He's Not A Poet
A Great Quote That is, Sadly, Too True
Bob Garfield has been writing the AdReview column for Advertising Age for 25 years. As he signed off from the gig this week, his final article listed his highs and lows, hits and misses, reasons for hanging it up, what he loves about the ad business and his...
When Good (Fake) Ads Go Bad
I've never been much for April Fool's shenanigans. But, April 1st always brings to mind a piece I did while working as the Copywriter/Advertising Coordinator for Glamour Shots. This was during the heyday of Glamour Shots. When they couldn't sell franchises fast enough...
Has Your Marketing Seen The Light
My brother was in town last weekend and asked if I wanted to go for an after-dark bike ride. Normally, though I might make an occasional run to the store after dark, my bike riding is most often confined to daylight hours, essentially for reasons of safety and timing....
Super Bowl Ad Awards For The Non-Poetic
By now, the 40-some minutes of Super Bowl advertising have been sliced and diced a thousand different ways. And, while there are plenty of opinions of the best and worst, funniest and failures, award winners and money wasters, noteworthy and not worthy, I'd like to...
Why Consistency Is Sometimes More Important Than Creativity
Ralph Waldo Emerson said that "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." While that may be true, in advertising, we call being consistent a campaign. That is, a cohesive, organized series of ads with a single idea or theme featuring a consistent look, feel, and...
Meet Our New Associate!
It takes a special breed to work at Ph Communications. Advertising is a dog-eat-dog business and therefore, dogged determination to succeed is paramount. It takes someone who can take a bite out of a workload, get on the stick, and run with it. It also helps if, when...
Spin A Website That Will Catch Customers!
For reasons both personal and professional, I see a lot of websites. Additionally, as I look around, I see more web designers than ever before. However, for every really impressive website I see, I see three that make me pull my hair out for reasons that are all...
How Disney’s Marketing Made A Mark On Me
As I've made my career in advertising, I often ignore advertising altogether. When I do view or listen to an ad, I often do so as a critic rather than consumer and, as such, I often miss the intended marketing message altogether. However, as jaded and as hardened as I...
Making The Most Of Minimum Marketing
Recently, while enjoying a beer or two with some other beer-loving friends, we began discussing the popularity of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. We all agreed that it was cheap but, considering there had been no marketing anyone could think of, we also figured there was...