One of the things about becoming an "adman" and why I respect the proper titles of creative director, art director and copywriter so much, is because the best of us work to find the quickest way to make emotional impact. That's not taking shortcuts per se, it's just figuring out what you absolutely NEED to drive your message home within the timeframe you're given (that means clearly understanding what your message is). Unlike a Netflix series, or the movies or a novel or even an extended social campaign, the best work will be that which is compressed without your audience knowing you've cut out the fluff. For the "veterans", that's cutting your teeth on 30 second TV spots. It's why certain ads stick around as brilliant so many years after the fact, because they had to deliver a MESSAGE/a ZINGER within 29 seconds. And even then, most of us prayed to get a 60 second spot so we could actually "tell a whole story". This award-winning short film (under 4 min), is a masterpiece. 3 minutes to deliver an unexpected twist that will stay with you a lifetime. _ _ _ THE WAIT: Produced by Jason McColgan in 2018 - IMDB lists him as the Writer, Producer and Production Department

Most of them, anyway... and the teasers. TAKE YOUR PICK TO COMMENT - - - Have an XL favorite? Did any make you actually laugh, cry or want to buy? Which was the absolute worst?

2026 is the year of the Milan Winter Olympics (Milano-Cortina, Italy). In honor of this, I'll be posting a series of 2 ads for you to view and pick a winner!. Most votes takes the GOLD! Watch JUST THE FIRST TWO ADS from this YT link. Both are in the advertising Hall of Fame. Which resonates more? Would it still work today? 🤔 Pick your winner! Why? _ _ _ "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" — McCann Erickson (1971) Bill Backer, the CD, was inspired by a shared experience with grumpy passengers on a delayed flight in Ireland who bonded over Coca-Cola, leading to the idea of Coke as a unifying force. "Hey, kid, catch!" — McCann Erickson (1980) Copywriter Penny Hawkey was instrumental in developing the script for an ad showcased a softer side of "Mean Joe" Greene, and changed public perception, even leading to a TV movie adaptation.

Copywriters, pushing past norms to get to something sticky is at the heart of good copywriting. Often, it comes down to brevity. In any marketplace, outmaneuvering the competition is always evident, but so too is the noise of the entire marketplace. How do you get your message thru loud and clear? Maybe it is as simple as a rhyme.

Reporting live from the middle of the night, I have "finished" another set of spec ads for The Ad Agency. It all started when my real job asked me to come up with some headline ideas for an on-the-go professional training app that is (according the the brief) "like Spotify, but for professional growth." This could be interpreted in many ways, but a path I kept going down was that this developmental app was for those who are serious about climbing the ladder and aren't going to wait for someone to tell them what they need to do to get the next promotion*. Sounds a little familiar to the Ad Agency classroom feature, right? So after sending them a more refined list of ideas, I started mocking up some ideas of a campaign for TAA that follows a similar idea. At first I was going a little narcissistic in-your-face, with the headline "Are You Serious Right Now?" but I changed course to a more motivational, we believe in you tone. This is an AI-less project, and I am no graphic designer, so judge me not on the fine details of photoshop and indesign. Let me know what you think, what stands out, and what I could change to make these ads more effective and interesting! *Full idea dump list in comments.