EARNEST WORDS
from Ernest Nicastro
Opinions, musings, thoughts, ideas and the occasional rant…on life, language, marketing, advertising and what's going on in the world.
from Ernest Nicastro
No CommentRecently, and strictly for research purposes mind you, I googled the word “sex.”
My search returned 3,900,000,000 results. Next, I searched the word “quality” and got 5,800,000,000 hits. Based on these results one might make a case that we have a greater interest in quality than sex. While I believe this would be a seriously flawed hypothesis, it’s well established that quality is an important consideration in the buying decisions we make. That’s why every year businesses spend billions playing the “Q-Card.”
A generation ago Ford Motor spent huge advertising dollars …
A number of years ago I sent out a Happy Thanksgiving/Happy Holidays Letter to clients. I received more than a few favorable comments on it. One client liked the letter so much he insisted on paying me for it so that he could use it for his company. Maybe you, dear reader, will want to do the same. That is, use it for your company.
Reproduced below is a copy of the letter. One big advantage to sending a Thanksgiving letter is that your greetings will likely be the very first …
So I’m at the gym the other morning putting in an hour on my favorite elliptical, the one that’s smack dab in front of the TV. The Today Show is on and they’re doing a segment on retirement planning. The reporter is interviewing a financial expert.
“So,” she asks, “what are the things people need to be honing in on as they approach retirement?”
I grimace and think, “No, that’s not right.”
Then I recalled a conversation from a couple of years ago. I’d emailed my client a draft of the direct mail …
Leverages a proprietary coaching framework…purposeful investments in human capital…aligning people and systems in pursuit of….
…why do people write this way?
To dramatize the absurdity of this type of non-communication I’m going to stage a scene.
“Bob” runs a consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs, business owners and managers become more effective leaders. He’s going over a few details with his new receptionist when a sharp dressed man (any ZZ Top fans out there?) in a suit and tie walks in.
Bob looks up, smiles, and says, “Good afternoon, Sir. How can I help you? …
It is a crisp, clear autumn afternoon. About 1:30. A full sun hangs in a bright blue sky. A large crowd mills about.
The date: November 19th. The year: 1863. The place: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are there. You jostle for position. You strain your neck to get a glimpse. You cup your hand behind your ear…as the 16th President of the United States steps to the center of the platform and begins his “few appropriate remarks.”
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this …
My name is Ernest Wayne Nicastro. My father chose Ernest to honor a beloved cousin, who died young, that he spent Summers with as a child. My mom was a big John Wayne fan. I can even do a decent impersonation of “The Duke.” That said, I’ve never been particularly enamored with my name. I suppose circumstances have had a lot to do with that.
I entered grammar school right about the time that a certain Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba. My classmates, even teachers to some extent, had …
