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July 1, 2020 The Cranky Creative

The Cranky Creative blog turns two

As The Cranky Creative toddles headlong into the Terrible Twos, let’s celebrate by taking a look back at some of this blog’s best and most popular posts of the past

freelance writer writing on a laptop at a coffee shop

October 17, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Survival tips for full-time freelancers

I made my first foray into the freelance world in 2010 while working full-time at a job I hated. Copywriting jobs were few and far between where I lived, and

my favorite advertising quotes from david ogilvy and other advertising men

September 9, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Advertising quotes from the real-life Mad Men

I just finished watching all seven seasons of the hit TV show, “Mad Men,” which takes place in the 1960s at the start of the Golden Age of Advertising. It

July 18, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Business 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

the cranky creative blog turns 1 year old on july 5

July 1, 2019 The Cranky Creative

The 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

flint-mcglaughlin-marketing-optimization-quick-win-clinics

April 24, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Meet 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

January 29, 2019 The Cranky Creative

How 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

December 17, 2018 The Cranky Creative

The company holiday card that never was

Back when I was a young copywriter in 1992 or ’93, I was asked to write the company holiday card. This was no small honor—the place employed six or seven

Cranky Creative blog, employee motivation and happiness

November 12, 2018 The Cranky Creative

Exploring the effects of positive and negative motivation on worker happiness and productivity

AKA, how to crush the life (and love) out of your employees. I saw a TED Talk recently that got straight to the heart of one of the greatest frustrations

The Cranky Creative blog, the dark side of workplace niceness culture

October 8, 2018 The Cranky Creative

When “nice” is not kind: The dark side of workplace niceness culture

On my last day at the direct marketing agency where I had worked for two years, I scrolled through my LinkedIn newsfeed and spotted an article that seemed written just

The Cranky Creative blog, should I quit my job?

September 24, 2018 The Cranky Creative

“Should I quit my job?” 16 signs it’s time to move on

If you are so unhappy at work that you find yourself Googling “Should I quit my job?”, then Houston, you have a problem. Here are 16 signs it may be