ABJ: House of Tutors

abj1 From 1999-2004 I reported on small business for the Austin Business Journal. Among other things.

FG Squared: Hit ‘Publish!’

fgsquared1

When interactive pioneers FG SQUARED looked for content strategy and copywriting, my work contributed to several initiatives including the company weblog.

Building a better bike

trekTechnology can tilt the playing field, even in a sport most people dismiss as low-tech. One of my personal favorite projects was this corporate feature regarding the role of AMD technology in Trek’s design process. 

Read article PDF

From the Archives: Review of “The Real Thing”

Coke Corporate Biog Long On Fizzle, Not Sizzle

‘Real Thing’ examines company’s ambition in tedious detail

The princely sum I’ll earn for writing this review will barely make a dent in my annual consumption outlay for Coca-Cola.

read more From the Archives: Review of “The Real Thing” »

Review: Moneyball

moneyb

Here’s the dilemma: You are a Major League Baseball team’s general manager, and you have $50 million to spend on 25 baseball players. Your rival, however, has $150 million.

How do you compete? read more Review: Moneyball »

Men of Letters

duals

Unusual Business Requests Are No Joke
-Good-natured responses stand out

© 2009  • Stuart Wade • all rights reserved

We asked; they replied.  Lamely.  Wondering how businesses would reply to the ridiculous, my business-partner brother and I spent 18 months sending off-the-wall letters to organizations worldwide, posing the most ridiculous – but just possibly legitimate – questions we could concoct.  Our letters got noticed and were taken seriously.

Media praise for “Drop Us A Line… Sucker”

“…the deadpan and gullible responses from major corporations, especially when read aloud, brings on fits of laughter.”
– The New York Times Book Review
“As a hobby, Stuart and James Wade like to write letters proposing something silly just to see what sort of answer they get.”
– Charles Osgood, CBS Radio Network
“There is no truth to the rumor that Ralston Purina has a dog food called Squirrel Blend.”
– Austin American Statesman
“Test[s] the limits of outlandishness…their joy doesn’t come from wounding someone’s pride…[but] from seeing the written reaction to their absurdity.”
– Washington (DC) City Paper
“Prankster brothers who get their kicks out of tweaking humorless companies…”
– Associated Press
“…masterfully constructed.”
– Reuters
“The sort of people customer relations folks want to strangle.”
– Crain’s
“Tip for customer relations departments…a little levity can promote brand loyalty, even from goofballs.”
– Chicago Tribune
“I give top marks to those companies that responded promptly and with generosity.”
– Lucy Kellaway, Financial Times of London

“…the deadpan and gullible responses from major corporations, especially when read aloud, brings on fits of laughter.”

New York Times Book Review.

read more Media praise for “Drop Us A Line… Sucker” »

Keywords

Austin, Chicago, Bloomington, Evansville, Indiana University, Reitz Memorial High School, Phi Gamma Delta, Fiji. AMD, Fleishman Hillard, Hoover’s, Golin/Harris, Chicago White Sox. Business writing, marketing communications, consumer and technology brand communications, strategic business counsel, media strategy, freelance corporate writer, strategic thinker, senior project manager, sports marketing, sponsorship, public relations, media relations, speechwriting, scripts, measurement, presentations, internal communications, employee communications, executive communications, sales and marketing communications, web managing editor and social media strategist, senior managing supervisor, feature writer, book critic, reviewer, entertainment writer, MLB Advanced Media, Lance Armstrong, Discovery Channel Pro Cycling, Capital Sports & Entertainment, CSE, Ironminds.com, New City.com, Citysearch.com, White Sox PR, ESPN SportsTicker, McDonald’s All American High School Basketball, McDonald’s sponsorships of NFL, NBA, NCAA, NASCAR, humor author, humor writer, “Drop Us a Line… Sucker,” prank letters, writer for The Onion, “Nick: What Went Wrong,” Nick, the bartender from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” McSweeney’s.

Nick: What Went Wrong

“Pottersville Nick” vs. “Bedford Falls Nick”:  An analysis.
By popular demand.10223

© 2000  • Stuart Wade • all rights reserved