writing=good, marketing=inspired, product=needless consumption
So, there’s a new product on the playground, and while I’m morally opposed to it (more on that later), I have to hand it to the Creatives. The marketing is smart and the writing is great – it more than makes the case. The whole site is in flash, quite fun and worth checking out.
Here’s the deal. It’s called Y water, and it’s a kids nutritional ‘water’ drink. The four flavors are: Brain Water, Bone Water, Immune Water and Muscle Water – and they ‘are’ organic, nutrient-rich and low-calorie. Each drink contains vitamins and minerals that support the brain, bones, etc. And the descriptions are clever, short and full of information with an option to click for more detailed, scientifically supported articles. There are also some fun, playful captions and cartoons editorializing on each flavor.
Does anyone remember when Baskin Robbins dished out their ice cream in baseball caps and football helmets? The crowning achievement of these kid drinks is that they don’t come in useless plastic bottles. The containers are shaped like ‘Y’s and with the help of ‘knots’ you can stick the bottles together and build things. How fun – kids will beg for more and more so that they can build more and more. Now that is intelligent marketing! The site states that this prevents waste which is even better than recycling – and this is true. ‘The bottles are 100% recyclable and 100% reusable as a creative developmental aid.’ This is compelling to be sure. The bottles were designed by Yves Behar, by the way.
The writers have cleverly called out their celebrity ingredients, calling them ‘functional’ and you can click on nutritional information where you receive a pop-up of that standard black, gridded box…but they don’t give the other, sorry, ‘non-functional’ ingredients. And here comes my moral opposition: organic natural foods do not come naturally in these colors and healthy water or real fruit juices don’t have added sweeteners. Here’s an idea: keep the world’s water clean and eat local, organically farmed foods! Then we won’t need band-aids like Y Water. I know, I know, I’m brilliant. The think-tanks are tripping over themselves trying to get to me.
Okay, go check it out and tell me what you think – feel free to give me your writing/marketing perspective, your moral rant slant, or both. www.ywater.us
do I need a copywriter? (prizes included)
Important question, here’s a questionnaire to help you decide:
1. Are you a start-up or are you adding a new product, service or branch to your business? If you are, you will need to create marketing collateral (content and design) to tell the world about your new venture. This can be done through a new web page, website, brochure, blog or with advertising and/or live and online social networking. And the content is critical: if people can’t easily understand and get excited about your new business – your announcement is useless.
2. Does your business need a face lift, a new perspective or a lifeline out of the 80′s? Using a professional writer is a great way to rehab your message and your marketing plan. If you can talk about what’s current, a good copywriter should be able to capture your excitement and expertise, add solid research and pull it together with their new perspective.
3. Are you so busy running your business that you have no time to market your business? A copywriting/marketing professional can handle this for you – and, I encourage you to let him/her. I’m a strong believer that people should do what they know. Why spread yourself thin trying to learn another profession…hire someone else to do that – your industry needs you right where you are.
4. Can you write? For many people, the thought of a blank page is Terrifying (yes, with a capital ‘T’). The stress it causes is bad enough…how about the time wasted while you stare at the computer and/or do everything in the world to avoid this writing task that looms heavily over your shoulder. (Think eating everything in the kitchen, watching 50 youtube videos in a row or playing online solitaire for five hours until you win.)
5. Do you think you can write? I hate to be harsh here, but…to quote one of my favorite movies, ‘Everyone thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor, but they couldn’t possibly all.” [First one to guess the movie, gets a prize - one of my favorite writing books of all time!] Same goes for writing – many think they can, and they can’t. Ask someone who will tell you the truth, better yet, ask a few people (not your mother). Get some honest opinions. If you can write, write. If you can’t write, call a professional copywriter.
6. Do you want to blow the competition out of the water? In the world of Web 2.0, content is critical. You may know your industry, but you have to be able to communicate with words to make the social web work for you – or to make any marketing effort work for you. A professional copywriter who understands social bookmarking, social networking and blogging, can take your business somewhere that your competition hasn’t even considered going. And, if they have gone there, well then, you’re still in the game.
7. Do you need a marketing department, but can’t afford to keep one? This is the beauty of freelance. You don’t need to pay the freelance copywriter’s vacation, health insurance and other benefits. This is fee for service, pay for what you get…whenever you need it.
Filed under Critical Copywriting, Marketing | Tags: blog, blog marketing, Blogging, copywriter, copywriting, entrepreneur, fee for service, freelance, freelance copywriter, freelance copywriting, Julie Roads, print marketing, Social Media, social media, social networking, start-up, web marketing, Writing Roads | Comment (0)Office meet iWork 08, Powerpoint meet Keynote
As you know, I’ve recently become a Mac convert…it’s now leaking into my software. I’m preparing for an upcoming series of web marketing workshops, and I’m using Keynote, Apple/iWork 08′s answer to Power Point. This is one month after preparing for a writing workshop on Power Point.
- Keynote is so beautiful. The templates are amazing, plentiful, crisp, modern.
- The functionality: sooooooooooo easy. Even for a techi-ignorati like moi.
- Cool features that I can actually use: updates and showcases live websites. Did Power Point do this? Maybe, but it wasn’t as easy to find and make happen – case in point.
- I’m brilliant – or at least that’s the way this presentation makes me look! Don’t be fooled – people judge us by how we look all day long. Keynote showcases my expertise, my professionalism, my success and my style.
Check it out.
Filed under How To, The Business | Tags: Apple, copywriting, iwork08, keynote, Mac, Marketing, microsoft office, power point, presentations, web marketing | Comment (0)
