Imagine that you’re a junior creative at your first job, thrown immediately into the snake pit of a large ad agency where every week, you’re competing with 10 more experienced teams to pitch ideas for the same brief. In a sense, that was Gary Kroeger’s experience as a cast member for three seasons on “Saturday […]
The Amazon Jungle Shows You How To Maneuver Through The World’s Biggest Marketplace
“I tell my clients, if you’re not on Amazon, your product isn’t really online.” — Jason R. Boyce If you’re in charge of a brand, or simply the advertising for a brand, there’s no getting around the need to interact with Amazon on some level. Amazon is far-reaching and opaque. Yet by working it properly, […]
Bronze Seeks Silver Shows The Personal Side of A Pivotal Era In the Ad Industry
“Even with every advantage I was given, I’ve had to plan, sweat, and fight for each move on this marketing game board.” -Mat Zucker There are two styles of books advertising professionals write when they want to tell their career “war stories” and impart some of their learned wisdom: Either it’s a cradle-to-boardroom minutiae-laden biography […]
Ad Chatter: Special Edition with Steve Harrison
I recently reviewed Steve Harrison’s new book here on Adpulp.com, Can’t Sell Won’t Sell: Advertising, politics and culture wars. Why adland has stopped selling and started saving the world. In this special edition of Ad Chatter, I talked with Steve a little more about his book. We covered a wide variety of topics, including: Groupthink […]
Can’t Sell Won’t Sell Will Piss Off Many Ad People If They Read It
In a year filled with chaos and uncertainty, it’s increasingly clear that the future of the advertising industry hinges on economic, social, and political forces constantly in flux. And in the midst of the fog of 2020 comes a firecracker of a new book. British Creative Director Steve Harrison holds the advertising industry’s feet to […]
Earning Her Business Lays out Strategies To Tap Into Female Spending Power
Often times, when news articles and blog posts talk about reaching female consumers, they center on statistics and superficial overviews rather than qualitative thinking. Fortunately, brand experience expert Katie Mares lays out a comprehensive case for action in Earning Her Business: The Importance of Tailoring Your Brand Experience to the Female Consumer. Mares traces the […]
Hello My Name Is Awesome Guides You Though Those Tricky Naming Assignments
Of all the types of assignments advertising and marketing folks undertake, naming is probably the most rife with landmines, although it can be fun. A name which can seem like a natural winner in a brainstorming session (or thinking it over in the shower) might turn out to be legally problematic, tough to sell, or […]
Forging An Ironclad Brand Gives Us Much-Needed Marketing Basics and More
In an age where so many books on branding and marketing resort to a gimmicky approach, it’s refreshing to get a back-to-basics but comprehensive look at the business. That’s what we get with Lindsay Pedersen’s Forging an Ironclad Brand: A Leader’s Guide. This book really is a lengthy Branding 101 lesson. Pedersen starts with defining […]
“Savvy” Looks at Society’s Fakeness, and Advertising Looks Good In Comparison
I think we’re living in a precarious age. Nothing in the modern media is what It appears to be. We’re surrounded by stories, personalities, and corporate entities that simply operate by the maxim that “the end justifies the means.” Especially if that means outright deception. Shiv Singh and Rohini Luthra, Ph.D. take a closer look […]
The Punk Rock Of Business Sings A Familiar Song Of Disruption
It’s been 40 years since the Sex Pistols arrived and shook up a fairly corporate and slick music scene. Now, John Lydon is 62, the music seems a little tame even if it’s still raw, and anyone who remembers (if they can remember) those punk years has more gray hair that’s in need of dyeing, […]