Brand Codes in a World of Continuous Partial Attention
We are all, as T.S. Eliot wrote, “distracted from distraction by distraction.” So how can you craft ads capable of working?
How to Calculate Your Mass Media Branding Budget
A great media buyer can make a smaller budget bark like a bigger one, but you still need to spend according to growth goals.
Personality Prescription, Part 10 – The Company Spokesperson
People don’t expect you to be a polished professional. They do expect you to be sincere and to tell them the truth as you see it.
Doubling Down on Schtick That Sticks
It’s been over 40 years — and I can still sing the lyrics. Here are my quick and dirty takeaways.
Top Gun & The Tale of 2 Super Bowl Ads
While Tony Scott's Top Gun was the highest-grossing film of the year, his 1985 Super Bowl spot is regarded as Apple's worst ad ever.
The Hybrid Persuasive Power of “Slice of Life” Campaigns
These are mini-dramas in which the efficacy of the product is semi-demonstrated, as testified by the main character.
SUPERbowl vs SuperBORE
Professional sports now revolve around storylines. Business is about stories too. They glue us to the game and keep us wanting more.
Super Bowl Advertising vs. Your Advertising
Even guaranteed attention fizzles with a dud ad, while completely disinterested audiences can be won over with high-impact advertising.
Demonstration Ads — Part Deux.
Demonstration ads are like testimonial ads. They demand more of the advertiser and the creative team, but they're persuasive magic.
Learning from the Legends: What Can’t be Questioned?
Immediately following the launch of the Mr. Whipple campaign Charmin displaced Scott as the #1 brand in America.
Putting Funny Ads To Work For Your Boring-Ass Business – Ordinary to Extraordinary
None of these products were inherently interesting, yet their ads have been enjoyed hundreds of millions of times.
7 Modern Marketing Myths & Why They’re Dangerous Even When You’re Not Falling for Them
Following the zeitgeist is easy. Good branding is hard.
The Most Bizarre Brand Mascot (That Worked) In the Last Twenty Years — And Why You Should Care!
It permanently impressed itself on the tender psyches of millennials and they still whine about it decades later.
Learning From the Legends: The Ronseal Phrase
Don’t be deceived by the apparently artless, “just tell it like it is” nature of the ad. The slogan even made it into the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms and was repeatedly used by then-Prime Minister David Cameron.
Pat Weaver Changed the Face of Advertising Forever
You have not heard of him, but if you've ever run an ad on TV or Radio then you have him to thank. Learn the key to controlling eyeballs (and your own destiny).