If you’d like something fresh to look at for the month of September, here’s a handy wallpaper calendar for your computer screen. Featuring a splash of fall colors, the calendar is subtle yet readily available when you need one. JPEG file sized for 1920×1200 resolution should work on pretty well any screen. Download now

Powerful ad from England for St. John Ambulance. It would be so easy for an ad like this to be distasteful or morbid, but they were sensitive enough to make it work. The ad points to a very specific outcome that they would like in response, to send a text message for info about their [...]

This ad for Goldstar Beer from Israel knows exactly who it’s focused on. Too many ads today try to be all things to everyone and as a result go unnoticed. Even women get a kick out of this tongue-firmly-in-cheek message, because it simply highlights a truth we can all recognize. The headline, “Thank God you’re [...]

A wide brand is one that takes advantage of many communication channels to present the same, unified message about the brand. In our modern world, so crowded with messages, this aspect of marketing has taken on epic proportions. Websites, Emails, social media and traditional advertising channels compete for attention, sometimes even within the same company. [...]

This striking ad for No Doz pills does a terrific job of telling its story using just a tiny strip of image space. Love how the pill is set as the proverbial “toothpick propping open the eyelid,” using a stereotype to great effect. Headline is simply “Stay awake.” About the Ad of the Week Millions [...]

The heart of a great ad is to capture attention, then deliver a message in the simplest way possible. This one succeeds beautifully. The large amount of negative space makes what is visible more important. The garden hose is angled to draw the eye down to the headline, “The new BlueTEC engine turns exhaust into [...]

Gotta hand it to the Calgary Zoo for doing some really creative advertising recently. This ad for the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit does a good job of supporting the headline in a relevant way. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every day. A handful are worthy of [...]

This ad for the Association for Assistance to Disabled Children uses a strong image that, on the surface, first attracts attention only because of the geometrical design. Once it has grabbed your eye, a single sentence completes the message: “You can’t imagine how wonderful going up a couple of stairs can be to someone who [...]

Nice creative for A+D magazine, a design and interior decor magazine. Brilliantly uses basic brush strokes on a wall to create the flags of France and Yugoslavia, with the message that a simple change in design can change your entire world. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the [...]

Gotta love this creative ad from Germany for “haircare for dogs.” Takes its cue from the typical human hair care ads, to great effect. Fun, different, and relevant. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every day. A handful are worthy of attention. Of those, a small [...]

Commercials that have real emotion in them have mostly disappeared in recent years. I’m not sure if it’s because today’s creatives can’t think that way, or if committees on corporate ad departments are putting the breaks on, but it’s a shame. Here’s a few that I like for their emotional power.

I love this powerful statement from Gatorade. It’s hard to tell in the low resolution of a web image, but each drop of sweat shown in the photo is specifically identified with the amount of water loss it represents — it says “1ml” beside each droplet. The bottle to the right shows the replenishment of [...]

SurveyMonkey applies a newly redesigned look to both its website and Email messages, reflecting the latest trends in good online communication. Here’s a look at the Email.

There’s something to be said for any creative team that can tell a compelling story with a single image and no copy. This ad for Red Bull does the job nicely. Of course, one can argue that the granny in the picture doesn’t reflect the image of a typical Red Bull customer, but that doesn’t [...]

With BC’s big lotto Max up to $55 million with no winner in sight just yet, it seemed appropriate to select a lotto ad for this week’s Ad of the Week. Most of them are pretty dull, but I liked the creativity of this approach from California. It’s particularly fun when you notice where the [...]

Legal Seafoods takes a fresh, creative approach to marketing by making their ads look like aged posters, connecting the design to the idea of old-fashioned goodness. Each one has a clever headline that relates to some great fishing idiom. This one says “See what the one that got away tastes like.” Really nice copy and [...]

From Puerto Rico comes this creative approach for Buckley non-alcoholic beer. Using a clever and humorous combination of text and image, the series puts the focus on positioning the industry (non-alcoholic beer) rather than on the specific brand. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every day. [...]

Fantastic effort from Brazil on behalf of Bayer Aspirin. Simple and clean execution of a great idea. You get it instantly. Even the background pattern is on brand, matching the packaging design nicely with a subtle pharmaceutical look. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every day. [...]

Great series for Colgate dental floss. Presents the problem as a series of “untouchable” characters that can’t be reached by toothpicks or other traditional tooth cleaning methods, making a strong case for flossing, and using just the right amount of humor. This is my favorite in the series. About the Ad of the Week Millions [...]

Wonderful combination of old and new imagery in this ad makes it powerful and just humorous enough that it works for the Clampers brand. Message in the corner says that using surge protectors can keep old electronics working longer. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every [...]

Disney’s Creative Group was able to let loose and have fun with this delightfully creative campaign for their Star Wars Weekends. Love the little kid holding Buzz Lightyear, and the Mickey Mouse balloon trapped inside another balloon. Humorous, with enough detail to sell the story, but no need for a bunch of text. About the [...]

Powerful ad series from India, for the Rotaract Club, emphasizes the problem of child labor in India by showing merchandise with the message printed on typical manufacturer labels. Great way to get the message across to the audience most impacted. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world [...]

Great image, full of story power and relevant for the brand, makes this ad for Germany’s Vodafone work really well to sell the idea of watching movies on your cell phone. Funny too, in a subtle way that doesn’t try too hard. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around [...]

This ad from Chile for the recent Book and Film Festival is a great use of humor with a clear tie-in to the message. Love how much it says without using a lot of words. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every day. A handful are [...]

A few restaurants are starting to “get it” when it comes to using social media. Here are some recent examples.

Great headlines are those that come at you in an unexpected way, delivering an idea that makes want to know more. This is a terrific example. Who can resist reading at least the subhead? Lots of white space draws the eye into the content. Produced by Grey in Sweden, on behalf of the Peace project. [...]

I like how XM Radio, which is a copy-oriented media form, uses just copy to get its message across about the annoyance of radio ads. Brilliant use of advertising to poke fun at advertising. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every day. A handful are worthy [...]

Perhaps not brilliant, but a good, simple execution for MacDonald’s to announce the launch of extra-large 16-oz coffee. A message like this doesn’t require copy. You don’t have to talk about where the coffee comes from or how strong it is. Just a simple image is all you need, and this delivers. I like how [...]

This ad for a bungy jumping center in Amsterdam says so much with the simplest of visual tricks. Although it doesn’t actually define the brand or any positioning statement, it gets attention in a relevant way. Very nicely done. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every [...]

This ad is posted in honor of the Paralympic Winter Games, currently taking place. Hailing from Brazil, the ad asks for public support for paralympic athletes. The viewer is asked to think about what it would be like to have to compete in everything you do, even the most simple tasks. About the Ad of [...]

GE illustrates the concept of green energy in a beautiful, sensitive way with this ad for energy-smart bulbs. With the frog looking up to the light, the viewer’s eyes are drawn directly to the product itself. At the same time, the ad manages to show that today’s bulbs are not the oversized monstrosities they used [...]

I love this clear, simple branding message from Vespa in the Philippines. By highlighting a negative of being inside a car, something everyone can identify with, the viewer instantly understands what Vespa is saying about freedom. All the white space makes the car seem even more restrictive. About the Ad of the Week Millions of [...]

In politically-correct North America, this ad probably wouldn’t have much impact because we would overthink it, but in Croatia, where it hails from, it makes perfect sense. Soccer is hugely emotional there (even more than hockey in Canada), so this message will strike an emotional chord with any European soccer fan. About the Ad of [...]

John Steel’s new book “Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business” focuses on every presentation as a conversation. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or what form your presentation takes. Think of it as a conversation and you’ll be on your way to success. Read On

With the Olympics in town, I thought it was only right to focus on a locally-produced Vancouver-based ad this week. This one by Rethink for Science World does a good job by using visual metaphors to engage the viewer. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every [...]

It’s perfectly acceptable to use a visual that does little more than get attention, as long as it relates strongly to the message of the ad. In this case, on-dash GPS emphasizing “the whole city just a touch away.” Using eight fingers instead of the expected four makes it even more interesting. From Brazil for [...]

Have to admire how much MTV in Germany managed to say in this ad, with so few words. Impressive. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are crafted around the world every day. A handful are worthy of attention. Of those, a small selection are the source of inspiration and insight for [...]

The “Be Stupid” campaign, for Diesel in the UK, is awesome. Amazing insight into the spirit of youth, allowing these ads to connect right to the heart. Headlines just don’t get any better than this. The campaign uses a principal element of good story telling by contrasting an opponent and a hero. The opponent is [...]

As Google and other search engines become ever more sophisticated, some SEO experts are calling for radical changes to web design that ignore essential aspects of web usability. Some thoughts on the importance of balancing the mixture to ensure successful web sites. Read on

I really like the simple creativity of this ad from Thailand for the LA Folding Bike. Not intended to describe all the features and benefits, but just to bring awareness, and does that well. You can’t help but notice it, and that much white space ensures people will read the little bit of copy there [...]

For some reason, I keep thinking this tiny couple should be named Tony and Gloria (inside joke for those in the Vancouver competitive ballroom dance scene). The ad does a good job of telling the “waterproof marker” story without needing to say anything else. About the Ad of the Week Millions of new ads are [...]

Ah, the pressure! What to show as the first Ad of the Week for this whole new year? It seemed only fair to go back to one of the best classic campaigns of all time, which continues to this day. The Economist ads are clear, powerful and always on brand. Love ‘em! This recent installment [...]

New creative approaches using social media tools like Facebook Connect can be spectacular. But with these new developments come real challenges that have nothing to do with the creativity involved. Unless marketers address these issues, their efforts won’t work. Read on

What makes a good headline? After all, it represents 84% of the effectiveness of any communication. Some insights on how using Twitter can help you write more powerful headlines.

What about Flash? Useful as a web technology or not? This article appeared as a Futures column in Marketing magazine, Canada’s version of Advertising Age, in June 2002. I wanted the reader to be thinking of the rich visual motion-oriented environment Flash could make possible. Since then, Flash has continued to see limited success. Though the situation has not been helped by security concerns, complexity, and the lack of iPhone support, I believe much of the reason for slow growth of the technology is because there is so much bad implementation. Sites that are slow, clumsy, and where Flash only gets in the way are far too common.

I came across this interesting example of how moving simple punctuation around can totally change the context of a story. It’s pretty funny

Business people hear about their competitors making sales online, sometimes with very impressive numbers, and rush to the web with the only objective not to be left behind. As a result, they end up with poorly conceived e-commerce sites that do nothing for the brand and quite often damage the valuable brand assets. Some helpful advice

Most people are unsane. They aren’t completely sane, and they aren’t completely insane. They’re somewhere in between. That’s an important distinction in marketing and advertising. How to make the most of it

Copy alone, even with no visuals or music to embellish it, can have a powerful impact. It can make you laugh out loud. It can bring tears of sorrow. It can make you pick up the phone and dial a number with your credit card in hand. But good copy is hard to write. Here are some tips

It’s been fascinating to watch how the internet has been changing human expectations and responses in other areas of communication. The influence of technology is changing our expectations, and those in the advertising, design and marketing communication businesses need to pay attention. Read on

A look at how video will grow in marketing importance. This article appeared as a Futures column in Marketing magazine, Canada’s version of Advertising Age, in May 2003. Read on

What might the instruction manual of the future look like? This article appeared as a Futures column in Marketing magazine, Canada’s version of Advertising Age, way back in November 2002 when the idea of corporate video was just emerging. Read on

Is your web site using audio effectively? This article appeared as a Futures column in Marketing magazine, Canada’s version of Advertising Age, in September 2002. In the years since then, online use of audio has become more sophisticated, but there is still precious little use of good, creative audio. Read on

Insights into what teens could teach marketers about branding. This article appeared as a column in Marketing magazine, June 2001, before social media. Read on