Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog

READY FOR BUTOH IN A BOX?

A while ago (December 8th), I wrote about a Butoh performance here in Grand Rapids by Rachel Finan, a creative and intelligent dancer, performer and Yoga instructor (as well as the co-founder and artistic director of the X Performance Group, an experimental theater group which includes Butoh dance). Rachel performed with Heather Foster, another fine Yoga instructor and performer. As interesting as their performance was last year (some 10 hours of non-intentional movement covering two days), Rachel's next artistic endeavor promises to be even more envelope-pushing.

Rachel, Stacey Booher and Lisa Orr will perform Butoh in a store front window at 40 South Division from 6-11 p.m. And not just for one evening, either. The trio intends to dance in that confined space for all to see Friday, February 20th and Saturday, February 21st.

What is Butoh?

According to a web site called Butoh Net: The World of Butoh Dance, it is this:


"Butoh dance is a performing art that originated in Post World-War II Japan and was first performed in 1959. It is a contemporary form of dance that has little to due with either traditional Japanese dances or most western forms of dance, although it does borrow elements from some of each...

The most common factor in Butoh is one item that it does borrow from some traditional Japanese dance and theater: white body makeup. Not all Butoh performers use this makeup, though, some have used gold, silver, red or black makeup and some use no makeup at all...They may be part of a group of 10 or more dancers or they may perform solo. They may leap wildly about in a frenzy with loud music or perform with no soundtrack and have small movements so subtle that at any distance they would appear to move very subtlely and very slowly...

The most unconventional aspect of Butoh is its movement and the preparation that the dancer undergoes to prepare for the dance. It is a dance that has as much to do with meditation or martial art training as it does to dance in the conventional sense. It derives its power from what the individual who dances it brings to it in a very mental as well as physical sense."


You won't find edgier Art anywhere in West Michigan. Don't miss Butoh in a Box.

Keep Purple!


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WHAT DO BRADBURY, deLINT, KING, TOLKIEN, HEMINGWAY AND LEIBER HAVE IN COMMON?

If you guessed they're all writers, you're right. But that's not the answer I had in mind.

If you guessed they're all fiction writers, you're right again. But that's still not what I'm getting at.

The answer is this: They're all passionate, imaginative, precise writers, chosing their words carefully, wisely and for maximum clarity -- not to mention impact -- for their readers.

In other words, they take the craft of writing seriously. To them, writing is not an afterthought. It's their raison d'être. It's not only what they do, it's who they are.

And no one can argue that the world is a richer place for it.

But what about the writing you see and hear every day in the form of advertising? What kind of writing is that? Is it good? Bad? Effective? Ineffective? Does it require talent? Precision? Creativity?

Most importantly, by what measure would you judge it?

In other words, everyone knows great fiction writing when they see it. Sometimes, the writing found in novels is so good that people can even feel it. It moves readers, takes them to another world, lifts their spirits -- or fills them with terror.

What what about the profession of advertising? How do you know if that's good or bad?

Ahh, there's the $64,000 question.

Writing for advertising is called copywriting. "Copy" is the term used to describe the words written for ads, direct mail letters, radio spots, TV commercials, brochures - you name it. A copywriter, then, is someone who writes the words that ultimately moves audiences to buy or to do something. Copywriting is the Art of persuasion.

However, these days, due largely (in my opinion) to the Internet's ability to give everyone and anyone a chance to be a express his or her opinions -- through such publishing avenues as Blogger, Blurty and LiveJournal -- writing has become one of the most misunderstood Art forms around.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say writing has become watered down. Cheapened. Ineffective.

The craft of writing is suffering today.

But it's not just the Internet reducing writing to its lowest common denominator. It's a host of books that promise to unlock the writer within, to tap into everyone's innate creativity, to conjure the Writing Muse that'll transform common words into extraordinary prose.

I've been a copywriter for some 15 years. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Master's degree in Communications. Over the past decade and a half, I've worked with some of the greatest advertising and marketing people around. I've learned my craft by honing and sweating and laboring to perfect copy that does exactly what it's supposed to do: move readers to buy or to do something. Rest assured, great copywriters put as much diligence and time into their work as great novelists.

So it should come as no surprise that I think copywriting is an Art form all its own.

Yet copywriters today face an incredible Paradox. At no time is precise, clear and powerful copy more needed...and yet -- and here comes the paradox -- at no time is copy more regarded as just another commodity.

Like cornflakes. Or toilet paper.

Why? Probably for a lot of reasons, some of which I've mentioned already.

But also because of what marketing guru and Change Agent Seth Godin told me in an interview a few weeks ago. He said, "Consumers don't care, and the main reason is that they don't see a direct connection between their actions and the outcomes."

In other words, good enough is good enough.

Or, to put it another way, "Why pay for well crafted, precise copy when I can get copy that's okay for free?"

Good question. Why should anyone pay for well crafted, precise copy these days?

I can't answer that question for you. But I can ask one of my own: Why should anyone pay $3,000 for a watercolor when they can get a velvet Elvis for $49?

Or how about this: Why would anyone pay $120 to see Sting in concert when they could just pay $15 to buy one of his CDs?

The answer is because one choice has a higher perceived value and worth. The other choice is merely easy and cheap.

I can't paint. I can't draw anything but stick people. I can't act. I can't sing. I can't sculpt.

But I can write. That's what I do. That's who I am. I'm a professional writer.

When I want professional designs, I don't do it myself. I turn to a professional designer. When I want professional Art, I don't get out my paint-by-numbers set. I seek out a professional Artist.

This line of reasoning works for any profession, really. When one wants drain pipes fixed, one calls a plumber. When one wants sound legal advice, one calls an attorney. When one has surgery to be performed, one calls a doctor.

So when it comes time to create professional brochures, logos, radio spots, ads, direct mail packages, web sites and public relations campaigns to help market one's Art, who should one call?

Keep Purple!


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THE CRITICAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRATEGY AND TACTICS

I was meeting with a prospective client last week when I launched into one of my favorite topics: strategy and tactics. That's when it occured to me that I should write this blog.

As passionate as I am about the Arts, I'm probably even more so about the difference between strategy and tactics.

Why?

Because if you understand the difference between the two, you'll be able to make wiser business decisions regarding your money, your time, and your marketing efforts.

Here's what I mean...

Most of the time, when I sit down to talk to clients or prospective clients, I immediately hear something like this: "I need a brochure. Can you create one for me?" or "I need a web site. Do you do that?" or "I'd like an ad. Can you write one for me?" or "I hear a lot about how effective direct mail is. Can you put something together for me?"

Of course, I answer Yes to all of the above. But before I can ask a critical question of my own, I invariably hear this statement, which follows swiftly on the heels of their questions: "I tried those things before and they didn't seem to work."

That's when I bring up the subject of strategy and tactics.

All of those marketing tools (brochures, web sites, ads, direct mail) have something in common: they're all tactics.

Other possible tactics include:

Radio spots

Business cards

Logo design

E-mail marketing

Writing articles for (or calling) key publications

CD booklet designs

Photography (for Web sites, brochures, press kits, posters and flyers, and booth graphics for Art fairs)

Trade show or Art fair booth graphics

Speeches

Video scripting and production

You get the idea.

I've successfully created all of those things before, however I'm usually the first one to turn down a job that asks me to simply create another tactic.

Again, why?

Because many prospective clients have been burned by agencies or well-meaning freelancers who give them exactly what they want. And I'm not about to lead any client of mine down a primrose path.

It's not that I don't want to take a client's money. And it's not that I can't perform the necessary tasks.

Rather, it's that many times clients confuse what they want with what they need. So I don't want to begin any project until I understand three things: (a) what you want to accomplish, and (b) who your target audience is, and (c) how what I'd do would fit into current or future tactical executions.

You see, any of the aforementioned tactics could be very well made -- most usually cost a pretty penny -- but it's entirely possible none of them were created with a bigger picture in mind.

That bigger picture is called strategy.

For example, some Artists have had web sites designed by a friend of a friend that have no visual tie to anything else that has been created for them in the past. The same goes for a brochure. If your web site or your brochure or your business cards or your Art fair booth graphics don't all look the same, if they don't have the same "look and feel," then you're not using your money wisely. Plus, you'll end up with a "brand" that looks like a patchwork circus clown.

By "brand," I mean the total look and feel of all of your tactics. That includes visual similarities as well as copy and tone similarities. The message conveyed and the image projected should always be consistent.

I wrote this line in a blog awhile ago, but it bears repeating now:

To the public, your promotional materials are just as much your Art as your Art is.

Think about that statement for a minute or two. Then take a look at what you use to promote yourself. Do your promotional materials say what they should say about you? Do they truly represent your Art? When a prospective customer looks at one of your promtional pieces, will he or she think, "Wow. Now I remember why I liked that Artist's music/painting/acting/sculpting/poetry/writing so much"?

When you write to corporate buyers or send follow-up letters to hot prospects, what do you send? Do you have professional stationery? Do you have a business card? Do you have a brochure that helps you close the sale? Do you have a web site that you can refer someone to that leaves the impression that you're as good as the pricetag on your Art indicates?

Most important, does all of it match?

It would if it were all created with the big picture -- a strategy -- in mind.

A strategy is a logical, well-thought-out plan that includes the creation of tactics, in their proper time and place. Plus, approaching your marketing in that way enables you to create elements from one tactic that can be used for another, thereby saving time and money.

Many years ago, clients on the corporate side (in big companies) used to think that way. They almost always had a long-range strategic plan. And they stuck to it. Religiously.

These days, however, clients thinks short term. They think tactics. Why? Because tactics are quicker, and the perception is they're cheaper.

But that's not necessarily true. Producing a string of ineffective tactics often only serves to drain your bank account. Then why do people automatically turn to tactics? Because tactics give the false impression that something is being done. They're busy work. And when corporate budgets are stretched thin and people are under the gun to do more with less -- and when they must appear to be doing something tangible to justify their salaries -- tactics seem to be the answer.

Yet nothing beats a carefully-written strategic plan...with tactics that flow logically, cost-effectively and wisely from that plan.

So what should you, the Artist, do?

The same thing that I recommend everyone do: take a step back, partner with someone who can provide sound, strategic advice, and then work together for the long haul.

Ask yourself such questions as...

1. How serious am I about my Art?
2. Do I plan to be an Artist for the next 5-10 years (or longer)?
3. Who is my audience?
4. Do I know how to reach my audience?
5. Do I believe in my Art -- and in myself?
6. Am I willing to invest in marketing my Art?
7. Does my Art have a pricepoint now -- or do I anticipate that it will in the future -- that justifies marketing?

If you can answer those questions in the affirmative, then you're ready to give PurpleCrayon a call. If you can't, then there's nothing I can do for you.

Anyone can give you tactics. Heck, if you had the time and the skills, you could probably create your own tactics.

But very few people can help you think through your strategy and suggest tactics you truly need -- and have the creative talent to provide you with them.

PurpleCrayon can.

And in my next blog, I'll discuss the importance of professionally written copy.

Keep Purple!


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WHAT DO WE DO? HERE'S A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE

From time to time, people ask me, "Okay, I hear what you're saying, and I've read your web site, but what exactly do you do for clients? Can you show me an example?"

My response, usually, is something like this: "Much of the work I do is strategic. It's planning. It's on paper. And much of it is proprietary. In a highly competitive market, some Artists don't want other Artists to know what they're doing until the work is done."

Now that our latest project is finished, I thought I'd share it with you.

The Artist is Judy Barnewolt-Jones, a remarkable watercolorist who's every bit as talented as she is a delightful person. Her web site was a blast to work on. Calvin Janes, the designer I chose for this project, outdid himself. He's one of the best and brightest in this area, yet even I was surprised at the gorgeous site he designed.

But, as Marty DiBergi in the iconic movie This is Spinal Tap said, "Hey! Enough of my yakkin'..."

Check out Judy's site for yourself.

It'll give you a clear idea of just one of the things we can do for you. A complete list of our services can be found on our web site, as well as in Bill's Blog.

Keep Purple!


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