General Archives - The Cranky Creative Blog

A weathered laptop and a tropical drink on a tiki bar at sunset, representing the "Cranky Creative" office and the advertising apocalypse archive.

March 19, 2026 The Cranky Creative

The very best of The Cranky Creative: a guide to the ad world’s decline

When I launched The Cranky Creative in 2018, I thought I was starting a support group for frustrated creatives. I thought our biggest enemies were bad briefs and confused clients.

A rusted, bent shopping cart overflowing with pixelated digital icons like shattered red hearts, a broken blue verified checkmark, and smiling emojis, set against a background of a crumbling, post-apocalyptic city street.

March 5, 2026 The Cranky Creative

Age of decay: the enshittification of everything

Am I the only one noticing that everything is turning to crap? Crap ads. Crap science. Crap food. Crap music. Crap movies. Crap people. Crap software that you “subscribe” to

A new-breed marketer doing the work of 10 specialists using AI apps for unprecedented productivity

March 26, 2025 The Cranky Creative

Vibe marketing: the future is here, your job is not

If you’re a marketer still plotting campaigns (and your career) like it’s the “old world” — say, six months back — then buckle up, because you’re about to get blindsided.

Marketing disguised as content - whether a webinar, an ebook, a whitepaper, or a blog post - is one sleazy tactic

July 7, 2024 The Cranky Creative

Marketing disguised as content is sleazy AF

Gah, marketing. The land of “free” consultations that turn into high-pressure sales pitches, “thought-leader” articles written by glorified SEO jockeys, and infographics so cluttered with logos they look like a

June 9, 2024 The Cranky Creative

Why Google is not your friend

(AKA, The Internet is neither free nor fair under Google) Remember when Google felt like a helpful search engine, a gateway to all the world’s knowledge? Now, it’s more of

Out-of-work job seeker frustrated by a difficult job market

April 9, 2024 The Cranky Creative

The Great Creative Layoff: why finding your next job feels impossible

It’s become a bad joke: One moment, I’m reading a LinkedIn “news” story touting a booming jobs market — and the next, I’m doom-scrolling through endless posts from out-of-work creatives.

A young black girl in a business suit prepares for a job interview

February 19, 2024 The Cranky Creative

Forced quotas or fair chance? The debate around ‘racial parity’ in hiring

In the current push for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), some businesses are focusing on “racial parity” in their workforce demographics — that is, prioritizing the hiring of people of

July 6, 2022 The Cranky Creative

Sad news as The Cranky Creative blog turns four

I’m sorry, Cranky reader. I’m not in the best mood today. My step-father-in-law passed away last week. He’d been diagnosed with lung cancer. Except he didn’t die of lung cancer.

The Cranky Creative has some confessions to share. Oh, yes he does.

June 26, 2022 The Cranky Creative

Confessions of a cranky creative

In this post, I share a collection of confessions, opinions, and unvarnished random thoughts that may or may not get me in trouble. Enjoy. 1. I was born to do

March 2, 2022 The Cranky Creative

Good, 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

August 9, 2021 The Cranky Creative

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