The advertising agency business has been in one bind or another ever since the dawn of digital. Digital shook the industry to its core, and the reverberations are still being felt from top to bottom. The list of problems is long, but one problem we don't spend enough time discussing is the problem of not knowing who or what we are, any longer. It's a confusion that I find perplexing. May I point you to an …
TV and Film Writers Are Fighting for All Workers Threatened By AI
The Writers Guild of America is out on strike. After six weeks of negotiations with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount, and Sony (under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers), members of the strongest writer's union in the land collectively walked off the job. It sounds like a glamorous job—writing for TV or film. For a select few, it is, and …
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Corona Makes A “Living Billboard” That Walks Like A Crab
Outdoor advertising is often seen as a blight on the landscape by millions of passers-by in their cars. In many cases, the critics (and would-be shoppers) are spot on in their disdain for the medium. There are a great number of ads in the environment, and a great number of them fail to connect, entertain, or inform. Corona Peru is on another page with this innovative out-of-home effort made in collaboration with …
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Thriller: Ryan Gosling Escapes with A New TAG Heuer Carrera
Actors. They're always acting. Ryan Gosling, for instance. Even when he's lifting an expensive timepiece, he's acting like it's no big deal. But it is a big deal. No one—not even a Hollywood movie star—walks off with a TAG Heuer Carrera and gets away with it. https://youtu.be/DDKKB5KaROU The watches in this heritage collection from TAG Heuer range in price from $3200 to $24,050 (expensive, but well within …
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What ChatGPT “Thinks” About Ageism in Advertising and Media
Discriminating against people due to their age is a pox upon advertising and media houses. It's bad business, and another bad business practice is the last thing that these industries need, right now. Ageism is also a particularly perplexing issue emanating from professional workers who truly ought to know better. Given that everyone who is alive is aging, it's just a matter of time before it's your turn. The …
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Bias Against Aging People, Like All Bias, Is Idiotic and Unproductive
The truly odd thing about ageism is how every single living creature on this planet is aging. We're all aging right now, as we do each and every moment of our lives. Ultimately, this means our bias against aging people is discrimination against the self, and that ageism is a brutal form of self-hatred. As we know, ageism is also bad for business. This new 45-minute documentary film, directed by Scott Haper, …
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Why Artificial Intelligence is Not a Replacement for Human Creativity
With the rise of artificial intelligence and automation, it is no surprise that some individuals are beginning to worry about the future of writing. As machines become more advanced, they are now capable of not only mimicking human speech but also producing entire articles, reports, and even novels. This has led to the development of programs like Jasper, which can create content that is grammatically correct and …
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Sky High on AI
AI. Have two letters in combination ever received the hype, press, and speculation behind them that AI presently enjoys? One has to wonder what's so special about the latest shiny object and exactly who stands to gain the most by seeing artificial intelligence take off. The pace of AI-related product releases and promotions since November 30, 2022, when ChatGPT was first released to the public has been brisk. Take …
Banana Boat Introduces Nest Domes to Protect Endangered Sea Turtles
Banana Boat protects you from the sun's harmful rays. Now, the skincare brand is extending its reach into wildlife preservation. During the last four years in Colombia, 99 percent of sea turtles have been born female. The sand's warmth influences their sex during the incubation phase: if a turtle's eggs incubate below 27.7°C the turtle hatchlings will be male. If the eggs incubate above 31°C the hatchlings will be …
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The Friendly Pepper Upper Makes A New Pink Ruckus
As if Dr Pepper didn't have enough flavor packed into each syrupy sip, now the Texas-based beverage brand is pouring on the pink with the introduction of Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream. The brand also claims it's the "new flavor you deserve." I'm unclear about how anyone deserves a flavor, but I am clear about liking the campy nature of these TV ads. Let's …
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Heinz Brazil Is Improving the Tattoo Experience for All
In an innovative, relevant, and health-conscious move, Heinz Brazil is developing a proprietary "Heinz red" tattoo pigment using only non-harmful ingredients and making the ink available to tattoo parlors throughout Brazil. The action comes on news that color tattoo ink faces growing restrictions and outright bans in countries around the world. The European Union alone has banned over 4,000 ingredients used in the …
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Northwest Ford Dealers Show How Survival Is Easier With A Nearby Getaway Vehicle
Auto dealers are a tough crowd. Which is why this campaign (which I worked on) was especially fun to make. We don't pitch creative ideas to marketing directors, or CMOs. Just the Board of Directors at the Northwest Ford Dealers Advertising Association. It's what they call "Tier 2 Automotive" — and the focus is on selling vehicles, not beauty shots. So when there's an opportunity to have some fun, it's a big …
