American Copywriter

February 03, 2008

Maybe the most relevant super ad we'll see today.

A click leads you here to play a surprisingly engaging and difficult advergame. And yeah, I added Alka-Seltzer to today's shopping list. Well played, Speedy. Well played.

October 19, 2007

40th Anniversary of Patterson-Gimlin footage

This Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of the film that made the Sasquatch pop culture royalty. So, here's to you Mr. Big and Smelly. Jack Links, Coldstone and Coors (among others) salute you.

October 01, 2007

When your own brand takes you to task.

Some in the development community are miffed about the current state of affairs with third party apps on the iPhone (Apple has it locked down). There are several sides to the story. We remain confident that Apple will open up the iPhone platform eventually. In the meantime, you just gotta love the pressure applied by the weight of Apple's own brand.

Noted at Scobleizer

June 22, 2007

"Lysol for douching–always."

Holy laundry. Where to begin?

May 08, 2007

"Oh, Mrs. Olson! I married an asshole!"

Uh, while we're on the subject of "classics" take a gander at this. Holy wow.

May 07, 2007

Destroying a classic. For no good reason.

No, no, no, no, no, no. Hey Tootsie Roll people, you have one of the most iconic and beloved spots ever created. Don't screw with it. Seriously.

Hat tip to Transbuddha.

April 25, 2007

Spinal Tap is back.

If you happen to do some work on a green brand (or a brand that wants to go green), now may be the time to strike a deal with the lads from Spinal Tap. Since we've been so nice to them, maybe the fine folk at W+K London will see fit to fly us over the pond for the show at Wembley?

April 12, 2007

Adult Toys from Dodge?

Did some '70s copywriter slip one past the clients or what? Or maybe this is what happens when you and your clients have three martinis at lunch. See this and other vantastic ads here.

Thanks to Boing Boing.

March 27, 2007

Lily and Orson and the micromanaging creative.

Sometimes directors have their hands full. Of course, sometimes directors really blow it. I'm not sure which is the case in the above video from the set of I Heart Huckabees (which is so not work safe). Watch all the clips in the series before you make up your mind.

Of course, this makes me wonder what the talent is really thinking when a micromanaging creative or client begins to pick apart their performance in a studio or on a set. How many of us really know how to direct an actor properly? When it comes to coaxing a performance from either a voice talent or an actor in a TV spot, do you consider yourself a good director or are you really just a good dictator?

Reminds me about the classic recording of the poor agency bastards who ran up against the mind and ego of Mr. Orson Welles. If you haven't heard it in awhile or if you've only heard bits and pieces, sit back, relax and thank your lucky stars you're not selling frozen peas today. Then again, it's hard not to appreciate where Mr. Welles has to say.

March 16, 2007

Have a magically delicious St. Patrick's Day.

For something even more magically delicious, go here.

February 13, 2007

Blame Sid & Marty Kroft.

I have now come to believe that advertising's problems arise from the fact that there are still too many active practitioners who grew up watching either first runs or repeats of televison shows created by Sid and Marty Kroft. They screwed us up, man. They flat screwed us up.

(Bigfoot and Wildboy started out as part of the Kroft Supershow. For a fix of all of your old Saturday morning favorites go here.)

November 26, 2006

Turkey Days Past.

Thanksgiving 2006 has now come and gone, but maybe this 1959 classic from the American Dairy Association will help you reflect on the holiday's glow. It's just like my grandma used to say, "You can't use too much butter nor can you over-emphasize the word 'butter' too many times in any given commercial." Gee, Grams was smart.

The Latest Podcast

Episode 58
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Ad Age Power 150

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Podcasting Links

AC Show Notes/Full Library
There's more to AC than meets the blog.
Across the Sound
Joseph Jaffe's award-winning podcast. He has a cute accent.
Delta Park Project
Fuh. Knee.
For Immediate Release
Shel and Neville's prolific podcast and blog.
Jawbone Radio
We like this show.
Managing The Gray
C.C. Chapman's great 'cast. We wish he would have spelled it "grey."
Podcast 411
Seriously, get the 411 on podcasting. A fellow KC podcaster gone global.
Podcast Alley
Podcast Bunker
Podcrawl
Discover good shows here.
Six Pixels of Separation
Mitch Joel's fine podcast and blog. He's from Montreal. And he's cool.
Useful Sounds
The goddess of podcasting.

Sites of Note

3rd Martini
From creative generalist and all-around good guy Jeremy Fuksa.
Ad Feed (The)
All the best feeds about the world of advertising conveniently located on one nicely designed page. Delish.
Ad Rants
Snarkily delicious.
Adfreak
A great blog from the folks who bring us Adweek.
AdLand
Dabitch is our hero.
AdPulp
One of our favorite ad biz blogs.
AdScam/The Horror!
George skewers the ad world with piss and vinegar.
Adverblog
He's just so...so...European.
Advertising For Peanuts
Mr. Littlejohn won't be working for peanuts for long.
Advertising/Design Goodness
Via Toronto-based AD Frederik Samuel. Good place to see work.
Ask A Copywriter
Go ahead. Ask BT what you want to know.
Ben Thoma
One of our first listeners. Turns out he's smart and talented. No thanks to us.
Black Marks on Wood Pulp
A nice place to pause and refresh your appreciation for the craft of stringing words together and Indiana Pacer updates.
Brand Flakes For Breakfast
Our pals Plaid (formerly known as Via) serve up thoughts and good work from their agency in CT.
Brand Story
From Rob Marsh a.k.a. "The Smart Guy."
Bruno Pieroni
One of our own.
Chasing the Press
Andrea Rizk chases the press every day in an effort to expose every communications professional in the industry.
Chimp Media Monitoring
Frankly, no one is more qualified to blog about advertising the great ape that is FishNChimps.
Creative Skirts
The feminine side of creativity. Co-authored by former SHS intern and VCU Ad Center alum Lauren Peters.
Cup of Java
Hot posts from the Caffeine Goddess herself.
Diablogue
Smart stuff from the Land Down Unda' via our smart friends Michelle and Sean.
Ernie Schenck CTA
Funny. Smart. Not a wimpy blog. We like Ernie.
Experience Curve
Karl Long's intelligent takes on ye olde new marketing.
Fresh Glue
We see so much of ourselves here. Plus it's got a horsey!
Future Lab
Great collective of bloggers.
Hee-Haw Marketing
Paul makes Buck Owens proud every day.
Hiring Revolution
Tackling issues that affect human resources professionals, hiring managers and industry employment in general.
How I got a job in advertising
The trials and tribulations of Jac Madsen's hunt for a job in the wide world of advertising.
Jack Cheng
A great young mind.
Jaffe Juice
Drink his Kool-Aide.
KFADvertising
What some twenty-something copywriter from Kansas thinks about advertising.
Logic + Emotion
Gotta love David's uber cool takes.
Mack Simpson/Adverb
The daily life of a Texas Ad Monkey. We like Mack.
Madison AveNew
From "I'm stuck on Band-Aid brand" creator Harry Webber.
Make the Logo Bigger
Bill Green's cool blog about, what else, being an art director.
Mark Fenske
A great writer whom we are also proud to call our friend.
MultiCultClassics
High Jive's on multiculturalism in the ad industry and beyond.
Not Billable
A smartly written blog with, get this, a female's perspective on the biz. Man, that's different!
OTIS Productions
From left coast commerical director Russell Bates.
Russell Davies
We like him. Even if he is a famous planner and all that.
Seth Godin
We love this man. And not just because he put SHS in one of his e-books.
Seth Gunderson
We love this man, too. And not just because he coaches our softball team.
Shake Well Before Using
Ariel is funny, smart and ruthless.
SHS
An agency that stands out from the flock.
SHS Sheep Slayer Softball
God, we hope Sally Hogshead was right about that whole best creative/worst softball team thing.
Tangerine Toad
Maybe, just maybe, as smart and sensible about the business as we are.
Texturl
The poetics of new media from Atlanta-based copywriter and Cartoon Network fiend Brandon Barr.
The Ad Hole
From the man, the myth, the legend...Jason Fox.
The Bullshit Observer
Todd is the man.
The Client Side
Michael Seaton's refreshing take from the OTHER side o' the bidness.
The Hidden Persuader
Hidden? Not really. Planners this is a good haunt for you.
The Hog Blog
From the radical Sally Hogshead.
The Spunker
Ben's cool. Plus how can you not love a blog whose tagline is: Niptuck the Phat of the Adland.
Todd And
Home of some good insights and the Power 150. Plus, he likes Legos.
W+K London
They made Cog. They made "Grr." They make us sick with how delicious their ads are.
Where's My Jetpack?
It'sa question worth asking. It's a blog worth reading.
Why advertising sucks
Anonymous, yet often hilarious, rants about our life in advertising.
Wired & Hired
Helping professionals be more successful in their job search.
Woolard Speak
Andy is one smart dude. He also works for a great agency we happen to know.
Yonder Ponder
James-H says he's a card carrying member of the diatribe. That often equals funny. What's in the water in Dallas?

Talent Zoo Column

Everything I need to know about advertising I learned from Star Wars