New Words for 2009: “Frenemy,” “Staycation” and “Green-Collar”

Okay, so if you’re like me (read: if you’re a big word geek), you kind of look forward to finding out which of this year’s “it” terms make the transition from blogs and pop culture to bona fide dictionary entries.

Merriam-Webster just released their list of words that will be included in the updated 2009 edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

Here are a few of Merriam-Webster’s picks for 2009:

• A frenemy is someone who pretends to be your friend, but — you guessed it — is really out to get you (I was a little surprised to learn that, according to Wikipedia, this word has been kicking around since the early 1950s — I mostly associated it with lame reality TV stars and tween girls).
• A locavore is somebody who eats fresh, local food whenever they can.
Shawarma is a pita-bread sandwich, usually filled with sliced lamb or chicken (and, if you haven’t had one, you’re missing out – sooo good).
• If you’ve got a green-collar job, you’re getting paid to do something to help protect the environment – like trying to reduce your carbon footprint (also a new word for 2009 – it seems the environment was a hot topic this year).
• And, of course, there’s a staycation, or taking a vacation without leaving home – 2009’s answer to getting a little R & R in a lackluster economy.

Also on the list: reggaeton, memory foam, waterboarding, fan fiction – and more. You can check out all of Merriam-Webster’s new words and their definitions on their website.

So, what do you think? Did the folks at Merriam-Webster get it right? Do you agree with their choices? What are your personal picks for the best new words of 2009?

Let us know what you think!

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“That” vs. “Which”

Today, one of our most grammar-savvy clients emailed us with a question.

She asked:
If a sentence says, ‘A policy (that/which) protects the merchant against penalties… ’ should you use ‘that’ or ‘which’? And why?

I wasn’t 100 percent sure I knew the right answer. I was pretty sure. Mostly sure. But not totally sure. And, truthfully, I couldn’t have explained my choice, other than one just, well… sounded better. I figured there was probably a better reason than that. And I was right.

According to the AP Stylebook (shameless plug – I love, love, love this site – it’s ideal for answering little grammar questions like this), in our client’s case, the answer is “that.”

“That” and “which” are used in essential and nonessential clauses. The one you choose depends on the type of clause.

A nonessential clause is exactly what it sounds like. It’s not essential to the sentence. A nonessential clause contains good information, and it adds detail to your writing, but you could take it out if you were, say, trying to cut your word count or get right to the point. Nonessential clauses are usually set off with commas.

When you’re dealing with a nonessential clause, use “which.”

Example:
The policy, which will be effective starting December 2nd, will protect merchants against penalties due to customer error.

You could take out the nonessential clause (everything inside the commas), and the meaning of the sentence wouldn’t change:
The policy will protect merchants against penalties due to customer error.

This sentence is about what the policy does – not when it’s effective.

If you’re working with an essential clause, use “that.”

“”

Example:
The policy that protects merchants against customer fraud helped Roy avoid penalties for accepting the stolen credit card.

In this case, we’re talking about the type of policy that helped Roy. Take the essential clause out, and the meaning of the sentence changes, too.

So, there you go.

Have any other grammar questions? We’ll be happy to answer them.

Your Paycheck vs. Your Conscience: Should you Turn Down Unethical Projects?

You’ve probably seen those documentary-style anti-tobacco ads – the ones where a slick and smiling executive grills a series of job applicants about their qualifications. The questions start innocently enough – there’s usually a discussion about the applicant’s previous advertising work or basic office skills like typing or filing — and then the interview takes a disturbing turn.

It’s an interesting approach – instead of going with the obvious, “cigarettes-are-bad-for-you” rhetoric, Truth.com (known for its edgy, satirical anti-smoking commercials) skewers the companies that produce them, putting a face – and immaculately sculpted corporate hair – on Big Tobacco. Smoking may kill you, the ads imply, But Mr. $200 haircut over here – and anybody who works for him – helps pull the trigger.

Continue reading “Your Paycheck vs. Your Conscience: Should you Turn Down Unethical Projects?”

Stay in Focus: Remembering Your Audience and Message

When you’re in the middle of a copywriting job, there’s an age-old marketing maxim that can be hard to remember – and it can sometimes be hard to convey to clients: You can’t be all things to all people.

Good copy does two things: It speaks to a specific, targeted audience AND it has a specific, focused message. The two go hand in hand. If you try to talk to several target audiences at once, or if your message is too broad, you’ll end up with copy that’s the equivalent of lukewarm, watery coffee.

No one wants that.

“”

How to Find Your Target Audience:

A target audience can still be fairly broad, but it needs to be identified. Sometimes it’s just a matter of asking your client. Sometimes, they might not know. A few ways to sort and identify target audiences is by:

1. Gender
2. Age
3. Profession
4. Interest/Hobby
5. Income

You may find that, more often than not, your target audience falls in between several of those categories. For instance, I would guess that video game companies traditionally target young men under 30 with time and cash to spare.

Another way to identify your target audience is to ask questions such as Who is buying your product or service? and Who do you want to pay attention to you?

When you don’t have a defined audience, you can’t have defined copy. You can’t, for instance, write a marketing piece that’s aimed at national advertisers, local businesses, customers, and teenagers. That’s because these group have no common links – they each have their own needs, their own perspective. You’d be better off creating marketing materials for each group, because trying to write a single piece directed to all of them is going to be a jumbled, generic disaster.

“”

How to Choose a Specific Message:

Your message always comes AFTER you identify your target audience. That’s because you can’t start crafting a message until you know who you’re talking to, who’s going to be interested in this product or service, or why they need it.

Now, all copy needs to be persuasive, well-written, and focused on identifying differentiators and benefits. Once again, you can’t be all things to all people.

Your message should do two things:

1. It should identify a problem that your target market faces.
2. It should offer a solution to that problem.

Once you’ve identified both the problem and the solution, start crafting single sentence theses. This won’t necessarily be your company’s slogan or new campaign, but it will help keep your thoughts organized as you develop your marketing materials. And it will help you identify different angles and avenues for your marketing campaign.

For example, a new energy drink could take many different routes with an email advertising campaign. Here are some examples of marketing messages (not slogans) that the company could take:

DrinkX gives you the energy you need without the jitters you get from caffeine or the crash you get from sugary drinks.

Five great flavors means you won’t only get the energy you need from DrinkX – you’ll actually enjoy drinking it.

The first message focuses on the fact that DrinkX doesn’t contain caffeine or sugar. The second message is all about taste (literally). Either message may work, as long as it correctly addresses a problem that the target audience perceives concerning energy drinks (either, a problem with energy drinks causing jitters, or a problem with energy drinks tasting terrible).

Now, if the message you use is the wrong one, you may end up wasting a lot of cash. But, if you can’t decide between the messages, you’ll have the same problem: spending a lot of money going back and forth, trying to target different audiences.

Applying the Message:

Where do you go from there? Well, there are a couple of options. For small campaigns, keep things simple: try two targeted landing pages on your website. Draw traffic with pay-per-click ads and measure the results. Which one does better? That’s the correct message; stick with it.

If you’re launching a massive marketing campaign with print, radio, web, and TV ads, you have a few options. You can run complete campaigns in different regions and see which one does better (lots of cash required for this option). A more affordable route is to do some basic surveys on your own – via email or phone – to find out what your target audience really cares about.

In Review:

There’s a process to it all, a method to the copywriting madness. And it goes like this:
1. Identify your target audience
2. Identify your message
3. THEN start writing …

 

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