Truth in Advertising
There is an ad on the back cover of HBR this month for a company called Realization Technologies, touting their "Execution Management Systems." I like the ad because it has a certain 37-signals-like "get real" attitude. The first paragraph of the text talks about how so many companies bow to "politically and corporately correct gods" that spout nice sounding terms, but don't "tell you what needs to be done and when."
They specialize in the latter and can save you a bunch of money (and they gave an impressive example). Okay. So far, I'm impressed.
Then I saw a typo in the last line:
"If you think, corporate correctness might be playing havoc with your execution, give us a call at..."
The comma after think shouldn't be there. It was glaring.
They must have paid HUGE bucks for this ad, and they are touting assistance with execution, and they didn't proof the copy?!
Little things can make a big difference.





Hi Jamie,
Based, on your attention to detail note, you'll enjoy this if you haven't seen it - very quick vid: http://www.dothetest.co.uk/
-Rick
Posted by: Rick Brown | March 19, 2008 at 09:52 PM
Hi Rick, thanks for chiming in. Yep, that video was the topic of YESTERDAY's post!
Posted by: Jamie Notter | March 19, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Hi Jamie,
Fully concur with your comment that 'little things can make a big difference' and can undo all the hard work (and money) that has gone before. I find it amusing that the second word after the comma is 'correctness.'
ian
Posted by: campbeli | March 20, 2008 at 02:30 AM
Check out this clunker of a sentence from their website:
"With clear and synchronized priorities, time is better used, more projects get done faster."
Really.
Posted by: Russ Capps | March 24, 2008 at 04:57 PM