Here’s an example - the new ads running in Canada for the 2009 Routan, Volkswagen’s attempt to reenter the minivan market. Perhaps hoping to play on the nostalgia that helped reintroduce the Beetle about a decade ago, the new ad has a bunch of decaying hippies reminiscing wistfully about the company’s famous microbus and, no doubt, their lost youth and ideals. After all, they’ve sold out to the man to do a Volkswagen commercial.

But before they can reach for the patchouli and Melanie albums for some solace, the new Routan appears. You can almost see the thought balloons saying, ‘Look what they’ve done to our microbus!’ They don’t look excited or offended. In fact, they don’t look like they know what day it is.

Let’s put aside the wisdom of introducing a minivan in these current economic conditions, and the growing awareness of how such vehicles impact the environment, to make sense of this misbegotten campaign. If the Routan is supposed to be geared to Boomers as an opportunity to regain their youth, why fill the ad with a bunch of dirty, decrepit, clueless hippies? Is that how they see Boomers? If so, it’s a gross misunderstanding of how the target audience views itself. But if the Routan is being sold to young families, tell me how these consumers could possibly have a positive image of the van if all they can think of is a bunch of unkempt and bewildered hippies?

It’s a pretty embarrassing spot and Volkswagen Canada must realize it because I couldn’t find it on the company’s website. Even a search of YouTube didn’t turn it up in the first few pages of results. In short, this commercial is, as hippies used to say, a real drag.

Do you think the Routan ad is a gas, or a bummer? Let me know at mark@wordsworthinc.com.

The first question is easier to answer than the second. There are many different factors that will determine the fee that I, or any writer, will quote or charge. The more information you can give me about your requirements, the easier it is for me to estimate the cost of doing the job for you. That information isn’t always offered to me.

Recently, I received an invitation to quote on a website project. I knew the client, how many pages were involved and the desired completion date. What I didn’t know was how many pages existed now and required only a rewrite, how many I’d have to create and whether I’d have to do research or interviews to create the new content. When the client requested a breakdown of costs, I had to do it based on anticipated hours, not pages or project stages.

In light of this experience, I thought I’d offer you some advice on the kind of information you should provide a marketing communications writer when you are looking for a project estimate. Ask yourself:

•  What is the project you need written? Is it a press release, a backgrounder, a website?
•  Will the writer create all-new material from scratch or will the writer be revising existing content? If it is a combination of new content and rewrites, what percentage will be new content?
• How will the writer get the information he or she needs to write the content – doing research on the topic, interviewing experts at your organization or using materials you provide?
• What is the timeline for completing the project, and what will be the dates for first and revised content from the writer?
• Will the work and the timeline require the writer to devote his or her time exclusively to you over the course of the project?
• Is the writer expected to only write the content, or will the writer also serve as editor and proofreader of the content once it is completed? And will you require the writer to format the material or consult with you on the design?
• How many revisions will you expect the writer to provide for the content, and will those revisions be minor for style or wording or extensive rewrites?
• Are there any expenses that the writer will face in creating your content?

It's not an isolated incident. I've noticed with growing frequency that communications representatives have not been very responsive to external inquiries, and rather lax in keeping audiences updated on the projects or dialogues that they initiate. For example, I've had to follow up on a standing offer or two to see if I made the list. And I can't count the number of requests for rates and availability for projects that I was told were urgent and looming that ended with several unanswered follow ups from me to find out if the project was going ahead as discussed. And I'm guessing I'm not alone in experiencing this phenomenon.

I know that people are more time-pressed than ever, and there are more channels of communication, and thus inquiries, than ever before. But here's the thing: every inquiry you do not answer, every situation where you promise to be in touch but don't follow up has the potential to damage your brand. It could be customers or job candidates, who will share negative impressions with friends and colleagues. The result could be reduced sales or increased difficulty in recruiting talent. Or, it could be the media, which may present you in an unflattering light that compromises your credibility with the public.

Taking time to respond to all inquiries, or to follow up on all communications you start, is time consuming. But the time and effort is surely less than that required to dispel a negative image created through lack of communication. So return that call, respond to that email, or send along that project update or decision and you'll prevent negative impressions and images or your organization from spreading.

Agree or disagree? Let me know at mark@wordsworthinc.com.

My curiosity aroused, I stopped reading and started counting the number of words in that opening sentence. I stopped counting when I reached 100. Instead of picking it back up and reading what the writer had to say, I put it aside and moved on to other articles.

I’m sure that writer had a vital and well-supported point to make on that topic. Yet, in writing that article, he created an opening sentence so dense and so long, he lost me. I suspect other readers had the same reaction; the article was not reader friendly.

The article demonstrates the importance of being direct and brief, no matter what you’re writing. People today are bombarded by or have access to more information than ever before, and less time to take it all in. If you don’t make your point quickly and compellingly, you might as well be talking to yourself.

So the next time you’re writing something, put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Or better yet, hand it over to someone unfamiliar with what you do. Ask the reader if he or she finds your content engaging and to the point, or a struggle to get through. If the latter, pare down your sentences – keep them under 30 words – and your paragraphs, and remove any unnecessary or long diversions into explanation and background. By delivering your message in clear bite-size chunks, you increase the chances that it will connect with your audience.

Have you seen long-winded writing that lost you? Let me know at mark@wordsworthinc.com.

The topic this time is the Canadian federal election and what kind of campaigns we can expect to see. You can read my thoughts here.

I am expecting to contribute ongoing comments to a related blog on this topic to the newspaper's website and will provide more details when I have them.

In the meantime, please send along any links or items related to the campaign that you find interesting at mark@wordsworthinc.com.

Planning is the key to a successful and memorable trip, but it’s also a good approach to follow when you write any marketing or communications project. Think about it: before you can write anything, you need to determine what you want to say and your audience, which is your starting point. Once you know your message or theme, you can think about the course you will follow to expand on and express it, to back it up with irrefutable facts and how to make it compelling and relevant. Moreover, you can plot out your ultimate destination – the summarizing point you want to make that ties everything together, and the action you want your audience to take.

When you plan out what you want to write, you’ll find that the creative process goes smoothly and takes less time than making it up as you go along. Your thoughts will flow logically and seamlessly, reducing the risk that your audience will feel confused, lost or abandon your message before reaching the end. Which means they will have a more favourable impression of you, your product or service, increasing the potential that they will do business with you. So before you write a single sentence, take time to plot out your path. It will help keep your message on track.

Thoughts or comments on this tip? email me at mark@wordsworthinc.com.

In the meantime, I am once again featured in the Chronicle-Herald's Marketing Monitor, this month providing my thoughts on how baby boomers are influencing the industry. Here's my take on it.

More news and views to follow soon.

This month, we're talking about advertising and social media - should people expect tools such as Facebook to be ad-free, or can they be effective components of marketing campaigns?

You can read my thoughts on this topic here.

1. Is your email really necessary? – Remember, people receive a lot of email in a given day, so be sure you have something to say that is worth their while.
2. Think about what you want to say – Give your message some thought to ensure it is clear, to the point and, most important, well written.
3. Is email the best medium? – Body language and tone of voice are important factors in how your message is interpreted. Without these cues, your message, such as feedback on a project, may be interpreted more negatively than you intended.
4. Avoid jargon – Maybe industry language will be easily understood in your company, but not by a general audience, such as a client or the media. Before you hit send, type in the words, ‘Hi mom,’ at the start of your message, then read it. If it reads simply enough that your mom could understand it, it’s likely your audience will, too.
5. Avoid ‘emoticons’ – smilies and those other little graphics or icons that people often use to convey how they feel will make your message look unprofessional.
6. No shouting – typing your message in upper case will give it the appearance that you are yelling at your audience. So use upper case just as you would when writing any other message.
7. Proof your email – Grammar and spelling errors will not reflect well on you or your organization, and may result in your message being ignored. Also, don’t rely solely on a spell-checking program, which won’t tell you if you’ve used commonly confused words like ‘premiere’ and ‘premier’ incorrectly.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is the potential for your email to be forwarded or circulated beyond your intended audience. So avoid any words, descriptions, stories, beliefs (political or religious), or jokes that others may find offensive. Otherwise, you run the risk of causing significant damage to your organization’s reputation or profile not just with your audience, but with potential clients or partners in your market, and around the world. I’ll share some more thoughts on email communications over the weeks to come.

It's not the first time I've encountered this phenomenon. People frequently confuse 'premiere' - which means a public debut, such as a movie - with 'premier' - the first in ranking. But it does serve as a cautionary tale that, when you write your own copy, don't just trust your spell checker to point out any mistakes in your content.

Take time to review it and ask yourself if every word you've chosen is the right word given the context. That way, when your marketing campaign premieres, you will be seen as the premier product or service in your industry.