The science of storytelling
“Storytelling” has become an industry buzzword that’s bandied about in client meetings and marketing conferences. Spurred on by a flurry of articles and think pieces, we are captivated by the promise...
View ArticleThe power of disruptive digital narrative
“Are you going to listen to me or to the couple at that table?” demanded my wife, probably for the 10,000th time. We were at dinner and, once again, I was caught eavesdropping on the conversation of...
View ArticleIt takes a village: Story creation in the digital age
Most often when we think of stories we imagine singular self-contained narratives. The latest John Grisham novel or the romantic comedy at the box office can be consumed in one go or many but...
View ArticleThe brand storytelling genius of the Coca-Cola Santa
Images courtesy of Coca-Cola Since 1995, Santa trades in his sleigh once a year for a Coca-Cola truck and tours the UK, sharing the soft drinks that have become closely associated with the winter...
View ArticleIn a world of facts, ideas are king
“Can you please come watch this commercial? We’ll take out the trash.” This is how consumer research generally started when I was an account man at the nation’s most creative ad agency in the 1990s. My...
View ArticleContent may be king, but context is queen
“Content is King-er” concluded a leading media industry prognosticator in the keynote address at the recent Media Insights and Engagement Conference, after he took the audience through a whirlwind tour...
View ArticleWe can’t live without digital media, but why would we want to?
“But dad, I can’t live without them!” My daughter Judy and I were once again locked in the battle over screen time by now familiar to many of today’s parents and significant others. We had turned a day...
View Article5 factors of direct-to-consumer brand success
If I had to summarize the direct brand experience in a single sentence, I’d have to borrow AYR’s tagline: “Simplify everything.” Gone are the days of scheduling time between drop-offs, pick-ups and...
View ArticleBe a clown, advertiser
I contemplated the theme for this mid-summer article while I was prepping my beach reading list, looking for easy, engaging and entertaining material to replenish my brain while my body rests...
View ArticleCleaning up digital ad pollution
“That has to be the dumbest ad I’ve ever seen,” exclaimed my wife. Our regular viewing of “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu was (once again) interrupted by an ad whose inanity was surpassed only by its...
View ArticleIs ‘digital empathy’ an oxymoron?
“Dad, why do I see ads for jeans days and weeks after I already bought a new pair?” asked my 17-year-old daughter recently, “it’s not like the salesgirl at the Free People store follows me to my car...
View ArticleWin the brand battle during the holiday shopping wars
“I hate this TV” exclaimed my wife for the hundredth time, “I can never get the sound right.” While annoying to her, this comment cut me deeply; you see, I bought the TV as part of last year’s holiday...
View ArticleDon’t misinterpret the data: Evidence-based advertising needs...
“That sounds like a great idea, but what does the data tell us?” In recent years, the principle of evidence-based advertising has taken hold of the industry, bringing the tension between advertising...
View ArticleThe brand storytelling genius of the Coca-Cola Santa
Images courtesy of Coca-Cola Since 1995, Santa trades in his sleigh once a year for a Coca-Cola truck and tours the UK, sharing the soft drinks that have become closely associated with the winter...
View ArticleIn a world of facts, ideas are king
“Can you please come watch this commercial? We’ll take out the trash.” This is how consumer research generally started when I was an account man at the nation’s most creative ad agency in the 1990s. My...
View ArticleContent may be king, but context is queen
“Content is King-er” concluded a leading media industry prognosticator in the keynote address at the recent Media Insights and Engagement Conference, after he took the audience through a whirlwind tour...
View ArticleWe can’t live without digital media, but why would we want to?
“But dad, I can’t live without them!” My daughter Judy and I were once again locked in the battle over screen time by now familiar to many of today’s parents and significant others. We had turned a day...
View Article5 factors of direct-to-consumer brand success
If I had to summarize the direct brand experience in a single sentence, I’d have to borrow AYR’s tagline: “Simplify everything.” Gone are the days of scheduling time between drop-offs, pick-ups and...
View ArticleBe a clown, advertiser
I contemplated the theme for this mid-summer article while I was prepping my beach reading list, looking for easy, engaging and entertaining material to replenish my brain while my body rests...
View ArticleCleaning up digital ad pollution
“That has to be the dumbest ad I’ve ever seen,” exclaimed my wife. Our regular viewing of “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu was (once again) interrupted by an ad whose inanity was surpassed only by its...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....