DNOLATBIWO: IndyCar “One Nation” t-shirts
I’d like to proudly and sadly introduce our newest series, “Did No One Look at That Before It Went Out?” (DNOLATBIWO), honoring advertising gaffes that 100% ABSOLUTELY should have been …
Stuff you really should know about our foundational documents, just in time for July 4th
July 4th is coming up, and while every July 4th is a party, this one celebrates a particularly special anniversary: The tenth anniversary of my freelance career. That’s right, my …
It’s not a surefire hint for spotting AI writing — it’s annoying.
Words, human- or robot-generated, cannot describe how tired I am of the Surefire AI Tip-Off scavenger hunt. It’s as tedious as, say, the “It’s not [X] — it’s [Y]” construction …
The Queens’ English: Just in Case You Didn’t Know You’re Quoting Drag Queens
I’m going to start with the assumption that most people don’t actually believe straight, white, cis people invented “slay” and “throw shade” and “spill tea.” (This could be, as they …
Self-discipline is overrated, and science says so
Congratulations on your hard-earned self-discipline and whatever. Good for you. Except Science has determined that discipline is a finite thing, and all that fancy willpower you have just drains away …
The Devil, in Fact, Wore White House Black Market
I was Andy before Andy was cool. Not entirely, of course. For instance, I made it two years at a national fashion industry publication that shall remain nameless but was …
11 Nouned and Verbed Taglines That Cringe My Y’all
Y’all, it’s all in fun. <3 to all the creative (adjective) teams that worked hard on this creative (noun), except maybe the Hotel Chocolat one. One might think that I, …
Five things I’m arguably better at because I’m autistic, and you’re welcome
It’s Autism Acceptance Month, and… I am that. It’s not something I’ve been secretive about. And I’ve tended to talk about challenges I deal with related to it, in part …
The 5 Worstbest Tropes in D2C Pharma Advertising
Why is the U.S. one of the only two countries in the entire world that allow D2C prescription drug advertising? Probably because it takes a very specific balance of healthcare …
Dear Baby Creatives: The brief is not the enemy
Dear Baby Creatives, The brief is not the enemy. Is it restrictive, reductive, and occasionally written by someone who doesn’t fully understand exactly what creative does? Absolutely. But even that …