Creative
Blog Tag
A Creative Director’s Take on the Most Effective Super Bowl LVI Commercials
A recent New Yorker cartoon portrayed two people on the couch watching a football game. The caption: “So have you given any thought to what you’re going to do with your life after the Super Bowl?” For most of us without a team in the fight, the day comes and goes. We hope for a […]
Are you “Woke” to Slang? (and why those who know what “woke” means think that’s a bad blog title)
Not too long ago, my younger sister and I were talking to our dad when he grumbled something about us being “woke.” We looked at each other and telepathically decided in a way that only sisters can that our father had no idea what “woke” meant. In a weird parent-child freaky-Friday reversal, we asked him […]
When it Comes to Response, Cookie-Cutter Direct Mail Templates Don’t Cut It
Not too long ago, a new client asked us suggestions to make their programs stronger. They scanned a bunch of mail samples we had on the table and leaned back in their chair, asking, “So, what templates do you suggest?” Our answer? “None.”
There’s Nothing Like a Good, Old-Fashioned Whiteboard for Coming Up with Creative Marketing Ideas
Hands down, one of the coolest features in IWCO Direct’s Creative Services offices are our whiteboard walls. When we were redesigning some of our office space a few years ago, the Creative Services team got the opportunity to provide input into what we wanted and what would make the workspace more efficient [...]
The Intersection of Purpose and Passion: Takeaways from Digital Summit Philadelphia 2019
I had the privilege of attending Digital Summit Philadelphia held July 24-25 at the Philadelphia Convention Center. More than 1,300 digital marketers, creative directors, marketing managers/directors, email and social media marketers, and marketing communications professionals attended its 45+ “in-depth, trend-forward digital marketing sessions" [...]
Idealliance’s G7 Expert & Professional Training Returns to IWCO Direct
In a little over a month, IWCO Direct will once again host Idealliance’s G7 Expert & Professional training at our Chanhassen facilities. When we hosted the event in May of last year it sold out in almost record time, and the feedback Idealliance received from attendees was excellent. Even the lead instructor, Don Hutcheson, made a point to tell us, “I have been doing this for 12 years, and this was by far the best, most professional facility we have ever trained at.” [...]
My Niece Just Sent Her First Piece of Mail. Here’s Why It Mattered.
“What’s this?” my niece Vivian asks. She’s rummaging through my desk on a Saturday afternoon in early January because “Mommy is napping,” and at four years old, Viv insists she’s too old for naps. (I don’t bother to point out that Mommy is much older than four and is napping—we’ve been down that road before, […]
Three More Tips to Make Your Mailpiece Design More Engaging
A few days ago, my colleague Marcus Johnson provided seven tips to make direct mail marketing copy more engaging. I think you’ll find that many of those tips cross over from copy into design, and that’s for a good reason: The effectiveness of direct mail relies heavily on how well the marketing copy and mailpiece design work together to engage the audience and prompt them to take action [...]
Five Creative Tips for Folded Self-Mailers
We often talk about the importance of envelopes and how they are the first hurdle to getting a prospect or customer to read your direct mail—but what if you forgo the envelope altogether? Folded self-mailers are a great way of communicating with your audience quickly and concisely in a cost-efficient manner without the fuss of […]
Achieving G7 Colorspace Master Qualification is Further Proof of Color Excellence
The heightened value marketers place on color accuracy across their marketing communications makes our announcement from earlier today very important. IWCO Direct has achieved G7 Colorspace Master Qualification for our web and sheet-fed lithographic presses, continuous and cut-sheet digital equipment, and proofing devices at all facilities. This is the most stringent level of G7 compliance […]
