of Baptist’s high standards of care. Last year, Baptist leadership came to GodwinGroup with another goal: Baptist’s achievements in quality and technological capabilities had been established—it was now time to amplify the health system’s Christian healing mission.

There’s a right way to SMS and a wrong way to SMS. In fact, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) clearly outlines guidelines for using text messages to communicate with customers in the MMA Code of Conduct for Mobile Marketing. (For a brief overview of the basic intent behind the MMA Code of Conduct for Mobile Marketing, click here. For the whole shebang, try this page.)

“The real world of advertising” is probably very different to each agency, creative think tank, or design studio. Through the American Advertising Federation of Jackson, I’ve worked with students for the past 10 years putting together a one-day workshop/conference that gives students insights to different advertising disciplines as well as the basic business etiquette and respect that it deserves.

The truth behind the $69.00 logo. This week, a good friend and business acquaintance of mine who just happens to be one of the most talented designers I’ve ever known, alerted me a huge scam unfolding in the design world. I’m still appalled by the brazen actions taken by this company—the actual theft of logo