Why we love art yet hate the artist has been an Industrial Age economic necessity Have you considered where the line is between ‘starving artist’ and ‘sellout’ in today’s digital economy? Where everyone is an influencer and monetizing your friends is a common practice? From Instagram and digital storytelling to podcasts and live streaming a …
Category: Advertising
Passionate young professional challenges millennial stereotypes
Sharp, fashionable and grounded describes 22 year old Cassandra Laper, a former University of Tampa student who is finding her groove in the advertising industry while harmoniously earning a degree from the preeminent Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. Born and raised on Long Island by her mother, Laper carries her Long …
Competition, Not Regulation Drives GMO Transparency
In March 2013 Whole Foods Market put “a stake in the ground on GMO labeling” by announcing that by 2018 all products sold by the grocery chain would be labeled indicating any included genetically modified organisms in order to provide full GMO transparency to customers. The announcement occurred around the same time as failed efforts by consumer activists to petition the federal government …
‘Mad Men’ was a decade-long whale hunt antagonized by an economist
The series finale of ‘Mad Men’ closed a fictional window to the 1960s. Women’s and civil rights, The Beatles, Serge Gainsbourg and The Doors, the introduction of birth control and realization that cigarettes cause cancer. The series remained authentic by intertwining itself with events of the decade. The crash of American Airlines Flight 1, the assassinations of John F Kennedy …
Dirty Political Trick Exploits ALS Foundation
Yesterday’s negative claim about the ALS Foundation by the Political Ears website is an outrageous example of a low class website intentionally using data out of context to exploit a good organization. Yes the article reports accurately that only 27% of funds raised (last year) were directed towards research. But then like a dirty political campaign it uses …
Six Years Later, Snickers Continues… Blunders or Brilliance?
An Adweek article showed up in my feed this afternoon from a friend, Construction Workers Yell Messages of Empowerment to Women in Snickers Stunt featuring construction workers yelling at women – with messages of empowerment. The commercial shows construction workers who instead of yelling sexist catcalls, shout positive messages like, “I’d like to show you the respect you …
Chipotle’s Industry Attack – Smart Indeed…
This week Chipotle has made another move in their campaign to change the course of corporate agribusiness and continues to expand a brilliant case study in brand development. After the success of last September’s Scarecrow the restaurant chain has stepped into new territory again by debuting an original comedy series “Farmed and Dangerous” on Hulu and Hulu …
JCPenney: What If Companies Could Die With Dignity?
UPDATE: I just became aware today of JCPenny’s reintroduction of appliance sales a few months back in January 2016. Almost exactly two years after I published this suggestion below about letting companies die and brands to evolve. The announcement by JCPenney this week that they will close 33 stores and lay off around 2,000 employees is generating a …
Neoteny. Exploring the “Youthification” of Our Society
Last week Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook and The Thank You Economy posted an insightful article to LinkedIn about a dramatic shift that our society is experiencing right now that can be observed readily in pop culture and consumer marketing. In Youthification. It’s a Word Now, Vaynerchuk refers to the shift as “youthification” and …
European Style Driving PSAs – Unsettling, but are they Effective?
A cousin posted a link to this driving safety PSA from New Zealand and since it’s been quite a while since I have covered PSAs of any kind I thought it might be a topic to resurrect if you will pardon the pun. In a change from the typical Final Destination format of other driving …