Writing and speaking are tools for communicating a message. That’s it. Yet so many things – jargon, legalese, academic-speak, overly formal or informal language, too many words, poor grammar and punctuation – get in the way of good communication.

Clear Ink helps financial services, legal, media, health and technology firms, multinationals, government bodies and semi-states sell their products and services to customers using clear English. Our services include:

• Marketing writing  — brochures, letters, reports, newsletters, websites and more
• Editorial content — articles, blogs and clear English guides on any subject
• Editing and  proofreading — all documents: we make your hard work shine
• Writing skills training courses — Business writing in clear English, Think like a journalist  (advanced), Social media marketing on a shoestring (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, GoogleAds and blogs) and more.

To get you started on your clear English journey, here are our top writing tips:

PLAN (figure out who you are, who you’re talking to, what you want to say)
1. Think of the audience. Before you write, put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Who are they? What are they interested in? What do they want/ need from you? If you don’t write for the reader by giving them something they need then you’ve lost them… and all your hard work has been wasted.

2. Specify your purpose. Why are you writing? Be as specific as possible. A detailed objective will help you choose your marketing strategy and writing style.

3. Choose a tone of voice. Formal, academic-style business writing is old-fashioned. Think about how you talk to your customers in person. Replicate this conversational style in your writing. It’s a balancing act but try to keep it professional yet friendly.

WRITE (deliver the message)
4. Treat customers with respect. There’s nothing worse than getting a letter or brochure that’s confusing, talks down to you or scolds you. Always use language that is appropriate to both the reader and the subject matter.

5. Get rid of jargon. Although the words and phrases of your profession and firm are familiar to you, it’s unlikely that most readers know your industry’s jargon. Language should not be a secret society handshake or a code to decipher. Writing is about communicating a message, not trying to impress readers with big words.

6. Look for the story. As humans, we relate to stories. That’s how we all learn and absorb information. Marketing writing is storytelling. Take the reader from the beginning to the end. Don’t jump all over the place. Imagine them asking you “So, tell me about yourself. What do you do? What can your company do for me?”

7. Have a sense of humour. Don’t you like to laugh? Well, so do your readers. Serious is boring. Zzzzzzzz. Sometimes a little unexpected, but appropriate, humour leaves a great impression. It shows you are a confident and relaxed professional – with the human touch.

EDIT (be the reader)
8. Cut, cut, cut. Most of us tend to overwrite. We use 20 words when five will do. Only use what you need to relay your message. If you’re having trouble removing information just put yourself in the reader’s shoes – what do they absolutely need to know?

9. Review your audience and purpose. When you edit, you are looking through a reader’s eyes. Does your document answer the reader’s universal question “What’s in it for me?” How do the words make them feel about you and your business? Will they feel called to action by your words – will they pick up the phone, email or buy your product?

10. Think visually. Marketing documents are not just words on a page. They should be a roadmap of easily accessible information. Do you have strong subheadings, topic sentences and “signposts” for the reader? Is it as visually appealing as it could be? There’s nothing worse than block after block of text to put readers off. Add engaging photographs, tables, charts, graphs where possible. Beautifully written and structured documents are a gift to your potential customers and existing clients so make them sparkle.

Need a hand pulling your marketing plan together? Call Mags on 087 2070495 or email Margaret@clearink.ie (By the way, this is our call to action so please DO it now.)

Well, if President Obama’s opinions are anything to go by it’s not much.  Today he told an audience in downtown New York, where Lehman was  headquartered, that:

“Unfortunately, there are some in the financial industry who are misreading this moment. Instead of learning the lessons of Lehman and the crisis from which we are still recovering, they are choosing to ignore them,” he was quoted as saying in the Irish Times. “So I want them to hear my words: We will not go back to the days of reckless behaviour and unchecked excess at the heart of this crisis.”

Ah yes, reckless behaviour and unchecked excess. That would mean three things: the outrageous bonus structure, insufficient risk controls and lack of regulation.

Bonus bingo
Let’s start with the bonus structure. Even when I was there (working in marketing so not eligible for big money) it was normal for traders and sales people to have a relatively low base salary and a POTENTIAL bonus that was many, many multiples of that number.

For example, someone who made a 75k base salary knew that if they hit certain targets they could make up to 250k. Each year, the potential for larger bonuses multiplied. Year two it could be 350k or 500k or any “monopoly money” amount.

This was very, very seductive. As incomes rose, most people increased their spending so all those Wall Streeters have an addictive  lifestyle habit to support – private schools and ski holidays for the kids; big suburban houses, flash cars and servants for the spouse; exclusive golf club memberships, holiday homes and designer clothing, cigars and single malt Scotch for them. (Lots of my friends in New York live this lifestyle so I ain’t making it up!)

The point is that it became both very difficult for people to leave the industry - would you leave 500k sitting around for someone else to take? – and almost impossible to keep reaching the new targets. Plus, most of their friends worked at the same thing so the lifestyle – and the conflicts – seemed normal.

Playing risk roulette
When a shopkeeper runs out of things to sell, he needs to get some more. On Wall Street, they simply start to make new stuff up and call them derivatives. These financial instruments are bits of this and bits of that combined to create something new like: asset-backed securtites (See Sub-prime time or Abbatior of Debt story on this blog).

To feed the increasingly voracious market for derivatives, financial product designers went wild and created things that not even a nuclear physicist could decipher. It’s a bit like those mad outfits you see on the catwalk during London Fashion Week…entertaining and outlandish but with no tangible value in the real world.

Because these things were so darned complicated no one was able to assess their REAL risk.

Ropey regulation
Finally we come to the policemen, the gatekeepers, the regulators. They were duped but they were also incredibly lazy. If they did not understand how something was valued it was their JOB to keep asking questions. They failed us in so many ways. (See post on this blog: Toxic tips from D’Oh School of Economics)

So, if we have learned something from the collapse of Lehman Brothers we should see changes to the financial sector such as:
1. Total product transparency with clear description of risks
2. Abolition of bonus structures that reward unrealistic risk taking
3. Proper regulation of financial markets
4. Regulators who have the ability to understand – or demand explanations for – the products they are regulating

Don’t hold your breath!

 “Mouse, I can’t take it anymore,” she said in a ragged whisper. “Please kill me. PLEASE.”

 “You’re crazy. What are you talking about mum? It must be the morphine making you talk like that,” she said.

 It was a terrible situation for anyone to be in. A nightmare of the worst imagining. That teenage girl was me.

Versions of this story are more common than you might think. The only variables are age, illness and relationship. Many of our friends and neighbours are caring for terminally ill – pain ridden –  husbands, wives, parents and children with little support from the state or others. For some, the agony is too much to bear.

Choosing to die
In July 2009, the British conductor Sir Edward Downes and his wife Joan ended their lives at a Swiss assisted suicide clinic in July. Lady Downes, 74, had terminal cancer and the 85-year-old conductor was nearly blind and increasingly deaf. He had been forced to give up conducting and relied heavily on his wife’s assistance but he was not in any pain.

Announcing their death, the family released a statement that read, “After 54 happy years together, they decided to end their own lives rather than continue to struggle with serious health problems. They died peacefully, and under circumstances of their own choosing, with the help of the Swiss organisation, Dignitas, in Zurich.”

Although the case conjures images of Romeo and Juliet it raises many issues not just because it was assisted suicide – which is illegal and many feel is morally wrong – but because Sir Downes was not terminally ill. Did both of them have the right to choose death? Should it only have been an option for her because of her terminal illness?

 Suicide support groups say people generally think about ending their life because they see no way out. It is important to show those who feel suicidal that they have choices. Surely, Sir Downes had the option of a live-in carer or others way to get through his remaining years without his wife?

 These difficult questions need public debate. If, for example, you legally take away a person’s right to die then, as a society, shouldn’t you take responsibility for the dignity of their natural death?

Dignity in dying
How do we wish to die? In 2004, the first Irish survey on death and dying found that 67 per cent of those interviewed wanted to die at home, pain-free, conscious and surrounded by their loved ones. Of the 30,000 people who pass away in Ireland annually only one-third get their wish. The rest – 20,000 – die in hospitals.

Would you like to pass away alone on a trolley in A&E while a drunk vomits nearby? This is an extreme example but many dying people occupy hospital beds on busy wards and do not receive the care and respect they deserve in their final moments.

Do we have a right to choose dignity in our dying? The hospice movement, and society, seem to believe that we do but our government’s policies do little to respect that notion. 

 Hospice care, a health service focusing on dignity in dying, is generally only available to those who have cancer and it is largely funded by voluntary contributions, not government funding. Why?

 End of life care
According to an article in the Irish Times “the average Irish person’s lifetime expenditure on health services is about €300,000 and almost 25 per cent of that sum, €70,000, is spent in the last year of life. More than 40 per cent of that is spent in the final month. Spending on patients in that last year is estimated at 10-15 per cent of a country’s total health budget. In Ireland this would amount to €1.6-€2.4 billion of the total health budget of €16 billion. And yet the current budget for hospice care is only €75 million, less than 5 per cent of the entire budget.”

End of life care (palliative care) depends on your diagnosis and where you live, according to Eugene Murray, chief executive of the Irish Hospice Foundation. The group is working to change this situation by offering palliative care to patients with conditions other than cancer and to expand their network but, of course, this will take time and funding.

Back to reality
The reality is that there are thousands of people in Ireland who do not experience a dignified death because the resources, and will, are not there to provide it. Thousands more families are struggling to care for and support dying relatives and friends. They lack proper supports from government, the community and society. Under that kind of mental, physical and emotional strain it’s likely that – in their rare quiet moments – they ask themselves if anyone cares about their loved one’s dignity in dying and what lies ahead for them at the end of their days?

Useful links
Living with dying and dignity, Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2008/1213/1229035646035.html

Dying for guidance, the Guardian
http://www.cardi.ie/node/2390

Suicide prevention groups
Samaritans jo@samaritans.org, www.samaritans.org, 1850 609090 (Republic of Ireland) or 08457 909090 (UK including Northern Ireland)

Aware Defeat Depression, www.aware.ie, info@aware.ie, 01 6617211
1890 303 302

Your local doctor, listed under ‘General Practitioners’ in the Golden Pages or visit www.icgp.ie. Go to, or contact, the Accident and Emergency Department of your nearest general hospital.

International care perspectives
UK green paper on funding care for older people, Guardian article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jul/14/green-paper-care-system-elderly

Holland’s care budget offered to older people instead of a place in a care home. Nearly 100,000 people have taken this option. Daily Mail report: http://www.seniorsworldchronicle.com/2009/07/uk-care-for-elderly-should-allow-us-all.html

 Today, family-sized and snack-size packaging and health benefit claims are the cornerstones of international food marketing. Harmless, right? Well, maybe not.  A growing body of international research says that food marketing to kids may actually contribute to obesity and illness.

Expanding waistlines
It used to be fun to laugh at the tubby Americans and their kids who visited these shore on their vacations but now our waistlines – and packaging sizes – are catching up with theirs.

Why? In the last 30 years we’ve morphed from a nation raised on the limited food we (or our neighbours) grew ourselves  – vegetables, milk, eggs, meats – to convenience food reliant, supermarket-loving consumers.

Sugary treats are now a birthright for many children and their size is growing. Recently, new “family-sized” bigger packs of M&Ms, Revels and Malteasers were launched here.

It’s no surprise that one out of every five Irish kids is overweight or obese. If those 20% of kids maintain their current eating and low activity patterns they’re possibly heading for a fat adulthood, a good chance at type two diabetes and lifelong behavioural problems.

Big business
Food marketing to children and youth is big business. International spending estimates range from $1.2 to $2 billion a year. In 2007, Kellogg’s spent a staggering $32.8 million on marketing Cheezits, a mini cheese cracker, according to the author of Food Politics, Professor of Nutrition and Food Policy at New York University, Marion Nestle.

In Ireland, around €130 million is spent on food and drink advertising. The vast majority of these products – 88 percent – are high in fat, sugar, salt, or all of the above. Obviously, food producers are not spending their cash on marketing fruit and vegetables but that may be changing as more ethical marketing practices are being forced upon them.

Health claims
Consumers are confused by nutritional labelling but strongly influenced by health claims. In 2004, sales of probiotic yoghurts and drinks alone were worth about €46 million in the Republic. Figures have risen steadily since then.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has doubts about some foods claims and is now clamping down on unproven health benefit claims by marketers. The body is targeting nutritionals, or “better for you products” whose supposed benefits are determined by the company itself and not independent researchers. For example, Sugar Puffs are promoted as a source of fibre, vitamins and iron but contain 35% sugar.

The EFSA recently studied almost 50 of the most common nutritionals – from cranberry juice and black tea to fish oil supplements and probiotic drinks – and rejected most of the claimed health benefits. For example, fish oil supplements were not found to improve brain growth and probiotic yogurt drinks did not help gut health.

Parents want to do right by their kids and many look for health claims on packaging – rather than the nutritional labels – before placing it in the trolley.  Even the most health conscious parent may be disappointed to find what’s really in their child’s lunchbox. SafeFood Ireland research found that smoothies are worth only one fruit a day, not the two claimed by the company.  Cheese Strings, clearly marketed at kids, have 24g of fat per 100g and far more salt than recommended for children. Bord Bia’s nutrition literature does not recommend the sweetened fruit drinks popular with kids but milk or water.

Ethical marketing
Do we have a responsibility to children when we market to them? Currently, food marketing to children relies on three basic rules – get them young, rely on pester power and differentiate kids’ food from adult food says Professor Marion Nestle. 

The Institute of Medicine (IOM), in the US, says children are targeted too young and they believe its “worth considering restrictions or bans on the use of cartoon characters, celebrity endorsements, health claims on food packages, stealth marketing, and marketing in schools, along with federal actions that promote media literacy, better school meals, and consumption of fruits and vegetables.”

 That message seems unlikely to filter through here any time soon. Over one-fifth of the population in Ireland is under 14 and their buying power is significant.  According to Shelflife, the retail industry website: “A 2008 report by Mintel states that the increasing influence these children and teenagers have over home mealtimes makes them a demographic worth pursuing. At the same time, due to the alarming increase in obesity among young people in recent years, pressures from the government and other groups has made many food and snack manufacturers wary of how they market their products. In spite of this, new products aimed at teens and kids abound in the snack and food aisles, and all evidence shows that this will continue to be the case.”

 Margaret E. Ward is a journalist and managing director, Clear Ink.

Oct 6, 2001
By Margaret E Ward

Sculptor Michael Richards spent his last evening on top of the world. After watching Monday night football in his studio on the 92nd floor of One World Trade Center with fellow artist Jeff Konigsberg, he knuckled down to the work at hand.

Richards’ two new sculptures, which revisited his favourite themes of flight and injustice, were nearing completion and he was determined to continue through the night.

The 38-year-old artist had previously cast life-size African-American figures from his own face and body, sometimes with aeroplanes jutting out from their abdomens. Now they took form as World War II pilots falling from the sky, tumbling into debris or riding flame-tailed meteors. As Richards worked, an autumn storm illuminated the distant Statue of Liberty and streaked the large studio windows with rain.

The next morning, Richards vanished along with his installations and thousands of other human beings. He was one of dozens of well-known modern artists whose masterpieces were destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attack, but the only one to forfeit his life.

Somewhere among the rubble and lost lives lay works by Auguste Rodin, Joan Miro, Roy Lichtenstein, Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson, their combined value in the region of US$100 million. They were part of New York City’s proud public and private art heritage. The twin towers served as a huge art gallery as its walls and plazas were lined with works commissioned or purchased by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

When the buildings were under construction in the 1960s, the organisation set aside 1 per cent of the cost for public art and later produced photographs of the collection in the book, Art for the Public.

Many visitors and locals enjoyed, or were puzzled by, some of these modern pieces. Anyone traipsing across the expanse outside to buy half-price theatre tickets at TKTS in the lobby or to catch a subway saw installations such as Red Stabile, a 25-foot work by Alexander Calder at Seven World Trade Center or Fritz Koenig’s outdoor revolving globe.

Inside, on the mezzanine of Two WTC, Joan Miro’s 1974 World Trade Center Tapestry was on display. Elsewhere, paintings by David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein and sculptures by Masayuki Nagare and James Rosati intrigued and tantalised viewers. All are gone.

Many Wall Street companies and law firms located in the twin towers and nearby adorned their spaces with original and rare pieces of art. The best known was the ‘museum in the sky’ in the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, the firm on the top floor which lost almost 700 of its 1,000 employees.

The company’s founder, B Gerald Cantor, was famously “touched” by the Hand of God, a marble sculpture by Rodin, during a 1945 visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. A year and a half later he owned a bronze version, and went on to add almost 750 more sculptures, drawings and memorabilia to the Iris and B Gerald Cantor Collection. This was the largest and most comprehensive private collection of works by Auguste Rodin in the world. Most were given away to museums, but more than 350 that were in the WTC are missing.

AXA Nordstern Art Insurance, the world’s largest art insurer, has said losses will top $100 million. AXA, which insured the Rodin sculptures, has set aside $20 million for its share of the claims. One art expert has placed the value of Red Stabile alone at $25 million.

Some pieces have managed to survive. Roy Lichtenstein’s Modern Head, a 30-foot sculpture is covered in dust and debris but largely intact. An art restorer has said she saw one of Nevelson’s works as well as a piece by Dubuffet in the rubble. Louise Nevelson was one of America’s most renowned Jewish female sculptors, but it is not clear if the piece is Sky Gate, an interpretation of the Manhattan skyline at night made with painted wood chair slats and barrel staves. It was her largest work in wood.

One hugely popular outdoor sculpture has been visible in newspaper photographs and TV reports. Double Check, a bronze sculpture of a middle-aged businessman peering inside his briefcase by J Seward Johnson Jr, was a favourite repository for notes and sandwiches before the disaster.

Now the Merrill Lynch-commissioned figure looks like an old man, his hair and suit powdered an ash grey. Flowers sit in his lap and candles at his feet — an unofficial memorial to the dead office workers and rescuers. A note taped to the top of the briefcase reads: “In memory of those who gave their lives to try and save so many.”

The names of individual fire-fighters, police and emergency medical service workers have been added to the single sheet of paper.

The loss of these artworks is incomparable to the suffering of the thousands who died and those who unwittingly bore witness to it. This has been acknowledged by the artists who worked alongside Michael Richards in the space provided by the World View programme, a joint project between the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) and the Port Authority of NY and NJ.

Only two of the 25 artists with studios in Tower One were there that morning. Vanessa Lawrence had gone in at 6am to paint the city below in the early light but went to the lobby to phone a friend before the first plane hit. All the World View artists, including Lawrence, have lost their work but more importantly they are missing a friend. The artists told the online publication, Artswire that such devastation puts everything in perspective. Some felt their work was frivolous. Monika Bravo was initially unable to go back to work, and wondered if she really wanted to be an artist any more.

Bravo, who uses video recordings, reviewed images of the city she recorded from her WTC space over several hours on the evening of September 10, a record of its last night standing. “These images depicted a thunderstorm in progress; the raindrops falling on the windows allude to the trillions of tears as if the buildings felt that it was imminent,” she told Artwire. But she is one of the lucky ones. Although many of the artists in residence lost all of their life’s work, Richards lost his life and the opportunity to create anew.

Days after the attack, many creative people started working again with a determined focus. Museum curators saw a shift from artists’ hopelessness to a desperate need to contribute something to society. Directors at the Whitney Museum and the New Museum of Contemporary Art fielded many calls from those who wanted to create memorials. The art community felt a new sense of purpose and acknowledged that art is the best way for them to express their feelings about the world, both good and bad.

New York City is looking for inner peace following the tragedy — and many people believe the arts are the best way to pull the nation together to heal its collective soul. The city carefully dismantled the remaining metal arches of Tower Two for possible use in a memorial.

For many, Jamaican-American Michael Richards’ work on the Tuskegee Airmen gives form to these losses and would be a fitting tribute to those who died. These airmen were a segregated unit of African-American pilots, which was awarded more than 150 Flying Crosses for valour during World War II. They suffered great injustice and discrimination at the hands of their colleagues and members of the public.

Like Richards’s two lost works, previous airmen sculptures were bronze or steel cast from his own body. Tar Baby vs St Sebastian depicts a fully uniformed airman with hands at his sides, chin titled skywards, palms helplessly turned out as small planes impale his body. His feet are several inches from the ground, as if he were levitating like a saint or martyr ascending to heaven. In the context of September 11, it looks hopelessly poignant.

A Richards sculpture at the Franconia Sculpture Park in Minnesota Are You Down? portrays three seated black men slumped over with their backs to a bull’s-eye target.

The Village Voice newspaper reported that Richards composed an artistic statement on his computer and passed it along to a friend. He said the Tuskegee Airmen fought for democracy in the sky, but faced discrimination on the ground. “They serve as symbols of failed transcendence and loss of faith escaping the pull of gravity, but always forced back to the ground, lost navigators always seeking home,” he wrote.

Experts say art can speak of tragedy and loss as effectively as it can of beauty, but it rarely predicts the future. One of the most famous horror-based works is Picasso’s Guernica which was inspired by the destruction of this town in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War.

Declan McGonagle, the Irish curator and writer says: “It’s very rare in the modern era for artists to pick up a subject and attempt to describe the horror of conflict or pain and suffering.” Violent imagery might be a curious way to offset the potential reality of what could happen in the world.

McGonagle said Francis Bacon, whose work deals with the edges of experience and reality, once commented that life always leaves art behind when it comes to horror. Artists find it very difficult to deal with the enormity of incidents such as war, the holocaust or the attack on the twin towers.

John Hock, curator of Franconia Sculpture Park in Minnesota, who met Richards when he was an artist-in-residence, says great art can predict the future and expose the truth. “I hate to think Michael’s art became this absurd reality, but the work we have, and his others, show how artists tap into the collective consciousness.”

Some political artists tend to raise the flag and show the warning signs of things to come — so perhaps he was seeing something we couldn’t, said Hock.

Originally published in The Sunday Business Post, Ireland
Sunday, September 16, 2001

Freckle-faced, red haired Shannon Koch sat in her ambulance outside the centre waiting for the call that never came. Her Princeton, New Jersey, first aid and rescue squad truck was one of about 40 emergency vehicles which had come from as far as Boston, Philadelphia and the far end of Long Island. Each was marked with white tape as “BLS” or “ALS.”

Koch and her team, who had been there since the previous day, explained that dispatchers used the letters to determine which teams could perform basic life support or advanced life support functions. Following a medical assessment, any victims brought here would be tagged: black tags marking those who were beyond saving, red for critical and yellow and green for the walking wounded. The system was ready-to-go but was being closed down due to inactivity.

“Thousands and thousands are already dead,” said Koch. She thought Ellis Island was being used as a morgue, with barges transporting the bodies across the water.

At the firemen’s assembly area around the corner, a member of the New Haven, Connecticut, fire department said: “There is nothing for us to do.”

One woman handed out pamphlets to the hundreds of walking, cycling, roller-blading New Yorkers who had migrated lemming-like to the apocalyptic site. It said: “Unite tonight 7pm. Come outside. Wherever you are tonight at 7pm, stop and step outside or pick a place to gather with others for a citywide moment of silent prayer and hope.”

The people milling about were largely silent, few exhibiting New Yorkers’ naturally loud, gregarious ways. There were no opinions, judgments or demands. Animation returned only when cheers and applause erupted as fire trucks, police cars and ambulances approached. “You saved us. You are our heroes.”

Along the police demarcation line at 14th Street, people did their best to get closer to the scene. Down here, the air was acrid and caught in the back of the throat and nostrils. No mask, water or sweets could soothe the discomfort or wash away the charred smell.

Some individuals wearing masks and stethoscopes produced medical identification cards but Brooklyn detective Paul Carpentieri, covered in dust, told them to turn back, their help was not needed now.

Carpentieri was one of the first on the scene the previous morning. He told of seeing blood staining the sidewalks and body parts, decapitations too awful to describe. When the towers collapsed soon after, the recognisably human elements were covered with dust, thick as a blanket of snow, comprising the ashes of hundreds if not thousands of New Yorkers. He was breathing them in.

At the hospital closest to the scene, St Vincent’s, relatives gathered with photographs of their loved ones. They milled between hospital officials and a cordoned-off press area.

“Have you seen my husband … daughter … colleague? I last saw them on their way to the stairs … at breakfast … on the train … at home. They were wearing …”

The same conversations were taking place over New York’s phone lines as the closely-knit financial community rallied around neighbours, school friends and golf partners. As suburban churches’ missing lists grew, tragic stories began to circulate, particularly about the guys from Cantor Fitzgerald.

“They called their wives and fathers from the roof, they couldn’t get down. It was one man’s first wedding anniversary that day.”

 Uptown, the New York Blood Centre was on high alert as the community tried to help its own. Linda Levi, director of communications at NYBC, said some people waited for up to eight hours.

“There were no complaints and that’s unusual for New Yorkers.

“People were shocked and exhibited great spirit and generosity. They felt it was something tangible they could do.”

In two days, more than 10,000 pints of blood were collected, triple the normal supply. An additional 3,000 pints arrived from other areas of the United States.

Shop windows were adorned with the Stars and Stripes, while cafe chalkboards said “Give blood, save a neighbor” or “God bless America” above the list of daily specials.

On the upper east side, a shop assistant in a small candle shop refuses to play CDs over the sound system. “Silence is the greatest respect we can offer them,” she said.

Margaret E Ward is a New Yorker

For example, if as “mayor” you allowed a builder to construct a hospital in an earthquake zone using substandard materials you’d find your city in a state of emergency at some point along the city’s timeline.

The SimCity concept spawned  a game called Capitalism. According to reviewers, Capitalism is an tough strategy game, like chess, where players must constantly think ahead. It can easily overwhelm novices. “But by adjusting several factors — the competency and managerial style of the computer-controlled rivals, for example, can be varied from very aggressive to conservative — gameplay can be suited to various styles and speed. The game even allows a player to hire presidents to manage the day-to-day operations of different divisions so the player can concentrate on the big picture.”

The interesting thing about Capitalism is that it’s based on a real world model so you have to take into account land cost, overheads, demand for the products, and competition. You can then test different scenarios to see where they can lead. It’s an excellent way to test theories and practices in a safe environment. Star Trek fans might think of  it as a holodeck on the Starship Enterprise with the safety protocols turned on.

Before we let the government launch the great Nama experiment —allowing us to take all the risk —let’s lock them in a room and force them to play out all the possible risks and outcomes of Nama on a SimNama game. Any game developers out there who want to take up the challenge?

The inbox was jammered and it was a hectic day but something immediately caught my eye. “Welcome Home, Edward”.

I’m not Edward – and never have been as far as I know – but curiosity meant I had to open the email. I was greeted by a cheerful postcard-style illustration with a white cartoon plane cruising through a blue sky dotted with puffy clouds. A big “Thank you for flying Southwest Airlines” was written underneath. I was not Edward but I felt good.

This was positive consumer marketing at its best – a simple, feel good message delivered in a personal and interesting way. Even though I’ve never flown with them, or even seen one of their planes, my association is now a positive one. Before this, I’d only thought of them in relation to Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary. Apparently, he modelled the early Ryanair on Southwest and his cowboy fashion sense is based on their big boss’ southern style.

Southwest is suffering as much as any other airline. The carrier’s share price fell off a cliff from $16.77 in September 2008 to $4.95 in May but they’ve recovered a bit to $6.25. The company continues to invest in service and innovation. BusinessWeek ranked them 17 in its Customer Service Champs rankings and 49 in the World’s Most Innovative Companies last year.

Throughout the ups and downs they’ve kept their marketing message upbeat and focused on potential customers, not losses. Their ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange, LUV, speaks volumes about their branding strategy.

Wear a red raincoat

Positive marketing has massive impact when things are gloomy. Think of a bright red raincoat on a grey, rainy day. It just cheers you up, doesn’t it?

The National Lottery was June’s red raincoat story. Their feel good tale involves an honest shop owner who not only kept a lottery ticket safe for its owner but tracked him down to tell him he’d won.

A 35-year-old unemployed DJ from Drogheda, Dermot Finglas, learned he had scooped a €350,000 Lotto prize after Centra shop worker Tom Heavey identified the man as the winner on the CCTV footage.

The media couldn’t get enough of the good news. Who could ask for better publicity than national newspaper headlines like “Local shopkeeper’s honesty was just the ticket, says lucky €350,000 Lotto winner”? The saga generated reams of copy inches in newspapers, airtime on radio and TV – and lots of goodwill for the National Lottery.

Pull out the finger

When things are tough, it’s easy for marketers and business owner to become negative. Some even blame their sombre mood on the media.

Bad news is bad for you. That’s the premise of the “No News is Good News” campaign highlighted on the Rebuilding Ireland Inc. LinkedIn Group recently.

The writer suggested that Irish businesses boycott the media with a national news free week during which they stop listening to, and reading, all forms of media. “Bad news has the potential to effect your mood. If it effects your mood, it has the potential to effect your productivity.”

Boycotting the media is the equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears, humming and saying “I can’t hear you!”

Back to America

Negative debates and naysayers simply sideline us from doing real business. The Yanks have a great expression – when you get lemons make lemonade.

The recession is an opportunity. Many successful businesses have gotten big breaks during a downturn. The players refused to listen to those who told them it was a foolish dream and ignored bankers who slammed doors in their faces.

Marketers should look at the economic situation as chance to do something positive and different. No money in the budget? Think about how your customers view your brand. Then try a new angle, call a few friends to spread the message or learn about social networking.

A study on changing children’s behaviour by Princeton University and the Brookings Institution, the Power of Positive Marketing, found that social marketing campaigns that promote positive behaviour could be a powerful agent for changes in lifestyle. “In general, these studies show that social marketing has successfully changed health behaviour such as smoking, physical activity, and condom use, as well as behavioural mediators such as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to these behaviours.”

If positive marketing messages can change a grumpy teenager’s mind then you can certainly influence buying behaviours using the same concept.  So, stay positive even if you have to wear a red raincoat while making lemonade.

Margaret E. Ward is a journalist and managing director of Clear Ink.

It’s a multi-billion euro business with properties and offices throughout the world. The company’s services are used by a huge percentage of the global population and many proudly display – and even promote – its logo. This secretive, privately held organisation has been in business for eons. It has a strong brand and a much-loved image.

Yes, the Catholic Church is perhaps the world’s biggest business. It has a corporate logo, brand values, a service offering, customer promises and a skilled workforce.

The Logo. The crucifix is one of the planet’s most instantly recognisable symbols. The brand doesn’t need product placement opportunities since its logo continues to adorn the neck – and bodies – of some of the world’s biggest celebrities. Mel Gibson, Madonna, David Beckham and many others are closely associated with the logo.

The Brand. The Catholic brand is known for goodness, purity and the highest moral and ethical standards. Jesus Christ founded the company with his entrepreneurial colleagues a couple thousand years ago. Their brand messages and marketing materials – the Bible  – have stood the test of time and gained them many loyal followers.

The Promise. Strict terms and conditions apply to the Church’s spiritual services. Catholics who live a good life by adhering to the rules of the religion – don’t kill, lie, steal, commit adultery or want other people’s stuff but do obey your parents, honour God and make your sacraments – are promised an express trip to heaven when they die. There will be no stopover in Purgatory or extended layover in Hell for loyal customers.

On arrival, clients will be greeted at the Pearly Gates by their guide, St. Peter, and granted entrance to a place of eternal happiness. Newcomers will be serenaded by angels of the heavenly choir and surrounded by all that is good and right. They will meet the people who have died before them and, most importantly, they will have an audience with the Almighty.

The Offering. Before customers can enter heaven they must study and pledge loyalty to the religion through the sacraments. In return, they become part of an international community that strives to do unto others as they would do unto you. The club is highly regarded for its work among the poor and for providing education in many needy nations. Members pay to assist with these good works and to help with spiritual and material needs within their own local communities.

The Reality. Like many large companies that have fallen into disrepute, the brand’s promises are very different from the customers’ experience. As we learned from the Ryan report, also known as the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, the business has been badly broken for a long time. The brand has betrayed its customers and shareholders.

The Catholic Church has been a market leader, and even an innovator, when it comes to the wide-scale abuse of children for business purposes.Our church developed and perfected many modern business and political techniques.

Children’s sweatshops. Children were captive workers who paid for the orders’ holiday homes and lavish meals with blood, sweat and tears plus a good lashing of rape, degradation and dehumanisation.

Creative accounting. Funds given by the government to feed, clothe and house orphans and industrial school detainees were not entirely used for this purpose, a percentage was funnelled into many of the religious orders’ more mainstream schools.

Innovative imprisonment. Children were held against their will on questionable charges such as “wandering”. Thankfully they were not asked to wear orange jumpsuits, just rags.

Generational mind control. Many of our industrial schools, orphanages and mother and baby homes were run under brutal totalitarian regimes. Romania’s orphanages, created by the notorious Nicolae Ceausescu, bear a striking resemblance to the Irish system. Pierre Poupard, the head of Unicef in Romania, told the BBC that the orphans were a “lost generation” – closeted away from society, often malnourished and subjected to physical and even sexual abuse.

Would Jesus Christ be happy to wear the church’s logo now?

The shareholders of this failed corporation – its parishioners – should call an annual general meeting and demand that the executives explain themselves and atone for their actions in words, deeds and cash.

Margaret E. Ward is a journalist and managing director Clear Ink.