Explainer videos are exceptional or awful. 1950s explainers were films and usually pretty great.
Today, corporations make short explainer videos fast and on the cheap. And, most of them look it. While popular data …
Advertising
The non-linear, video chapters of an iconic business are beautifully illustrated in L’Odyssée de Cartier.
Cartier. The Maison. By taking over his master’s workshop, Louis-François Cartier founded Cartier in 1847. Since then, the iconic brand …
And then there was the time that I played a Secret Service Man—in a Ford commercial.
Baltimore. June 1988. Sandy Mislang produced the spot for W. B. Doner Advertising on behalf of their client, Baltimore–Washington Ford …
Burger King created a buzz. Sadly, their offering turned out to be more UH-OH than Taco!
Jacob and I love tacos. From local fast food joints to top-shelf restaurants across the U.S., to street tacos sold …
A holiday tradition with spirit—Anthon Berg’s dark chocolate, foil wrapped, boozy bottles.
I don’t exactly remember how many decades ago it was that I discovered the little chocolate bottles from Denmark filled …
“got milk?” was a great ad campaign. It ran for 20 years. Trump’s take on it won’t play so well.
Based on this recently discovered spec ad, imitation may be the best form of flattery. But, satire—most often—isn’t.
Can you hold a chicken wing and make it look tasty? Casting a hand model in Baltimore.
Have young, man-hands of a size that makes chicken wings look big and plump? (You know who you are.) Taylor …
A Wienermobile, Old Number 7, is headed to a museum as an interactive exhibit for kids. I’m glad.
The days of taking the 1952 Oscar Mayer Wienermobile—known as Old Number 7— for a ride are over. The sculpture …
NYC’s Grand Central Terminal has a new website. First question? “How many approvals did *that* take?”
They also introduced a new logo. But first, the news by way of an email that I received this afternoon: …
My fascination with type began with the publication U&lc. There may be a new kid on the block.
In the early 70s, I was in the waiting room of Modernage, one of the hundreds of photo duplication houses in …
Christie’s: “Everyone from Tom Hanks to Lady Gaga is rediscovering the beauty of manual typewriters.”
In the old days, writers used to sit in front of a typewriter and stare out of the window. Nowadays, …
Merry Commerce to you, er uh, Christmas. Merry Christmas…
Nothing says, “Happy Holidays” quite like a Hoover! Click through the slideshow to revisit the uncool side of Christmas.
A million years ago; a million miles away
I joined McCormick-Armstrong Advertising Agency in Wichita, Kansas in the early 1980s. The agency was a subsidiary of McCormick-Armstrong printers on …
Time Inc., “We’re hiring a bacon critic.”
Polish up that resume and say, “Mmmmm, pork.” More from ExtraCrispy.Com
Happy New Year, 1949. Burns and Allen style.
“Blow your little horn, dear.” Enjoy their low-key humor. But know that while their comedy was simple and often silly, …
Classic books, cocktails, and connections.
I’m a long-time fan of Abe’s Books. Their emails and posts are imaginative, clever, and—for book loves—totally engaging. (Abe’s also …
