Message from paradise...

uh...yeah.

permission to be silly

I got into this industry originally because it seemed like it would be fun. And it used to be. Just about every brief I saw my first several years in advertising included the requisite to "entertain the consumers."

What happened?!

Love seeing the occasional campaign from brands who remember that the average person is both left- and right-brained.

(This kid really rocks the lip sync!)

 

the *new* bold new look of Kohler

I'm all for standing out in a category, but even I was scratching my head last year when Kohler launched their "The Way I See It" campaign. It smacked of creative for creative's sake.

Juding by the lastest tv work running, I'm guessing Kohler has a new marketing head in place...

 

What the puck?

By all admissions, I'm not the biggest hockey fan. It's not that I don't like the game. I loved Slap Stick. Watching a game at the rink is riveting.

But the marketing for the game sucks. It's predictable. I've seen the same ads redone over and over.

If the NHL (or Nike) would just do ads like this professional team in Finland, I might become a bigger fan. This stuff is outstanding.

 

 

The best hockey marketing I've seen in the US comes from.....Hawaii, of all places. 

 

  

My advice to the NHL? Feature what folks want to see....the fights!

 

 

 

Because this stuff is boring....

 

  

 

 

 

Go Heels!

January 24, 1920.

That was the first time UNC and Dook battled it out on the hardwood. UNC leads the all-time series 132-104. 

I'd hoped to be there to see us make it 133.

Alas, Mother Nature has decided otherwise and I'm staring longingly at my tickets.

(Enjoy the game, Casey.)

So I'm filling the void in my life today with great songs about Carolina.

Go Heels!

 

 

 

hands down, the BEST Super Bowl ad of 2014

Know how the local ads start running during halftime? In Savannah, this guy bought out the entire 2-minute block of time to run an ad.

Talk about breaking through the clutter. This is unforgettable. And the soundtrack is pure Savannah...!

 

nice package

Not since Andre Agassi wore jorts has a man's package wrap generated so much national attention as Jim Harbaugh's pleated pants.

 

 

Undoubtedly, Harbaugh will look back one day soon and thank his wife for speaking up.

 

 

Love Bonobos' open letter to him offering up some free (flat front!) dungarees.

 

 

 

At least he doesn't need Duluth Trading shirts, too.

 

smiles are more powerful than laughter

If laughter is the best medicine, I'll go out on a limb and say that generating smiles is the best way to make memorable, lasting impressions on consumers.

I laughed out loud the first time I saw the new Liquid Plumbr and Kraft salad dressing campaigns. But am I going to remember them in another few months? Doubtful.

Conversely, I remember a fantastic VW ad from a year ago that made me smile. Ditto the Coke Smile Machine - three years later. 

And there is no doubt in mind that for years to come I'm going to remember Ron Burgundy doing an entire live news broadcast in Bismark, North Dakota this week. His movies make me laugh, but this made me smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

think Neil Young was a Peanuts fan?

It's no secret that I've always loved Peanuts, especially the holiday specials.

I got to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving last night, and Lucy has a great line in the opening salvo right after she yanks the football away from Charlie Brown...

 

"Isn't it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade away?"

Made me wonder if Neil Young was equally a big fan?

 

 

I wanna be like..... Jean-Claude

Remember when everyone wanted to be like Mike?

These days, seems like everyone wants to be like Jean-Claude..