Liberty Mutual’s “Truth Tellers” ads are back, and they’re as bizarre and unfunny as ever. Let’s look at the four new car insurance commercials we’ll all be muting with extreme
Continue readingAuthor: The Cranky Creative
Ad Review: Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle “trimming bushes”
Schick’s “trimming the bushes” TV commercial for its Hydro Silk TrimStyle women’s razor debuted in 2015, raising eyebrows and sparking controversy across the ad world. Schick received a fair few
Continue readingBusiness buzzwords and corporate jargon I hate
The corporate world runs on business jargon—bullshitty buzzwords that mask the meaning of the things we want to say. Why do so many businesspeople muddle their messages with mush-mouthed words
Continue readingThe Cranky Creative blog turns one
The Cranky Creative blog first lit the pixels of computer screens a year ago on July 4, 2018. Frustrated with the red tape, politics, and backstabbing stupidity that pervades the
Continue readingAd Review: Allstate. Mayhem. WHAT?
“Mayhem” is the character that creates mischief and, er, mayhem in all those Allstate insurance TV commercials. Mayhem is also what nearly happens in my bedroom at 2 a.m. when
Continue readingAd Review: Chevy’s hilariously bad Real People ads
Chevy’s “Real People” commercials have been around for years, but I’ve been fortunate enough to dodge them—at least until last Tuesday when I found myself a captive audience in a
Continue readingAd Review: Liberty Mutual’s LiMu Emu is Lame-O
I’m no fan of Liberty Mutual TV commercials, having savaged the company’s awful “Truth Tellers” ads in January. But soon after, the company rolled out a new campaign. “LiMu Emu
Continue readingHey, advertisers! People hate you, and you deserve it
Tired of junk mail? Of too-loud commercials blasting your ears? How about those full-screen pop-up ads you can’t close until you play an asshole game of “Click the Tiny X
Continue readingMeet Flint McGlaughlin, mad marketing genius
In a world where every Tom, Dick, and Jane on the Internet is a self-proclaimed marketing expert, it’s refreshing to see someone share no-BS marketing insights derived from rigorous testing
Continue reading54 percent of copywriters feel lack of respect: UK survey
The United Kingdom’s Direct Marketing Association surveyed 433 British copywriters and found . . . a lot of cranky creatives. See why they’re so unhappy. The 2014 survey—the first and
Continue readingPlease, do not “hit me up” on a Friday afternoon
I hate receiving job requests on Fridays. I work hard all week, and by the time Friday rolls around, I just want to see all of my current jobs through
Continue reading“The Beekeeper’s Secret”
A Very Short Story. Some years ago, I worked for a creative director who regularly organized activities meant to inspire her copywriters and designers and reset our creative brains. One
Continue readingHow video games made me a marketing copywriter
Unofficially, my career as a marketing copywriter started in 1980 when I was 10. Then, as now, I loved video games. I loved the technology—cool-looking plastic boxes that pumped colorful
Continue readingLiberty Mutual ad review: no safe harbor from bad humor
I hate most TV commercials with the white-hot fire of a thousand suns—so it takes something special to get me riled. Enter Liberty Mutual, the company whose car insurance commercials
Continue readingAnxiety and creativity: How they’re linked, tips to cope
The Cranky Creative explores the link between creative people and anxiety. Plus, tips for keeping the demons at bay. I jolted awake, gasping for breath. My heart was racing. My
Continue readingStart the New Year right with wisdom from Pema Chodron
The Cranky Creative shares life-changing words from someone a lot smarter than he is. Happy New Year, fellow creatives! I’d like to tell you about a book I’ve been reading
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