Devoted to branding and building and protecting brands

I’m re-reading David Ogilvie’s book, Confessions of an Advertising Man, for the 11th or 19th time, and I am astonished and dismayed that so many of his tried-and-true precepts, first put forth almost a half-century ago (1963), are still ignored today.  One of his basic commandments, about the central requirement of promising a benefit (whiter wash, fresher breath, better gas mileage, etc.) is absolutely lost on so many otherwise bright and capable marketing folks today.  Even in the post-dot.com era when we’re all supposed to be so savvy and sophisticated.  Yeah, right. Why the hell is that?  Don’t believe me?  Pick any corporate web site at random, or any five or ten of them, and see how many genuine benefits jump out at you.  See if you can discern any at all.  Now see if anything like a real, live value proposition is identifiable.  Give up?  So, I tip my Turner-DeVaughn cap to the people at A-R Edelman PR in San Mateo, California, part of the Edelman empire.  They run a workshop, for new employees, refreshingly devoted to crafting language for press releases that describes an actual value proposition.  All their press releases announcing new products must contain such language.  Indeed, all press releases should contain a value proposition, as should every commercial web site and every marketing initiative.  Does yours?