Lee Clow is a titan of the advertising industry, an undisputed creative heavyweight. As the global director of media arts at TBWA/Chiat/Day, he channels one of the most inventive minds the industry has ever seen. Steve Jobs brought him in to revolutionize the creative for Apple … twice. Oh, and Clow just happens to be […]
Last week Toys R Us closed their remaining stores, bringing a sad end to a 70-year old brand. In the final days of the store closings, for a brief time the top link on Reddit was a strangely poignant image of Geoffrey the Giraffe standing next to empty store shelves, waving goodbye. In the comments […]
Millennial Schmillennial! Why is everyone rushing to grab this elusive customer group when we are about to experience the largest wave of spending power to ever hit the market? I’m talking about the aging Baby Boomers who have become empty nesters, are retiring and are more mobile than ever. Consider the silver lining: There are […]
This might sound strange coming from a guy who has been preaching the importance of being BOLD and taking risks to creative teams, clients and brands for three decades. It’s always been important for brands to grab people’s attention—to stand out—by doing unorthodox things. Sometimes, the crazier the better. But today, we need a new […]
Digital Summit is happening this week here in Kansas City, which got me thinking back to when I attended last spring. It’s a really cool conference, focused on the latest trends, technologies and best practices for staying relevant in the digital landscape. And, coming from someone who can practically fall asleep standing up, I can […]
Is anyone reading this? No, seriously, is anyone reading this? That’s what you should be asking yourself when you’re allocating space for copy in your catalog or other marketing materials. Because we know this: People don’t read. They scan. They skim. They flip. They browse. As a writer, it can be quite an ego blow […]
Marketers are accustomed to thinking of their customers in terms of “generations.” Based on when you were born, you may be a Baby Boomer or a member of Generation X, Y or Z. These categorizations help us understand the consumer behaviors that ultimately drive everything from the products marketers sell to the way they “talk” […]
Dollar Shave Club was the first one I remember. In 2012, just a year after they launched the brand, they uploaded a video titled “Our Blades Are F***ing Great.” And while they pulled their punch with bleeps and asterisks, it still had some shock value. And it worked! The brazen video got shared millions of […]
There’s a lot of talk these days about creating a great customer experience, standing out in a crowded market, telling your brand story in a compelling way, and a mobile-first strategy. Let me be clear—ALL of these things are important. Vital, in fact, if you want to be successful. However, I’d argue NONE of them […]
