By now, you’ve figured out I’m a big baseball fan. I’m not sure why. I guess its allure has to be bigger than my hometown favorite Cleveland Indians, since it has been at least a decade since they’ve given me much to cheer about, and about 62 years since their last World Series championship…but who’s counting? Read the rest of this entry »
Yet Another PR Lesson Gleaned from Baseball…
June 11th, 2010Branding…Beyond the Tagline
June 4th, 2010Although it would be easy to do, this is not a BP-bashing post (tempting, but…). Recently, a pretty good article about where BP failed in its branding efforts did get me thinking about implications for my own industry. Read the rest of this entry »
Dragging your marketing into the 21st century (kicking and screaming, if necessary)
May 21st, 2010For some, “marketing” is little more than a flyer extolling the virtues of one’s product or service. There’s actually some truth to this. But when the “strategy” behind a marketing piece starts, and ends, with little more than a look in the mirror, it’s more likely than not that your marketing piece isn’t going to be that effective. Not with today’s prospect. Read the rest of this entry »
A few reasons for the mortgage industry to engage, rather than evade, the media.
April 30th, 2010Just when you (all 3 of you!) thought you’d never see another blog post from me, here it is. But I’m cheating a bit this week by doing a list. If you’re one of those hoping to see 1,000 words from me, this ain’t the week! Read the rest of this entry »
On Baseball and Business and the Simple Pleasures of Uni-tasking…
April 9th, 2010I’ll admit it. I cut out of work a bit early Monday. As I write this from my little home office in Cleveland (home of the May snowstorm), I’m looking out upon a bit of snow or sleet or something similarly unpleasant as it cascades from slate-gray skies. There are many reasons to love Cleveland, believe it or not. The weather is not one of them. Read the rest of this entry »
Uncivil Discourse
April 2nd, 2010Ok, I’m back. Sorry for the extended absence, but I’ve been busy! 
I usually use this space to wax prolific about marketing communications, often as they relate to the mortgage and title industry. But today, I’m going to focus on communications in general. Read the rest of this entry »
Can’t we all just get along?
February 26th, 2010
Year two of the mortgage meltdown, and the proverbial landscape has definitely changed. Countrywide is just a memory. Freddie and Fannie spend more time salvaging loans than buying them now. The Fed has become (or revealed itself as) the very hand of God, as we await the results of the end of its MBS program. Mortgage lenders and title agencies alike are grappling with yet another mangled, HUD-created mess. The appraisers are at the throats of the AMCs like never before. The underwriters are sharpening their litigation skills. And the abstractors are just waiting for the phone to ring. Read the rest of this entry »
Getting the Very Least Out of Your Ad Buy or Conference Sponsorship
February 19th, 2010Wow! Two blog posts in one week…but don’t get too used to it. With spring conference season almost upon us, it’s time for firms of all sizes to consider carefully if and where to allocate their sponsorship or advertising budgets. Here are a few tips for the most important part of the ad or sponsorship buy: the production and execution or fulfillment of that ad or sponsorship. Read the rest of this entry »