It’s practically child’s play to make a great impression using print. Just take enough time to write some decent copy for your ad, brochure or mailer. That simple practice has become so rare that even a perfunctory effort at story telling gets attention.

It’s really quite daring to step out and tell a story with drama. Much simpler to advertise with leaden bullet points, as if your reader where looking at a powerpoint presentation.

The art of advertising in print certainly goes back thousands of years, and will likely be around even when the internet is a distant, faded memory. That’s because there {hidden treasure} are always stories to tell, for those perceptive enough to find them, and bold enough to write them.

Perhaps you’re old enough to remember video of John Cameron Swayze delivering the iconic Timex slogan: Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking. Fans of the recent TV series Mad Men were recently reminded of the classic Think Small print ad campaign for Volkswagen. Both ads were conceived and penned by the legendary copywriter Julian Koenig.

Seems like great copywriting is largely a lost art. A recent blog post by from a well known e-mail marketing company posited that “e-mail copy that sells” must include benefits, subheads, short blocks of conversational copy, a well crafted subject line, etc. All of these elements refer to form, and little falls to content. There’s nothing about reaching out to the reader with a single coherent message. Nothing about capturing the readers’ imagination. Nothing about ideas that are compelling and memorable.

And then there’s the disturbing adulation of psychological trickery in web marketing content as well as the ascent of highly paid Google AdWords strategists. All of this seems to nicely coincide with the collapse of our economic system. It’s like the dot com bubble all over again, this time accompanied by credit default swaps and insanely over-leveraged financial institutions. Lack of substance might be the appropriate words to sum things up.

In the good ol’ days, marketers were gifted writers who worked in a commercial setting. Though these writers of short sentences weren’t revered by their peers, today one can find much to appreciate in their work. A fascinating account of the advertising world, including a contemporary interview of Mr. Koenig can be heard on a recent installment of This American Life.

Today’s e-conomy can be looked at as a house of cards. Much is free or cheap on the internet, and the temptation to do-it yourself is the order of the day. The problem is that talented graphic designers, skilled commercial artists and great copywriters (for that matter all stripes of writers) need to eat too. Ironically, their talents are needed now more than ever.

I’m in Chicago on an extended business trip, and decided to try a new (to me) hotel chain: Extended Stay Hotels. Upon checking in (a marginal experience) I found my room to be adequate, but missing a couple of things I’ve come to expect at any hotel: shampoo and a hair dryer. One would think those necessities are provided in a place that by definition caters to business travelers.

I can put up with a room that isn’t quite clean, and even one that smells a little funny, as this one does. But to the front desk manager (well dressed lady in her 40s): please don’t admonish me to return your low end hair dryer, as if I intend to steal it. And when I ask for shampoo, (I’m here for 3 days) perhaps you could afford to give me more than one tiny 1 oz bottle?

Contrast that to my experience at optical chain Lenscrafters. I’m a long time customer of that company. Just before boarding my Chicago plane a day ago, my eyeglass frame broke. Upon arriving at my hotel, I noticed a problem with my backup glasses too. Panic began to set in!

I was the first customer to visit a Skokie, Illinois Lenscrafter store on Tuesday morning. The young clerk behind the counter quickly assessed the situation used her creativity to improvise a temporary repair for my frame, while another technician replaced a missing part in my other pair. “No charge,” I was told. “We just did what I’d expect if I were traveling and broke my glasses,” declared the 20-something employee. What a star!

Wow. That simple act cemented my customer loyalty for years to come. By the same token, my experiences at Extended Stay were equally memorable, but for different reasons. It’s not about mission statements and corporate edicts. It’s not about fancy signage alongside the interstate. It *is* about being friendly, professional and attentive when the rubber meets the road.