It's not nice to fool Mother Nature and Apple wouldn't dream of doing such a thing. The company mines precious metals to use in its products and creates a non-renewable waste stream from these same products, and runs massive data centers that suck electricity all day every day, nevertheless, Apple is aligned with Mother Nature. That's what this new piece of branded content says, and who are we to argue with the …
Coach Prime and the Sanders Family Are On the Menu
Not every athlete is an entertainer, but Deion Sanders has always been both, and his flashy brand of bravado is made for today's media culture. Sanders, a.k.a. Neon Deion, a.k.a. Coach Prime, is a sensation on the sideline, in the announcer's booth, in the locker room, in a new Amazon Prime series, in his oldest son's collection of made-for-social-media videos, in several new SI articles, on 60 Minutes, and in a …
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Martin Weigel Imagines A Better Future for Strategy and Strategists
People inside and outside the agency business sometimes wonder what strategy is and how it works. Strategy is about creating change and transformation, according to Martin Weigel, chief strategy officer at AMV BBDO. I'm glad he is in the mood to explain the strategic offering and argue for its value. Let's look at just one paragraph from his recent Contagious article: The inconvenient truth for those who …
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Hank, the Buffalo with Wings, Would Like To Have A Word
If you're a college football fan and a Colorado Buffaloes fan in particular, you already know and love Ralphie. He runs the field with five handlers in tow before each home game. Ralphie is a legend. Now, there's a new buffalo* in town. His name is Hank and he works for a chicken wings conglomerate. By brand mascot standards, Hank is a handsome beast, but he also has a bit of a 'tude. Hank proudly states that …
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David Droga Is Always Making, Shaping, and Creating
In this on-camera interview, CNBC’s Tania Bryer asks David Droga, founder of Droga5, CEO of Accenture Song, and the most awarded person in Cannes Lion history, what his secret ingredient is. Droga replies, "Not piss a lot of people off...No, I don't know, I've always been restless and curious. I've been lucky that I've worked around the world in different markets, which gave me immense opportunities to work with …
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A Big Idea: “Non-Mineable Land” Inside of Minecraft
Minecraft is the best-selling game in the world. The game teaches players, primarily children, to mine and build whole worlds out of raw materials. Naturally, the raw materials must be secured under duress. A game needs tension, and Minecraft has it. What it does not have is a means to teach players that raw materials belong to a community dependent on the resources for their livelihoods. Due to the increase in …
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“Trust Your Spirit,” Your Gut, and Your Choice of Bourbon
Some musicians spend a lot of time in bars because bars have stages and people who like to dance. Bars and their patrons help musicians make their way in the world and that's something. It doesn't mean that the musicians drink more than anyone else, or that they favor a particular bourbon (if they do drink). Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Whatever the sitch, it helps to have the talent on your side and in this new …
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The Valley’s High Priests Want AI Allegiance and Adoption
The Valley's hype machine has been in full grind mode since the dawn of AI as a mass market tool. Since the start of 2023, I've seen a lot of over-the-top nonsense masquerading as product promotion, but what I saw last week in venture capitalist Mark Andreesen's verbose defense of the technology, is unprecedented. This is no longer PR or promotion. It's religion. The stakes here are high. The opportunities are …
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