Advertising News and Know-How
TikTok challenges, retargeting ads, GDPR, and cookies? What is this advertising business that we inhabit today? It feels foreign, and we the ad-makers and brand shapers of today may feel lost and/or disoriented. It's not that the pace of change is too great. It's that we refuse to pause and assess the value of the shiny new digital objects. At the same time, the fundamentals of the business are absent in way …
Continue Reading about Ad Legends Who Shaped the Modern Craft of Advertising →
In this episode of Ad Chatter, we hear from special guest Robb Burnham, who is VP and executive creative director at Kruskopf & Company (also known as KC Truth) in Minneapolis. Robb is an art director by trade and an accomplished illustrator and fine artist (known as WACSO). He attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and worked for Martin Williams, Fallon, and Carmichael Lynch before joining KC …
Continue Reading about Ad Chatter with Special Guest Robb Burnham of KC Truth →
Most of today's best ads are entirely forgettable. We simply have too much information and too many pitches coming at us all day every day to pay attention, or to hold on to that information once we do. Now, brand experience is the name of the game. When a brand provides an experiential moment that involves people in their brand story, people are much more receptive to the message and they're ready to …
Continue Reading about When Bahlsen Cookies Drop from the Sky, Good Things Are In Store →
"The owl has landed." I like a provocative headline. And I like a print campaign that invites readers to know more (like this one from KesselsKramer). I also love a brand with great stories and a rich legacy. Kentucky Owl Bourbon was originally founded in 1879 but was forced to close during prohibition. The heritage brand was relaunched in 2017 as a luxury, small-batch product. THE WISEMAN is the …
Continue Reading about Stoli Group and KesselsKramer Invite You To Sip on THE WISEMAN →
Tom Burrell was born in 1939 and he grew up on Chicago's South Side. When he entered the advertising agency business in 1961, he was the only black person in the entire city of Chicago working in the field. To say that Burrell is a maverick is too tame. He's a trailblazer who climbed the highest mountains in American business and then learned to thrive in that thin white air. Burrell began his career in …
Packaging matters, especially at the point of sale. Sometimes a product's packaging makes all the difference. For instance, the Bud Light Seltzer Retro pack, which features a tie-dye design, quickly became a favorite this summer, generating a 3.5% share of the entire hard seltzer category. Loud Enough to Blow A Hole in the Wall The brand’s latest campaign titled, “The Loudest Flavors Ever” features rising comedic …
Continue Reading about Bud Light Seltzer Packs Flavor Explosions in Tye-Dye Cans →
What's in a name? If we're talking about the Washington Redskins, the answer is simple—bias and overtly racist thinking are in the name. Same with Squaw Valley, the famous resort near Lake Tahoe. So, Squaw Valley is no more. Palisades Tahoe is the new name. https://youtu.be/iN-cpfqFP7Q High Country News spoke to Darrel Cruz, director of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office at the Washoe Tribe about the …
Ads present the product or service in the right light to motivate consideration and purchase. Content marketing is something different. Content-fueled campaigns are designed to please people and that's pretty much it. In other words, content is a gift from the brand, not a clever request to purchase. Content also rewards customers and provides a way to share values between the sponsoring company and its audience …
Continue Reading about Indie Rockers Head To Yosemite for a Brand-Sponsored Jam Session →
Facebook is under fire from all directions. Former employees are venting. The press is screaming. The federal government seeks to break the company's monopolistic hold. And we the people just want to scroll—something that was denied to billions of addicted users of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for more than seven hours on Monday. In the center of the maelstrom is Frances Haugen, a former product manager at …
Continue Reading about Facebook Foibles and the Media Megaphone Mess →
Some brands are searching for a purpose. Other brands focus on purpose from day one because it's an expression of the company's core values and because it's good for business. Emotion moves people to pay attention, care, and buy. The following short film from Hyundai is packed with raw emotion. https://youtu.be/5xAXnkOvepg Paul Imhoff has been successful at orchestrating integrated marketing campaigns …
Continue Reading about Hyundai Is Out Front in the Fight Against Pediatric Cancer →
"Marketing effectiveness" sounds like a webinar that someone once forced you to attend, or worse, a graduate seminar on the way to a Master in Business Administration. Perhaps, the term would benefit from a rebrand, because it's not a seminar or webinar. Marketing effectiveness is the difference between failure and success. Given its importance, why don't we know all about it? Bob Hoffman, founder of Hoffman Lewis …
Continue Reading about Introduction to Marketing Effectiveness (A Primer) →
The ad agency business is a fickle beast. A rollercoaster of highs and lows. It's also one of the few places that creative mavericks and outcasts can make a name for themselves and millions of dollars too. Alex Bogusky, for example. He rode his skateboard into the Miami offices of Crispin Porter and soon ascended to creative director at the then regional shop. Bogusky went on to rule the ad world and his agency with …
Continue Reading about CPB Falls On Hard Times, Iconic Agency Down to Just 40 Employees →
Divisiveness is a fact of life in America today. Sadly, too many brands and their agency partners see an opportunity in it. When you make fun of one group, it excites another group and moves them to action. That's the idea and it's not wrong. What's wrong is using fear, judgment, and other wedge issues to sell. Ken Dychtwald is a nationally recognized expert on aging and ageism. In a new article for AARP, he …
Continue Reading about Bias Against People Over 50 Is the Work of Feeble-Minded Novices →
Nearly half of all Americans describe the news media as “very biased,” according to survey conducted in 2020 by Knight Foundation and Gallup. “That’s a bad thing for democracy,” says John Sands, director of learning and impact at the Knight Foundation. “When half of Americans have some sort of doubt about the veracity of the news they consume, it’s going to be impossible for our democracy to function.” The study …
Food is the single largest component that takes up space in U.S. landfills. U.S. residents waste almost 40 million tons of food every year – more than any other country in the world. In fact, the average American family of four discards $1,600 a year in fresh produce. This colossal waste contributes to global warming and does nothing to address the global hunger crisis. The Dole Sunshine Company is bringing …
Continue Reading about The Word from Dole: We Are Wasting So Much Food →
Do you love eggs, but feel bad about supporting corporate farms that raise chickens in pens? Have you tried Just Egg from the scientists and culinary artists at Eat Just, Inc.? Perhaps, you will soon? Eat Just, Inc. just launched a new multi-million-dollar brand campaign for its popular plant-based JUST Egg products. The brand's “Really Good Eggs” campaign kicks off this week with a series of ads narrated by …
Continue Reading about Plant-Based Eggs Are No F*^$ing Joke →
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