An e-mail I came THIS close to sending to a client just to let her know what her micro-managing felt like.
TO: Luke Sullivan, Creative Director FROM: Communications Manager Please move the 56th pixel on the 233rd row about a 64th of a inch to the left. Also, the dot in the “I” should come down one font size, but not the lower vertical slash of the i, just the little dot on...Scenes From A Marketing Intervention on Subway Sandwiches.
Several years ago, I wrote an article for Adweek about the addiction some clients have to promotions at the expense of their branding. “Should we throw out promotions and go cold turkey?” I asked. “Of course not. In the retail world, promotions are an essential part...Is Your Ad Complete Bullshit? Try This Simple Test.
Most of us grow up with pretty finely tuned bullshit detectors. The thing is, this technology is getting better every day. In fact, over the years, I think bullshit-detection technology has more than kept pace with computer technology, to the degree that kids today...Airing Olympic-themed Commercials Versus Putting your Marketing Budget in the Toilet – A Comparison
Over the course of my 33 years in advertising, I must’ve been handed a hundred “program ads” to write – you know, the kind of ad a company runs in an event program to express support for, say, the dizzying Everest of achievement of the local curling squad. As a junior...Why Creativity is Exactly (and I Mean EXACTLY) Like Washing a Pig.
In my book Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, I propose that creativity is exactly like washing a pig. Because it’s messy. It has no rules. No clear beginning, middle, or end. It’s kind of a pain in the ass, and when you’re done you’re not sure if the pig is really clean or...
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Luke Sullivan
Author, speaker, and ad veteran available to recharge, reinvigorate, and refocus marketing, advertising, and branding firms.
I give a hugely energetic series of presentations on innovation, creativity, branding, and marketing. I spent 32 years in the trenches of advertising (at agencies like Martin, GSD&M, and Fallon) and I’ve put everything I learned into my book, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. But for me nothing beats taking the message out and speaking to living breathing audiences at clients, agencies, and conferences. You can book me on the button below.
