The Hills

September 21, 2010

Liz HillIf new Copywriter Liz Hill started her own HGTV show, she could call it The Hills.

Wait, what? That’s already taken? Bummer. Well, it doesn’t change the fact that in her free time, Liz and her husband stay busy renovating their new Sioux Falls home.

Homes aren’t the only thing Liz crafts, well, though. She’s a master in the art of a well-worded headline and thoughtfully phrased ad copy. She honed her copywriting craft at University of Minnesota and later at the Chicago Portfolio School.

Now, that all makes Liz sound like a super serious professional. And, yeah, technically she is, but she also likes to keep things fun around here. She’s won a hula-hooping contest, which will be a handy skill at company parties. She’s also fabulous at board games like Apples to Apples and Scrabble. Yep, we definitely want her at our gatherings.

We’re happy that Liz has aimed her creative energy toward advertising. Otherwise, she’d be a shoe designer, since she considers shoes to be tiny works of art. If that had been her creative path, then Liz would be on an entirely different version of The Hills.

By amie

Filed Under HenkinSchultz

Wishing for the Attainable

September 7, 2010

A recent Harris Poll asked U.S. adults which they’d most want to be: richer, thinner, smarter or younger. Interestingly, the two most popular choices are the most attainable.

People want to be rich or thin, and realistically both of those can be achieved through a lot of dedication and hard work. Of the respondents, 43 percent chose richer and 21 percent chose thinner. Just 14 percent chose smarter, and 12 percent chose younger. Take all the ginkgo biloba you can find, it’s not going to make you smarter. And Cher can sing all about turning back time, but we’ve seen how well that’s worked out for her.

The results of the poll varied by age group. For example, it was less common for people ages 18 to 34 to wish for youth (4%) compared to people 55+ (19%). People 55+ still wish for riches (34%), but they do so less than people ages 35 to 44 (53%). That’s an interesting phenomenon; perhaps the older age group has accumulated more wealth, while people in their 30s and 40s are more likely to still be raising a family.

What do these little insights mean for advertisers? Think about who you’re marketing to and what wishes are still within their reach. People like to dream, but they still like their fantasies to be in the realm of possibilities.

By amie

Filed Under Advertising, Marketing