Creating Comedic Characters That Can Sell Anything: Part I
The senior copywriter rolled his eyes, expressing complete disdain for my answer, the idiot who let me in the building, and my very existenc
Where Comedy is Most Effective in the Marketing Funnel
The hotel manager was pounding on the door outside the Grand Ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle. Inside were two sturdy productio
The Fatal Mistake Writers Make Creating Comedic Commercials
I scrambled on stage slinging a clapboard in one hand. Some fans in the crowd noticed and started screaming in anticipation. As I made a gia
The Secret Formula to Make Everyone Love Your Pre-roll Ads
I was directing a commercial for AT&T when the composer emailed me a handful of music samples based on my initial notes. My feedback was tha
Why Hiring Comedians Is a High-Stakes Gamble for Brands
I was fast asleep on a bed of saddle blankets in a barn in East Texas. The night before I’d winged halfway across the country on the red-eye
How Comedy in Advertising has Changed over Time
I was wrapping studio cables as fast as humanly possible. Once you’ve mastered the basic over/under hand technique, maintaining a steady rhy
29 Simple Comedic Devices that Make Advertising Irresistible
Due to a series of mistakes, I was standing in the middle of an auditorium surrounded by 14 production assistants. Their combined years of p
An Imperfect Guide to Directing Funny Commercials
My nieces tossed my home office like burglars looking for the master safe. They were after my Sharpies so they could draw signs for our fami
Your Super Bowl Commercial Isn’t Funny. Now What?
You’re sitting in front of a TV as big as a drive-in screen. It’s the Super Bowl party from last year. You’re flanked by a few close friends
The Critical Change That Made Mac Versus PC Unforgettable
I rubbed my eyes after staring at a creative brief for what seemed like an eternity. Blink. Blink. The brief was nothing but a laundry list
The Art of Pitching Comedy to People Who Hate Comedy
There were a couple of fans rattling in the small conference room at our offices. The creaky old building with no AC had been a horse stable
The Video That Turned Dollar Shave Club into a $1B Company
The price of razors was sky high, and Dollar Shave Club saw an opportunity to undercut the competition by selling cheap razors over the Inte