I wrote my first ad for a local political candidate when I was 17 (she went on to win her race, and I felt the power of persuasive copy for the first time). Today, I live near Portland, Oregon and spend my days building brands for companies that matter.
On this week’s edition of The BeanCast — the best podcast about Marketing on the air — I claim that “Native Advertising” is the dumbest term that I’ve ever heard. And it is, but even worse than the term itself is the fuzzy thinking behind it. It’s no wonder that no one even knows what [...]
Bob Knorpp, host of TheBeanCast, invited me back on his show this week. Bob Hoffman, George Parker and Augie Ray joined me as a guest. How I got lumped in with this cast of curmudgeons I don’t know, but I’ll take what airtime I can get. Listen here: BeanCast 251 or directly in iTunes. This [...]
Social influence is one of those touchy topics that can set me, or any number of other argumentative people, off. Why? Because high school and the need to be popular, like Trix, is for kids. Or is that a faulty assumption? Do we ever really outrun the need to be popular? Think about it. Who [...]
Follower counts in social channels don’t mean much, but no matter how many times a social media expert repeats this fundmental bit of advice, numbers continue to dazzle CMOs and others famished for metrics. Which explains why Land Rover has made a note of a social media milestone, namely its one millionth “Like” on Facebook. [...]
Overstock.com is a price play, and we all know how enticing low prices can be. It’s nectar to the price-conscious shopper. Even so, I find the following commercial off-putting. Take a look: Momma’s gotta shop. Really? Well sure, if the family is to be housed, clothed, fed, transported to and fro and so on, then [...]
We all know what a mess digital advertising is. There are privacy concerns, ad blockers and quacks in every direction offering their innovative new solutions that are far from it. The good news is brands can play effectively in the people’s sandbox — provided they learn to play a different game, a game with new [...]
As the news business implodes and content marketing explodes, journalists are migrating to advertising. But which journalists? The hard-nosed gumshoes who seek truth at all costs, or the milquetoast pseudo reporters who do and write what they’re told? Brett Arends, writing for Market Watch, reflects on what kind of personalities work(ed) best in news. Do [...]
Oreo ran a 90-second animated spot during the airing of Mad Men on Sunday night. The new anti-vampire/pro-cookie spot was created by the Martin Agency. It features music from the band Owl City. According to The New York Times, Jorge Calleja, the group creative director at the Martin Agency who serves as the global creative [...]
PORTLAND—Agencies with digital capabilities are a dime a dozen today. On the other hand, an agency with digital DNA that also creates compelling retail experiences, new products/companies and traditional advertising, is rare indeed. Ergo, I feel like I may be in the presence of an albino gorilla here at Struck’s Old Town offices. John Gross, [...]
Last week over beers in downtown Portland, I asked Sharon Krinsky if Bob Hoffman has a type A personality. She said yes. I’ll have to take her word for it, given that the two worked together for 20 years at Hoffman/Lewis in San Francisco. There is also the evidence to consider. Starting and running a [...]
We're powered by ProjectManager.com - online project management software to easily organize your work. Share project plans, manage your teams online and track progress daily.
Connect