PART III of V: 5 Advertising Mistakes Retailers Make Let’s avoid textbook definitions of GRPs, reach and frequency, CPP and CPM and get to the point. The vast majority of retailers do not have a clue when it comes to buying media. They often assume that because they listen to a particular radio station or… Read More: Part III: Media – Retail Media Buying – Audience vs… »
PART II of V: 5 Advertising Mistakes Retailers Make Recently I had a meeting with an accountant who does turnarounds. He attempts to save companies that are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy by nursing them back to health. I asked him whether some company owners put their ego ahead of the survival of their… Read More: PART II: What’s More Important: Your Ego or Your Business? »
When I started in the advertising industry in New York, there was some obsession with commercial wear-out. That is, at what point does the effectiveness of a commercial decline and render it less and less worth the media investment. In theory this makes a lot of sense if you buy into learning theory which holds… Read More: Commercial Wearout »
One example that randomness can bring order is the theory that an infinite number of monkeys hitting keys at random on a keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare. The odds of this happening are obviously infinitely small. There have… Read More: Infinite Monkeys Spell: Gazortenflap »
PART I of V: 5 Advertising Mistakes Retailers Make We have been creating advertising for retailers for years. But we have always wondered why so many retailers insist on repeating someone else’s job. Imagine, people who are notoriously careful with their funds – car dealers who haggle with their manufacturers in a tooth and nail… Read More: PART I: Running Redundant Redundant Advertising »
I have worked in both the US and Canada one thing I have found curious is that the markets have approached Diversity and Inclusion in two different ways. First the US: When I worked there twenty five years ago, there were quotas for “minorities” to appear in commercials. Clients required these quotas to be met… Read More: Diversity & Inclusion in Advertising; A Tale of Two Solitudes »
What are the secrets to assessing a creative presentation when your agency shows you the work? It is no secret. It is just a discipline to learn. I just got back from the presentation of a new ad. The client did very well. He knew how to evaluate the presented material and his questions and… Read More: How To Evaluate Advertising Creative »
Have you noticed how everyone is crabby and crotchety these days? It is the Baby Boomers’ fault. The Boomers have always transformed the texture of society ever since they arrived en masse after WWII. They transformed popular music, fashion styles and redefined society as they reached adulthood. They added the energy and enthusiasm of youth… Read More: Boomers Turn the World into a Curmudgeon »
On a recent visit to Florida, I ended up seeing a lot of pharmaceutical commercials for all manner of pharmaceutical products that I had no idea about. The commercials all have a similar pattern. They introduce a product name, all seem to be something like “Prolaxatrol,” or some other made up name that might suggest… Read More: Footage to Minimize Anal Leakage & Possible Death »
Do you get irritated by the TV news anchors always throwing in extra adjectives to sensationalize their news stories. Every story must be “astounding,” “gripping,” or “revealing.” It is a relatively recent phenomenon. The anchors do it to make the stories seem more important and more immediate for their viewers. Just a little spin to… Read More: OMGTV News! It’s Sensational! »