I assert that we’re in a rebranding bubble. Here’s some proof. And we all know that bubbles eventually burst.

To add another metaphor to the mix, for the past 3 years the re-branding wave has been gathering momentum and moving in. I say it’s about to crest. Almost all of my work right now is for clients re-branding their companies. Most are 10+ years old. No complaints from me, but I gotta wonder, what’s next? Isn’t there a more even-keeled, dare I say it, “sustainable” way to fund marcomm? Or is this just the way it is: pump a bunch of money in while the consumers are spending, hunker down when the economy tanks?

What if marcomm expenses are viewed like R&D? Durable companies steadily feed their R&D groups, regardless of market ups and downs. Why not do this with marcomm expenditures? Interestingly, this would require design, ad and PR firms to adjust how they price their services, which I believe is often out of whack. Would the value, and relative perception, of creative services go up if clients spend more responsibly, streaming projects and money consistently to creative firms?

I suppose I just long for this scenario because coming down from the peak is hell on my knees.

It’s easy to forget that we’re writing for real people who could use a little sympathy as they hurtle through life.

Visual Thesaurus has 5 pointers on how to be more kind to your readers.

This is also a good reminder about how to improve client relationships. Be likable. Be competent. Hopefully both at the same time.

Last week I got caught up in a small battle over using contractions in web copy. I solicited an opinion from Word Wise, and his response is better, and more diplomatic, than what I would’ve said. Is your copy constipated?

Similes. Metaphors. Analogies. Writing is making connections between dissimilar things.

Lawrence Cheek’s article on Seattle architecture and the “human scale” reminds me of good copywriting. The approach is everything. If you don’t grab the reader immediately with an emotional connection, they’re gone.

Cheek’s comparison of the entryways to the University of Washington’s Suzzallo Library versus the Rem Koolhaas designed Central Library is wonderful. I love the idea of the grand procession upward (Suzzallo) and the size of the risers, which encourage a physiological slow down. It makes one feel an emotional connection to the space they’re about to enter; it makes the person feel important.

Copy today has to do this, usually in just a few words.