William Shakespeare wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But what if your dessert was named Spotted Dick instead of Steamed Suet Pudding?… What if you offered your guests Lamb Thymus Gland instead of Braised Sweetbreads?… What if your waiter told you of tonight’s special fish dish as one of the […]
Author Archive | Gil
Hearing Aid Direct Mail
As a freelance copywriter, an ad agency called me recently to handle the copy and concepts for a few direct response projects for their hearing aid client, Zounds Hearing in Arizona. The thing I like best about this company is that it was started by an audio engineer who was trying to help his hearing-impaired […]
Doing The Green Business Thing
I’m proud to say that I recently became a Green Certified Writer for the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a relatively easy process: — I completed a Word doc and emailed it to the Marin County Green Business Coordinator. — She reviewed my application. — She scheduled an appointment to walk through my office […]
Supercharge Your Marketing Efforts With Power Teams
(This article by Gil Zeimer is reprinted from Sparksâ„¢ Newsletter, April, 2008) Strategic Alliances. Virtual Partnerships. Power Teams. Whatever you call them, having a network of trusted allies is a critical component for any company’s long-term marketing success. And if you’re a small company, networking is absolutely essential for survival in troubled times like these. […]
When The Going Gets Tough… Advertise!
The economy sucks. Unemployment’s up. Income’s down. Everyone’s scared. So what should you do? Believe it or not, now’s the best time to advertise and market your product or service. Why? Because, according to an article in today’s SF Chronicle AllBusiness.com section, “when the economy is faltering, advertising is often the first thing in the […]
The Little Software Platform That Could :: WordPress
WordPress is best known as an open-source, state-of-the-art publishing platform focusing on aesthetics, Web standards and usability. Launched by Matt Mullenweg, a 24-year-old college dropout, WordPress is now home to more than 4 million blogs worldwide, the software of choice for the majority of mainstream media, and for the blogosphere’s biggest players. Best of all, […]
Butt, Seriously :: Humorous Airline Campaign
Back in June 2008, a supposedly new airline account landed in the newspapers and across the Web. It touted light blue banner ads in newspapers in Philadelphia, had a Web presence on Philly.com, and cheerily trumpeted its unique policy: “Pack Less. Weigh Less. Pay Less.” was the slogan for Derrie-Air, the world’s only carbon-neutral luxury […]
The Green House Effect
How To Green Your Home By Gil Zeimer & Michael Tauber You may have switched from incandescent bulbs to CFLs. You may want to “get off the grid” by installing super-efficient BIPV solar roof panels. You may even have purchased a tankless water heater. But if you really want to know the best way to […]
Welcome To Zeimer’s Zlog
Blog, schmog… Whatever you call it —- and I’ll be calling this Zeimer’s Zlog —- this will be a series of marketing points of view, advertising anecdotes, branding stories, and other examples of what I think are amazingly creative executions as a San Francisco freelance copywriter with over 25 years of experience. What makes me […]
NYC Law Firm Website
From New York State to Japan, the Law Office of Florence Rostami-Gouran has earned an international reputation. The firm represents clients in a number of industries including hospitality, real estate, trading, construction and manufacturing. Here’s the site I wrote for them: www.rostamilaw.com/
Fed Ex Freight Ad
As a freelance San Francisco copywriter, I’ve created campaigns for Viking Freight, DHL, Emery Air Freight, Consolidated Freightways and Greyhound Package Express. For decades, Viking Freight operated in the Western states and American Freightways operated in the Midwest and Eastern states. A few years ago, they both decided to merge under the name of Fed […]
Geneaology Software Ad
This is one of my favorite ads for two reasons. First, the headline is humorous and embodies a product benefit because someone you’re related to can collect, organize and share your family’s history with “Family Gathering” geneaology software. And second, the ad features a photo of my daughter Sara when she was about two years […]
Fair Isaac Newsletter Article
Fair Isaac, the FICO score company, publishes a bi-monthly online newsletter called ViewPoints. As a freelance San Francisco copywriter, I recently wrote this article about a complex new strategy visualization tool —- Strategy Designer — that can reduce strategy size and complexity by 25% or more, allowing risk managers to make more informed and ultimately […]
Snake River Whitewater Brochure
Snake River Park Whitewater Rafting has great prices and a great location —- right on the river south of town. Their trips run conveniently throughout the day into the heart of the famous rapids like LUNCH COUNTER and BIG KAHUNA. They’ve been floating the canyon since 1969, making them one of the oldest and most […]
TUDLA Website
TUDLA (Technology Users Database, Latin America) is a business intelligence software and service provider based in the San Diego area. Their Website was designed years ago and didn’t properly reflect its vast array of services —- as the world’s only contact database management company specializing in the research of technology and communication usage in Latin […]
New Heights Company Website
Tamara Wiggins Steele is a colleague of mine through BNI Embarcadero. Her Website for New Heights Company — www.newheightscompany.com — needed a makeover to add new content for her expanded services across three areas: Executive Coaching, Management Training and Keynote Speaking. But Ms. Steele also needed the ability to update her site’s content frequently and […]
Lasik Web Copywriting
I first wrote this Midwest client’s :30 radio jingles and a direct mail project. Then, their East Coast agency asked me to edit the Home Page script and FAQs section for an innovative, interactive Web site: www.my2020.com/. Have a look…
Bluegrass Assisted Living Website
I first wrote the Website for Bluegrass Assisted Living in 2005. It consists of two Assisted Living facilities located near Louisville and Ft. Knox in the Bluegrass State of Kentucky. In April 2008, I updated the copy for the sales brochures and inserts for each of their four services, plus a new fifth insert for […]
Freelance Catalog Copywriting
As a San Francisco freelance copywriter, I’ve written dozens of catalogs over my career. Below is a sampling of the most recent ones: Discovery Channel School: Science Collections Grades 5-9, Spring 2000 I helped an East Coast agency win this account in 1999 when I wrote a 32-page catalog for Science Collections for Middle School […]
Healthcare Radio Copywriting
Lasik-1 :30 radio jingles: I wrote these spots for a client in the Midwest through an agency on the East Coast, which proves I don’t have to live in your town to write, direct and produce great radio copywriting for you: 1) Lasik-1 Jingle: Country Version” Lasik-1: Country.mp3 2) Lasik-1 Jingle: Rock Version” Lasik-1: Rock.mp3 […]
Freelance Direct Marketing Financial Copywriting
Wells Fargo EquityLine Platinum Card Acquisition Letters For one of Wells Fargo’s design agencies (Damore Johann), I wrote a series of direct response letters to Equity Line Platinum Card owners with a promotional overlay from Home Depot. Download Wells Fargo EquityLine Platinum Card Acquisition Letters 3-Page PDF. For Wells Fargo, I also wrote a project […]
Batter Blaster Video :: Make A Better Breakfast Faster
Watch the video now — and turn your speakers up! Batter Blaster is a blast from the past. This organic batter features retro packaging in a spray can so you can make light, fluffy pancakes and delicious waffles with no mess, no fuss, and easy cleanup. This :60 Flash/Video that I wrote in 2007 highlights […]