Life is not an either/or proposition, and applying that principle to modern marketing is basically what’s at the core of Michael Solomon’s new book Marketers, Tear Down These Walls! Liberating the Postmodern Consumer. Solomon breaks his book into several chapters that focus on traditionally opposing forces: Us versus them, me versus we, offline versus online, […]
About Dan Goldgeier
Frenemies by Ken Auletta: The Adpulp Book Review
Does Michael Kassan single-handedly control the advertising and marketing industries? Now, I don’t shuttle between New York City, Cannes, CES, and AAAA conferences, but apparently Kassan does. As CEO of MediaLink, a “strategic advisory and business development firm,” he’s a svengali/consigliere/media whisperer-type guy who’s a conduit between the biggest players among ad agencies, media buying […]
Marketing to Gen Z Takes A Broad Look At A “Pivotal” Group
I’ve never been a fan of painting all people of a certain age the same way. Or as I once put it, “generalizing about generations is generally a bad idea.” But, being that I don’t have kids and don’t spend much time around them, I was curious to see what I could glean from Jeff […]
Spotlight On NW Creative: PB& Aims High With A Unique Agency Model
Usually, when you hear about ad agency veterans opening up their own shop, the principals consist of someone with a copywriting background, someone with an art direction background, and someone with an account management background. But Seattle’s PB& isn’t structured that way — and that’s proving to be an effective move. Founded in 2016 by […]
Get To Aha! Takes A Look At Positioning in the 21st Century
It’s been over 40 years since Al Ries and Jack Trout published the much-lauded book “Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind.” The marketing world (and the rest of the world) sure has changed since then. So Andy Cunningham, in her new book, Get to Aha! Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition, freely admits […]
Carnival Steers Its Brand Nicely Through Choppy Marketing Waters
Although I’ve done some copywriting for a couple of different cruise lines, I’d never actually taken a cruise until my recent trip to Alaska on Carnival Cruise Lines. And I have to say, it was quite an experience, both as passenger and someone endlessly fascinated with travel marketing. Allow me to share some random observations: […]
The Compelling Communicator Shows You How To Design Effective Presentations
If you work in advertising, there’s simply no avoiding the PowerPoint deck. Sometimes it’s needed to present concepts or creative work, other times it’s a major player in a subject matter presentation. We’ve all seen the good, bad, and ugly of presentations. In his book, Mastering the Art and Science of Exceptional Presentation Design, author […]
War Dragons And Wexley Emerge Victorious At The Seattle ADDYs
Wexley School for Girls won Best Of Show at the 2017 American Advertising Awards Seattle (still known as the ADDYs) for the following War Dragons spot. Ads for adventure-focused video games tend to stay pretty straightforward, which is partially why the dark humor and unexpected twists of this spot work so well. It’s also a […]
The Real Mad Men of Advertising Adds Real-World Context To The Drama
The history and arc of the advertising industry isn’t widely known. Even the many advertising students I’ve taught didn’t seem to have much interest in the past. And while the AMC drama “Mad Men” was loosely aligned with some real events in the industry, it was of course heavier on drama than history. So to […]
Free Range Brands Looks At A Marketing Landscape Gone Wild
Think back on the last decade or so, and you’ll find countless examples of companies whose traditional positions in the marketplace were challenged. Some have successfully adapted, and some haven’t. Nicole Ertas takes a closer look at this phenomenon in Free Range Brands: Join the New Breed of Agile Brands. To start with, Ertas talks […]
Sell With A Story Keeps It Personal For A Change
Frankly, I’m sick of talk about “storytelling.” All brands and marketers and ad people think they’re now in the business of storytelling, to the point where the word is meaningless. Even worse are people who use the word “story” as a concept the way snotty, wanna-be aristocrats use the word “sport.” Thankfully, we get none […]
