A logo is a symbol or other design created to visually represent a company or organization. It is a key part of any brand as it’s meant to communicate the
Continue reading
Category: Advertising
My top 3 TV commercials of all time
A Cranky reader named Brian wrote in to ask, “What are your top three favorite TV commercials?” Honestly, the question caught me off guard — I don’t like many commercials,
Continue reading
The Cranky Creative blog turns three
In 2011, a manager asked me if I had a blog, or if I’d ever considered writing one. “No,” I snorted dismissively. “I don’t have anything to say.” My, how
Continue reading
Brands have no business pushing COVID vaccines
Whether you are looking to inform a loved one about the dangers of COVID-19 “vaccines” or you have just started to ask questions yourself, welcome. This page will be an
Continue reading
Yes, the Gillette Venus Pubic Hair and Skin razor ad goes (down) there
Would you ever knock on a stranger’s door and, upon being allowed to enter, strip down and start shaving your pubes? That’s precisely what Gillette and model Nicole R. Rasenti
Continue reading
Super Bowl LV commercials: The Cranky Ad Review verdict
Really, what did everyone expect? Smarter and funnier than most TV commercials aired during Super Bowl LV, the 1999 Mike Judge film Idiocracy was sadly prescient. So let’s watch a
Continue reading
Book Review: Bob Garfield’s ‘And Now a Few Words from Me’
Readers of this blog often ask me to recommend good books on advertising. If you have even a passing interest in the ad world, then you need to put Bob
Continue reading
‘Adapt or die’: the advertising industry faces painful change
Posh parties. Black-tie award shows. First-class flights and three-martini lunches. As ad budgets shrink, brands move capabilities in-house, and more people realize that the emperor has no clothes, advertising agencies
Continue reading
TurboTax ad review: When creative trumps strategy
Working in advertising is fun, especially as a creative. We copywriters and graphic designers get paid to think up clever ways to communicate a brand’s messages. The problem comes when
Continue reading
Ear-ritating: How TV commercials misuse sound to get our attention
Sound is a powerful tool in advertising. Its ability to draw attention and evoke emotion is proven to affect sales. So why, then, do so many advertising soundtracks seem designed
Continue reading
No good: Super Bowl LIV commercials miss the mark
On Sunday night, Super Bowl advertisers spent $5.6 million for 30 seconds to make people go “ha!” or “aww”—only to have their costly TV commercials forgotten a moment later. The
Continue reading