Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Drawing a Picture with Words

Drawing a picture with words is a powerful copy writing technique.

A good example is the The Kennedy Center promo piece I found in my mailbox the other day.

Here is how the author describes the exclusive atmosphere of the Center for us and appealing to our sense of exclusivity and high-culture:

"There is nothing else like the Kennedy Center in Washington! Think about that feeling you get when you first enter the Hall of Nations or the Hall of States. The way the outside world melts away as the majesty of the building -- its height, its history -- lifts your spirits.

Your eyes automatically rise to the colorful flags overhead as your feet sink into the thick red carpet below. Glittering light fixtures and dancing fountains combine to create an unforgettable experience even before the performance begins!"


Don't you feel you're already there savoring the height of the ceiling and the flags overhead?

That's powerful sensual writing.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Beware of Fake Hallmark Cards

It's that time of the season when people might be still sending each other "New Year Cards."

Some these ecards will point to ecard sites where you'll find a card from a friend waiting for you.

Some others, however, are phishing messages. If you click the link, an executable program will start running on your machine and god knows what will happen next! At the very least, a spyware code will be embedded into your system (if you're using a Windows machine).

Here is one I received today, supposedly from Hallmark company.

(Image to be added later on.)

The giveaway is the URL address that displays on the Status Bar when you hover your cursor above the link WITHOUT actually clicking it (don't!).

The link is pointing at

http://neander-buertechnik.de/card.exe

a web site in Denmark! And ready to unleash the executable "Card.exe"

Clicker beware.