“Football is a microcosm of America.” LaDainian Tomlinson said so, and he’s right. This ultra-American game is violent by design. One team acquires the territory of another. Like the land on which the game is played, football’s territory is highly contested, and this constant striving and insecurity is a mirror into the American soul. So […]
Your Brand Is A Cocktail, Serve It Wisely
This new article by Toby Donaldson in Adpulp’s Emerging Voices series is made possible by the generous support of Looney Advertising in Montclair, NJ. Brand is coming back into vogue. Skepticism of Martech-led short-termism is reaching CMOs and CEOs, so much so that the Gartner CMO survey ranks brand strategy as the most vital marketing […]
Project Pandora’s Box: Apple’s Cheeky Take on Working From Home
Do you know this woman? Maybe you are this woman. Maybe you work with her. Maybe you live with her. I wonder aloud because I find the portrayal of her work style and her work ethic striking. She is all in, of that, there can be no doubt. When the unreasonable boss-lady chirps her unreasonable […]
Welcome to Voltage Valley and Its New American-Made EV Pickup Truck
Pickup truck drivers with good credit and a concern for the environment will one day soon be able to drive the new all-electric Endurance by Lordstown Motors. Our ability to evolve… I like that framing. Manufacturing in Ohio and throughout the Rust Belt has required a massive injection of money and new thinking for decades. […]
Jeep Beep Beeps. The New Bronco Bucks.
Ford built the Bronco from 1966 to 1996. Collectors of the mid-size SUV have pleaded with Ford to return the Bronco to its lineup. Their requests are being answered. The Bronco, which will be assembled at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, will go on sale next year. The new 2021 Ford Bronco reveal event […]
Reflections In the American Mirror: Baseball, Race, and Pancake Mix
Major League Baseball will be back soon. A second spring training will begin next week, with opening day in late July. Is this an encouraging sign or a desperate plea to return to a normal that just isn’t there? Time will tell. Meanwhile, here in Texas, we’re experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases, and the […]
IBM Thinks Bigger; It’s In The Company’s DNA To Do So
Technology that ushers in sweeping societal changes ought to come with a warning, but that’s fanciful thinking in unregulated America. On these brave shores, we believe in self-reliance and self-regulation, prolonged fantasies both. I often wonder, did Steve Jobs know what he was unleashing with the iPhone because the impact has not been all good. […]
Brands Pause to Acknowledge the American Melee and Register Their Sadness
Exceptional brands create culture, but most brands reflect culture. Reflecting the culture since mid-March has been a creative challenge, given that millions of people are stuck at home and fearful for their health and economic well being. To make matters much worse, one week ago today, a Minneapolis cop was caught on video murdering a […]
David Aaker on the Power of Stories to Shape the Discussion
Tech evangelist Guy Kawasaki’s new podcast, “Remarkable People,” continues to bring interesting authorities to the fore. This week’s episode features professor, author, and consultant, David Aaker, “the godfather of branding.” Aaker is a professor emeritus of the Haas School of Business of UC Berkley, the vice-chairman of a marketing and branding firm called Prophet, and […]
“People That Know, Know BDO.” Is That So?
“People That Know, Know BDO.” Thanks to the rhyme, it’s an easy line to say and recall. That doesn’t mean it’s a good line. A good line would tell us more about the “people that know,” and we’d know what BDO is and does, as well. Because acronyms are practically unknowable, a business that uses […]
