Where’s the Belief?
I tried, okay. I have really tried to give these ads a chance. Dave Thomas always seemed like a pretty good guy. He sponsored and created charities supporting adoption and foster care. His restaurants always promoted local sports programs and activities for kids. Heck, the guy even went and named the whole restaurant chain […]
Mac Attack
I am not a monster. I’m not all bad. Maybe 10 percent. I think I’m 90 percent good.” – John McEnroe, in 1984. I have always had a soft spot for John McEnroe. This stems from the several things we have in common. I share a birthday with the man, I do own at […]
Paging Dr. Freud
What sort of responsibility does any advertisement truly bear? Is it merely to move product or must it aspire to a higher standard of conduct? Is an ad obligated to sell and uplift too? Some may, but that’s not a necessity. It’s simply a happy by-product when it does. An ad is supposed to sell […]
Adjusting the World
When making a list of universal objects of scorn and revulsion there are few so seemingly deserving of inclusion as big insurance companies. Everyone pretty much agrees they are skeevy bottom feeding bastards. Oh, sure, they smile and grin as they pat you on the back, happily helping you plan all the protection you could […]
How Dell Got its Groove Back
You know things must have gotten pretty toxic at Dell Computer Inc. to necessitate dumping their current CEO and coaxing Michael Dell himself back into the executive suite. Considering the guy is worth $15 billion or so I can’t imagine how they pulled that off (“….and if that hasn’t convinced you yet Michael, look at […]
Bad Bling Baby
There was a time, and it wasn’t all that long ago, when I made fun of people who paid for bottled water. I was way too smart to fall for such ridiculous exhibitions of excess. I knew that folks like Perrier wouldn’t make a nickel off me. “Evian” spelled backwards was “naïve” and I was […]
Too Trump
What the hell happened to Donald Trump? Seriously, when did this man transform into such a complete baboon? I remember him back in the eighties when he was just a moderately stiff yet slightly colorful real estate guy who would be interviewed every now and again. His first book “Trump: The Art of the Deal” […]
A Pill and a Promise
Do you believe that anyone genuinely cares about you at all? Oh sure, your family basically cares, so does your sweetheart and maybe even a few friends, but on the whole it’s every man or woman for themselves. We know this and more or less we’re okay with it. This sort of cynical detachment […]
Trunk Monkey
Some of the budgets for TV commercials are full-on obscene. They blow millions trying to make their products look brighter or tastier or just simply better than anything else you have ever seen. They hire famous directors and give them carte blanche to cajole their favourite actors and actresses to burn money in service of […]
Forefront of Power
Technology has a way of making me feel dumb. I appreciate cell phones and computers and televisions and even toasters but I don’t have a clue as to how they work. I know I could sit down and attempt to educate myself on the hows and whys, but to tell you the honest truth I […]