The AdHole

Since the dawn of marketing communications (and approximately 16 seconds before that term was shortened into the insufferable mash-up “marcomm”), advertising agencies and clients alike have fallen into the same trap over and over and over again. No, not the starburst trap. No, not the underline-important-words trap. No, not the show-the-customer-smiling-while-holding-eating-caressing-the-product-inappropriately trap. No, not the…well, […]

We all have to start somewhere. For most people, their ignominious beginnings within the bowels of a corporation, law firm or nail salon are not immediately put on display and then saved in one form or another to be brought back years later at inopportune moments. Like when running for public office or wooing a […]

Note: This post originally appeared nearly three and a half years ago. Sadly, I think it’ll still bear repeating 30 years from now.
The call to action must die. And we, fellow ad people, must kill it.
How many times have you presented an ad to an account person, creative director or client and been met with […]

The problem with reading an assortment of quality ad blogs (which are also free, making them, wait for it, a value) is that I’m often subjected to hideous advertising that I have either yet to see or would never see in the wild. “The wild” being Plano, Texas. Such was the case yesterday when I […]

According to this Ad Age article, AT&T is set to break a major rebranding campaign today during the opening round of the Masters golf tournament. (Yes, I realize I could be commenting on Nike’s new creeptacular Tiger Woods spot, but I think the 13.459 other ad blogs have it covered.) The company is seeking to […]

Leo Laporte of TWiT TV interviewed Wieden + Kennedy creative team Craig Allen and Eric Kallman about the production of their already-world-famous Old Spice spot “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (which I blogged about two posts ago). The use of mostly practical effects makes it all the more awesome to fellow creatives like […]

BBDO has been doing some truly stellar work for FedEx over the last several years. Consistent in tone and tone and message, the work proves that giving a campaign legs doesn’t require annoying schtick like the Aflac duck. Huzzah. Instead, the FedEx spots rely on witty, almost rapid-fire dialogue in the vein of Howard Hawks. […]

If Old Spice had ponied up the dough to run this during the Super Bowl two days ago, they wouldn’t have won the Ad Meter – they would have melted it into a gooey pile of shame with its confidence and mawnsomeness (manly awesomeness, duh).

Is this guy the black Bruce Campbell, or is Bruce the […]

Apparently it’s not enough to just have a killer spot on the Super Bowl. Or even a lame spot. No, in this day and age, you have to build an integrated campaign that spans media channels, demographics and Twitter feeds to create, wait for it, synergy. While not every brand on this list produced teaser […]

While three weeks technically remain on the calendar first developed by Rome-based insurance salesman Stephanus “Stevie” Stephanius (”Life. Home. Chariot.”) in 24 B.C., I feel comfortable in revealing this year’s Worst of the Worst in TV advertising. This spot originally broke (as far I can tell) in March of this year. And in the nine […]