Adpulp covers media and marketing—two sides of one coin. As such, it’s important to shine a light on the continued abuse of American journalists by the White House, by the police, and by our fellow Americans. More than 250 violations of the freedom of the press have been lodged since May 26. Minnesota police arrest […]
Prioritizing Black People and Uplifting Black Voices Is Harder Than Posting A Meme
Some people and brands took the day off yesterday. They didn’t fill their social media timelines with promotional material. Instead, many opted to place a black rectangle in their stream as a way to show solidarity with the anti-racist, anti-fascist movement. Of course, many brands had no business wading in these waters. For example: Want […]
Way Too Many Americans Are Hungry for Food, Respect, Work, and Love
People are hungry. As the country grapples with the calamitous economic fallout from COVID-19, an estimated 54 million people, including children, are turning to Feeding America’s network of food banks for help. In partnership with the Ad Council, Colle McVoy created a series of PSAs that depicts the growing need to feed millions and inspire […]
Brands Pause to Acknowledge the American Melee and Register Their Sadness
Exceptional brands create culture, but most brands reflect culture. Reflecting the culture since mid-March has been a creative challenge, given that millions of people are stuck at home and fearful for their health and economic well being. To make matters much worse, one week ago today, a Minneapolis cop was caught on video murdering a […]
Words Matter; Ergo, The Content That Fortifies Dictionary.com Matters
Words. There are so many of them. It’s hard to know them all or to know what they all mean. We used to have a dictionary and thesaurus nearby to look up unknown words. Today, we make a quick visit to Dictionary.com to confirm our hunch, or to get the official version. For instance, here’s […]
New Zealand, The Land of Positive Vibrations
The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all travelers to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The travel ban applies to all arrivals into New Zealand whether it is by air or sea. But these restrictions won’t be in place forever, and when it is safe to go again, many people will be […]
David Aaker on the Power of Stories to Shape the Discussion
Tech evangelist Guy Kawasaki’s new podcast, “Remarkable People,” continues to bring interesting authorities to the fore. This week’s episode features professor, author, and consultant, David Aaker, “the godfather of branding.” Aaker is a professor emeritus of the Haas School of Business of UC Berkley, the vice-chairman of a marketing and branding firm called Prophet, and […]
Proverbial Top Hats Off To The Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project is a group of Republican operatives who shoot arrows into President Trump’s less than Teflon hide. The group’s mission is to defeat President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box this November. To do that, these media-savvy operatives and Beltway insiders have unleashed a torrent of anti-Trump ads. Let’s look… “Those who […]
Howard Luck Gossage, Ad Legend
Howard Luck Gossage is a cult figure. He is considered by some of today’s practitioners, myself included, as one of the greatest creatives of all time. He converted an old firehouse in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco and began to “hold court” therein. Gossage was friends with Marshall McLuhan, Buckminster Fuller, and Tom […]
Moody And Austin Are Powerful Incubators of Tomorrow’s Marketing Communications Talent
On Saturday, Moody College of Communications at the University of Texas held a virtual graduation ceremony for its 2020 graduates. You can revisit the ceremony here: The College is home to the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations, among other notable programs. I love how Moody is sharing the student’s success on Instagram. […]
When There’s No Money Or Desire To Buy Things, There’s No Need To Advertise
I do not understand economics. Or, I do understand, it’s just that economics stopped making sense. Did you know that demand for housing was down 18% in April; yet prices remain 7.4% higher compared to last April? How does anyone explain such figures that are clearly at odds? When you dig in and work hard […]
Ad Chatter, Edición Cinco: Walmart’s New Resident Poet, Plus, Plus, Plus
In this fifth edition of Ad Chatter from Adpulp.com, Dan Goldgeier and I discuss new commercials from Lexus, Specialized Bikes, and Walmart. Plus Austin-based artist and ad man, Chad Rea, gets a shoutout, along with the new online portfolio school, rAdvertising. I meant to call Chad’s former agency 86theonions by its proper name, but I […]
