Clik here to view.
Despite giant robots, looking forward to “Pacific Rim.” Because real monsters...
Monsters! Coming to a theater near you… Pacific Rim is a movie about Giant robots trying to save the world from giant monsters. It might be about a few more things but giant robots and monsters are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On birthdays, mine in particular…
Homemade beats Hallmark every time… Once again, I am lax in my dutiful coverage of all things ad-related. This time I have precious few excuses save for the usual “too busy at work.” Oh, but wait a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rolling Stone magazine cover glorifies Boston bomber like a rock star.
Publicity stunt, onerous mistake or both? By now you’ve seen the new cover of Rolling Stone magazine, featuring the photographic portrait of Boston bombing terrorist, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Look again....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Running an idea through Adland’s gauntlet: The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.
“I will protect the creative with my life!” We’ve been very busy at the agency, developing campaigns for a diverse and interesting array of fabulous clients. (Dear clients, note I said “fabulous” and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Delighting in bad radio advertising a ‘joyful’ part of my daily commute.
My daily commute… Driving home from work I like to roll old school, engaging in the dad-like behavior (all too rare for me) of listening to news and sports on the radio. Can you believe it? AM radio!...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hell bent for leather: The Schott Perfecto and my journey into obsession.
Action! It all started when I thought I’d lost my beloved leather bomber jacket. I’d bought the coat from a vintage store in Hollywood while there on a shoot. (That’s me wearing it behind the camera,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Forced togetherness: Merger mania is but a symptom of growth at all costs.
Let them eat cake! And so Publicis and Omnicom have joined forces, which, I suppose, is a cool way of putting it. But whatever they did they did it and like any marriage it is for better and for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Regardless on one’s creative philosophy, it all comes down to passion and...
“With great passion comes great responsibility.” Recently, I was asked about my creative philosophy. Namely, do I have one? Seems like a reasonable question. Seems like something an Executive Creative...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On creative philosophy: The “Creative Athlete” remains relevant and always in...
Are you a “creative athlete?” My last post was about “responsible passion” as creative philosophy. I wrote that whatever the philosophy a creative professional has it must strike a balance between...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Obession. Passion or pathology? The state in which “want” and “need” are all...
Too much of a good thing? Last Sunday, I read a story in the New York Times Magazine about a woman who had become obsessed with an obscure songwriter and producer from the 1960’s, Curt Boettcher. It’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
B2B and Technology marketing isn’t easy but it’s a lot more relevant than...
Been there, doing that! In 2001, I became Chief Creative Office of an agency within Leo Burnett, which we called LBWorks. Our emphasis was on B2B and technology clients. At the time I had trepidations...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lessons from Adland: Presenting work means never having to say you’re sorry.
“Good morning. I hope you like this presentation because I sure as hell don’t.” As a copywriter I’ve presented countless campaigns to both clients and creative directors. As a creative director, I’ve...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Read any good insurance forms lately? The mind boggling “narrative” of my tooth!
Where our story begins… This post isn’t about advertising or copywriting but it is about writing… sort of. What it is mostly about is the ridiculous letter I just received from my insurance company...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Negativity and creativity in Adland: Getting used to it is half the fun!
Portrait of a young man as troubled copywriter… How many times have we in Adland heard variations on the following comment regarding a member of the creative department: “Jack has talent… if only he...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nothing new here: Thoughts on LG’s end-of-the-world prankvertisement…
There’s some controversy over this so-called bit of “prankvertising” LG did on behalf of its high-definition television. Maybe you’ve seen it? A handful of people interviewing for a fake job are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On creativity, agency culture and the Catholic Church! Ruminations from our...
If only all business dinners were like this! Because of a passport debacle, I was two days late to our company’s annual Academy and “Uno” Conference in the historic town of Toledo, Spain. Arriving...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Annoying or boring? Pick your poison when it comes to fast food commercials.
Wendy’s sanitized hipsters… so painful Watching football games on TV this weekend we saw an inordinate amount of commercials for fast food. In one quarter of the 49’rs game there were spots for Burger...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stand down cynics! Thai commercial for True Move reminds us “giving is the...
In my second novel, The Happy Soul Industry God hires an ad agency to market “goodness in all its forms.” Alas, advertising is the devil’s playground and all hell breaks loose. I’m not writing this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Midas “Talking Hand” campaign gives me the willies… and deja vu.
Talk to the hand… Visualizing their age-old theme line, “The Midas Touch,” the Martin Agency has created a talking, disembodied hand to shill for the franchise auto repair shop, a mish mash of brand...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On prepositions and popular culture: sometimes creative writing means doing...
Do you know where you’re going to? That’s the signature line from the Theme from Mahogany a famous song by chanteuse, Diana Ross. It’s a lovely number. Back in the day, it was a sensation. But that...
View Article