Why is Creativity Important in Marketing?

Admittedly, there are self indulgent idiots within the marketing industry who have given creativity a bad name by making campaigns that are heavy on the abstract and light on the message. However I do believe most customers, clients and people can spot the difference between ‘wanktivity’ and ‘creativity’. Therefore I make it my mission to prise the word ‘creativity’ back out of their cocaine encrusted, award clutching hands and explain... Read More

69 Ways to Keep Your Sanity When Marketing

It was my birthday the other day and I realised I have been in marketing for over 17 years. In that time, I have seen a heck of a lot of things change. So it made me wonder how I have managed to stay sane, keep with the times and metamorphosis into a strategic freelance marketer. 69 Ways to Keep Your Sanity When Marketing is a result of that pondering. The various forms of advice help keep me going in the right direction. I hope you enjoy it and... Read More

Copywriting No-No List

Being a creative Sydney copywriter, I do dig around in cyberspace a lot checking out how people go about their writing. Sometimes I stumble across things that make me cringe, wonder what the heck the person was thinking or shake my head in bemusement. If you don’t want someone like me or your customers having the same reaction to what you write, avoid the copywriting no-no list! 1. Writing to ‘match’ your competitors. Find your own... Read More

Case Study: Opportunity Knox

Background: As a business to business site servicing the import/export market between Australia and China, Opportunity Knox needed to improve their online presence and cater for the two markets appropriately. Unashamedly Creative was brought in to work on the copy. Objective: To draw on knowledge of the Asian market to create copy that set the Sydney based company ahead of other choices in the Chinese market for entrepreneurs seeking design, manufacturing,... Read More

Always Start From Scratch

When you are invited to do some else’s marketing or copywriting, it can be tempting to take a look at what has gone before and go from there. But the trouble with this approach is you don’t give yourself or the product in question the opportunity to take advantage of a fresh eye. Here are the top 4 reasons why you should always start from scratch. 1) Fresh Eyes Are Invaluable When a group of people have been working on something for a while,... Read More

My Experience: Freelancing in account management by Carolyn Stebbing

Another freelancer has dropped by to share her experiences- welcome Carolyn Stebbing and her experience of freelancing in account management! Take it away Carolyn.   My Experience: Freelancing in account management by Carolyn Stebbing  Earlier this year I dipped my toes into the freelancing pond. I was keen to adjust my work-life balance and freelancing offered the change of pace I’d been craving. I figured that in between contracts I’d... Read More

Acing Email Marketing Campaigns

As a creative copywriter, I have been asked to make suggestions and generally improve overall performance of email marketing campaigns for more than a decade. Consider these tips your guide to help make your email newsletters and/or campaigns sparkle! Choose Responses over Clicks One of the most common dilemmas my client’s come to me with is that their click through rate has gone down. This is worrying sure, because one of the metrics we are trained... Read More

Case Study: Barossa Real Estate

Background: Situated in the heart of Australia’s leading wine region at Tanunda, Barossa Real Estate was an established business within the Barossa Valley, South Australia. Surviving on a placeholder web page and working in the highly competitive and ever changing game of real estate, Barossa Real Estate (BRE) needed both copy and web solutions to differentiate their business from others in the area. Objective: • Go beyond providing information... Read More

The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing Pt1

The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing, 2nd edition, by George Silverman Admittedly, I am only half way through this book so I hope it doesn’t end with a big fizz. However, I have already grabbed some great points from it I would like to share. Well, actually I am half way through and made about 10 pages worth of notes, so if I leave it too long it may overwhelm me with the sheer amount to write up, but I digress… Here is what I have found... Read More

The feverish dizzy of knowing another’s lie

I recently had the misfortune of being caught up in someone else’s lies. On a physical level, I find such sensation akin to fever, akin to the horrid pale sweat and lightness of mind that accompanies a newly acquired fever. On the emotional side, it was quite hurtful to be caught in such a situation and feel manipulated, fooled and just plain annoyed the deception split over into my little world. But by far the worst result was seeing the complete... Read More

Welcome to the June edition of brainmates eMuse!

In this edition we want to share the highlights of ProductCamp Sydney 2011 that the brainmates team and other volunteers helped organise earlier this month. Here we saw over 50 passionate Product Manager’s shoulder to shoulder at the third product ‘unconference‘ of its kind in Australia. Many well designed and helpful explorations of key Product Management topics were tabled and considering the inspiring nature of the event, this... Read More

It’s not easy being Green

Kermit the Frog really did have it right when he uttered the immortal words “it’s not easy being green” but I am not sure the world’s current eco crush was what he had in mind at the time. As I trawl through another day of the online world and I see more and more people purporting the green message, I sometimes wonder just how well informed the well intended eco consumers of today are. Something doesn’t seem quite right with this equation... Read More

All you can ever be is yourself

I recently had an incredibly delightful client of mine during a persona discussion lay something on me that a lot of us here in marketing land forget- all you can ever be is yourself and if you are trying to be something else, people can spot it. So what do we risk when we are caught up in our own concepts and perceptions? A lot… and here’s why. My firm belief is every single product ever created has a market, an audience. The reason it exists... Read More

Wondering how to be local, ethical and support fair trade? Hire freelancers!

People are becoming increasingly aware it seems on the impact on their environment. People are attending dinners based around the premise of 100 mile dinners aimed at reducing petrol usage and highlighting local goods. Sourcing uncaged chicken eggs and free range produce is increasing in popularity and people are thinking ethically about their purchases from overseas. In Sydney, where the cost of living keeps jetting through the roof and onto the... Read More

You know you’re self employed/freelancer when…

1.      Your washing doesn’t include much business attire, but you have a sensational set of “work pyjamas”. 2.      Debt collection is done through subtle begging and threats of standing outside non-paying businesses with cardboard signs stating “WILL WRITE COPY FOR FOOD”. 3.      An agency calls and asks how much you know about aardvarks for a two day gig, you put down your latest cardboard sign and respond with gusto as... Read More

Why are retailers crying foul of online sales?

With the recent outbreak of apparent foot and mouth disease from Harvey Norman’s Gerry Harvey, online shopping has hit the headlines and controversy regarding whether it is OK or not to allow online retailers sell their products without tax. But as online shopping grows as a local and international choice, what other reasons could retailers have for being so upset about the envisaged unfair take over? Beyond offering lower overheads to businesses... Read More

The rise and rise of Swap Creative

Now that the holidays are out of the way, the Unashamedly Creative office has come back with a lot of bang and buzz for 2011- with the majority of interest being generated from Swap Creative. Swap Creative came about through wanting to satiate the desire to assist small businesses, most of whom usually lack budget to do major marketing activity, as well as regain some of the “niceties” lost after moving away from a steady salary towards working... Read More

The weird, the whacky and the wonderful

Sometimes when I talk about my experiences with various different jobs I have had or clients in any form, people are kind of amused or bemused by some of the things done in the name of marketing. So rather than do a usual kind of retrospective and look back on 2010, Unashamedly Creative presents some of the weird, the whacky and the wonderful marketing stories of my marketing career. Grand Final Beer It’s great to be creative, but sometimes an idea... Read More

Why truth in marketing?

Why truth in marketing? Doing a little bit of on-site tidy up of content yesterday made me think about an article I have left out that is so important to what I do- why truth in marketing? Having worked on both sides of the fence in terms of being the marketing person who works with a consultant or agency and being that agency who services the marketing person, I have realised there is one common problem- not understanding there is a place for truth... Read More

The Swap Creative Application Form

Unashamedly Creative is proud to present a new way of looking at your marketing budget with Swap Creative. In order to keep myself and my Labrador in the style we were previously accustomed to, and also help fellow small businesses get that all important word out, I will be taking applications for businesses who are interested in being my exclusive Swap Creative clients. I am looking to hear from any business that may think we could have an ongoing... Read More

Introducing SWAP CREATIVE!

Unashamedly Creative is proud to present a new way of looking at your marketing budget with Swap Creative. Being only in the early stages of operation, Unashamedly Creative has been a small business for twelve months, often working with other small businesses as clients or suppliers to get projects done. Anyone who has ever been in business for themselves or part of a smaller operation will understand sometime the cash flow isn’t available as readily... Read More

The real reason why dinosaurs become extinct.

Gone are the days of suiting up and doing your business in long languid booze driven lunches. Or grasping at a fistful of dollars hoping the client is none the wiser. People are getting smarter, as are brands and this, to a certain extent, has brought about a bit of a revolution. If the GFC taught us anything, it is the value of productivity and that nothing is certain. If it showed anything to the Australian public, it was more by far and away to... Read More

Unashamedly Creative is Born

It’s hard to take a moment and breathe, reflect and count the rain drops as they race down the office window pane. Six months ago I launched my own business, four months ago I quit my secure but mind numbing day job and went out on a wire in search of my own clients. At times it’s been hairy, blushingly embarrassing and so surreal. But I have finally made it. Is this what it feels like to be all grown up? I have worked in marketing for fifteen... Read More