Someone at QualifyNow Medicare wanted my attention — and by God, they got it. I don’t know if it was the giant word ATTENTION emblazoned in all capital letters across
Continue reading
Category: Advertising
Peloton TV commercials are ESG gold
Luxury stationary bike company Peloton must have gotten really freaking spooked by the backlash it received from professional agitators and perpetually offended amateurs for its holiday 2019 “Grace from Boston”
Continue reading
What is the point of GM’s ‘Beautiful People’ commercial?
It’s a valid question. I myself wasn’t aware of the ad until just now when I noticed someone had found my blog with a Google search for the words in
Continue reading
Apple’s cringey ‘Mother Nature’ ad gets climate science hilariously wrong
Apple debuted a new iPhone last week, but that’s not what’s got people talking. No, what’s got people talking is a five-minute video shown during the company’s annual keynote event
Continue reading
What a typical TV commercial break looks like today
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
Continue reading
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 reading
Hollywood 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 reading
Why 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 reading
Subliminal 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 reading
This 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 reading
Did 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 reading