advertising – the quick Sliver

3.29.19 Fool’s Roll

March 29, 2019 Mike Keeler

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It’s time to admit it: marketing is foolish. And has been for some time. For example, back on April 1, 1996, Taco Bell announced that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged calls poured in to National Historic Park before the truth…

3.22.19 Mercury Marketing

March 22, 2019 Mike Keeler

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OMMG! As in, “Oh My Messenger God!” Perhaps you’ve already heard. About a celestial body who is hot, fast and magnetic. He’s emotional and moody, ranging from -280 to +800 degrees every single day. And, most importantly, he is erratic, moving oddly about the sky, tracing an orbit shaped like…

Uncategorized advertising Hermes marketing mercury

9.21.18 Lorem Ipsum

September 21, 2018 Mike Keeler

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This essay is just a draft. If it were final, it wouldn’t contain the well-known phrase, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit. Say what? Okay, an explanation. In the advertising world, when graphic designers create a draft of a layout, they often use placeholder text for the real…

2018 advertising Typesetting

11.28.14 The Black Offer

November 28, 2014 Mike Keeler

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(What self-respecting marketing guy could resist? And so, in the spirit of the season…) Announcing an email-busting BLACK FRIDAY offer exclusively from quickSilver! Act NOW to receive a COMPLIMENTARY* integrated marketing campaign for your brand or product!! Including: Mind-bendingly well-reasoned strategic recommendation Development of epic brand platform Multi-million dollar integrated…

2014 advertising Black Friday Sale Legal Disclaimer marketing

1.31.14 Super Bad

January 31, 2014 Mike Keeler

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All of us smarty-pants ad execs can tell you all about that famous ad from 1984. Steve Jobs and his ad agency Chiat/Day cooked up an idea for a commercial that involved a dystopian future, a population of brainless citizens, an all-powerful Big Brother, and a gorgeous Nordic track and…

2014 1984 advertising Apple Chiat/Day Lemmings steve jobs Super Bowl

10.7.11 1984

October 7, 2011 Mike Keeler

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The Board of Directors thought he was nuts. And you have to admit, the idea behind Steve Jobs’ television spot was rather, um, different. It was a story about a soulless industrial future, an army of automatons, and a track and field athlete. The story was created at a boutique…

2011 1984 advertising Apple Computer Ridley Scott steve jobs Super Bowl

1.23.09 The Math Medium

January 23, 2009 Mike Keeler

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Calling all marketers! Presenting the newest way to speak to that hard-to-reach teen demographic. When the Rancho Bernardo (CA) school district recently slashed its budget by one-third, calculus teacher Tom Farber realized he had a problem. He’s pretty good at math, and could calculate that he wouldn’t be able to…

2009 advertising budget cuts school teens Tom Farber

7.20.07 Mad Men

July 20, 2007 Mike Keeler

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The Consumer Products Safety Commission has determined that cigarette smoking is hazardous to your health. But that doesn’t stop the folks at Sterling Cooper Advertising from smoking like fiends. Or from drinking too much. Or from treating the girls in the steno pool like crap. Or from stealing important documents…

2007 advertising AMC Mad Men Madison Avenue Sopranos