Last week I bought a $26 golf mat on Amazon.com so I could practice chipping in my back yard. Apparently my data has been farmed out because ever since then, I’ve been getting inundated with online ads on various websites–sometimes two on the same web page–for golf mats! The mats advertised range anywhere from $30 to $350. […]

NBC is going all-in on their coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics, offering live coverage for every single event in the games, some on TV and some online (not all for free–only cable subscribers will be able to see some of the live streams). This will add up to more than 5,000 hours of event coverage. 5,000 hours […]

Some thoughts from February: Super Bowl Blahs None of this year’s Super Bowl spots did much for me. The winner for me was the M&Ms ad, which was extremely solid–product on screen, funny, timely and a bit racy, but that’s consistent with the vibe they’ve established over the years. Nothing else really popped for me. Is it just me, […]

It’s a beautiful thing when creativity, humor and salesmanship are so expertly blended. Take a look: 1. The color palette. Everything in the spot is a dull or dark color except the product (the red, white and yellow pop-up bowl). 2. Criss Angel making fun of himself. I always like it when stars do this; […]

Remember the “Far Side” comics by Gary Larson? These supremely funny strips appeared in newspapers from 1980-1995. Everyone has their favorite Far Side comic, and one of mine shows two wagon train cowboys under attack by Indians. One of them notices that the Indians are using flaming arrows, and he says to the other, “Hey, they’re setting their […]

♫ What’s the name of the game? Does it mean anything to you? ♫ -ABBA, “The Name of the Game” from “The Album,” 1977  ♫ What’s the name of your business? Does it mean anything to people? ♫ -Mike, “In The Shower,” 2011 Whenever we help a client name a business, it occurs to me […]