We’d just rolled into town — my wife and I, our two cats, and little else — when we stopped into Wal-Mart to buy a few items for our new
Continue readingAuthor: The Cranky Creative
What a high school softball game taught me about life, people, and winning on my own
Let me tell you about the time I “broke the Matrix” in high school gym class, and what that taught me about life and living well. I remember it was
Continue readingSon of a beach! The Cranky Creative moves to Florida
I fell in love with Florida somewhere between Tampa International Airport’s main terminal and the Alamo Rent A Car. At that time — about eight years ago — the walk
Continue readingAd Review: HomeGoods ‘Love Story’ commercial knows its audience
Personally, I don’t much like “A Love Story,” the 30-second TV commercial for HomeGoods. Watching it, I can’t help but think of the scene from that movie, As Good As
Continue readingProgressive’s ‘Bundles’ commercial does creative right
Progressive‘s iconic “Flo” character debuted in 2008. And while the cast of characters in the company’s commercials has expanded since then to include names like Jamie and Dr. Rick, it’s
Continue readingJeremy’s Razors commercial takes on ‘woke’ Harry’s and Gillette
Are Americans growing tired of woke companies and brands? The Daily Wire thinks so. Witness this amazing commercial for Jeremy’s Razors — a non-woke alternative to shaving products from Harry’s
Continue readingFree marketing creative brief template [Updated for 2022]
The creative brief. It’s the cornerstone of any successful marketing campaign. And yet, many marketers don’t use it effectively — or at all. Well, now there’s no excuse. Download this
Continue readingGood, fast, cheap. Pick two.
Creative professionals are talented people. But all too often, we copywriters, graphic designers, animators, videographers, and composers are asked (*cough cough* required) to do the impossible. Worse, we are expected
Continue readingLIVE-BLOG: Super Bowl LVI commercials
Heads up, Cranky readers! Tune in at 6 p.m. Eastern Time as I live-blog all of the commercials from Super Bowl LVI. Watch the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Los
Continue readingWhy I love graphic designers (and why your brand needs a good one)
Plus, do’s and don’ts of working with your graphic designer. Light some candles, put on some music, and slip into something comfortable, Cranky readers. This Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing with
Continue readingSling TV’s ‘falling waitress’ commercial is not funny
Oh, Sling. I like your live TV streaming service, I really do. But your brand’s TV commercials . . . Holy shit, your commercials. What on earth made you think
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