The wisdom of the wizard

SHAKING THE TREE #123

I last wrote about the wizard in 2023.

I’ll fill in the details in due course, but first, an addendum.

Your writing contains magic.

You may not think it does just yet (if you’re new to writing and publishing), but it’s true.

The fact that you can wrote and press a few buttons and make your voice instantly available to readers around the world, that’s magical.

So anyway. Back to our wizard narrative.

About 9 miles north west of Buda, Texas, nestled amongst rolling hills and vibrant wildflowers, you’ll find a hidden wonder.

From what I’ve read, the people who go there see it as one of the leading business schools in the United States. But oddly, it’s not a university or a college. It’s not even a school—at least, not in the traditional sense.

It’s The Wizard Academy, a place that helps business owners transform their messaging and marketing, and it’s the brain child of Roy Williams.

What exactly is The Wizard Academy? “… an accelerated school for advertising professionals, including business owners, teachers, writers, and artists. The school offers workshops and classes that are usually 2–3 nights or 3–4 nights long.”

Although I’ve yet to attend one of the classes, I’m a big fan of all things WA.

I first learned about Roy Williams (AKA The Wizard of Ads) back in 1999 when I bought and devoured Roy’s book of the same name.

Forget crystal balls and swirling potions, this wizard wields the potent magic of words and persuasion, the magical process of transforming businesses and business leaders from fledgling dreamers into cash-conjuring powerhouses.

Roy’s philosophy is simple: create effective and persuasive advertising by focusing on three fundamental principles:

Strategy: Williams emphasizes the importance of developing a clear and compelling strategy in advertising. He believes that a well-defined strategy is the foundation for successful ad campaigns. Understanding the target audience, their needs, desires, and the unique selling proposition (USP) of the product or service is crucial in creating impactful advertising.

Creativity: According to Williams, creativity is the key to capturing the audience's attention and making a lasting impression. He encourages thinking outside the box, using unconventional approaches, and creating ads that evoke emotions or tell compelling stories. Williams believes that memorable advertising often stems from creative ideas that resonate with the audience on an emotional level.

Results: The ultimate goal of advertising, according to Williams, is to drive measurable results. He stresses the importance of tracking and analyzing the effectiveness of ad campaigns. Williams advocates for testing different strategies, messages, and formats to optimize ad performance and achieve desired outcomes, whether it's increased sales, brand recognition, or customer engagement.

Overall, Roy Williams' philosophy as The Wizard of Ads revolves around crafting strategic, creative, and results-oriented advertising that speaks directly to the audience, engages their emotions, and drives tangible outcomes for businesses.

He believes in the power of storytelling, creativity, and data-driven strategies to create impactful advertising campaigns.

If that sounds like a decent plan to you, learn more here.

As always, thanks for reading.

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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree … Don’t take no for an answer