Are We Approaching an Identity Crisis?

Summer got in the way of posting over the past few weeks, but an interesting observation prompted my return.  And, it’s not marketing/PR related. (Well, may be just a little.)

While at the post office in Old City Philadelphia this afternoon to purchase stamps, the postal worker asked me if I had personally hand-written the birthday card I was about to mail.

I answered in the affirmative.

She said, “ Can I ask you a personal question? Did you go to Catholic school?”

I again answered ‘yes.’

The woman effused about my handwriting. She said her sister and mother had attended Catholic school and she recognized the trademark cursive. Then she said, “Shame, it’s a dying art.” We lamented about the fact that some schools no longer teach cursive. It’s true. A friend and I recently spoke about the fact that his son had reached high school (at a reputable Philadelphia school) without ever being taught cursive.

As our brief conversation came to a close, she tongue-in-cheek-ingly joked about the upcoming, print-only generation not being able to sign a check or other legal document.

With technology, these kids many not have to sign a check per se, but won’t they have to sign something? I can certainly see shorthand going by the wayside as computers replace the way we used to do most everything. But, our signatures now?

Walt Disney had a unique style of printing. For most, however, it’s our scripted signature that creates our personal trademark. I mean, who would want to buy insurance from plain, old John Hancock? Not nearly as stately, unique or convincing. Furthermore, with a "signature" like the this, the insurance company would surely have a different logo (I knew I’d tie this back to marketing one way or another.)

In any case, graphologists (those who study handwriting) say cursive gives them a better read on a person than printing, according to a recent article by Amanda Armstrong for “Real Simple”.

As a matter of fact, “Handwriting is about the brain, not the hand. Nerve impulses travel down the arm, into the hand, directing the fingers to maneuver the pen. When the ink hits the paper, it actually reveals the complex inner workings inside the writer’s body mind and spirit. A deeply trained graphologist can spot imbalances in handwriting that reveal imbalances in the body mind and spirit,” reports DrOz.com.

The analysts on Brainwriting.com contend that a person’s signature is the outermost symbol representing how they want to be viewed by the world.

“I use handwriting as a tool for coaching, team building, testifying in court, hiring, entertainment (trade shows, events and parties) and romantic compatibility,” handwriting analyst, Sylvia Friedman says.

Speaking of graphologists . . . does this transition from old school to new mean they will be out of jobs in 10+/- years? What about the books and classes dedicated to this ancient study, which some say began with Aristotle?

I’m for progress as much as the next gal. But please folks: teach your kids cursive. It is the one, unique component of our identities we can own as every cyber criminal tries to steal the rest.

Thanks for tuning in.

-Natalie

(Hold-off on analyzing me; this not my real signature :)

Resources:

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/handwriting-101-00000000015886/index.html

http://brainwriting.com/Common_Questions.html

http://sylviafriedman.com/blog/2012/01

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-your-handwriting-says-about-your-health

What are your thoughts?

Today’s post seeks to find an answer. For all of you PR professionals out there, I have a question:

Can you define the line between news-worthiness and marketing pitch in a press release announcing a new company?

Let’s discuss . . .

Positive Spin on a Curveball

What got me thinking about today’s topic is, well, everything. It’s official: we are now inundated with too much information.

A coworker and I were chatting and he mentioned how refreshing it was to receive a direct mail piece from a Comcast . . .  in his physical, not virtual, mailbox. It caught his attention. Just like it was meant to do in the old days. That’s because it stood out. There’s enough documentation out there underscoring the plethora of information we receive minute-by-minute via our electronic devices, so this blog post won’t waste time making that case.

However, what it will do is raise a question -- should we marketers surprise the “C”s (clients, constituents, customers, consumers) every now and again with a curveball like direct mail, for example?

In baseball, a curveball is aimed at decreasing the chance a batter will actually hit the ball because of its illusive direction. From a marketing perspective, a surprise pitch has potential to result in a direct hit by grabbing attention amidst a bombardment of other ads and information being showered upon us.

Done correctly (you know the drill -- grabbing headline, valuable offer, call-to-action, expiration date), old direct mail can be a nice 7th inning stretch for the eyes. And, now that internet marketing has nearly eliminated our print budgets, we can afford to do it quarterly or so.

I can just hear the pre-Internet marketing folks saying: But what about frequency over reach, and all that consistency stuff? My answer: Don’t forget the dos and don’ts; but remember that every pitcher mixes it up for the element of surprise.

Keep in mind, however, like one pitching coach and baseball blogger puts it: “A true curveball is a beautiful majestic sight -- an aesthetic event that stuns a hitter and inspires awe. But the truth of the matter is -- good curves are common, great are few and rare.”

That’s my two cents for today. Thanks for tuning in.

-Natalie

Resource:

Quote by Dr. John Bagonzi, The Pitching Professor at  http://pitchingprofessor.com/article_breaking_ball.html