Wit, Wisdom & Whizbang

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Get over yourself.

Get over yourself

Monday, 28 November 2016 16:13
Written by Julie K. Battle

“…big values, a little humility, straight talk and a genuine point of view.” (The Cluetrain Manifesto)

Be brave in your communications. Talk like you mean it. And never lose your sense of humor. It is what binds us together – the frail human condition that we all share.

I know what you’re thinking – how the heck does a regional bank or a national non-profit use a sense of humor in its communications? Or a family business that sells infrastructure solutions? I’m not talking about hardy-har-har, rolling on my back, feet kicking in the air laughing. It might be a slight wink in the copy or a visual that ever-so-gently taps the funny bone.

Straight talk, or candor, seems to elude people in their communications. Lots of times, writers try to deliver a punch of truth but it ends up like Play-Doh. It starts out solid and bright. Then people poke at it and slice it and add other bits to it and it ends up a dirty pile of nothing. Any semblance of candor is stuffed in a too-small container that looks like baby poo. And that certainly stinks.

You can do this. Dig deep, tell the truth, be real. With yourself, your products, your services. By getting out of your own way, you are making room for customers to get close. And that’s a fine idea.

Contributors

Julie FosterJulie Foster

Account Executive

While the majority of Julie’s experience is in the marketing and advertising field, she’s blundered her way through roles for which she felt extremely out of her element: makeup artist, costume designer and props master.

Bio | Contact

Lindsay HenryLindsay Henry

Lindsay Henry has over 12 years of communications and professional writing experience across several industries. Her keen understanding of the written word and establishing voice through copy is a major asset in achieving key communication objectives with clarity and creativity.

Greg BranchGreg Branch

When Greg started writing advertising, state-of-the-art meant sticks and clay tablets. For over 40 years, he never seemed to run out of new ways to say things. Greg unexpectedly passed away in 2019 after serving as AMPM’s brand strategist for eight years. His quick wit, gentle demeanor and talent with words is sorely missed, but we are all grateful to have worked with and called him our friend.

Julie BattleJulie K. Battle

There are few roles Julie hasn’t held in the advertising agency business. Everything from copywriter, account executive, creative director, film director, agency owner and several she won’t admit to.

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