Lasik Marketing Snafu?

I was reading the combined edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal/Las Vegas Sun today when an advertisement for Lasik surgery caught my eye, but not for the reason the eye center intended. The featured doctor was wearing eye glasses.

Yes, I understand that Lasik surgery is a personal choice. No, I don't believe every doctor should be expected to undergo their own procedures. However, from a communication standpoint, it makes little sense to feature an eye doctor wearing glasses in an advertisement touting Lasik. He could have at least taken them off for the photo shoot rather than leaving the intended target audience to wonder whether he is one of many doctors that perform surgeries they don't believe in or simply not a suitable Lasik candidate.

It seems painfully obvious that patient trust and credibility remains the number one reason people choose one Lasik surgeon over another, but I guess this particular center and their ad team can't see it. Maybe their glasses need a good cleaning.

Marketing Made Easier Online

In addition to my position as president of Copywrite, Ink., I am an instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Each spring, I teach Writing for Public Relations, which is part of the UNLV's Public Relations certification program. The class ranges from 10 to 25 students and working professionals.

While teaching, I keep close tabs on upcoming luncheons hosted by various communication-related organizations in southern Nevada. My students often attend the luncheons for extra credit and to augment many of the topics we discuss in class. I always encourage communication professionals to become involved in at least one professional organization and regularly attend luncheons and workshops to remain up to date on the changes taking place in the industry. It's a must.

One promising luncheon, hosted by the American Marketing Association next Thursday, Feb. 3, will feature Al Gibes, technology columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Eric Schwartzman, marketing director for Schwartzman PR (Los Angeles). The luncheon promises to reveal the newest, most effective ways to include the Internet as part of a company's overall marketing strategy, including very topical information regarding affiliate programs.

The luncheon is held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Lawry's Prime Rib, 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway. It is $25 for members and $30 for non-members who RSVP by Monday, Jan. 31. For reservations to attend, call 702-593-0883.

Copyright vs. Copywrite

Every now and again, someone drops by our site (and now our blog) looking to protect their work with a 'copywrite'. What these fine folks are really looking for is a 'copyright'. We certainly understand the confusion, which I'll explain in a moment.

First, if you are visiting to 'copyright' your work, the best thing to do is type 'copyright' into the google search engine below. Google will list a number of different companies that provide copyright and trademark information, resources, and services. The costs vary, but some companies may make the process a little simpler than contacting the U.S. Register of Copyright in Washington D.C. While I'm certainly no attorney, I have heard of another way to protect your work (and have used it in the past for non-commercial work): mail a copy of the manuscript, story, etc. to yourself and then file the sealed envelope away.

As far as our name, 'Copywrite, Ink.' is a play on the professional designation 'copywriter,' which is used to define people who write for advertising agencies (eg. ad copy as in advertising body copy). When I founded the company in 1991 as a freelance writer, I wanted to create a brand that was immediately recognizable: copywrite (as in copywriter) and ink (for obvious reasons). Our trademark was created a couple years later. It's an ink spot with the 'copyright' symbol inside. Today, it's a registered trademark (a copyright symbol set inside the ink spot). Of course, we make no legal claims on the copyright symbol as tempting as that might sound. Grin.

Coming Soon

Copywrite, Ink. Writing Services, Inc. is a leading commercial writing services company. That means we provide words, concepts, and strategies for advertising agencies, corporate communication departments, public relations firms, publications, and other media, including blogs.

I'm the owner, but I'll save the details until later. This is just a place holder post until we have some time to launch the blog later this month, maybe this weekend. Nice to meet you too.

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This was my very first post, published in 2005. Social networks were barely a blip on the radar. If you landed here for some reason, I'd suggest visiting something fresher from Words. Concepts. Strategies. or, better yet, visit ByRichardBecker on Facebook where I was sharing one short-short story a week for 50 weeks. But now I'm posting updates of my debut novel, out later in 2023.