Not long ago, I got an assignment for a technology company. They were an also-ran company in a crowded category, and they didn’t have a strong brand identity or any real unique benefits to tout. In a situation like that, there are basically two choices: concoct a story that may or many not be rooted [...]
A Superbowl Sunday Story of Dentures and Hard Shell Tacos
January 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Super Bowl ads are no longer ads, per se. Ads drive purchase intent. Super Bowl “ads” cost millions to make and $4 million to run once, but they’re not ads, they’re little movies meant to entertain inebriated and distracted audiences at parties. Here’s one from Deutsch/LA and Taco Bell that doesn’t exactly possess appetite appeal: [...]
The Edge of Farming Looks At What Many Of Us Rarely See
January 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Moving out here to Washington state last year, I’ve noticed that many local farmers have a higher profile than in other states, thanks to farm-to-table restaurants and farmers markets. But in general, I (and I suspect most city dwellers) have very little understanding of modern farming. Farming advocates are trying to change that, launching a [...]
How Facebook can Make or Break you in the Pursuit of Employment
January 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Finding jobs has become very challenging recently with all the social media and lack of privacy online. Specially if you are moving to a new town that you don’t know that many people in that town, lets say Hawaii, and if you decided that you want to search for jobs in Hawaii, you way want [...]
The Miami Ad School Goes Pro With NYC Workshops And Seminars
January 23, 2013 By 1 Comment
I’ve written about it a couple of times before: It’s incredibly difficult to be a busy working professional in advertising and marketing while learning new skills or keeping up with technology and trends. So if going back to school full-time isn’t feasible, what options are there besides the costly Hyper Island Master Class? Enter Miami [...]
Parody Ad Suggests Starbucks Adds ‘Tude To Every Cup
January 22, 2013 By 1 Comment
Saturday Night Live’s last episode featured this parody ad for the Starbucks Verismo: What caught everyone’s interest were the voices of the machines, which do sound as if they were performed by a African-American actors. Ad Age has an article on the broader debate. You can save the “is it racism or not” arguments for [...]
Women Are Smarter
January 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Business Insider published a list of the 33 most creative women in advertising. Of course, it is a totally subjective list. I would make a different list and so would you. Be that as it may, there are some interesting aspects to this list. For one, W+K’s ECD in Portland, Susan Hoffman, is ranked the [...]
More Thoughts On Social Media Is Bullshit
January 18, 2013 By 2 Comments
David already covered the book, but author B.J. Mendelson specifically asked me for my thoughts. I’m happy to oblige. With a title like Social Media Is Bullshit, B.J. Mendelson created a bit of a Rorschach test with his new book. Depending on how you feel about social media, or your role in using it for [...]
People See The Poetry That Is Colorado, People Book A Vacation To Colorado
January 17, 2013 By 3 Comments
How do agencies prove their worth and secure more client dollars year in and year out? In an acronym, ROI. When you can prove return on investment, or even strongly suggest it, client checkbooks open. Tim Williams of The Ignition Group, a consultancy devoted to helping marketing firms create and capture more value, argues that [...]
Spotlight on Northwest Creative: Seattle’s POP Pops Some Corks
January 17, 2013 By 1 Comment
Inide agencies, especially indie agencies with a strong digital practice, are hot properties. Holding company execs circle, but the news here is that increasingly these holding companies are media companies. For instance, Hearst bought the digital marketing firm iCrossing for $325 million in 2010, while Meredith has acquired a series of agencies including O’Grady Meyers [...]
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