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 what, if anything, it might mean for the industry at large. The ad industry is prone to …
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 Cornyn isn't running against a name-brand Democrat, his team decided to place Wendy Davis, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, and …
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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 United States warned us how it would be: "You know what else they say about my people? The polls, they …
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“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 provide a more natural and more effective alternative for yeast …
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Are You Prepared for South By Southwest?
https://youtu.be/H9b_-EiWgy4 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 By in 2003, there was no Twitter, no Facebook, no Instagram, …
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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 Rainwater, Sway Water and Waterloo Sparkling Water …
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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. Julie Oliver for #TX25 Let's hear from healthcare advocate Julie Oliver, who is running …
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 messaging from politicians and humanitarian causes must find a new much more aggressive edge. RAICES, the …