As we’ve been catching up on some popular TV shows we missed from the early 2000s, I’ve been struck by the commercials on free streaming platforms such as Tubi, Pluto
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The Cranky Creative blog turns FIVE
A lot has happened since 2018: I left in-house and agency marketing to start my own freelance copywriting business; I found success and satisfaction working directly with clients (and not
Continue readingHollywood films reflect the decline of Western culture
Modern movies, much like advertising (and especially TV commercials), attempt to reflect — or, some would say, shape — the culture. So it is a searing indictment of these times
Continue readingBook Review: Jessica Harper Is Not Woke pushes back against knee-taking, statue-toppling, man-hating madness
It was bound to happen: the Left are spilling their blue hair dye over Jessica Harper Is Not Woke, “the first anti-woke novel” by new author Jessica Harper. But don’t
Continue readingWhy I’m calling it quits after 30 years of marketing copywriting
Well, I’m doing it. After nearly 32 years in marketing and copywriting, I am moving on. It’s a strange feeling, leaving a job I’ve done for so long. Interestingly, I
Continue readingIs AI coming to take your job? Yeah, it probably is.
The explosive growth of generative AI (artificial intelligence) programs such as ChatGPT and Midjourney is about to change the world — and put a metric shit-ton of people, including marketing
Continue readingSubliminal messages in advertising … and Disney cartoons?
A phallic shadow. The word “SEX” etched in ice. The American public has been bombarded with subliminal messages for decades, and the practice continues to this day. In 1957, researchers
Continue readingThis is why companies are pushing LGBTQ+
Everywhere you look, brands are pushing LGBTQ+ messaging. Think they’re just virtue signaling? No — they are being extorted by the country’s top three investment companies — BlackRock, Vanguard, and
Continue readingDid Bud Light just commit brand suicide?
No, it’s not a joke. On April 1, trans TikTok “star” Dylan Mulvaney posted an Instagram video announcing a partnership with Anheuser-Busch to promote the company’s March Madness contest. In
Continue readingCranky Case File: When management trips balls
The first Cranky Case File recounts a true-life story of management groupthink and how it backfired with hilarious results. Once upon a time, as an in-house copywriter for a public
Continue readingCandy culture wars: Hershey’s hires trans-rights activist for International Women’s Day
Another day, another candy company melts down in the culture war. This time it’s Hershey’s Canada, who has hired a trans-rights activist to celebrate International Women’s Day. The new “HER
Continue readingThe real reasons people hate TV commercials
Oh, advertisers. It didn’t have to be this way. Once upon a time, consumers might have liked to hear from you. They might have eagerly awaited your TV commercials to
Continue readingFor live TV streaming, don’t go Vidgo
Consumer alert: Are you a cable TV cord-cutter looking for a reliable and affordable live TV streaming service? After getting scammed out of $75 and a free 30-day trial, I
Continue readingLIVE-BLOG: Super Bowl LVII commercials
Tune in TONIGHT at 6 p.m. ET as The Cranky Creative live-blogs all of the commercials from Super Bowl LVII! There’ll be thrills, chills, and no doubt some spills as
Continue readingM&M’s retires woke ‘spokescandies’ amid consumer backlash
Weeks after launching its latest campaign to attach social causes to its candy, M&M’s has pulled its cartoon candy characters indefinitely. Yesterday, the company took to Twitter to admit that
Continue readingThe myth of the ‘modern audience’ is ruining advertising
As brand after brand sacrifices its reputation and sales revenue in the relentless pursuit of “modern, progressive audiences,” one has to wonder: Is it worth it? And do these modern
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