America is struggling through some rough and dark times. Millions of people are out of work, millions have COVID-19, and millions more are working more hours from home than they did at the office. Clearly, it is time to inject some 1960s idealism into the scene and the best way to do this is with […]
Accountability, Please Phone Home
The work, the work, the work. This is what ad people fret over and obsess about. The work has to be much better, or else. Or else no raises, no promotions, no trophies, and no second home, no country club memberships, and no private schools for the kids. What ad people do not obsess over […]
Remote Workers Are Holdin’ It Together, In Advertising and Elsewhere
When was the last time that you spent time with your closest colleagues in person? For many of us, the answer is last March. For me personally, I work most closely with two people in Omaha, a.k.a. “Joemaha.” I have not seen either of them in person in three or four years, which is a […]
Let Her Run—A Powerful New Campaign for Gender Justice
Gender discrimination is rampant throughout society. In sports, it’s as painful as it is elsewhere, despite the fact the women discriminated against are elite athletes. Female athletes are banned from participating in official sports competitions because they have above-average natural testosterone levels. This has prematurely ended the career of dozens of athletes and threatens the […]
Slack On You Crazy Diamonds
I asked Darby to turn off her Slack notifications earlier this summer. The constant pinging from her office was driving me slightly mad. As with any new tech, it’s how you choose to use it. Thankfully, Slack has many customization settings and a bevy of How-To videos to dive into for new users. Slack also […]
There’s A New School In Ad City, It Is Free To Attend and “Unapologetically Black”
Access—you can’t get there without it. In the advertising agency business, access has been afforded to the few. The industry is elite by design. The people on the inside ask those on the outside to “break-in,” if they can. The entire set up is adversarial from the get-go. Yes, there’s talk of a meritocracy for […]
Business Journalists Have Harder Truths To Tell, And Now Is the Time
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” -George Bernard Shaw I have covered the marketing, media, and advertising industries on this website for 15.5 years now. What began as a place to have digital “watercooler discussions” about ads, quickly grew into something bigger and better. Adpulp.com has […]
Corporate Innovation and the Risk/Reward Equation
This new article in our Emerging Voices Series is made possible by the generous support of Adpulp’s patrons on Patreon. Please join us and help pay writers. Corporations have been wrestling with an innovation problem for decades. Some of the most well-known are infamous for it, with an innovation strategy that appears to downright […]
Meritocracy Is A False God. Instead, Practice Gratitude and Cultivate Good Luck.
Editor’s Note: The following article is by Clifton Mark. It was originally published at Aeon and has been republished here under Creative Commons. ‘We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else …’ Barack Obama, inaugural address, […]
Chaco Retrofits Factory Operations, Is Now Sewing and Donating Protective Masks
Chaco, the outdoor lifestyle footwear brand, has shifted the focus of its Michigan-based ReChaco factory and mobile factory bus from sandal repairs and product customization to the production of face masks and other critical protective equipment needed by healthcare and other first responders working through the COVID-19 pandemic. After Michigan issued a statewide stay at […]
