From USA Today: Dick Wilson, the character actor and pitchman who for 21 years played an uptight grocer begging customers "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin," died Monday. He was 91. 21 years? Can you imagine any ad campaign being concepted today that would run for 21 years? Most of 'em these days are lucky to run for 21 weeks. …
Giving Thanks, Courtesy Of Emmanuel
Like a lot of people, I take being an American for granted. We've got our share of problems here, but for some people it's still a land of opportunity that they're grateful for. I learned that once again last week, when I shot and edited a video on behalf of Refguee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA). Emmanuel came to America last year, having spent much of his life in Tanzanian refugee camps. …
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Drawing Parallels Between The WGA Strike And Agency Woes
The Writers Guild strike is basically a debate about how creative types can (or can't) make money in the new media era, where content is everywhere. In my new column for Talent Zoo, I take a look at agency compensation and the fact we're all feeling pinched these days. Since there’s no legitimate quantifiable method to determine the financial impact of a brand’s ad campaign, performance-based models don’t work so …
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Because God Really Wants A Bigger Logo
Okay, it's a really long story, but basically I'm working on an assignment for funeral service memorials. And one of the 'deliverables' is a prayer card in which customers can choose from one of a number of pre-determined prayers (i.e., The Lord's Prayer, An Irish Blessing, some poems, etc.). The problem is, most of these prayers won't fit on the prayer cards. So here was one of the AE's suggestions to the …
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Pro-Bono Related Silence
Well, David's been carrying the load the last few days...like he does pretty much all the time. I spent the weekend filming and editing a video for a local charity that resettles refugees who come to America without a penny. Which promptly made me glad to be born in this country and makes day-to-day advertising stuff look like pretty minor shit. iMovie is pretty frickin' cool, I have to say. I'll be posting more …
Lessons From Alex
This month, the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta will host folks like Ani DiFranco, Shawn Mullins, and Suzanne Vega. But last night, it hosted Alex Bogusky, in an Atlanta Ad Club Event. Going in, I thought this would only perpetuate the dude's so-called "rock star" image. (I've always said there are no rock stars in advertising.) But it turned out to be a nice, informative evening. The whole thing was set up like an …
The Hollywood Writers Strike
Well, even Tina Fey got on the picket line in New York City yesterday, so you know it's serious. A few years ago, with a looming baseball strike, I wondered what would happen if advertising creatives had a union. Advertising is a commercial art--just like TV is. But copywriters and art directors don't have a union, generally don't get paid on the level of TV writers, don't have the slightest bit of recourse for job …
The Dentsu Guide To Better Management
Courtesy of the beautifully twisted minds at Words & Pictures. …
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