In 1984, as part of his re-election campaign, Ronald Reagan ran a now-famous commercial titled “It’s morning again in America,” which was written and narrated by legendary adman Hal Riney.  The spot, which in a very soothing and optimistic manner spoke to economic prosperity, was in short a hit, and while it did not single handedly re-elect… read more>>

People often ask me if I watch Mad Men.   Well, do you think Texas oil men in the early 80′s watched Dallas?  The funny thing about Mad Men is that the advertising business is just used as, what we call in the business, an executional device to tell a cultural story about the period from 1961-1966,… read more>>

The Cartier brand has a lot to be proud of after 165 years, and their recent short film is no exception. Not only is it gorgeous and a testament to luxury goods branding but it is unusually strategically sound for a category where often we get lost in beauty (and why not?). So what’s the big fuss… read more>>

Chalk up another reasonably priced IPO that I missed the boat on. Yelp.com, the website best known for restaurant reviews that makes it’s money through advertising, went public on March 2nd with it’s stock soaring to a 64% increase from the opening bell. It was valued at $15 and closed at $24.98, which nets an estimated gain… read more>>

So there I was just minding my own business trying to read an ArtInfo (now brought to you by Blouin) piece on the 2013 budget proposal for NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) when a Mr. Porter (men’s Net-a-Porter) skyscraper banner caught my eye. Was it the handsome man, the clean art direction, his name, or just the… read more>>

Well now that the smoke has cleared and it’s just a mild haze (blue not purple) I suppose it’s time to weigh in on the events of last night.  If only the commercials lived up to the game – but wait one (or some) did.  As far as everything else, well it was pretty typical save for… read more>>

The Top Ten Super Bowl Commercials of All Time Yes, it’s a big game for the New York Football Giants and the New England Patriots but it’s just as big a game for advertisers and their brands.  The cost ($3.5mm for :30) the stage (50MM households watching)  and the post game effects (everyones a critic and with… read more>>

Any athlete will tell you that it takes a collective effort to win, plain and simple.  This is especially well documented in a new spot by Adidas showcasing the new Adizero running/training show.   Let’s just say in a very clever and compelling manner they speak to the performance end benefit of a shoe while  emphasizing the… read more>>

On Monday Dr. Pepper kicked off an integrated campaign to support the launch of a product line extension, Dr. Pepper 10. It has come with some controversy as the campaign’s tagline is “It’s Not For Women”. The product itself embodies all 23 flavors that the gender-neutral parent product does but with only 10 “manly” calories vs. 150.… read more>>

While Fall officially begins on September 23, in many peoples minds it starts the second their alarm clock awakes them the Tuesday morning following Labor Day. For me, Autumn began on September 8th with the kickoff of the first football game of the season between the Packers and the Saints. While this game should be of minimal… read more>>