Meritocracy Is A False God. Instead, Practice Gratitude and Cultivate Good Luck.

Editor’s Note: The following article is by Clifton Mark. It was originally published at Aeon and has been republished here under Creative Commons. ‘We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else …’ Barack Obama, inaugural address, […]

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Digitally Divided We Fall

There has never been a time when we’ve relied more on digital tools to enable communications between people and teams. All the hype about how “working from home” is a great new answer is annoying in its shortsightedness. But that’s not what concerns me. I am more concerned about who is left out of this […]

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Mid-Day Danger: The Worst Commercials on TV

I want to explore one of the secret dangers of working from home, a real and present danger that no one talks about. The danger is exposure to bad TV, bad commercials, in particular. If you watch cable news in the middle of the workday, even for a short time during lunch, you’re screwed. Apparently, […]

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You Can Check In To Holiday Inn, But You Can Never Leave

Retirement doesn’t come cheap if it comes at all. Almost half of Americans — 49 percent — cite running out of money as their chief retirement concern, with another 44 percent citing declining health, according to a new report from the Aegon Center for Longevity, Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies and Instituto de Longevidade Mongeral […]

Nature Needs Heroes and Your City Needs You

Why do urban artists wear Timberland? Could it be that Timberland works harder than most to appeal to young urban customers? In this new campaign from Timberland and their agency, Pereira O’Dell, the brand’s “Nature Needs Heroes” platform and commitment to a greener world is front and center. In an interesting twist, the campaign presents […]

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Houston Rockets GM Tweets His Support for Student Protestors in Hong Kong (BIG MISTAKE)

According to Foreign Policy, “an American business with a global footprint, one that prides itself on supporting freedom of speech in America, recently became an arm of Chinese censorship.” Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted his way into a shitstorm—by supporting democracy. Morey has since deleted the Tweet proclaiming to “stand […]

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This Land Is for Johnnie Walker Drinkers

Where do brands fit into the larger cultural landscape today? It’s a question that some brand managers and ad agency partners would rather not answer. At the other end of the pole, there is Diageo’s Johnnie Walker, which has a definitive answer to the non-rhetorical question. Let’s watch and listen… The spot was created by […]

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How Do You See Her? When Do You See Her? Where Do You See Her?

Media is a false mirror. It’s false because it doesn’t show us who we are. It shows us who we are programmed to be. Media makers have a professional obligation to widen the lens. Advertisers often ask for people of color in their ads to showcase their awareness and sensitivity and to appeal to the […]

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Is Millennial Angst The Canary in the Coalmine?

Millennial angst. It’s a thing, and the thing that it is isn’t good for the economy. Millennials are doing far worse financially than generations before them. The net worth of Americans aged 18 to 35 has dropped 34 percent since 1996, according to research released by Deloitte. When a generation reels, the impacts are felt […]

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Legal Sea Foods Is A Safe Harbor for Wayward Stoners

A new ad campaign from DeVito Verdi for Boston’s Legal Sea Foods celebrates the legalization of marijuana in the Bay State. The TV and print ads play off the restaurant’s baked, fried and smoked menu items. “Baked” and “smoked” makes sense. “Fried” is something that happens when you drink too much, work too much, and […]

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Fear of Mass Shootings Is Bad for Business, Bad for Morale, and Bad for America

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” It’s a wonderful line, but it’s also from another time in American life. Today, We, the People, have plenty of reasons to be afraid. For one, domestic terrorism works. Not only do the shooters kill real people who are their imaginary enemies, […]

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“Joie de Hooha” Is Utterly Natural and Totally Achievable

Singing vaginas is not the answer you might expect, no matter the question. Yet, here we are, and in this case, it’s a good answer because the Whole Foods shopper doesn’t want rancid chemical solvents on, in, or near her body. That’s why OrganiCare CEO and serial entrepreneur, Caroline Goodner, is battling industry juggernauts to […]

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Ads That Help Sell Assault Weapons Reveal All

I am an ad man, which means I have developed the ability to see any product or service the way the customer or potential buyer sees it. It’s my J-O-B to do so, no matter how unsavory the job can be at times. I will now apply this lens to the marketing of assault weapons. […]

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Yoplait Is A Pacifier for Kids and A Trophy for Mom

Moms need magic sauce to help them navigate the chaos of raising kids. Yoplait seeks to provide it. The brand’s new “For Big Little Wins” campaign from Pereira & O’Dell is about celebrating little moments when kids accomplish great things. According to the brand, Yoplait helps moms get more little wins and celebrate those little […]

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LATAM Airlines Asks Its Customers to Fly Without Prejudices

Brands are taking stronger and stronger stances today. But is anyone paying attention? IPG’s Graphene, the agency created to serve the LATAM Airlines account, wanted to make sure that travelers noticed the airline’s support for LGBT+ Pride month. To this end, they applied rainbow colored baggage tags to customer’s checked bags, complete with a call […]

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Move Some Cash Gen Z’s Way

Do you have friends who have a tough time splitting the bar or dinner bill? There’s an App for that! Three Syllables: Venmo Me! According to the Los Angeles Times: Venmo, owned by PayPal, and Cash App, owned by Square, have surged in recent years, as cashless financial services moved into the mainstream. Some 40 […]

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Young Americans Can No Longer Afford The American Way of Life

Advertising is not created in a vacuum. For advertising to work, a campaign must fit into the larger context of the customer’s life. Say you want to sell designer jeans to 20-somethings…the customers’ ability to pay the inflated prices will impact the results, thus the economy’s health is always a factor in a campaign’s success, […]

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Schlotzsky’s New Customers Want A Thicker Cut of Austin

How does a 49-year old sandwich chain appeal to today’s on-the-go diner? Unlike a man of this age, the restaurant can’t go out and buy a Porsche. At Schlotzsky’s, true reinvention is the order of the day. Schlotzsky’s has been converting its Atlanta stores to Schlotzsky’s Austin Eateries since 2016, and the citywide transformation will […]

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Fox News Still Has Viewers; Increasingly, Brands Don’t Care

Are advertisers responsible for the content that they financially support? The answer to this question has been “no,” for many years, but that’s beginning to change as the line between editorial and ad sales continues to blur. According to Ad Age, Fox News opened up its studios to advertisers on Wednesday to promote a message […]

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México Domina

In 2014, Alfonso Cuarón became the first Mexican filmmaker to win the Oscar for Best Director, when his work on ambitious sci-fi drama Gravity was recognized by the Academy. Since he went home with that trophy, his fellow countryman Alejandro G. Iñárritu has won twice, for Birdman and The Revenant. Then, Guillermo del Toro won an Oscar last year for […]

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