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Collaborating with the Enemy

There’s an old joke in Hollywood that goes something like this:

A young guy is trying to make it as a screenwriter. He’s been toiling away on his laptop for years. Late nights. Early mornings. Broken relationships. Just pumping out screenplays. Each time he types ‘Fade Out’ on a final draft, he writes off excitedly to agents and producers. But he can barely get anybody to even read them. Even when he does, the scripts thump back on his doormat with a compliment slip and automated ‘Don’t give up the day job’ reply.

What Do the Chinese Really Want?

This is probably a question with an answer as straight as the circuitous Great Wall. My family is a good example of the Chinese middle class and each of us wants very different things. Thanks to the economic reform and opening-up policy in 1978, life experience over the past 30 years has made each of us now appreciate one lifestyle over another. Just like we say 萝卜白菜，各有所爱 (luó bo bái cài, gè yǒu suǒ ài) – someone likes carrots but some other like cabbages – each person has his own individual taste.

Stoke the Fire

I recently had the opportunity to hear Simon Sinek speak at a private corporate event. There were about one hundred of us in the audience; there was no stage, no microphone; no dimmed lights; it was an intimate gathering. Simon is a seasoned speaking pro; there is no doubt that the man has mastered the art of storytelling. He spoke for about 45 minutes and took questions for another 15. And like a great speaker, I don’t necessarily remember everything he said, but I do remember how he made me feel. I laughed; I shed some tears; I felt inspired. We all walked out saying “Wow!”

Oreamuno Answers to an ADC Member

Just a few weeks in to his appointment as Executive Director of The Art Directors Club, Ignacio Oreamuno sat down with Brandon Burns to answer a few tough questions. Brandon, a long time ad man and ADC member since 2008, recently launched Favorly, a unique new on-line peer-to-peer volunteer network.

Curious about the new direction of the ADC, Brandon dropped by the Club to ask Ignacio what his goals and plans are, his vision for non-advertising initiatives for the Club, and his Open Door Policy and what members can expect from him moving forward.

The New Club: An Open Letter to the Industry

I just finished reading the Steve Jobs biography, and the one thing I picked up from him is that sometimes organizations have to believe in something that is not proven and gamble it all. It is my feeling that the members of the Art Directors Club want a resource that forces them to become better creative professionals. As the new Executive Director of the Club, I will be betting all my chips on the future—studying, learning, exposing and embracing the changes we face now, and will face in the years to come.

Adapt or #Fail. Darwin and Marketing: Businesses Have to Evolve

There’s great turmoil in the world of creative agencies. Marketeers are under pressure, budgets are low and it’s still uncertain whether or not the budget for the second half-year will even be available. But never mind… the agency world has always had it’s highs and lows, and hopes are high that a little life will be breathed back into the budgets in 2013, allowing us to dismiss the current climate as a temporary blip.

Trumpets & Super-guns

I sense that we are moving finally through the dullest, most boring and de-motivating phase in the history of marketing. A phase when advertising has been continuously derided for being irrelevant and digital was held up as the holy grail. Agencies became full of people that ten years ago would have been selling hi-fi equipment but now were ruling the roost as UX designers. Some of them bought Bathing Ape clothes to compensate for this. The future belonged to social media and technology development and people that could write code.

Not Every Idea Is Worth Sharing

I have a confession to make. I love TED. I may go so far to say that I am infatuaTED with it. But lately, I feel a bit overstimulaTED with so many TED videos flooding my inbox and Facebook wall. And while I am exciTED by the amount of TEDx events there are, I feel wholeheartTEDly that the TED brand is in trouble. Why? To put it simply: The TED market is saturaTED.

During the month of May there will be nearly 40 TEDx Conferences happening in the United States alone. Is it too much? I don’t know. Are there really that many ideas worth sharing? Probably not. But more importantly, are there that many people who can give a well crafTED and stimulating TED talk? Nope.

Should We Be Flattered or Mad?

A discussion started this week simply by asking, “should we be Flattered or Mad?”

After 12 hours of launching our micro-site, we had 9,500+ unique visitors and a broad conversation in the social sphere with very strong opinions.

I’ve been reading a lot of posts about the WORK Beer comparison and it seems pretty one-sided to me. I thought it best for others to state their opinions than for me to state mine. So I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Isn’t Winning Everything?

Do awards in advertising still mean anything?

Just putting it out there. You could (and will, I’m certain) point out that I’m not a heavily awarded creative, and so I should keep my beak out of this. And if you’ve won more metal, lucite and paper than I have, go ahead and skip this post. But I’m not defaming awards, or people who win them. I’m still one of you. I am just trying to understand the value.

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