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”
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Category: Advertising
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Candy 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
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