The Cranky Creative, Author at The Cranky Creative Blog

Puma's AI-generated ad puts the advertising industry on notice

April 15, 2025 The Cranky Creative

Ad Review: Puma’s world’s first fully AI-generated ad

Sporting goods brand Puma released the first-ever AI-generated commercial on March 18, 2025 — and the ad world will never be the same. Partnering with digital agency Monks, Puma produced

A new-breed marketer doing the work of 10 specialists using AI apps for unprecedented productivity

March 26, 2025 The Cranky Creative

Vibe marketing: the future is here, your job is not

If you’re a marketer still plotting campaigns (and your career) like it’s the “old world” — say, six months back — then buckle up, because you’re about to get blindsided.

As AI gets smarter, humans are getting dumber

March 4, 2025 The Cranky Creative

As AI gets smarter, its use is making us dumber

With the release of xAI’s Grok 3 AI model and Microsoft’s announcement of a new quantum computing processor based on a novel state of matter, the world is about to

Liberty Mutual's branded idiocy: the future of advertising?

February 6, 2025 The Cranky Creative

Liberty Mutual’s branded idiocy: is this the future of advertising?

I admit, I didn’t used to “get” Liberty Mutual TV commercials. From the intelligence-insulting “Truth-Teller” ads, to LiMu Emu & Doug, to Zoltar and “Liberty Bibberty” and the utterly braindead

Joe Rogan interviews Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience

January 23, 2025 The Cranky Creative

Facebook firing its ‘fact checkers’ is a win for truth

I’ve seen a lot of emotional posts from people upset that Meta has put an end to its “fact checking” on Facebook. What they don’t realize is that Facebook’s “fact

January 20, 2025 The Cranky Creative

When AI rewrites your future: my career pivot so far UPDATED

When my boss asked me back in 2018 whether I, a marketing copywriter, was concerned about AI, I scoffed. Little did I know that a few years later, AI would

This vintage print ad from Bell Telephone connects with heartfelt human emotion

January 12, 2025 The Cranky Creative

Remember when ads had heart? A Bell Telephone masterpiece

There’s something missing from advertising today. Amidst all the snarky voiceovers, fast cuts, dumb jokes, and conspicuously diverse actors, there’s an emptiness. Today’s ads, with their glossy visuals and overproduced

The Cranky Creative blog: Why better advertising is worth fighting for

January 5, 2025 The Cranky Creative

We can’t let them win: why better ads are worth fighting for

I’ve been feeling a little defeated lately, to the point where I considered quitting the blog. Ever since Google changed its search algorithm to shortchange small blogs like mine in

December 15, 2024 The Cranky Creative

Creativity without accountability is killing the ad industry

The advertising industry as we know it is dying, and for good reason. Just … not the reason many ad people would have you believe. Over the past year, I

November 26, 2024 The Cranky Creative

Rollback: Walmart abandons DEI and other ‘woke’ policies

BREAKING: In a seismic shift that will send shockwaves throughout corporate America, retail giant Walmart said on Monday that it will roll back a number of diversity, equity, and inclusion

Car company Jaguar ‘Bud Lights’ itself with new woke ad

November 25, 2024 The Cranky Creative

Ad Review: Jaguar ‘Bud Lights’ itself with ridiculous new ad

With its controversial new ad campaign, “Copy Nothing,” British luxury car company Jaguar becomes the latest brand to sacrifice its reputation and sales at the altar of “modern audiences.” I