Category: Humanity

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The Act of Being Nice

People tend to underrate being nice. Some might even consider being nice is a sign of weakness. As the Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher famously put it, “Nice guys finish last.” I don’t believe that was true in 1946, and I definitely don’t believe that’s true today. In today’s environment, when we cross paths with …more

China Borrows from Trump Playbook, Fanning the Flames of Xenophobia

President Trump referred to COVID-19 as a “foreign virus” during his Oval Office speech last month. Soon after, that phrase gave way to the “China virus” triggering a spike of racism directed at Chinese Americans. Of course, Trump enjoys race baiting. It’s good TV. Most Americans don’t realize – or perhaps don’t care – that …more

Watching Kindness in Action

This has nothing to do with communications. Then again, it has everything to do with communications. Let me set the stage. My wife and I invited our two sons, daughter-in-law and grandkids over for a BBQ last Saturday thinking spring had arrived (not quite). After shopping for burgers, buns, condiments, etc., we decided to make …more

Advertising Gets This Storytelling Stuff

  Human beings gravitate to “train wrecks.” How else can you explain the popularity of “Breaking Bad”? Or people flocking to watch “Shrek”? Even though advertising has limited real estate — often 60 seconds of video or one static print page — the discipline finds a way to set the stage, surface the “bad stuff” …more

A “Life is Better Than Fiction” Communications from Silicon Valley

I’ve lamented the lack of storytelling in job descriptions, with everyone seemingly depending on the same HR 101 handbook. I’ve also showcased killer job descriptions like this one from Medium. Now comes a job description on LinkedIn like none other (h/t to Burghardt Tenderich for the flag). The creator was determined to leave nothing to …more

The Wonders of the “Word Visual” and a Thanksgiving Story

I first touted the virtues of the “word visual” in 2014. For those not familiar with this technique, the idea is to use the words (or typography) to drive the action while minimizing the need for design expertise. The image above borrowing the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld falls in the “word visual” category. Most “word …more

“Oops” Alone No Longer Differentiates 404 Pages

Every interaction with the customer offers a brand-building opportunity. This is particularly true for B2B companies that tend to pay less attention to the squishy things in life. Simply using conversational language that sounds like it comes from an actual human being — “Going from Point A to Point B to Point C gets you …more

I’m Guessing You Have Never Seen a Birthday Card Quite Like This One

It’s that time of year, prompting me to dust off my favorite birthday card. My granddaughter Addy served as both copywriter and designer of the card. In the spirit of full disclosure, she crafted this card some time ago, and I have posted about it before. Still, if TBS can show “It’s A Wonderful Life” …more

Reaching Today’s 35 and Under Crowd

Every generation — boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and beyond — brings its values and frames of mind to the world. For communicators and marketing pros with deep experience, say 20+ years, that experience isn’t necessarily an advantage when you’re targeting millennials. We don’t think like them. We don’t talk like them. Because we’re not them. …more