Michael Blumfield

Business Communications

508-901-7510
michael@mb-bc.com

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Cheeky writing in business: Walking the thin line between clever and obnoxious

Michael Blumfield 2 Comments

Cheeky writing in business: Walking the thin line between clever and obnoxious

A lot of companies are following this line of informality as a way of tightening connections with customers, and it’s getting to be … well, a little tiresome. So how does a company walk that line between clever and obnoxious?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Branding, customers, Groupon, humor, user experience, writing, Zappos

Authenticity: Why Dylan’s Super Bowl ad didn’t work and Eminem’s did

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Authenticity: Why Dylan’s Super Bowl ad didn’t work and Eminem’s did

We know that our products come from all over the world, so counting on us to find a car appealing just because it’s American made is a little insulting. We might assume that Eminem would walk into a Detroit auditorium where a gospel group is singing, but we don’t really think Bob Dylan is playing pool in a neighborhood bar.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Advertising, authenticity, customers, emotion, Evidence, Super Bowl, user mindset

Aetna’s efforts to simplify language saves money — and maybe lives

Michael Blumfield

Aetna’s efforts to simplify language saves money — and maybe lives

A federal report released in 2006 got the attention of the healthcare industry when researchers found some 90 million Americans didn’t fully understand the written communications they received from insurers, providers and others. That spurred Aetna, among others, to rethink the way it addressed its members. The company received an award for its efforts last […]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Aetna, Center for Plain Language, customers, Readability, Simplicity, training, user experience, writing

News flash! Your customers are not information virgins

Michael Blumfield

News flash! Your customers are not information virgins

Suppose your last name is Ford — common enough, right? — and you have developed a cutting-edge vehicle that runs on solar power. You’ve decided you’re going to call it the Ford Solar Car. Assuming that magically you could make all trademark infringement issues disappear, would you really call anything automotive-related a “Ford”? No, you […]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Branding, customers, history, image, user experience

Using Visuals, Part 3: The right and wrong way to create videos

Michael Blumfield

Using Visuals, Part 3: The right and wrong way to create videos

There’s nothing like a well-done video for conveying emotion. While text and photos have their place, video can drop a feeling bomb on your viewers that just explodes inside them. Boom! A direct hit to the heart. Sometimes, though, marketers miss their target because they didn’t fully consider how to use their videos in service […]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Branding, customers, emotion, image, user experience, visual messaging, writing

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