Clik here to view.
Betting on the backlash. Like it or not, gaming public opinion is the new...
Heel to Hero… Going from Heel to Hero and visa-versa has not only become predictable but is occurring at dizzying speeds. I think this phenomenon is grossly underappreciated. Not only is it changing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Will amazing tune and big budget production get Millennials into the Toyota...
First things first. I love the song. Though recorded before I was born, Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” is one of those rare tunes that transcends time. If the song came out tomorrow, sung by Adelle,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If writing radio is the true test of a copywriter then this is my “masterpiece.”
Link courtesy of Bart Smith… Bart Smith is an old friend from back in my Chicago days. Well before I moved west Bart trekked to Seattle, where he continued his audio production company, Bart Radio....
View ArticleClik here to view.
In honor of Chicago Cubs first World Series since 1945, a discussion of the...
The paradoxical Chicago Cubs. The brand succeeds even when team doesn’t. Can “sucking” be a brand virtue? The notion seems counter-intuitive but I wonder if in some cases sucking might actually...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Cubs never got near a World Series with Ernie Banks. But he helped them...
“Let’s play two.” -Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks I grew up in the shadow of Wrigley Field, which, though now hard to believe, was a sketchy neighborhood at the time. It was really only safe during Cub’s games....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Above the fray in every way, this powerful anthem from Johnnie Walker...
Above the fray in every way, comes this gorgeous film celebrating America’s ideals and spirit, words eloquently written by Woody Guthrie expressed through the voice of a Latin American. Yes, it’s a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Universally thought to be in the bag, how on earth did Adland bungle this pitch?
Falling on deaf ears? Like Hollywood and all its stars, the vast majority of Adland despised the idea of a Donald Trump presidency. Which is why for many months so many of us rallied for a different...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Light tone deftly seduces us before the reality of heavy message sinks in.
Normally, I don’t go for hidden camera stuff (in advertising or entertainment) but this provocative campaign for a difficult subject is an exception. What I admire is the light touch it took with such...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Holiday layoffs. Why now and why always the middle tier that gets the axe?
He’s making his list… We read about holiday layoffs in the trades. Perhaps we experience them in our lives. A grim subject, I know. For I have been on both sides of this sad equation. What I’m about...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Me: looking for work. You: struggling at work. Us: killing it.
The “Ghost Writer” at your service… No secret I’ve been looking for a creative leadership position in the advertising industry. But securing full time employment has proven to be daunting, even for a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
While our country in mired in racial turmoil, advertising (of all things!)...
Boy meets girl. They become friends. Grow up together. Fall in love. And when they inevitably become a couple Chase Bank is there with financial guidance to help them protect their growing nest egg....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Creative bar promotion, controversial fire starter, or both?
At first glance, this item seems like merely a glib menu item from a bar in Los Angeles. Which it is. But the gimmick of selling patrons a 40-ounce bottle of Colt 45 in a brown paper bag is much more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The cold, clear light of January. Maybe that’s just what we all need.
Is it just me or did 2016 seem to fall down the stairs like a bag of groceries? Rolling cans, broken bottles and a lot of F bombs. Even Christmas couldn’t save it. In my view, the holidays only added...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A few paragraphs about a fallen friend, the least I can do.
Police and fire engine sirens cut through the howling wind. Rain lashes onto the windows of my house, torrents of water falling from the sky. A blessing for drought stricken California but eerie in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Extraordinary writing from an extraordinary man: Reexamining MLK’s “Letter...
When I was in college, I took a course on rhetoric and debate in 20th century America. In it, we looked at numerous famous speeches made by famous people: Lincoln, Jefferson, King, etc. Learning from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Grotesque and irrelevant, Ringling Bros finally shuts down. Yet its mark on...
Gorgeous yet ugly. The poster says it all. After almost 150 years, the fabled Ringling Brothers Circus is finally shutting down. I say “finally” because for the life of me I don’t know what took so...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coen Brother’s masterful TVC for Mercedes AMG demonstrates why quality film...
The high degree of craft demonstrated by the Coen Brothers is obvious in this new “film” for Mercedes AMG. The casting, wardrobe, acting, editing: it’s all first rate. Seeing Fonda at the end is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oh, the vanity! Creative directors live tweeting during the Superbowl.
Though stinging, I love this gag Tweet from Adweak. Many a Superbowl I spent gripping my phone (or radiating my balls via laptop) racing the commercial feed on TV, and countless other assorted...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The hustle and flow of freelance: Hit. Me. Up.
In absence of full time employment, I’ve been working my tail off. If this sounds contradictory it is not. As any freelance writer will tell you, the hustle is as crucial as the creation. Unlike fat...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Selling God a devilish way to get freelance. And that’s the point.
Creator for hire… That’s right, to prove my chops as elegant persuader I’m going to sell you on the idea that God exists using intuitive and rational arguments. No new age mumbo-jumbo. No beatific...
View Article