Too Much Joy in Your Copy?

Last week, a marketer told me about her meddlesome boss.

The more anxious he gets about sales, the more exclamation points he inserts in her copy.

Exclamation points are like canned laughter in a sitcom.

They don’t make the jokes any funnier.

There's little added when the writer tacks an exclamation point onto a descriptive sentence like, "The finest system available today!"

The exclamation point is a Medieval emoticon.

It originated when a monk transformed the Latin word io, meaning “exclamation of joy,” into a symbol by stacking the first letter above the second.

The exclamations of joy in your copy, most writers agree, should be few.

When you use the exclamation point to modify a descriptive sentence ("We're going to dispatch an exploration party!"), you're misusing it.

The same goes when you use the exclamation point to indicate a routine command ("Make necessary preparations!").

Tennessee Williams used the exclamation point effectively in these lines from Camino Real: "Make voyages! Attempt them! There's nothing else."

What Do Gen Yers Want from Tradeshows?

Part 2 of a 2-part series

According to new research from Amsterdam RAI, organizers need to indulge Gen Yers, if they hope to attract them to tradeshows.

“Generation Y are used to getting exactly what they want," the RAI says. "They are conscious about world problems and love to have specific knowledge and skills that give them value in their networks. Gen Yers are children of a our visual culture and therefore love everything visual."

As a result, the RAI recommends organizers:

• Deliver collaborative experiences and know-how before, during and after the show.
• Be playful, hip and socially conscious when marketing.
• Invest in a strong visual identity.

What Do Gen Xers Want from Tradeshows?

Part 1 of a 2-part series

New psychographic research from Amsterdam RAI says organizers need to show Gen Xers a special brand of love to attract them to tradeshows.

“Generation Xers are very pragmatic when it comes to making decisions, mainly because they suffer the most from the current economic crisis,” the RAI says.

“They are not loyal if they can get a better deal somewhere else. They often have a cynical world view and are very conscious of media and marketing. Many of them are project parents, which describes the over-involvement when it comes to their children.”

As a result, the RAI recommends organizers:

• Rationalize Gen Xers' costs to participate and offer guaranties.
• Be transparent and play to Gen Xers' cynicism.
• Cater to Gen Xers' helicopter-parent lifestyles.

Vintage Verbs: Consopite

Part 5 of a 5-part series on forgotten verbs

Consopite means to put to sleep.

You might say, "The meeting consopited Chad."

We recall the verb's Latin root sopire when we complain that something's soporific.

The Postman Always Rings Twice

I don't often hear from my life insurance carrier. 

The company silently sweeps the premium due every month from my bank account, while we go merrily about our separate ways.

I'm not sure I want to hear from the firm, to be frank.

But this week, I suddenly did.

The letter carrier brought a stately direct mail piece offering me a $400,000 accidental death and dismemberment policy.

It arrived one week to the day after the bombs blew up at the Boston Marathon.

Tchotchke peddlers began to cash in on the tragedy within 24 hours. 

An insurance company simply moves a bit slower.