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Shame-on-You

When advertising plunges to pathetic lows

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I’ve written previously about the use of patriotism in advertising (click to read). I mentioned that, done well, patriotic imagery and feelings can serve to hyper-charge a creative idea, immediately dialing up on emotion, relevance and even comprehension. What I neglected … Continue reading →

Get a job

How to get hired: a 10 step plan for getting a job in advertising, guaranteed.

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A friend of the family is looking to get into the advertising business, and he sent me an email asking for my advice. I sent him back a list of 10 things he should do, and I gave him a … Continue reading →

Clint

Superbowl ads 2012 – the full Adboardingpass review – and overall thoughts (part 3 of 3)

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Every one of the ads. If it was awesome, it’s here. If it sucked, it’s also here. If you missed part 1, click here For part 2, click here Scroll to the bottom for the Adboardingpass 2012 TOP 5, as … Continue reading →

header

Superbowl ads 2012 – the full Adboardingpass review (part 2 of 3)

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Every one of the ads. If it was awesome, it’s here. If it sucked, it’s also here. If you missed part 1, click here Part 3, along with final thoughts, is coming tomorrow. A reminder of the ground rules for … Continue reading →

89657bd6955a13a06deff6a7d72ca62c

Superbowl ads 2012 – the full Adboardingpass review (part 1 of 3)

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Every one of the ads. If it was awesome, it’s here. If it sucked, it’s also here. So what did you think? About the advertising, I mean! Below you will find the review you’ve been waiting for, and we’re looking … Continue reading →

Virus lr

Viral, baby! What it is, and how to get there.

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Viral, baby. What is it? It’s replayability, it’s brandability, it’s sharability. It’s this 2 min. video for Guaraná Antartica, a popular Brazilian soft drink… God help me, I love this so! It’s so elegantly funny, so well crafted, so subtle, so … Continue reading →

Rabbit image

“Hmmm…I feel like I’ve seen this ad before”

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If you come across a lot of creative, over time certain things you see or hear will trigger a sense of déja vu. Like in those memory-games you played as a kid where you’d try to find matching pairs, something … Continue reading →

BGH

Product design in the hands of creatives? Hilarity ensues

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In a previous post I wrote about how agencies should keep their eye on the ball and realize that everything they do should be geared towards developing great ideas that grow the client’s business. The post stemmed from a quote … Continue reading →

lucy-the-doctor-is-in

Ask Adboardingpass – your advertising questions answered!

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Let’s try something new. Every so often I get advertising questions from you, dear readers – and some of them are so interesting that instead of answering them personally I thought I’d make an occasional post out of them. So … Continue reading →

karate-kid-daniel-larusso-ralph-macchio-billy-zabka

The elements of a good TV ad? Don’t forget about balance (updated)

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UPDATED, Feb 24, 2012, scroll to the bottom. Let’s pretend I was an art director, and was getting ready to produce a TV ad, what are some of the variables that would be running through my mind? Let’s see: director, … Continue reading →

usher

On Snoop Dogg, Usher, my 5 year old son, and brand linkage

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• Exhibit a: My 5-year-old son’s favorite song is by Usher. You’d think it would be the Wiggles or something, but ask him and he really will say “the Usher song”. . • Exhibit b: Two weeks ago while on … Continue reading →

Messi el puto amo

Sometimes, joining forces can be the key to saving the world. (or at least, to making a buck.)

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sym·bi·o·sis  any interdependent or mutually beneficial relationship between two persons, groups, etc. I’d like to share with you a case study of a brilliant coming together of brands, experienced a few weeks ago during a vacation in Barcelona, Spain. On the one hand we have the Barcelona Football club. … Continue reading →

We're serious about our advertising

The 3 components of the Argentine Advertising Aesthetic (part 1 of 2)

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Argentina is not a large country in terms of population, and its local advertising market is quite minuscule in terms of billings. But this country; long known for soccer, tango and a perennial state economic crisis; has scratched and clawed … Continue reading →

Coca Cola jingle

If advertising jingles work so damn well, how come we never hear them anymore?

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Back in my early teens I lived in Montevideo, Uruguay. I was a puny pre-pubescent kid that was years away from needing to shave…but I nevertheless knew about a Razor/Shaving Machine store downtown, called “La Casa de la Afeitadora”. I … Continue reading →

Sketch lr

Crappy…good…or sublime advertising? How to tell the difference with 6 simple questions!

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How do you know when an ad is good? Are there different levels of “goodness”? Some would say that you can never totally know in such a subjective field. Others would say that it’s all related to how much the … Continue reading →

Copywriting is dead. Long live copywriting!

Copywriting is dead…Long live copywriting! – (an account guy’s view)

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Where have all the words gone? Here are two opposing views: Copywriting is dead 1.      Words are no longer sexy in advertising, (and they don’t get creatives promoted.) Here is a Cannes winner this year from Euro RSCG Bangkok, and … Continue reading →

I want YOU to buy this product

If you love your country, you’ll buy this product!

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Sometimes while sitting around with my creative colleagues, we joke around that if you need more impact in an idea, just insert puppies, or a cute baby. Hey…it works! All joking aside, there certainly ARE some ingredients that, when leveraged … Continue reading →

Jello-o header pic

Keep your eyes open! 11 interesting ads to see as you walk to work.

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When travelling to different countries, I’ve always been a big fan of outdoors advertising. It says a lot about the place you’re in (are the boards printed or painted? Are they large or small? What type of products are advertised? … Continue reading →

secret-sauce

The secret sauce? It’s called relevance.

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A couple of weeks ago I saw this ad for the launch of the Smart Car in the US. I thought to myself, “cool”. I didn’t love it, but I did like it. I felt it took a very simple … Continue reading →

Main image

Two ads. Same product. Same idea. Different Execution. Vastly different results!

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Check out this video first. It’s from Germany, and a pretty memorable little viral video for Halloween season. What did you think? Now have a look at this one, this time from the UK. What did you think? It’s the … Continue reading →

clubber_lang

The “Zapruder” technique in advertising. A powerful shortcut to your gut!

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As most of you will know, the Zapruder film is a hand-held film footage of the Kennedy assassination which, once shown to the public in 1975, became ingrained in the mind of everyone who was exposed to it. For those … Continue reading →

keep_calm___dftba_by_jamesmontour-smaller

It’s about the creative ideas, stupid!

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Hey agencies, here’s my recipe for your success. Be very clear on what your role is, and do it very, very, very well. That’s it. A good friend is attending a digital conference and he posted on Facebook one of … Continue reading →

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