I have a collection of ad agency brochures dating back to the mid-70's. Yeah, I know, it sounds like I'm a pack rat. But only when it comes to advertising and baseball cards. One of my favorite brochures is an odd-shaped piece produced by Carmichael/Lynch in Minneapolis, the ad agency most famous for producing award-winning Harley-Davidson campaigns -- ads that also happens to sell big, noisy bikes like crazy.Inside was a great ad-making credo, that also applies to other forms of writing -- and maybe to life in general. It goes as follows:
"Tell the world a story. Make it simple, honest, relevant, heartwarming. But don't forget to add an interesting twist. That's what gets them leaning forward, thinking, smiling, believing."
From that thought came a little reminder taped to my office wall that simply says: Do the twist. (Wasn't it Chubby Checker that sang a song about that in the mid-60's? And didn't the Beatles sing, "twist and shout?")
Ever since, that mantra has been my simple guideline when it comes to writing ads, teaching or speaking. So, even though I prefer to waltz with my wife, let's do the twist.
