Marketing Communications Resources

This page is ancient, but you'll still find some of these marketing-related sites interesting or useful. I haven't toured all of them extensively (or even lately), so if any of these have moved, closed, etc. (time for a trip to NetMechanic or Website Garage), or if you'd like to recommend another site (especially MAC or non-Web stuff), will you please let me know?

This is from a design catalog of floor tile whose colors and patterns were inspired by nature. As a cover caption, it's mine. As a sentiment, it's prehistoric. Both ways, it produces excellent results.

Randall Rensch, freelance marketing communications concepts and copywriting. (You're already here . . . just thought I'd remind you.) A really great creative consultant, with lots of energy, experience and ideas in virtually all advertising and sales promotion media. Particularly experienced in business-to-business, retail, financial, floor coverings, fast food, automotive, computers, industrial, consumer tech, real estate, and radio. Click on my Home Page at left.

Brent Brotine Communications. From high atop Chicago, this freelance creative director/copywriter for web sites, online sites, interactive projects, conventional direct response and financial advertising assignments, consultant to advertising agencies on interactive/online matters, past President of the Chicago chapter of the International Interactive Communications Society, radio producer and fellow "firm believer that the art of good copywriting applies as strongly to the Net as it does to traditional media," offers creative guidelines and showcases carefully crafted advertising Web sites. And with all that, he's still not too busy to treat you like a friend.

Iconomics. Instant stock and fast custom art at reasonable prices, in a wide variety of electronic and conventional styles, delivered by conventional and electronic methods.

PhotoDisc. Stock and licensed photos available on disk or over the Internet. License fees vary depending on comp, basic or resale usage.

Advertising Age magazine. Lots of information at the Ad Age site itself, and at sites it's linked to. Not only that, but access is free (unlike some other trade publications)!

Government Printing Office. Data, data, data makes it so.

MarketPlace. Analyze markets by industry, find companies by location, be finished by end-of-day.

The New York Times. All the news that's fit to download (although some people say NY Post stories are better examples for ad writers). The Times requires all visitors to register and wait for confirmation, so plan ahead. As of April 96, there's no charge...yet.

@dmarket. What can you say on the Web (or about it) that hasn't been said before? Or, what has been said? This gateway to marketing, media, advertising and public relations information on the Web can help you find out.

Cornell Cooperative Extension. If you're expecting a plague of locusts* or want to know when's the best time to add molasses to your baked beans, these folks can give you details. Lots of other information, too, to help New York citizens put research-based knowledge to work." You might get a quicker response by phone. Get the number here or see the phone book under "Cornell University Cooperative Extension." (In Connecticut, try U. Conn. New Jersey has a comparable organization.)

Deja News archives the Usenet, a worldwide electronic bulletin board. If you don't find what you're looking for, you'll probably find an expert to ask. Try it! (Remember to bookmark my site before searching.)
Search Usenet For:
Usenet database: Current Old
Select documents matching all any keywords.   Hint: you may use parts of words.
Display hitlist in concise detailed format.   (Or use the form at Deja News to do a finer search.)

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SavvySearch is an experimental system designed to query the most likely Internet search engines simultaneously. (Remember to bookmark my site before searching.)
Search appropriate databases for:

WWW Resources . . . Software . . . News . . . Images . . . People . . . Reference . . . Technical Reports . . . Academic . . . Commercial . . . Entertainment . . .
Search for documents containing all query terms. all query terms, as a phrase. any query term.
Retrieve 10 20 30 40 50 results from each search engine.
Format the results as: Brief Normal verbose           Integrate results

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Starting Point Meta Search links to many major engines, but one-at-a-time. To do a subject-oriented search, go to Starting Point. (Remember to bookmark my site before searching.)
Start searching for:

Sabasoft. Publisher of XFERPRO, a program that converts binary files (like programs, images and formatted word-processing files) into ASCII format and back, so they can be transmitted over the Internet (if your browser or gateway doesn't do this automatically). It's a shareware program -- pay about $10 if you like it, slightly more if you want the program and/or manual on-disk. Their new site links you to a choice of easy download locations.

Carnegie Mellon University's Books Page. 1,300 books online, to keep you riveted to your computer. Or your printer.

F-Prot Professional. Command Software Systems' well-reviewed antivirus program you can download. The "limited" version is free. Another downloadable choice (try it for 30 days) from another company is McAfee'sVirusScan. Or, to screen your e-mail, contact Touchstone Software or your retailer to learn about PC-cillin.

Jumbo. A really, really big library of shareware and freeware that's easy to use. The library's easy, that is.

Small Business Administration. Hot links to other government locations and hundreds of shareware, freeware and public domain computer programs for business.

White House. Not to be confused with the Scotch.

U.S. Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives.

Library of Congress AKA Thomas, includes full text of House and Senate bills, although not necessary the latest text.

Vote Smart. Where voters, journalists, libraries, etc., can obtain verified information on candidates and elected officials, with links to other sources of information.

Kerry's Restaurant World. Restaurants around the country that haven't closed since you stocked your bookshelf with restaurant guides. With menus and photos and other material added daily. No reviews, though?

MapQuest. An interactive online atlas with street smarts.

H.W. Wilson's "New York by New Yorkers." Written by native New Yorkers, local librarians and the staff of this reference materials publisher, "NY by NYers" can help you plan and enjoy your visit. Who to write beforehand, what to see (and beers to drink) when you're here. Includes a long list of small NYC hotels, prepared for American Library Association conference-goers. (No quiet-jokes, please.)

FreeRide. Buy a thing, save a coupon. Actually, save the proof-of-purchase, send it to FreeRide, and they help pay your Internet bill by issuing a credit to your service provider. A new "couponing" concept, scheduled for launch in spring of '96.

Next to Nothing. Sources of free and cheap merchandise. Not just computer stuff. All kinds stuff.

Free.Stuff. Toll-free numbers and web sites offering free.stuff.

Mad River Glen Co-op ski area. What's this have to do with marketing? Mad River skiers like it so much, they bought the mountain! Talk about an interesting marketing situation: In Waitsfield, Vt. (south of Montpelier, near Sugarbush), Mad River Glen is skiing the way it used to be. While much of the mountain challenges the most experienced skier, it has many groomed trails that invite and inspire intermediates and even beginners, along with picturesque skiable glades, family facilities, and a worldwide reputation for its comfortable lodge and natural snow. Mad River also boasts the country's first (and now only?) single chair among its four lifts. Ticket prices are reasonable. You don't have to own a share, but if you'd like to, information is here. (Also check here for news of possible summer biking, hiking and entertainment activities.)

The Computer Paper. Canada's largest monthly computer magazine has pages with unusual effects visual and sound effects. I like TCP's attitude in trying to make the pages and effects work for as many people as possible, although I've just given the site a quick look.