The year is not yet concluded, but I have concluded that the following articles on Adpulp.com are my favorites of 2021 (so far). A Book for ‘Ad People’ with Brains The Machines Have Moved In. The Machines Have No Feelings. Ad Legends Who Shaped the Modern Craft of Advertising Introduction to Marketing Effectiveness (A Primer) How To Stop Boring People and Make Your Presentations Sing Ad Chatter, the …
Job Number One: Ask Good Questions and Take Good Notes
I started interviewing people when I was 18 years old and a freshman at Franklin & Marshall College. One thing I know about myself—I have a journalist's temperament, which I bring to the ad business, sometimes successfully. In this new collection of 18 interviews with 19 advertising professionals, there's a series of successful moments where people I admire and respect get a chance to wax poetic about life, …
Continue Reading about Job Number One: Ask Good Questions and Take Good Notes →
A Book for ‘Ad People’ with Brains
One of the best things about Adpulp.com is the people we meet. The site opens many doors and behind many of these doors are amazingly unique people with fascinating stories. My new ebook—Ad Brains: Conversations with Advertising's Icons, Rebels, and Rulers—captures some of these stories. Ad Brains is now available for $10 from Amazon.com, Kobo.com, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books, and Google Play. All …
On BuiltIn.com Now: RFPs Are a Waste of Precious Time
To reach new and more readers, I started to send out articles for publication—articles that would have otherwise appeared in these pages. Technology-focused Built In has been kind enough to run two of my pieces, so far. Here's the latest: RFPs Are a Waste of Precious Time. Here’s a Better Way to Hire an Agency. There’s a wealth of highly specialized marketing talent available to brands today, but few brand …
Continue Reading about On BuiltIn.com Now: RFPs Are a Waste of Precious Time →
Selfie Culture Sucks So Hard, And Dove Is Having None Of It
When you're out and about, do you see people primping for the camera? You don't have to look far. Selfie preparation is happening all around us, in idling cars, in living rooms, in restaurants and bars, and on the street. So many carefully curated images, so little room for reality. Because reality bites. Reality is a drag. Why be real when you can add makeup, hair, and lighting? Even moms are faking it, for real, …
Continue Reading about Selfie Culture Sucks So Hard, And Dove Is Having None Of It →
Adland Podcast Number 9: From Ad Industry Woes To New and Improved Pathways
Two advertising professionals and OG ad critics enter a podcast recording booth... Tune in now to find out what was said. This ep of the adland podcast I chat with @davidburn of @adpulp about trademarks (like adland) paying people for their work, digital debris and much more. Namechecked the @adcontrarian more than once. :) https://t.co/h06dmkJLPN — Åsk Dabitch (@dabitch) August 14, 2020 We discuss the …
Continue Reading about Adland Podcast Number 9: From Ad Industry Woes To New and Improved Pathways →
These New Holiday Ornaments from Colle McVoy Are Not Like Other Ornaments
Colle McVoy is a masterful designer of holiday cards. Every year the Minneapolis agency sends me something new and every year I marvel at the idea and the elegant execution of the idea. This year a small package arrived. Inside the package, I found four beautiful holiday-themed coasters that also act as ornaments for the Christmas tree. On the back of each ornament is a story about the featured animal and a …
Continue Reading about These New Holiday Ornaments from Colle McVoy Are Not Like Other Ornaments →
What’s Your “Truth Well Told”?
Quick. In a sentence tell me what your agency is all about. Come on, we don't have all day. Ad People Can't Seem To Sum Themselves Up Darren Woolley is the founder and global chief executive of TrintityP3, an independent global marketing management consulting company. Q. A what? A. He's a consultant. Over the past two decades, I have seen more than a thousand agency credentials presentations, either …
The Future of Paid Content: Same As It Ever Was
Eight years ago, I had an opportunity to speak to a group of marketing pros in Boston about the future of paid content. I was invited to speak by my friend and former colleague, Sloane Kelley, one of the founders of Geekend, an annual gathering now in its 11th year. I had an audio recording from the talk in my files, and this week I finally connected it to the slide deck I presented on that day October day in …
Continue Reading about The Future of Paid Content: Same As It Ever Was →
How Not Giving A Fuck Makes All the Difference in the World
Agency positioning is a lost art, along with long copy. Thankfully, both are currently being restored by Fallow Fields agency. Fallow Fields, unlike every other agency under the sun, has no more fucks to give. Let's dive into some of the best self-promo copy I've read in A LONG TIME... When you’re over 50, you just stop giving a fuck.That’s it. Zero fucks to give.The taste of corporate Kool-Aid makes you …
Continue Reading about How Not Giving A Fuck Makes All the Difference in the World →
Senioritis or Reggaemylitis?
Cindy Gallop continues to wallop the industry with painfully necessary truisms. In a recent interview she said: Q. What is the biggest mistake companies – brands or the industry – are making in their attitude to age today?A. They don’t understand that experience and expertise are incredibly time and cost-efficient, and that they could be making huge amounts more money by hiring, promoting, valuing and retaining …
Colle McVoy Is The Thoughtful Agency
As a new year's gift, Colle McVoy sent me a series of "cubespirations" to help keep me properly motivated throughout the year. Here is one of my favorite messages in the collection of beautifully made letterpress cards. I like this design concept. With just two words, the agency's creative team is able to make a significant statement. Artists—and that's what exceptional communicators are—help us dare to …
Continue Reading about Colle McVoy Is The Thoughtful Agency →
Get Out of Any Copywriting Jam Without Losing Your Mind, Money or Clients
Are you a graphic designer, art director or front-end web designer? Do you struggle to work with copy, clients who write copy and freelance copywriters? If yes, check out this free copywriting workshop from the editor of Adpulp. Are you wasting time, money and energy on poorly written copy that ruins the effectiveness of your design work? Do your clients insist that they can write the copy? When you do …
Continue Reading about Get Out of Any Copywriting Jam Without Losing Your Mind, Money or Clients →
Migrating to Client-Side Opportunities: A Rich Topic To Mine
Communication Arts is "The Bible" for the creative side of the business. To be featured in the advertising or design annual, or to appear in a feature article in one of the quarterly editions, is a form of acceptance into the club. To have an Adpulp article land on CA's digital front page this week is not quite the same level of recognition, but it's handsome recognition and I am grateful. CA also used their …
Continue Reading about Migrating to Client-Side Opportunities: A Rich Topic To Mine →
New Organic Life Mist Gets Musical Boost from Art Rock Outfit, YACHT
Product launches are such difficult affairs. When the new product is Kibu — One for All Life Mist (which SOLD OUT within seconds of being introduced this week) the process is even harder. Nevertheless, YACHT makes it look easy. https://youtu.be/p95_rB6WPc8 Typically, a rock band uses their music video to "sell" their song. Placing an actual product inside your video is an interesting variation on a theme. …
Continue Reading about New Organic Life Mist Gets Musical Boost from Art Rock Outfit, YACHT →
DigitasLBi Shines Its Light On Puerto Rico’s Darkness
The devastated island of Puerto Rico will not have power fully restored until May, nearly eight months after Hurricane Maria ripped through the Caribbean. Did you know that nine of Puerto Rico's 78 municipalities are still without power three months after the powerful Category 4 hurricane slammed the island? Frustrated residents are forced to boil water and live without a refrigerator or electricity. Try that …
Continue Reading about DigitasLBi Shines Its Light On Puerto Rico’s Darkness →
