My adman dadman spent the 1960s trying to get clients to stop favoring superficial, impersonal ads with headlines like,  "The car of tomorrow, today!"

But back then at least there was a choice, because advertisers were making futuristic things. (Not all of which worked, of course, like the Chrysler in-car phonograph. Yes, when you hit a bump, the record skipped.)

Now, with the exception of some iThings, it seems like we're not inventing new things as much as Photoshopping old things.

Which is why I was pleased to get an e-mail promotion here at Writing Boots, for something new. And something new in writing!

Good morning,

 

With everyone needing a high-quality writing instrument to get their job done, I thought you’d be interested to know that Zebra Pen Corp., leaders in the writing instrument industry for more than 110 years, has unveiled its newest pens to its family of products, including the Erase Away, America’s first retractable erasable pen, and the Sarasa SE, designed with the feedback of over 50,000 consumers.

Refreshing the stale category staple with a noticeable upgrade to its competitors is the Erase Away retractable erasable pen.  Its unique retractable design is a significant benefit to traditional stick erasable pens, eliminating the chance of losing the erasable function if the cap is misplaced. (ARV $3.98/2 pk).
 

The Sarasa SE was developed from the feedback of over 50,000 consumers, boasting features most important to consumers including ink visibility, superior gel ink for a scratch-free write, a strong metal clip and a complex textured grip. This grip stands out among others due to its extreme durability, which can be tested pre-purchase through the package cut outs. And it’s available in 8 vibrant colors including, black, blue, red, green, violet, pink, teal, orange – perfect for color coding!
 (ARV $7.96/4 pk)
 
Below is a press release with more information and I am happy to send you samples along with hi-res images upon request.
 

I look forward to hearing from you,

Laurie

I wrote Laurie back and told her that one man's "stale category staple" is another man's Christmas morning.

I said that Writing Boots readers, in their daily hundreds, are a perfect audience, because they are mostly professional writers. "And what makes a writer professional," I said, "isn’t writing, but erasing. These people erase a lot—in their professional work and even in their private correspondence. And many of their friends are writers, and many of their friends’ friends too."

I proposed that Laurie pay me $1,000 to place a prominent ad for Erase Away on Writing Boots. I'll let you know what she says.

UPDATE, FROM LAURIE, 1/19: "Thanks so much for your response. Unfortunately, we are more looking for posts or reviews of our products vs. an ad on your blog. And we cannot accommodate your monetary request either. I appreciate you taking the time to write back and if anything changes I’ll be sure to be in touch." There you have it.