Advertising Week Walk Of Fame Announced For 2009 - You Can Vote

See which icons and slogans you know - vote for the best ones for 2009

Advertising Week, the newspaper for institutional advertising, announced its 2009 Advertising Week Walk of Fame Candidates.

Previous winners in the Icons Category include:

Geico Gecko, Juan Valdez, Colonel Sanders, Kool-Aid Man

Aflac Duck, M&M's Mr. Peanut, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Tony the Tiger

Previous winners in the Slogan Category include:

"Imagination at work." GE

"When you care enough to send the very best." Hallmark

"Don't mess with Texas" State of Texas Dept of Transportation

"When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight." FedEx

"A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" - United Negro College Fund

"Can You Hear Me Now" - Verizon

"Melts in your mouth, not in your hands." M&M's

"Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't." Almond Joy, Mounds

"Where's the beef?" Wendy's

2009 Candidates Announced - Icons

Budweiser Clydesdales - Anheuser-Busch Cos

Crash Test Dummies - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Keebler Elves - Kellogg Co.

Burger King - Burger King Corp.

Doublemint Twins - Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.

Little Debbie - McKee Foods

AOL Running Man - AOL

California Raisins - California Raisin Advisory Board

Fruit of the Loom Guys - Fruit of the Loom

Big Boy - Big Boy Restaurants International

Captain Morgan - Diageo

Jolly Green Giant - General Mills

2009 Candidates Announced - Slogans

"All the news that's fit to print." The New York Times

"Because you're worth it." L'Oreal

"Friends don't let friends drive drunk." US Dept of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

"Give a hoot. Don't pollute." US Forest Service

"Got Milk?" California Milk Processor Board

What Can You Learn From These?

You don't have millions to spend on institutional advertising, so why do I even bring these up to you?

Because they're memorable. Those you recognized immediately have worked. Those you recognized and new what the PRODUCT or SERVICE was worked WELL. And those you knew the product, service, AND who sponsored it work VERY well.

Keep that in mind when building your own slogans or graphics to work with your materials.

Oh, and one more thing: repetition really DOES work! YOU get tired of your own materials MUCH faster than your prospects, clients, and customers do... so keep with it for a while: changing your look, statements, logos, slogans too quickly leave a prospect confused, and a "Confused Mind Always Says NO!"

By The Way... if you want to vote, go here: Advertising Week Walk of Fame Voting - Click Here!

See MY blog for more thoughts: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog - I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. See my blog: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Advertising Week Walk Of Fame Announced For 2009 - You Can Vote





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Lessons for Life - Optimists Have Longer, Happier Lives

You Can Control Your Thoughts - And You NEED To Control Your Thoughts

Right before I go to bed, I write in my gratitude journal.

Some days I have TONS of things to write and some days I struggle to get all 5 that I write each night.

Some days have been like that: routine, hard work writing at the computer, lots of time exploring my own thoughts without sharing much time with others.

And some days I'm out among loving, caring people and I overflow with thoughts about how grateful I am for life.

But we each need to remember that it's the small things that add up to MAKE our lives.

My Kids Tease Me About My Calendar

I also keep special, recurring notes in my electronic calendar... times when Liz auditioned for a show, when Stacie started a new job (most recently at City Year - a GREAT national organization based in Boston - see City Year by Clicking Here!), when Pam had a happy time at work or with our family, and then lots of small moments for me and friends - anniversaries, when children were born, when I photographed weddings, bar mitzvahs, or opened one of the many theater productions I've directed over the years.

OK... so I have a few things like when we received a cat, the birthday of our dog, etc. (My kids say I have things like when our dog first pooped or our cat first hid under the sofa - not quite, but amusing to look at life like that).

It never ceases to amaze me how QUICKLY time has passed from one year to the next to five years to ten years. And without this calendar, I would forget those special moments and be able to relive the happiness they brought me.

We really CAN control our own moods, our thoughts, how we see the world, and it's vital to our health that we do that.

Liz Teaches Me A Lesson About Our Moods When We Wake Up

I've known for a long time that when I go to bed happy, I wake up happy.

I saw this first-hand when my younger daughter, Liz, needed some oral surgery... even the doctor told us this: however she is feeling when the anesthetic puts her to sleep, that's how she'll wake up.

Liz was REALLY nervous about having surgery under her tongue, and wouldn't you be too? She's a singer and if whatever her problem was caused too much damage in her mouth, taking it out MIGHT affect her vocal chords and her singing. (If you've heard her singing, you'll know that the surgery came out OK - Hear Liz Seymour Sing On Her New CD - Click Here!)

Liz's nervousness turned into tears as she was put under, and when she awoke with the ranula removed, she was VERY upset and in tears.

There is a life lesson here - how we go to sleep affects how we wake up. And how we wake up affects how our day goes.

"As goes the first hour of the day, so goes the day," a marketing guru friend of mine used to preach.

Wake up happy, refreshed, grateful for what you have and you jump out of bed and into your work.

Go to bed angry, upset, down on yourself, and you'll struggle to take any positive action during the next day.

The way YOU want to approach the world, get things done, find your dream and pursue it? Make sure you have positive thoughts, attitudes, lessons all around you. Those alone can't create the success you're looking for, but without them, you'll be mired in self-pity and stuck in the mud on the road to success.

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog - I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. See my blog: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Lessons for Life - Optimists Have Longer, Happier Lives





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Twitter For Business - Using The Twitter Effect To Help YOU

Instant communication using Social Media can help, or hurt, a business

This is not a surprise for those of us working in Social Media Marketing, but it's still a surprise to me to read this.

I really have to chuckle: Hollywood is all a buzz about The Twitter Effect.

Where the heck have they been?

Don't they have anyone on their staffs who understand Social Media?

(OK, I admit it: I ALMOST said "don't they have anyone on their staffs under the age of 30, but since I passed that milestone years ago and clearly know how to use Social Media, I won't continue that stereotype any longer!)

Newspapers Tell About Hollywood's Fear Of People Who Send Tweets

Did you see this article in your local paper? (You DO still read the newspaper, right? If Baby Boomers are part of your market you should - THEY still read papers almost as much as they read online information.)

The headline was, "Hollywood a flutter about the 'Twitter Effect.'

It's as if Hollywood producers just woke up.

Didn't they see all the reports about Iran's election when the population sent messages around the world? Don't they believe the reports that people like Proctor and Gamble (you can't get much more "main stream" and "institutional" in advertising than P&G) are using Social Media. Don't they see that the "kids" are using text messages in the THOUSANDS each month, going one on one with their friends... and then using the same texting technology to use Twitter to go one to MANY?

So... what is Hollywood so afraid of?

YOU. Me. And THOUSANDS like us being able to communicate freely and within seconds of discovering what we like or dislike.

WHY are they so afraid and what happened to make them stand up and notice?

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog - I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting.

And then see MY blog: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!


Twitter For Business - Using The Twitter Effect To Help YOU





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Website - Make Yours Work Hard For You!

Internet Marketing - Using Your Website To Make You Money

How does someone get to your website?
Traffic You Control, Traffic You Don't Control

Have you ever thought about the traffic that comes to your website... not everyone came from the same place or for the same reason.

Perhaps they did a search on Google (or other search engine) and something from your website caught their attention in the "organic search results" in Google - you know, where the search results appear on the left side of the Google Search Results.

I call that traffic you don't control. Google "spidered" your website, indexed whatever it found, and listed you in their giant database. Interested people will click on the search result and go wherever Google sends them.

This is Traffic You Don't Control.

However... if you send out a tweet with a link to somewhere on your website, send out an email with a link embedded, or publish an article with a specific link embedded in the article, this is Traffic You Control.

NEVER send Traffic You Control to the head of your website: ALWAYS send it to a specific location INSIDE your website so that the interested person will go EXACTLY where s/he intends to go. You will eliminate much confusion this way.

Dynamic vs Static Websites

I cringe when I see the "old-style" websites - you know, those places where you arrive at the front page, have no idea what the site is about, and they expect you to know which button to press to learn enough about them so you can make sense of what is in front of you.

And most of them are static, hardly ever change, and though they may be graphically appealing, they don't help the visitor and they don't encourage Google either.

Google LOVES dynamic information on a website, so keep yours active and refreshed.

What's The Biggest Problem With Most Websites?

Most websites are created by graphic designers who don't know marketing. But even that isn't the biggest problem with most websites.

Most websites are created without a Clear Goal In Mind.

What do you want your website to DO?

With most of my clients, they generally are building an email list, so THEIR goal is to capture the name and address of the visitor. Period.

Not convince them you are a genius. Not sell them three of your best products. Not to amuse or entertain them.

All of those are FINE goals, but YOU must define the ONE goal of your site and then be sure you meet it.

What Should You Do To Hold A Visitor?

Here is a quick list that should help your visitors once you get them to your site (getting them there is a whole other topic!).

1. Always have a headline that calls out to your visitor. The NAME of your site or YOUR name means no more to any of them than Joe's Bar and Grille means to you. Give them a statement in a headline to tell them why they are at your site and what you want them to do.

2. Offer something immediately - and it's best if it's free. A free downloadable audio. A free report in pdf. A free with shipping offer. GIVE something so you get their name and email address. THEN let them see more of your website. Most people search the internet for information, not something to spend their money on... so show them that YOU have that information and give it to them - when they want MORE, they can get it from you (and by then you will have their name and email address so you will be staying in front of them). NOTE - If you are a site where people go already expecting to buy something (like QVC, Staples, Amazon, etc) the rules are different because people DO want to purchase - give them a chance with very few clicks!

3. Ask for as little information as you really need. JUST getting an email address is easier than and email address and name. And email address and name are easier to get than email address, name, physical address. Start where you know you want to begin, and that is, at a minimum, getting their email address.

4. Take as small a step as you can when someone first comes to your site. Think of it as a conversation between two attracted people. Clearly you wouldn't see the person of your dreams and say, "Will you marry me?" But that's what LOTS of people do to people first coming to their sites: they want TOO much information and they ask the visitor to take a big leap of faith, trust them, and buy from them. Hey, it's not IMPOSSIBLE to sell to someone the first time s/he visits your site... but it's MUCH more difficult.

5. Be different, stand out from the crowd, have people remember you and your site. Be sure not to use the same template that everyone else in your industry uses - people want to work with people, not a carbon-copy of someone else.

6. Have a Welcome and a Welcome Video. Say hi to people when they join your site. Realize that lots of people view your website at work and often work does not allow speakers, so you need a text message there too. But welcome people, tell them quickly what your website is about and how they can use it, and then get their name and email address.

7. And one more thing: check how your website looks in a variety of web browsers. For my OWN websites, I find that close to 40% of the viewers still use the very old Microsoft Internet Explorer 6... and with today's advances, that old browser doesn't correctly process all the new advance techniques. So check to see how you look to avoid any bad curb appeal.

There are SO many more things you can do... but these 7 are a good beginning.

Hope this helps.

And then see MY blog my clicking HERE!


Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Website - Make Yours Work Hard For You!





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Blogging - How Julie and Julia Can Inspire You!

Blogging - Find Something That Excites You And Start Writing!

I LOVE going to the movies. I enjoy theater, I enjoy DIRECTING theater, I enjoy musical theater most - but MOVIES really take me away like nothing else.

They transport me, make me think, help me laugh and cry, and make me feel great just as I need them.

Have you ever stopped to think WHY you see a certain movie when you do? WHY does it draw your attention at that very moment? WHY do you feel compelled to see it? Why does it call out to you, make you reach for your wallet, and then get you to empty a large portion of your wallet for the ticket and refreshements.

Especially in this Worldwide Economic Meltdown of 2008 - 2009 - why do movies call to you?

Education? Adventure? Some laughter or tears? A way to clear your mind and take you away from what you're working on if even for a few hours?

Julie and Julia - Bloggers Unite!

My wife, Pam, and I saw the movie Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, and I thought I should blog about it.

It is a movie about the life of Julia Child AND the life of blogger, Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two true stories: Julie and Julia by July Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child.

The story lines are interwoven and the two never meet, being separated by time and locations. (The way the story is told reminded me of Cabaret which was originally written as two stories (inside the Cabaret and then the story about Sally Bowles) which was meshed together by legendary director-producer Harold Prince like the fingers of your hands when clasped together.

Julia is the world-famous American chef and Julie is the completely unknown blogger in the early turn of this century when blogging wasn't really known. (I admit that MOST people STILL don't know what blogging is, but since you are reading this YOU do... but in 2002 or 2004, I have a feeling you didn't know what it was!)

Why focus on this movie in this blog?

Because Julie found something that interested her and she started writing. She didn't know if she'd find an audience, she didn't search thousands of keywords, she didn't probe deeply into Google to see if she'd gain traction: she just started writing.

And NOW look at her success.

My parents, in their late 80s, love the movie and so did Pam and I. I, however, saw it on a much deeper level from my other family members: as a blogger, podcaster, and consultant, I felt what Julie was going through when writing to an undefined audience. I felt her pain of doing it day after day. I shared her triumph when the NYTimes discovered her and let the print-world learn about her.

See the movie if you need a pick-me-up... it's bound to give you a bit of cheer just when you need it.

And then see MY blog my clicking HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Blogging - How Julie and Julia Can Inspire You!





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Unemployment - The Bad Economy Can't Keep You Down!

Unemployment - You never forget that time you were fired

When did you last think: "Someone PLEASE, Take Me From The Rat Race"?

Is it time for you to pick yourself up and get out there again... this time on your own?

What Newspapers Tell Us

The Philadelphia Inquirer is probably like a lot of newspapers in the world - understaffed, losing money, trying to stay afloat.

And as it does, it features a series of articles about Being Fired. Well, that's not what THEY call it; their title is Jobs At A Loss - Upheaval in the Region's Job Market but believe me, those PEOPLE who are listed as statistics know what it is: they've been fired.

The Headline is:

The ax falls, and then what?

The article by Inquirer Staff Writer Alfred Lubrano is filled with statistics and anecdotes. And it's filled with one more thing: pain.

Human pain.

Human suffering when 13.2 million people in the USA are unemployed (that only counts those still looking for work - those who have given up don't count, it seems) and 210,000 in our immediate 8-county area.

"But while the Philadelphia region is papered with pink slips, a layout can still hit with the potent surprise of an unforeseen meteor."

It has been known for a long time by psychologists that being fired is as difficult on the individual as a death in the family, divorce, or other traumatic, stress-producing situation.

And what goes deeper is what happens to the individual, and it's repercussions are long-lasting.

"Shame, fear, and panic can barge into a person's head after the initial trauma."

People have pointed out that in this Great Recession people who thought they were recession-proof are now on the unemployment lines - in Philadelphia, as an example, a major law firm collapsed and closed. (And when I was selling investment real estate in the 80s and 90s, this was THE real estate law firm.)

Where Did The Dream Go?

I've often written about and created a video about The Dream - Where Did The Dream Go? It's gone for many people.

We were told to grow up, do well in school, select a major carefully, specialize, earn a good living, get married, raise 2.5 kids, help them grow well, get married, and the circle continues.

We did that, but things have come crashing down for many people.

Savings, Never Done Well By Most Americans, Evaporate

401(K) accounts are half what they were only 8 months ago. A friend say he now has a 201(K) and my good friend Neil Radisch (with whom I wrote "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" as a major musical) wrote me on Facebook that he now has a 4.01(K).

I know the pain there, with my own IRA dropping 50%. Even some recent turn arounds haven't helped much.

The Dream may still linger, but the funds to make it happen are gone. (For now, at least.)

Personal Memories Never Die

The reason I started this website (and the business to support it) was because of the terrible crushing pain that many people feel when they are fired. I want to help.

Having faced it twice myself, I know the lasting, deep-seeded pain that lingers.

I still have images of my younger daughter, while she was in middle school, crying with covers pulled up over her head when I arrived home having been fired and saying, "They stole your dream, Daddy."

That's the last time I worked for someone else.

Oh, sure… being a Work at Home Dad has its tough parts too, but never again will my family suffer like that.

I started a whole business to help people who were fired, unemployed, thinking about working from home.

See if this movie, which I created, speaks to you: Take Me From The Rat Race - Click Here To See Short Movie!

What can I do to help YOU?

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Unemployment - The Bad Economy Can't Keep You Down!





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Salesmanship - Present Yourself Well To Win New Business

Selling Yourself Comes First - THEN the Product or Service

You are ready to leave the rat race... others have been fired, unemployment is still climbing, new assignments aren't flowing into your company, and who knows: YOU might be next to be fired.

It's a scary time out there.

And as the saying goes: It's a RECESSION when others are out of work; it's a DEPRESSION when YOU are out of work.

Let's stay away from the DEPRESSION. Being a part of the Great Recession is bad enough.

Did you ever hear the story about the blind men and the elephant?

The first man touched the elephants trunk and described it as a flexible, long creature.

The second man touched the elephants tusk and thought it was a very hard, smooth, upward-pointed animal.

The third touched the elephants hoof and thought it was a large, flat, very heavy creature with several smooth places (the tone nails).

And the fourth touched the tail and thought it was a short, pliable snake-like animal with hair at the end.

Each one "knew" the elephant for what his experience told him... and each was correct, but only PARTIALLY correct.

The same is true for YOU... whatever you show your prospects is how they see YOU and the work you do.

Be confident, they see confidence. Be a great salesman, full of knowledge, and they see a knowledgeable salesman. Be their adviser and advocate, and they see someone on THEIR side of the table who is there to help.

Be a wimp, and they see someone they don't want to do business with again.

If you are looking for a job, looking for employment, looking for a way to start your own business, be sure that what you show to people is the side of you that you want exposed.

For just as the blind men of the story thought they knew the elephant, people you come in contact with THINK they know you.

Be down, be loud, be obnoxious even ONE time, and it resonates with those who come in contact with you. But be UP, encouraging others around you, seeing the bright side... and that can work magic on people.

The northeast of the USA has had lots of rain. I often hear people say, "Ugh... what a horrible day." But what if we had no rain? What if the plants stopped growing? What if it were hot, muggy, and gardens were withering? Wouldn't the rain look pretty good THEN?

So LOOK for the good and then present yourself well to win new business. Keep your spirits high, see the good in what (and who) is around you, and you will win in just about everything you do.

Now... get going!

And by the way, are you blogging yet? Are you telling the world through online methods what you are about and why they should be doing business with you?

I hope so... people coming in touch with you will be pre-sold if you let your words and videos tell part of your story for you.

Find your niche expertise and get busy... let others FIND you, rather than YOU knocking on their door - they will be MUCH more likely to hire you (whether as their consultant or their employee)!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Salesmanship - Present Yourself Well To Win New Business





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