Category Archives: direct marketing

What box am I thinking outside of?

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You know how you click on a YouTube video and you’re forced to watch 6 seconds of an ad before you have the opportunity to SKIP it?

Did you ever think of that as a creative opportunity? I certainly didn’t!

But recently the creative team I work with was presenting ideas to me for an upcoming campaign which included YouTube ads as part of the tactics, and they had an idea for a cut of video where the SKIP button at 6 seconds actually has a relevance in the storytelling.

HOW COOL IS THAT?!

This moment reinforced to me that in order to think outside of the box, there has to be a box! Things like Skip buttons or character limits or postal service standards shouldn’t be seen as obstacles or barriers to creativity, but instead opportunities to surprise & delight.

So what’s in your way today? And how can you see it as a chance to try something new?

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Written by Maeve Strathy


Maeve is the Founder of What Gives and has been working in fundraising for twelve years.
Click here to learn more about Maeve.

Connect with Maeve via:
Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

The little things

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Do you love what you do?

I hope you do. I know that no workplace is perfect, nor is every day a great day, but I feel privileged to do what I do, and I really love doing it.

Sometimes it’s big things – like a successful fundraising campaign, a really innovative project, or a very happy client.

But then there are a lot of little things that I think add up. Today I was looking at a classic direct mail piece; every paragraph was short and direct and indented.

Indentation is beautiful. Does it look sleek and corporate? No. But it makes it look like a personal letter, it enhances reading flow, makes it more scannable… the list goes on and on.

But this post isn’t about indentation, or even direct mail. It’s about loving what you do – not through massive successes, but little wins and small delights.

I love the days when something like indentation catches me off guard, or when I learn something new, or when I have a great interaction with a client or colleague.

What we do isn’t for the faint of heart, as my colleague Kimberley would say, but I think a lot of us have a lot of fun doing it!

~~

Written by Maeve Strathy


Maeve is the Founder of What Gives and has been working in fundraising for twelve years.
Click here to learn more about Maeve.

Connect with Maeve via:
Twitter | LinkedIn | Email