Jessica Cisneros is running for Congress in south Texas. To win, she must first beat the Democratic Party incumbent, Rep. Henry Cuellar, in the primary election. Cuellar has been called “Trump’s favorite Democrat,” and he has an A-rating from the NRA. The Democrat in-name-only voted with Trump 67 percent of the time in the 115th […]
Tea for Texas
Ad Age Names Several Small Agencies of Year; In Other News, Barton F. Graf To Close
Agencies rise and agencies fall. Let’s start with the bad news. Barton F. Graf, the small indie agency in NYC, like Wexley School for Girls in Seattle (and other “hot shops” before it), is closing down. Jeff Beer writes about advertising for Fast Company. When learning of the closing of Barton F. Graf, he pondered […]
Cornyn The Divider Has A Mountain of Cash, But No Clue
For the past 40 or more years, “Liberal” has been a bad word in Texas. Senator John Cornyn still lives in that throwback era, although time is now catching up to him and his kind. Let’s look at the last gasps of a desperate GOP, and the tired arguments they continue to rely on. Since […]
No More Games: This Is A National Emergency
What if you lived in a nation where the president incited racial violence on a daily basis? What if you lived in a nation where feeble-minded recipients of this twisted messaging were all too willing to spray the place with bullets from an automated weapon? What if…? The fact is the current president of the […]
“Joie de Hooha” Is Utterly Natural and Totally Achievable
Singing vaginas is not the answer you might expect, no matter the question. Yet, here we are, and in this case, it’s a good answer because the Whole Foods shopper doesn’t want rancid chemical solvents on, in, or near her body. That’s why OrganiCare CEO and serial entrepreneur, Caroline Goodner, is battling industry juggernauts to […]
Are You Prepared for South By Southwest?
I first made my way to South By Southwest in March of 2003. The conference, the city of Austin, and the creative industries have all changed considerably since then. It was just 16.5 years ago, but in our accelerated, digitally-disrupted world things happen fast. To make my point even clearer, when I first attended South […]
Open Up Twelve Or More Ounces of Yee-Haw
People love sparkling water. Sparkling water is a thing. Therefore, the sparkling water market is getting crowded. Mexican-made Topo Chico (now owned by Coca-Cola) is dominant throughout Texas, but in Austin, there are five local choices and La Croix ain’t on the menu, much less Perrier. Big Swig Sparkling Water, Rambler Sparkling Water, Richard’s Sparkling […]
The Rising Stars of Texas: Escobar, Oliver, Olson, Hegar, Valenzuela, Kulkarni & Partners
Texans are people with great stories to tell plus the time and skill to tell them well. It’s one of the things that I love most about the state. In the political storytelling arena, some of the stories being told by Democratic officeholders and candidates for office are powerful personal stories of struggle and redemption. […]
RAICES Puts “Kids In Cages” In New Yorker’s Faces; NYPD Called In To “Keep the Peace”
This is not a subtle time in America or the world. It’s a highly disruptive time, with people fleeing famine caused by climate change, people at war, people harassed by gangs, people shot at work or school, and so on. To fight against the gross injustices that are happening right now on our watch, the […]
San Antonio Not As Important to Texas Lawmakers As Georgia Chicken Chain
What do far-right Republicans who control the agenda in Texas do all day? Do they act like they’re running the 11th largest economy in the world? Not exactly. Eat Mor Chickin, But Not At #SAT In March, the San Antonio City Council voted 6 to 4 with one abstention to deny a Chick-fil-A a concession […]
Schlotzsky’s New Customers Want A Thicker Cut of Austin
How does a 49-year old sandwich chain appeal to today’s on-the-go diner? Unlike a man of this age, the restaurant can’t go out and buy a Porsche. At Schlotzsky’s, true reinvention is the order of the day. Schlotzsky’s has been converting its Atlanta stores to Schlotzsky’s Austin Eateries since 2016, and the citywide transformation will […]
Unboxing Creativity at SXSW Interactive
AUSTIN—It’s a gray Monday morning in Bat City. My commute to downtown is easy and free parking is available on the east side of I-35. I walk to Rainey Street, where Bose, the country of Australia, and other big brands are temporarily encamped between the permanent food trucks. I am here to visit the Comcast NBCUniversal House […]
