What makes you look at Molly Baz’s latest campaign for Bobbie? Breasts? Breastfeeding? Formula feeding is very, very normal. But it is still not normalized. There’s a stigma that exists within the parenting community, particularly for mothers who, to an outsider’s eyes, appear to have the option to breastfeed. My hot take: Brands owe us…Read More
There is a significant difference between, “I promise,” and “I’ll do my best.”
Promises are difficult to keep and ought to be offered with that in mind. Doing our best is assumed.
Google has been pitching advertisers on a new AI-powered search tool, called Search Bidding Exploration, which aims to find new pockets of valuable traffic. It does this by identifying lower-traffic queries within search that actually drive conversions, according to documents seen by ADWEEK. Low-traffic queries are when someone types in a less popular search query….Read More
Someone I’ve worked with over the years happened to be driving down my street. I called out and said hello…
They ignored me. So I repeated myself.
“Oh,” they said, recognizing me. “It’s you.”
We’re more likely to see, hear and care if the person over there is actually a person. A person we know, or admire, or recognize.
If you write a nasty email to a company, it might make you feel sheepish if someone actually responds. “I didn’t know you were going to read it…”
It’s easy to exclude people who aren’t like us, who might have a disability or come from a different background or group.
Not just exclude them, but not design for them, account for them, listen to them or see them with dignity.
Sometimes, marketers, musicians or speakers dig themselves into a solipsistic rabbit hole.
They’ve heard their stuff before. They think everyone else has too.
So they bury the lede, look for new laughs and most of all, try to avoid boring themselves.
Which often leads to confusion or controversy or, most of all, a muddy message.
You’re not speaking up to entertain yourself. You’re here to teach the next group of people who need to hear from you.
Empathy in communication requires you to repeat the stuff that works as you continue to explore the next layer of what might work even better.
In the words of my late friend Jay Levinson, “Don’t change your story when you’re bored, or when your partner is bored, or when your team is bored. Change your story when your accountant is bored.”
Top of the Ticker: Two major American newspapers–The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times–have chosen not to issue a presidential endorsement, reportedly at the behest of their billionaire owners, Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong, respectively. It’s the first time in almost 40 years that the Post has declined to endorse a candidate. The decision…Read More
Brendan Gahan wanted to work in advertising when he was a kid. The co-founder and CEO of LinkedIn influencer marketing agency Creator Authority–featured in the latest episode of video series Resume Rewind, sponsored by entertainment wiki hosting service Fandom–had an uncle who was a creative director at Wieden+Kennedy. Gahan’s first job was at a Sweet…Read More
Top of the Ticker: CBS News’ senior vice president of talent strategy Alison Pepper announced that she will depart the network once the presidential election cycle concludes. Pepper–who has been with the network since 2021–cited the “seismic shits” at CBS as impacting her decision. That’s likely a reference to the network’s parent company Paramount Global,…Read More
I was head of sales for independent adtech company MediaMath until 2019, during which time the company was considered a top player in the space. Our tech was licensed by big brands and premier agency holding companies in major media markets globally. Though I remain proud of MediaMath’s growth, I believed it was always bounded…Read More
Brian Williams has a date with Amazon on Election Night. The former NBC News anchor is headlining the company’s first foray into the TV news space–a live special that will stream globally on Prime Video and will be free to watch for all Amazon customers. With less than two weeks to go until America goes…Read More
