WILL BURNS ON BRAND MASTHEAD.png

ON BRAND

Hey, Jaguar, Is That You?

Call me a advertising square, but I find the most interesting brands are the ones built upon a truth, proud of their histories, and who continually find fresh ways to make their respective truths meaningful to their customers. But this new campaign from Jaguar does none of that. In fact, the tagline should be, “Copy Nothing. Forget Everything.” Because the brand has thrown away everything we knew and appreciated about the brand in exchange for a vacuous claim that they “Copy Nothing.”

Read More
If I Ran For President Of The United States

If I ran for President of the United States, I would have a very different platform than we typically see. It would start way upstream from typical political platforms, which usually skip right to policies and slogans. I’d have those, too, but I would start with an idea. An idea that is indisputable. An idea that is believable. And an idea that inspires and, as it does, unifies. Not unlike a “brand idea” for a company, but this idea would be for the country. I have one.

Read More
An Idea For Beatles Tribute Bands: Channel The Brand (Band)

My 24 year old son and I went to see a Beatles tribute band called “The Fab Four” last year. It was amazing. They looked like the band, sounded like them, talked like them, it was a compelling illusion, for sure. These four musicians proved to be experts at mimicking the Beatles. And now, with the advent of AI, mashups, and other forces of musical “pliability,” I have a potentially controversial idea for these bands to take their creativity, musicianship, and love for the Beatles beyond just imitation.

Read More
Prospecting Tip: Identify Marketing Crimes And Proactively Solve Them

Ad agencies can feel pretty helpless when it comes to prospecting. Cold calling doesn’t work. Email marketing is like shooting fish in the wrong barrel. So agencies just pray they’re invited to a pitch by a brand or pitch consultant. But there’s another way. A way that puts the power back into the agency’s hands. The odds of success are still pretty low, but they’re better than cold calls or emails. I call it the “Marketing Crimes” prospecting approach.

Read More
Kristen Wiig's Target Lady Stopped My Death-Scrolling In Its Tracks

So I was death-scrolling Reddit the other day and I did something I never, ever do. I watched an ad. I was about ten seconds into it, caught myself in the act, and I stopped, looked up, and thought, “What the hell am I doing?” What was the campaign? The new “Target Lady” campaign from Target. Before I do an analysis, here’s the spot.

Read More
So I'm Writing A Novel With ChatGPT

I’ve had a fictional story in my mind for thirty years. It’s about a guy in advertising (duh) who makes a connection to a past life. It occurred to me that maybe I could give ChatGPT the key plot points of the story and then let it do the actual writing. I wasn’t quite sure how to approach it, so I figured I’d ask Mr. GPT himself. Here’s how that conversation went down.

Read More
Can A Brand Own A Category Truth? PNC Says Yes.

Great branding is what happens when a company tells the truth compellingly. PNC has done exactly that with its new “Brilliantly Boring” campaign. In a category where banks are pretending to be cafes (Capital One), PNC kisses this “boring” category truth right on the lips and, in the process, reframes how we regard that truth. Here’s the launch spot.

Read More
I’m Sick Of Bitching About Pepsi’s Brand. Here’s An Idea Instead.

I have an idea for the Pepsi brand inspired, ironically, by my frustration surrounding the Pepsi brand. You might call me a “Pepsi Bully” if you read even half of my articles I’ve written over the last decade about the company’s consistent lack of a brand idea, lack of relevance, and their shockingly superficial attempts to be cool. Here are just a few of my Pepsi rants over the years.

Read More
Apple's 'Fuzzy Feelings' Film Is An Old Holiday Story Told Fresh

Lotta Beatles going on his holiday season. Amazon has a very sweet spot with grandmothers sledding that uses a gorgeous piano version of “In My Life.” And Apple is using a song from George Harrison called “Isn’t It A Pity.” Both are reflective, melancholy songs, but Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity,” while beautiful, is downright depressing. And that is just one of the reasons this Apple spot is so great.

Read More
Chevrolet Inspires Us With Light And Darkness In New Holiday Spot

Yesterday, I wrote about the wonderful holiday spot from Macy’s called “Hey, Santa” (click here to check that out). Broke down exactly why I love it creatively and strategically. And going to do the same thing below for another holiday gem. This time from Chevrolet. Let’s just say this one is quite memorable.

Read More
With Macy's 'Hey, Santa' The Store Is A Magical Stage

I’ve chosen three to analyze creatively and strategically for you over the coming week. One from Apple, one from Chevrolet, and one from Macy’s. All three wisely position their products or services as enablers of something much bigger than we’d expect. Bigger and warmer and fuzzier and magical, of course. Today, I bring you a gem from Macy’s.

Read More
Let's Call It More "Empty Can" Advertising From Pepsi

Our mission with this blog is to spot great advertising ideas and analyze them. But sometimes it helps to point out the weakest ads in order to appreciate the great ones. Today I give you Pepsi, one of the more frustrating advertisers of all time, imho. They so rarely say anything interesting. The recent spot below is no different. Just more “empty can” advertising. Have a look and I’ll break down why it’s so broken.

Read More
The Magic Of This Spot Is That It’s Two Spots At Once

Norwich City Football Club recently ran a TV spot in support of World Mental Health Day. It’s a simple spot. Just once scene, two actors, minimal dialogue. But the “claim” it makes is not just flatly claimed. Instead by watching the spot and following its plot we demonstrate the spot’s point ourselves. I realize that sounds sorta nuts, so watch the spot first and then I’ll break it down.

Read More
Are We Offloading The Meaning Of Life To Artificial Intelligence?

It’s time we start asking different questions about AI. The question is no longer when (it’s here), is no longer whether AI will be taking over jobs from humans (it already is), and is no longer even whether it will be able to pass the Turing Test at some point (let’s assume it will). The questions we need to start asking about AI are much more fundamental to our purpose here on earth, and, if you choose to take it there, spiritual.

Read More
A Live Demo: Experience The Power Of A Brand Idea

What follows is a simple yet powerful exercise I designed for my “Channel The Brand” workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to demonstrate the intense, positive influence a strong, single-minded brand idea can/should have on how a company not only goes to market, but how a company behaves in every way. Within this workshop is a breakout exercise that you can steal and do with your company (there are downloads of printouts at the end).

Read More
The Genius Of Ocean Spray's "Jiggle-Jiggle" Ad Is What It Doesn't Say Out Loud

When I think of Ocean Spray I think of that old “two guys in a bog” campaign that ran for years. I don’t think about people jiggling uncontrollably around a Thanksgiving table. At least I didn’t. This new hilarious spot from Ocean Spray works on multiple levels, from the its sheer creative audacity to its powerful embedded strategic message. Let’s break it down.

Read More
When Ideas Become Therapy For An Executive Team

Everyone knows how therapeutic having a idea can be. The thrill, the chills, and just the feeling of accomplishment giving birth to a new (good) idea. What’s not talked about as much is the therapeutic value of ideas to the well-being of a company, particularly a complex organization with different, competing perspectives with the executive level as to what the brand should be about. I’ve found that multiple ideas for the team to bat around, reject, and embrace, can be a form of useful, healthy therapy for the execrative team. Let me explain.

Read More