THE PATIENCE OF ST. TOM
If I make it to Direct Marketing Heaven when I die, the first thing I’m going to do is nominate Tom Collins for sainthood for fielding a regular barrage of know-nothing insults, launched by detractors who couldn’t tell a response from a rutabaga.
Most of the testosterone-soaked attacks on Tom’s creative judgment could set off a fistfight or worse in any gin mill in town. Still, time after time, he continues to reply with kindness, sweet reason and saintly patience. In fact, Tom’s gentle response is probably the only one most of these critics could generate.
Yeah, some of Tom’s art direction could use a little updating. But hey, Tom is a copywriter, not a graphic designer. The point he makes over and over again is nevertheless valid: You won’t sell diddley-squat if people can’t easily read and quickly figure out what the hell you’re saying that’s worth their time, and then get them to spend that time learning why your product is worth their money. Alas, Tom’s column seems to be a rare voice of sanity in a world increasingly filled with fools who make vapid arguments like this:
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