When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the pledge he gave his employer, the NFL, has a difficult brand problem. Many of its biggest customers started to say the NFL’s stars are anti-American. Politics is somewhere most brands and anyone in business probably shouldn’t go if it’s not literally their business. However for Kaepernick, if […]

I wrote a few weeks ago on why negative advertising is so effective in politics but is much more rarely used in consumer brand advertising. But what about basket of deplorables? It seems a lot different. It’s also been compared to Mitt’s 47% comment. But that’s the politics side of it which I’m not writing about […]

In the advertising world, we love a good “visual solve.” When we see a really good one we’ll often say to one another. “Wow, I wish I would have thought of that.” There’s a simplicity of communication that’s not easily done with words. Words can get complicated and require a lot more words to explain […]

If you ask the average person if they like negative ads or even think they work, they’d probably say “no they don’t work and can they please just stop.” But every campaign season there seems to be more and more negative ads. I’m predicting a record amount of negative advertising and messaging this time around. […]

In advertising we deal with competing brands all the time. Logically thinking, you might assume that one brand really is better than another. But if facts and logic where what consumers were in the market for each product category would have one dominate brand and everyone else would just get out of the market. We […]

I’m sure you’ve never been influenced by a political yard sign. Never. I mean, there’s nothing to them but Clinton/Kaine or Trump/Pence. I suppose some of them may say “I’m with her” or “MAGA.” But there’s no real message there right? Just names. But according to what we know in the advertising and sales world, […]

Today, every brand wants to have an ethos of authenticity and a transparent culture. They’re all claiming to be responsible green and sustainable. Or maybe it’s all well-crafted bullshit sentimentality. Afterall, how can you really know what a company’s management really thinks? Newsweek lists the top 10 US Green Companies this year and they don’t really […]

Popular culture would have you believe that production is a fun, safe and glamours business. In fact, it’s none of those. Sure the A-list actresses get to shimmer on the red carpet on premiere night but most work days involve early call times, late wraps and a lot of tedious work between. And, unless you’re […]

Hillary Clinton’s campaign tactics, public statements and brand promise are all a lot more understandable than Donald Trump’s, which I’ve previously written about. In fact, Hillary’s campaign feel a lot like it could be for a packaged good’s company than her competitor. After all, Proctor and Gamble’s motto is “The Consumer is the Boss.” Hillary’s […]

10 years ago every single advertising client would ask “make us a viral video.” Back then, there was still the slight possibility a brand could make a really outrageous video and people would spread it for you via email and social media. But they still all want content that will generate eyeballs without buying ad time. […]