Share In the age of social media, everybody want to be an expert and nobody ever wants to be an idiot. Ones idiocy could be on their permanent Twitter-record after all. But I’d like to stand up and say it’s OK to be an idiot, at least sometimes. Early in my career I worked with …
Tag Archives: Ad Agency
It’s OK to be an idiot. Sometimes.
Where is Alex’s chorus? Or the triangle of ad deprevity.
Share Imagine a triangle. On one side is pushing tobacco. The other side is glamorizing gambling. And the last side is exploiting children. When I started my career this was the terrain I promised myself I would never work. And I never have. And, frankly, my moral compass hasn’t wavered much through the years. But I’ve …
New post on Agency Blog — Thank you for sharing
Share Part of the creative’s job these days is to develop ways to encourage sharing a new campaign. It’s no longer enough to create brilliant creative that connects with the audience. Now, creative needs to be so powerful that it encourages “engagement” and “sharing.” Read the rest here.
Why your advertising sucks part 6. You’re scared you might offend someone.
Share Ever met someone who never takes sides. Never makes a clear decision. Always wants the group to decide so he doesn’t run the risk of making anyone upset. You probably called this person wishy washy, indecisive or maybe even weak. And never a leader. Now imagine this person is your brand. A lot of …
What the hell inspires me? Actually, you can.
Share As a writer and creative person, inspiration is something I’m supposed to know a lot about. I shouldn’t need your help, because I’m inspired to write witty, interesting things all the time, right? Certainly I’ve got a direct line to the muse? Unfortunately, there’s no bat phone for writers. Article continues here on agency …
Why your advertising sucks part 5. It’s designed to make you feel good.
Share Too many marketing departments spend countless hours navel gazing, trying to find a omniscient inner-voice. This oracle is supposed to communicate who they are as a company and what they need to tell their customers so that they will finally understand the value they offer the world. It never works. Sorry, navel gazers, your belly …
Shattered. It’s time to re-imagine.
Share I don’t know a single person in my profession of advertising, or in an ancillary field, who isn’t working much harder for the same or less money then they were a few years ago. Most industries have been hit real hard. But marketing and advertising professionals got it right in the teeth. Marketing departments are …
Top 10 signs you’re a douchey agency type?
Share Image by Tacit Requiem via Flickr Now more than ever, we agency professionals cannot afford to have cliche’ agency jerks among our ranks. There’s enough tension with clients and providers thanks to the economic hardships. So please, if you recognize any of these behaviors as something you or your colleagues do, please do your …
The risk reward index. Or are you trying hard enough to embarras yourself?
Share Back in the days when I used to produce a lot of television spots, I sat through hundreds and hundreds of the most awkward auditions. Some were more like an American Idol outtakes show than you’d like to believe. Why? Because actors are willing to take huge risks to get an opportunity to do …
Social media and my half marathon
Share Tomorrow I’m running the Atlanta Half Marathon. Back in my early 20s I would have been much better prepared for this effort. I was a competitive cyclist and didn’t have the same job and family commitments I do today. In fact, the old me would probably say that present me is ill prepared. So …
