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Hourly Rates, Eliot Spitzer and Formulas for Follow-Up: 9 Links Worth a Read

March 22, 2008 · 4 Comments

Great reading from the past few weeks – enjoy!

  1. Charging By Project, Not By the Hour: If you keep up with my blog on a regular basis, you know I’m anti-hourly rates. The Freelance Switch, one of my favorite new blogs, nails it on the head in this post. In Skellie’s words, “Setting up timers and staring at a clock can feel a little like office work.”
  2. Spitzer Can’t Communicate His Way Out of Sex Scandal: Common Sense PR captures the uselessness of damage control in the Eliot Spitzer ordeal. As Eric begins, “There are times when the public is willing to forgive the indiscretions of public figures. This ain’t one of them.”
  3. The Power of Free Samples: Interesting study using instant formula samples given free to new mothers as they left the hospital. I’m not convinced this translates well into many other industries, but it’s still intriguing.
  4. The 8 Types of Creative Directors:FUNNY! I actually like the 8 Types of Bad Creative Critiques more.
  5. The Proper Way to Throw a Golf Club: Because we all need to get better at this.
  6. Advertising’s Legendary Letter by Bill Bernbach: It was 1947, and a young creative director saw the writing on the wall for his now big ad agency in an industry that was still in its adolescence at best. Very inspiring, and still very relevant. My favorite quote: “The danger lies In the natural tendency to go after tried-and-true talent that will not make us stand out in competition but rather make us look like all the others.”
  7. 11 Ways for Web Designers to Gain Exposure: Useful, common-sense tips on how to get the word out if you’re a web designer.
  8. 6 Reasons to become Self-Employed: Wisebread shares some pretty good reasons for doing it yourself in the business realm. I think the most appealing to me is no vacation days.
  9. A Simple Formula for Follow-Up: Ever get stuck in copying and pasting a follow-up email to prospects and clients? Ilise thinks you’re missing out – here’s some good advice on little things that could make a big difference.

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Categories: Weekend Reading
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4 responses so far ↓

  • Steven Snell // March 22, 2008 at 9:40 am | Reply

    Thanks for the link.

  • Ad Agency Manifesto from 1947 Still Holds Today // March 23, 2008 at 11:11 am | Reply

    [...] Big agencies are good at systematizing strategy development, media buying and media contact management.But can you automate creativity?How do you keep from turning into a factory for homogenous advertising or public relations?These question were asked 60 years ago by Bill Bernbach, as his agency began to grow.His response was a manifesto that called for the nurturing of true creativity:”…  [The] danger is a preoccupation with technical skill or the mistaking of technical skill for creative ability.    ”The danger lies in the temptation to buy routinized men who have a formula for advertising.  The danger lies in the natural tendency to go after tried-and-true talent that will not make us stand out in competition but rather make us look like all the others. ”If we are to advance we must emerge as a distinctive personality. We must develop our own philosophy and not have the advertising philosophy of others imposed on us. ”Let us blaze new trails. Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling.”Indeed. Except for the use of “man” to include humanity, the manifesto holds true today.We should never mistake comfortable tactics for effective tactics. It’s easy to fall back on what has worked in the past.Few people get fired for repeating a successful formula. That doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do in every situation.  Link via Brett Duncan.  [...]

  • 1947 Ad Manifesto Still Holds True (for PR, Too) // March 23, 2008 at 1:11 pm | Reply

    [...] Link via Brett Duncan.  Tags: ads, advertising, bill bernbach, creative, distinctiveness, effectiveness, habits, manifesto, public relations, strategyShare This Related StoriesAd Agency Manifesto from 1947 Still Holds TodayApple’s Tight Lips Affected Engadget’s Choice to PublishHow to Write a Business Plan – Everyone Has a TheoryMarketing and PR News and Ideas, December 31, 2007Cutting through the Bafflegab – A translation of corporate statements [...]

  • sandrar // September 10, 2009 at 6:53 am | Reply

    Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.

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