I help Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary with their web site and some printed materials. I’ve been donating my time for about 7 years.

We recently (last night) posted a fresh, new web site. Time wise, it probably took about 50 hours from conception to the last few tweaks after it was posted. It’s a commitment I take as serious as I do my paying clients.

The sanctuary was happy with their previous site. It was only about 2 years old. At the time, when I built it, 765 pixels wide was the size my previous employer built sites. And so, out of habit, I created their site that width.

Of course, shortly after the site went live, I began notice the width of web sites and how wide they were getting. And every time worked on their site, or visited it, the narrowness of the pages seem to date the site. Not to mention, it was constructed with tables.

So, with a lot of begging and crying on my part, the sanctuary finally said yes. Seeing a mock up of what their new site would look like, helped seal the sell.

People will notice the changes, but at the same time, should feel familiar with it. That was very important to me and to the sanctuary. After all, it’s the “brand” of the sanctuary. To change it drastically would have done more harm than good.

A drastic design change would create an unsettled feeling for their many supporters. Establishing stability, consistency and security is incredibly important if you’re asking people for donations and support.

So, the site has been “gently” updated and widened. It feels the same, but looks new. And I call that a happy ending (for at least a couple of years)!

I work for the Missoulian in their online department. I worked there about 20 years ago and in those days we used x-acto knives to slice up text and wax to paste the ads together on grid paper. Times have changed!

Take for instance the recent rash of blogs. The Missoulian reporters are taking up blogging and running crazy with it. Besides the reporters, the Missoulian offers blogs for professionals in the community such as one by Brent Dodge, of Alpine Physical Therapy, titled “Health & Fitness 101.”

This is a new direction for a newspaper who’s history is “paper and ink.” These new blogs will bring a whole new dimension to the newspaper. Although they’ve had letters to the editor, the blogs will provide an easy platform for the public to add their own comments and thoughts on various topics. Communities will form around certain blogs and two way conversations will take place. And, needless to say, it could get interesting.

I can certainly understand the reason for hesitancy the paper held towards blogging. For one thing, it’s one more chore for the reporters/writers to do when they’re already way too busy. And secondly, the nature of blogging is somewhat unpredictable/controllable. Unlike printed newspaper copy passing before the editor’s eyes for approval, blogs are under far less scrutiny and control.

So what do blogs have to with “marketing and advertising?” Well there’s this nifty thing called WOM or Word Of Mouth marketing. And blogs are huge players in this type of marketing.

Professional/business blogs create easy opportunities for open dialog with their clients/customers. By making themselves available and reaching out to clients 24/7, business and professional blogs create trust and build strong relationships. Printed brochures or postcards don’t even come close to this type of interaction.

Of course blogs are all about the content and needs to be well written and professional. They also need to be updated regularly and have interesting content to keep readers coming back. Don’t use slang if it’s not a part of your company culture.

Last but not least, the design should reflect the company’s branding. As casual as blogs may seem, it’s still represents the company and needs to do so positively.  Stay true to your brand always.

I usually have a cup of coffee and watch CNN before getting on with my day. This morning, for one commercial break, I had set a goal to pay attention to the gender of the voice-overs. I was just curious to see which gender the advertiser’s used.

1 real estate = adult male voice

1 lending/mortgage = adult male voice

1 insurance = adult male voice

There were 4 commercials total. This is something I plan on paying attention to in the future. I can’t really draw any conclusions from this early sample other than to say, it’s off to an interesting start.

The 4th commercial had multiple voices. It was a commercial for peace in Darfur and has different Americans reading the words written or spoken by the people suffering in Darfur. This is an excellent commercial not only for promoting peace, which is always excellent in my mind, but for making this a “human” problem.

By using Americans, like you and me, to read the words and be the voice for Darfur, helps make the problem ours. If we can associate - we can empathize. And if we can empathize - we can help.

Like it or not, human behavior is such that we associate with people similar to ourselves. I’ve read this topic over and over again in marketing, advertising, management and leadership books.

So, when I saw this commercial calling for peace in Dafur using people just like me, I was struck by it’s brilliance.

It brought the issue into my living room. And my life. There is no color. No country. Just humans, like me, who need help.

It’s a brilliant commercial with a very worthwhile cause. I hope good is coming out of it.

Last night I finished reading “Artful Persuasion” by Harry Mills. This book is jammed full of interesting information AND is easy to read.

The book uses short paragraphs, sub headers, bullets and words that I didn’t have to look up in the dictionary. The only thing I’d change is the justification. I’d make it left justified so the length of the sentences help eyes track the lines while reading. I read a lot of books and anytime someone makes the process easier for me to get at the information, I really appreciate it.

As for content, the best I can do is show you the TOC. It really is interesting and I recommend it highly. Anyone in marketing, selling, advertising and management should read this book. Also anyone who has wondered about the methods of salespeople, politicians and other spin-doctors should read this book.

Part 1. How Persuasion Works

Chapter 1. Thoughtful Persuasion, Mindless Influence
The two routes to successful persuasion
Chapter 2. The Persuasion Effect
The four patterns of influence

Part 2. Thoughtful Persuasion

Chapter 3. Foxes, Bloodhounds, and Donkeys
The three types of influence
Chapter 4. Persuasion Starts with Credibility
How to build trust and sell your experience
Chapter 5. First Impression, Best Impression
The art of image management
Chapter 6. Reading the Other Person
How to use personality type to persuade
Chapter 7. Power Talk!
How to give words added impact
Chapter 8. Winning People’s Hearts
The power of metaphors, analogies, and stories
Chapter 9. Winning People’s Minds
How to structure and package you message
Chapter 10. Power Pitches
How to persuade with graphs, charts and videos
Chapter 11. Ask, Don’t Tell!
The gentle art of self-persuasion
Chapter 12. Different Groups, Different Messages
How to target and influence different groups
Chapter 13. Strategy Pure and Simple
How to outthink and outwit your opponents

Part 3 Mindless Influence

Chapter 14. Mindless Persuasion
The seven persuasion triggers of automatic influence
Chapter 15. Persuasion Trigger One: Contrast
The power of benchmark
Chapter 16. Persuasion Trigger Two: Reciprocation
The law of give-and-take
Chapter 17. Persuasion Trigger Three: Commitment and Consistency
Getting one foot in the door
Chapter 18. Persuasion Trigger Four: Authority
The influence of position
Chapter 19. Persuasion Trigger Five: Scarcity
The rule of the rare
Chapter 20. Persuasion Trigger Six: Conformity
Everyone is doing it
Chapter 21. Persuasion Trigger Seven: Liking
Friends won’t let you down

Part 4 Persuasion at its Best

Chapter 22. Icons of Influence
The most influential persuaders of the twentieth century

the world (of marketing) as i see it

As much as I hate to admit it, I love marketing and advertising. And my confessing this ugly secret probably means losing the respect of family, friends and co-workers.

Despite the possibility of being committed or shunned by everyone I know, I am intrigued by it. I suppose even obsessed by it.

I’ve read more marketing, advertising, branding, selling, managing, leadership books than is considered healthy. When I mention a book, I will include full titles and authors just in case a reader of this blog might want to purchase it.

Speaking of books, I am almost finished reading “Artful Persuasion” by Harry Mills and “Stumbling on Happiness” by Daniel Gilbert. Interesting reads–both!

What my blog really boils down to is human behavior — what makes us choose the things we do. Who’s pushing our buttons? How are they doing it? And why we let them!

Sometimes my postings will be about “the world as i see it” and have nothing at all to do with marketing. Just observations and comments about life in general.

Short and sweet. That’s my introduction.