From: David Hutton Subject: Radio ads Date: April 22, 2024 at 8:24:06 PM CDT To: Rick Willis <rickwillis@wizardofads.com> Rick, We have approved all your ads. I don’t understand it, but the customers are a better overall fit, and all I’m doing is showing up, and it’s like they like us already when I get there. Thank You to […]
Tim Miles and Don Kuhl
I enjoyed the opportunity to text my friend Don Kuhl this week… Don, one of my partners, Tim Miles, texted me this morning regarding your birthday message to Kate: “I relentlessly wonder if America is doing everything it can to protect this national treasure… so thankful you introduced me to his work and words. […]
Anthony Hopkins keeps it real
“My philosophy is: What people say about me is none of my business. I am who I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And that makes life easier.” “We live in a world where funerals are more important than the deceased, marriage is more important than love, looks […]
Reno is West of LA
Reno is West of L.A. Two-letter postal abbreviations don’t have periods after the letters, so when I titled today’s Monday Morning Memo, “Reno is West of L.A.” I was not using L.A. as the postal abbreviation for Louisiana. Carson City – the capitol of Nevada – is likewise west of Los Angeles, as are […]
Rex and Mr Rogers
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May You Never Be The Reason_Mostafa Ibrahim
My favorite scene in The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Today when I opened my copy of Patrick’s first book, The Name of the Wind, I saw that I had marked my favorite scene. It’s probably no one else’s favorite scene, but it makes me relive my courtship with Pennie. We had graduated high school and were attending two different colleges. I dropped out on […]
Where is st petersburg russia
fountain in st petersburg
peter and paul fortress
st petersburg_1
“Hate has 4 letters, so does Love. Enemies has 7 letters, so does Friends. Lying has 5 letters, so does Truth. Negative has 8, so does Positive. Under has 5, so does Above. Cry has 3 letters, so does Joy. Anger has 5 letters, so does Happy. Right has 5 letters, so does Wrong. Hurt has 4 letters, so does Heal. It means life […]
st petersburg5
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st petersburg4
st petersburg3
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
A Note from Count Rostov
A Note from Count Rostov Dear Roy, I’m pulling out all the stops.I’m winding this old organ up till the stained glass windows shatter.I’m going at it with all I’ve got, because I haven’t got anything else and I’m forty-four and starting again at life. This time, the writer’s life. This writing thing has to […]
The Real A Gentleman in Moscow
If you’ve read A Gentleman in Moscow, you know it is one of the greatest books ever written. But the real “Count Rostov” lives not in Moscow, but in spectacular St. Petersburg, Russia, at the edge of the Baltic Sea. – Indy Beagle
How Small Kids Beat Big Kids in a Tug-of-War
Little kids beat big kids in a tug-of-war! Todd Liles, a famous consultant of home services companies, explains how tiny techniques can make a huge difference in a struggle with larger competitors. .
Tom Grimes and the Rainy Day Fund
Tom Grimes of Amarillo responded to Jeff Sexton, “We leverage this at our company. We eliminated end-of-year Christmas bonuses … instead … We have a ‘Rainy Day Fund’ the employees can tap if they have an emergency (must get approval from GM) and if they don’t tap it, they get the entire $2,500 as a […]
Jeff Sexton responds to Dave
When Jeff Sexton saw what Dave had sent out about economic indicators, he replied with, “Forty-four percent of Americans are not prepared for an unexpected emergency expense of $1,000 according to a Bankrate survey published on January 24, 2024.” I took this photo of Jeff and Deanie during the Wizard of Ads partner meeting in […]
Economic Indicators
“The best economic indicator is how well the bottom 30% are doing in the super market, not how well the 1% are doing in the stock market.”– Dave Young Dave took a company with an impossible-to-remember name and made it a household word.
MMRadio Chris Carberry_Mars
“A Martian colony is inevitable,” says Chris Carberry to roving reporter Rotbart and his deputy Maxell, “and there are ample opportunities right now for entrepreneurs and independent businesses to climb aboard.” Early next month, experts from government, industry, small business, and academia will come together in Washington, D.C., for a two-day summit focused on sending humans to […]
Warren Buffet explains why private equity is deceptive
Kvothe talks about stories_Patrick Rothfuss
“‘Think of all the stories you’ve heard, Bast. You have a young boy, the hero. His parents are killed. He sets out for vengeance. What happens next?’ Bast hesitated, his expression puzzled. Chronicler answered the question instead. ‘He finds help. A clever talking squirrel. An old drunken swordsman. A mad hermit in the woods. That […]
Patrick Rothfuss and Bast
“I’ll give you the bones of what I know,” Bast said. “First, the fae don’t think of it as magic. They talk of art or craft. Seeming or shaping. But if they were to speak plainly, which they rarely do, they would call it glamourie and grammarie.” Kostrel watched him, rapt, as Bast continued. “The […]
Bill Gates talks about A Gentleman in Moscow
When Bill Gates read “A Gentleman in Moscow,” he wrote an exceptional book review. Here is a snippet: “Although the book is fictional, the Metropol is a real hotel. I’ve even been lucky enough to stay there (and it looked mostly the same as Towles describes in the book). It’s the kind of place where […]
What is Advertising
“I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information. When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product. When Aeschines spoke, they said, ‘How well he speaks.’ But […]
woke too far
Mark_7_7-9
Mark 7:7-9 King James Version (KJV) Howbeit in vain do they worship me, Teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject […]
Paul Simon and Stephen Colbert talk about God
Songwriter Paul Simon answers Stephen Colbert’s question, “Psalm. It sounds like song. It is a song. But it’s a song to God. Are you, yourself, a man of faith?” . “Lord, here’s my life, such as it is, a patchwork of small successes interlaced with repeated failures – an ordinary life, for the most […]
MMRadio_April 15_2024
Scott Mautz ran several of Procter & Gamble’s multi-billion dollar businesses, so he is obviously an effective leader. Scott now hosts free leadership classes on LinkedIn that have attracted more than two million registrants. He teaches people to work out daily. But no sit-ups, pull-ups, bench presses, or squats. Scott believes in rigorous mental […]
Girl Leads a Zeppelin
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is goldand she’s buying a stairway to Heaven. When she gets there she knows if the stores are all closedwith a word she can get what she came for. Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to Heaven. There’s a sign on the wall but she wants […]
Sorkin_Quixote
Cedric Yau quote
When Tim Storm saw this video, he said, “I’ve thought about having a shirt made with Gotye on the front, and whenever someone would ask who it was, I would just say, ‘It’s somebody that I used to know.’ Totally ironic the dude dropped a song that took over popular culture and then just disappears.”
Aaron Sorkin talks politics
“Here’s the only political agenda I’ve ever had. When I was in — eleven years old, I had a crush on a girl in my sixth grade class named Jenny Lavin. And she was volunteering after school at the local McGovern campaign headquarters. And so I thought it would be a good idea if I […]
a really short night
Being Angry
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beagle Bar in Pittsboro NC
The Thinker in Bluebonnets_Wizard Academy_Austin
Auguste Rodin, The Thinker, on the campus of Wizard Academy in Austin in the springtime.
Real Luxuries
Peaceful Easy Feelin Beagle
Writers and Ad Writers
The Difference Between Writing and Ad Writing Wizard of Ads Matt Willis wrote a marvelous 575-word blog. Lots of people can write blogs. But a writer who can reduce his word count by 84% and say the same thing in just 94 words is an ad writer. Shorter hits harder. These are the 94 words: […]
MMRadio_Steve Wunker
Steve Wunker, a master of innovation, says these Three Big Myths are holding most companies back. Myth #1: A company needs to invent a better product or service to be “innovative.”Myth #2: The hardest part of innovation is hitting on the “big idea.”Myth #3: Innovation is the exclusive province of high-tech companies. Wunker says every company, big and small, can […]
Paul Simon with Brother Ed
Flowers Never Bend
Through the corridors of sleeppast shadows dark and deepmy mind dances and leaps in confusion. I don’t know what is real.I can’t touch what I feeland I hide behind the shield of my illusion. So I’ll continue to continue to pretendmy life will never endand flowers never bend with the rainfall. The mirror on my […]
How to Make Kids Love Reading
How to Make Kids Love Reading Tom Grimes: Professor Sexton … I need your input. A friend of mine said his son & daughter in law are pressuring their 8-year-old-son to read (his only grandson) … first by paying him $$$ to read … and second requiring him to identify protagonists/antagonists/plot structure … etc. I […]
MMRadio Freddy D
For the past 30 years, Fredrick Dudek – also known as “Freddy D.” – has been studying companies that have enthusiastic fans; the kind we normally associate with sports teams. Interestingly, these companies also seem to have employees that like to win. Listen and learn as “Freddy D.” shares tips from his […]
Bill Bryson and Dewey
Third person, past tense, creates HISTORY + disdain = nightmare “The other danger of rich people was their dogs. Poor people in my experience have mean dogs and know it. Rich people have mean dogs and refuse to believe it. There were thousands of dogs in those days, too, inhabiting every property – big dogs, […]
Pirates and Kings
Pirates and Kings Kings and pirates both wear swords, but for different reasons. A king wears his sword as a symbol of the army he commands. A pirate wears his sword so that it will be at hand when he needs it. Pirates have a high tolerance for risk because they have nothing to lose. […]
What Happened to Our Youth
Every successful father wishes he knew how to give his kids the hardships that made him rich. “Our kids are opting out of the adventure that is life. They believe they’re not up to its challenges. And we communicated that message to them.”– Abigail Shrier
The Crack Pipes of Tom Grimes
Third person, present tense = NEWS REPORTING + disdain = disgust
Lyrics_Brian Played Guitar lyrics by Chuck Coleman
Brian played guitarHe wasn’t very goodThat was his charmAnd he swore he’d be an indie god by 23.Now he’s 25 and living on long islandAnd I called him up to finally do some catching upAnd that’s when he said to me,Listen carefully… I was just a kid then.Money makes the world spinAnd if they tell […]
Brian Played Guitar by Chuck Coleman
Third person, past tense, creates HISTORY + desire = wanting yesterday Are you a musician? Do you have a talent for arrangement? “Brian Played Guitar” is a demo by singer/songwriter Chuck Coleman. I have been enchanted by the bare bones of this song for at least 15 years. The lyrics and the basic melodic structure […]
Tom Plays Guitar
Thomas McDowallMar 23, 2024, 2:58 AMGlasgow, Scotland Hey Brother… not sure if this will send but Hey Ho… My wee brother was 60 yesterday…Had a couple of scoops and some lunch and then went to buy him a new guitar…he wanted an electric fiddle but we wandered into the Martin room at a store called […]
Short Rabbit Hole
The Voices of the 9 Declarative Sentences
The Voices of the 9 Declarative Sentences Every time you make a statement, you choose one of only 9 sentence structures. You have been doing this unconsciously for as long as you have been able to speak and write. Today I am going to teach you how to do it consciously. Ten minutes […]
MMRadio_David Page
50,000 new restaurants open in the United States each year. Most of them are out-of-business a few years later. David Page can tell you why they close, how they could have avoided it, and how you can profit from this knowledge, regardless of the business you are in. David is a two-time Emmy winner and […]
Newsworthy_David McInnis
Roy, First, thank you for your generosity in inviting me to lunch on Monday. That was more oysters than I normally consume in a year. I also enjoyed getting to know Devin better. Things are looking pretty good for me with Newsworthy.ai. It seems like all of the content marketing ideas that I have […]
Mandy Patinkin
My name is Inigo Montoya
“Successful parents wish they knew how to give their kids the hardships that made them rich.”– Indy Beagle
Random Quote_Roy
Oat Milk
Ted Williams_Eulogy
“Like a feather caught in a vortex, Williams ran around the square of bases at the center of our beseeching screaming. He ran as he always ran out home runs – hurriedly, unsmiling, head down, as if our praise were a storm of rain to get out of. He didn’t tip his cap. Though we […]
MMRadio_Hanah Polotsky
Dr. Hanah Polotsky is an expert in treating diabetes, thyroid disorders, and hormonal abnormalities. She also excels at showing executives — both in and outside the medical field — how to run teams and apply the tenets of lean management. Her observation is that in virtually every field of endeavor, administrators are unprepared to provide […]
Did a Bot Write this Obituary
When someone sent me this “obituary written by a bot,” I forwarded it to Cedric so that he could ask Chat GPT for an AI opinion.
Escape to Reality
Early Internet Memories
Do you remember when internet access was available only through a dial-up modem over a landline? I remember those days. No cable modems. No Google fiber. And it would be nearly 15 years before Steve Jobs would give us the first smart phone. In fact, I can remember when there were no full-color monitors. Just […]
Chat GPT and CAPTCHA
CAPTCHA’s like this one were created to make sure that bots and computers weren’t clicking links on websites. Being about to read distorted letters, or identify all the photos that show a traffic light, was supposed to be something that only humans could do. So the next time time you have trouble reading the […]
MMRadio_Bob Moog
When David faced Goliath, he wasn’t playing games. But when Bob Moog faced Hasbro and Mattel, his games and puzzles were all that he had. Bob has gone nose-to-nose with the world’s biggest players and found a way to beat each of them at their own game (pun intended). In this fun, fun, fun episode […]
Mr Haney
The Mr. Haney compilation I promised you is below. To the right is Chat GPT’s response to the question Cedric Yau asked it after Cedric learned the premise of today’s MondayMorningMemo. Based on this answer, Chat GPT seems to be aware of its limitations. HOWEVER, Cedric is one of those people who is highly aware […]
Character Diamonds and Customer Bonding
“It is not the offer you make that causes people to like and trust you, it is the person you are that makes people like and trust you.” (Ask a Wizard of Ads partner how a Character Diamond affects Customer Bonding.)
A chemistry student explains hell
The following is an actual question given on a University of Arizona chemistry mid-term and an actual answer turned in by a student. The answer by this student was so ‘profound’ that the professor shared it with colleagues via the Internet which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well: […]
Tracey Ullman Woke
MMRadio Ron Shafer
When two historians start talking, the conversation can skip across centuries like two little girls playing hopscotch. On this week’s episode of Monday Morning Radio, historian Maxwell Rotbart talks with historian Ron Shafer about how the future is looking a lot like the past. If Rod Serling were alive, he would say, “Consider if you […]
Brad Lawrence
February 29, 2024, my friend Brad Lawrence celebrated his 15th birthday. I took this photo of Brad in front of the Wizard’s Guest Cottage on the campus of Wizard Academy because IT IS THE ONLY TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN THE MAN WITHOUT A TIE. I’m pretty sure he even mows his lawn in […]
Coldwater Creek
“We named this shirt after a guy who used to work in our office. You know the type, worked nights, Saturdays and Sundays. A vice-president by the age of twenty-eight. Then one day he just snapped. Poor Henry, I guess the growth got him. Last we heard he was living off 20-inch trout from the […]
Brads noun avalanche
“Should this strike you as rather presumptuous on my part, you’re probably not just whistling Sinatra. On the other hand, the halls of publishing houses were not sufficiently insulated from the ongoing amphetamine pace of Manhattan, and while the prevailing physical and psychological hubbub, the busyness of it all, might actually be a fitting […]
The First Monday Morning Memo_May 16_1994
Jack Heald in Atlanta
Jack Heald performs for a group of his Wizard of Ads partners in the Atlanta hotel where all of us stayed last week. The next day, Tulani performed for us during lunch in Magnolia Hall, perfectly situated in the middle of magnificent Piedmont Park. The clip below is from Tulani’s performance of, “I Feel Good.”
How to Become Invisible
There are two ways to become invisible, and both are easily accomplished. To become invisible to yourself: get lost inside your own head. When you ignore other people, it never occurs to you that they can see you. This is how you become invisible in your mind. To become invisible to others: say what […]
Viktor Frankl
It took Viktor Frankl only 9 days to write Man’s Search for Meaning in 1946. The English translation was published in 1959 and became an international bestseller. In a 1991 survey conducted for the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club, Frankl’s book was named one of the 10 most […]
History Lesson 1
MMRadio_Sicola
Most people fail to say their own name correctly. Odd as that may sound, Laura Sicola explains her assertion in a YouTube video that is approaching 7 million views. Dr. Sicola earned her PhD in educational linguistics and has two decades of experience teaching good vocal habits to executives at companies including Comcast, IBM, and […]
Private Equity Explained
“For those interested, Brendan Ballou explores private equity in depth in his new book. ‘Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America.’ The book is filled with examples and thorough explanations of how these firms function.” – Joseph Ariel Saliba In the video clip below, Charles Duhigg, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Julie Creswell, and Louise Story […]
Gone with the Wind
Following Hattie McDaniel’s 1940 Oscar win for best supporting actress as Mammy in Gone With the Wind, she was accused of being an Uncle Tom. McDaniel responded that she would “rather make seven hundred dollars a week playing a maid, than seven dollars being one.”
How to be a great ad writer
“Do you want to be one of the world’s great ad writers? Don’t read ads. Read the poems, short stories and novels written by the winners of the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes in Literature.” – Roy H. Williams, the Monday Morning Memo for Oct. 10, 2022
This weeks ads
If this week’s ads are driving this week’s traffic, your ads are transactional. If all your ads collectively are driving this week’s traffic, your ads are relational.
Words Carry Colorful Luggage
“I’ve never convinced a duck to stop being a duck, and I’ve never convinced a twitchy little bastard to stop being a twitchy little bastard.” – Roy H. Williams Q: Why did the wizard say “duck” instead of another animal, plant, or mineral? A: He wanted to connect his statement to a phrase you’ve heard […]
Apple Airpods
Information or Transformation?
[I’ve been writing twice a month for Radio Ink magazine for more than a quarter century. The column you are about to read will be distributed to every radio station in North America – more than 10,000 of them – when it is published in a few weeks. – RHW] Traditional wisdom would suggest that […]
MMRadio Andre Mincov Trademarks
Seven-hundred-thousand Americans per year submit a trademark application, but Andre Mincov says that number is far less than it should be. Prior to beginning his global consultancy specializing in trademarks, Andre worked at a law firm helping companies like Apple, Microsoft, Sun, and Dell file and defend their trademarks. Today Andre rescues small and mid-size […]
Tappers Detroit
With 3 BIG stores in Detroit, Tapper’s is a high-end jewelry store that sells all the finest brands. But when you hear their ads, you realize that Mark and his Dad are really fun people that you would love to know and hang out with. Stephen Semple is the Wizard of Ads partner in charge […]
Indy Beagle is Canis Major
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Buzzword Avalanche
“With the partnership of the world’s largest network operators, we future-proofed our platform and did the legwork to get to intent-based, zero-touch service assurance. Drawing insights from our customers who have embraced converged infrastructure, hyperscale architectures, and digital transformation, we prioritized operational efficiency and manageability. This led us to develop a cloud-first performance assurance platform that is easily deployed and excels within these ‘massive multi’ environments – multi-vendor, multi-operator, […]
Elevator Time
You’re in an elevator, moving from one level to another. Sometimes the elevator goes to a higher level.Sometimes it goes to a lower one.You won’t know until you get there. You are in that aimless time between one chapter of your life and the next.You are moving from a predictable past to an unpredictable future.You […]
We didnt start the fire
Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray. South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio. Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television. North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe. Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom. Brando, “The King and I”, and “The Catcher in the Rye.” Eisenhower, Vaccine, England’s got a new queen. Marciano, Liberace, Santayana, goodbye. We didn’t […]
A Song of Galaxies
A Song of Galaxies The brightest lightin our sky at nightis called “the dog star.”You know I’m right. But different eyessee different skies.Look it up!I tell no lies. Those in otherhabitationshave their ownconstellations. They look upat other stars.These are ours.Those are thars. – Alfie the Elf,standing in the light of the golden […]
Hunting Dog of Orion
Canis Major The great OverdogThat heavenly beastWith a star in one eyeGives a leap in the east.He dances uprightAll the way to the westAnd never once dropsOn his forefeet to rest.I’m a poor underdog,But to-night I will barkWith the great OverdogThat romps through the dark. – Robert Frost .
Brother Buck Wrote a Poem
1957 The Year of the Catwas when it was at,but as for that,who knows where? Something in the airwas not really there.I do not care.Buyer beware. And so it goesinto your nose,this thing that flowseverywhere. Like I said,it was in the airlike radioor yes and no,or bad B.O.or Dr. Suessor something loose. Did I still […]
1976 LYRICS
On a morning from a Bogart movie,In a country where they turn back time,You go strolling through the crowd like Peter LorreContemplating a crime.She comes out of the sun in a silk dress runningLike a watercolor in the rain.Don’t bother asking for explanations,She’ll just tell you that she cameIn the year of the cat. She […]