Award-winning journalist and freelance copywriter, Susanna K. Hutcheson, presents news, thoughts and ideas on the world of business, marketing, copywriting and much more.

Are Newspapers Going Out of Style?

There's a lot of ad people wondering if newspapers are on their last legs. As a former newspaper person, having been a reporter, editor and owner of newspapers, I love the memories they gave me. But in truth, I think they have served their time.

Having said that, however, I think that people still turn to them for local news and especially items such as the obits and legal news, police blotter news, neighborhood news, etc.

Unfortunately, that's not enough to support a paper and give it a reason to live on. So if they are to survive, newspapers need to rethink their model and figure out a way to make a place for themselves in this day of news on the fly and in real time.

Susanna on 10.31.05 @ 09:01 PM CDT [link]

Real Estate Business People Often Don't Know How to Market Themselves.

I was inking a deal for a fairly large real estate investment yesterday and was in the room with a number of real estate professionals. I couldn't help but notice that many of them had that hungry look about them and I wondered how they could stand to work so hard for such a small commission.

Yet it seems to me that I might have a solution for these people. Learn to market themselves. Most real estate people who contact me have limited resources. They talk a big game. But in reality they really have no major money.

Many don't know how to market themselves and they're lothe to take the advice of a professional creative. Like so many people, they think they know more than the people who make a living promoting people and businesses and making dreams come true. Yeah, the dream makers, the spin masters.

When they do spend a lot of money on marketing they tend to buy the wrong things. Lots of radio spots and no direct mail. They go at things backacswords, as my mother would say.

Real estate is in a rather lame position right now. It's a critical time in real estate. Yet there's always money to be made in real estate. I've done quite well in it myself. I like real estate.

If real estate people would turn their marketing over to a pro who understands real estate, they'd soon find themselves on the top of the heap. It's easy to lose in real estate. Even Donald Trump has lost his shirt many times and had to borrow from family members. And it's questionable if he even has the money he claims to have. The Forbes 400 only takes the word of people included in its pages.

But The Donald does one thing really well . . . he markets himself. He knows how. He has pros help him do it.

That's the way to make it in real estate.

Susanna on 10.27.05 @ 07:54 AM CDT [link]

Any Google Classifieds Likely to Focus on Content, Not Paid Advertising

Full article here.

Susanna on 10.27.05 @ 07:28 AM CDT [link]

Creative Work Divided Up More Often --- a Good Thing for Creatives & Advertisers.

According to The Wall Street Journal, less than a year after hiring WPP Group to handle its global advertising business, Samsung Electronics is moving the creative portion of the account to Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett.

Both sides give different reasons for the change but the fact is, more advertisers are having several creatives handle their work rather than depending on one group or one creative.

"This is really about trying to balance the strengths of the agencies and not having an exclusive relationship," said Gregory Lee, Samsung's chief marketing officer. "We didn't think it's beneficial to us."

What this means to creatives is that we'll have more freedom to work within our strengths and not have to struggle with things that don't interest us. It also means that advertisers will get the best of all worlds. And that's a good thing.



Susanna on 10.27.05 @ 07:03 AM CDT [link]

Some Important Things You Should Know About Email Marketing.

Email marketing has matured and now is used more for customer/client retention as opposed to getting customers. For a very important update, go to this article in DM News.
Susanna on 10.23.05 @ 09:08 AM CDT [link]

WPP Exec Resigns and He DAMNED Well Should!

A well-known advertising executive and worldwide creative director at WPP Group resigned his position yesterday amid an uproar over remarks he made at an industry event about female creative executives. The comments, by Neil French, 61, drew attention to the absence of women at the highest levels of the creative side of the ad industry.

Mr. French told an audience in Toronto on Oct. 6 that women "don't make it to the top because they don't deserve to," saying their roles as caregivers and childbearers prevented them from succeeding in top positions.

Some people discounted Mr. French's remarks as remnants of the more male-dominated era that was Mr. French's heyday. "Neil French is an individual who's from another time and place," said Mary Warlick, the executive director of the One Club in New York. "His opinion of professionals in advertising is off base."

What planet is this shit head living on? I personally make a six-figure income and no man gave me a dime of it or helped me create it. In fact, my own father told me one time, "most men would love to just be equal with you."

That may or may not be true. But this offensive remark made by French should have women gathering to cut off what little manhood he may have. Sounds like he's a bit insecure. Perhaps now he'll have time to stay home and care for his wife or kids or whatever he may have at home. No woman in the free world puts up with this crap from a man anymore.

It's time to put Hillary and Condi in the race and turn the tables. Boys Town is being torn down. The old boys are just that . . . old.

And now on to succeeding in my top position. Sorry. I just didn't know I was supposed to be a caregiver or childbearer. Thank goddess for that.

Susanna on 10.22.05 @ 07:04 PM CDT [link]

How to Make Money on Ebay and How to Lose Your Shirt . . . a Marketing Lesson.

I write a lot about my experiences buying and selling on ebay. The reason is that one gets lots of lessons in marketing on ebay. You can see what works and what doesn't, how to sell and how not to sell. But you have to watch for it.

I had an enlightening experience a week or so ago. I buy and sell fountain pens. I mostly stay with the major American pen makers such as Parker, Sheaffer and Esterbrook . . . all for different reasons. I also prefer pens made in the forties and fifties. But I won't go into my reasons for that now.

A few weeks ago there were two pens for sale that collectors are especially interested in. One was an Esterbrook Dollar pen that had been restored. These pens were made in the thirties and collectors love them. They're fine pens.

The ad had a nice heading:

"Esterbrook Vintage Dollar Pen Restored." It attracted lots of bids and went for around $31.00.

The other pen was actually a very hard-to-find rare and valuable pen . . . an Esterbrook Dollar pen with no band. They're much more valuable than the regular Dollar pen and they're getting terribly rare.

I got it for $14.95! No one else bid on the pen. Why?

Well, you tell me.

Here's the headline:

ESTERBROOK GREEN PEN WITH THE TWO HOLE CLIP

Here's the description, misspellings and all:

Nice clean Esterbrook pen No cracks but has the normal scratches for a pen made in the 1930s.Looks like a brand new 2668 nib .Blatter seems good but not tested .I think the vintage pen book called this the bandless model .It has Esterbrook on the top of the clip and R Esterbrook made in USA on the body .Relly a nice vintage Esterbrook.

I found it by doing a search for "esterbrook". Most people wouldn't pay any attention to this ad. The two hole clip wouldn't tell too many people this is a Dollar pen. And the real cincher was hidden in the poorly written description, "I think the vintage pen book called this the bandless model."

This pen could have gone for $50 to $75. But the person who wrote the ad lost his or her chance to get a high price by hiding this gem.

I would have written this ad much differently. This is an example of someone having something very valuable to sell but getting a few nickles for it because it wasn't presented right. It's all about copywriting. That's where the sale is make.

Susanna on 10.15.05 @ 11:55 AM CDT [link]

A Return to the Good Things and a Kinder Time.

People are once again wanting tasteful, high-quality living. An example is the fact that everyday eateries are serving upscale coffees. The likes of McDonalds and other chains are now offering premium brews and that shows that people want coffee that really tastes great --- not the swill that's passed for coffee for years in this country.

I have been a coffee snob for years. Nothing pleases me more than a great cup of Starbucks fresh ground french roast in a delicate hand painted German china cup. Anything less is torture.

Moreover, people are returning to the love of fountain pens, ink blotters, inkwells and all the class they represent. There's nothing more rewarding than writing with a fountain pen that writes wet and easily --- the writing flows and with the right ink looks elegant. We Americans long ago lost our desire for these good things. Europe never lost it. I'm delighted we're once again returning to the desire for --- not so much stuff --- but elegant, rich stuff.

What's that got to do with marketing? Well, not much unless you want to sell to Americans in this age when living is dangerous and life more uncertain than ever. People want quality and they'll pay extra for it. They want a return to a kinder time. A time when life had class and people had charm. And that's a good thing.

Susanna on 10.08.05 @ 11:10 AM CDT [link]