Copify, Nublue and quality copywriting
A response to Nublue’s survey of copywriting resources, including a reassessment of the quality of the articles produced for it.
Never knowingly understood
Why John Lewis’ attempt to revise and qualify their slogan ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ was probably a mistake.
The Gap logo, social media and bad faith
The Gap logo saga illustrates some of the worst delusions held by marketers about social media.
The types of copywriter and copywriting
The term ‘copywriting’ is a broad church – there are lots of copywriting specialisations, and lots of types of copywriter. This article explains the main ones.
Marketing with 20:20 vision
Marketers are just as prone to flawed decision-making as everyone else. This post looks at the way in which some common cognitive biases affect marketing decisions.
Waitrose’s recipe for poor copywriting
Waitrose’s food may be delicious, but the copy on these two products’ packaging leaves a very sour taste.
How to fight freelance fury
Freelancers are ultimately at the mercy of their clients, and difficult behaviour can be hard to take. This article presents some ideas for managing freelance fury.
Google Instant, keyword order and the long tail
Google Instant allows users to click away from their search with only part of the search term entered, with potentially important consequences for long-tail phrases.
What is PPC brand bidding?
Brand bidding is the practice of running PPC (AdWords) ads to appear when a competitor’s brand is searched for. This article explains why it’s a problem for brand owners, and what they can do in response.
How to define your brand’s tone of voice
Maintaining a consistent tone of voice across all types of written communication is essential. This introduction covers the basics of developing a written tone of voice for a brand.
Content spinning to avoid duplicate content penalties
Content spinning is the practice of reworking online articles to create variants of the same content that search engines see as unique. This article explains how to do it.