Advertising Cliches
Sometimes advertisements have a language of their own. Some gimmicks are obvious: phrases like “sale”, “call now” and “free”. Others are more subtle. Here are some of the marketing and advertising cliches that annoy...
Category: Business
The Supermarket Casino
Walking into a supermarket nowadays is like walking into a Las Vegas casino. In both cases, the environment is designed to overwhelm your senses and distract you from how much money you’re spending. And...
Marketing Gimmicks That Need to End
Having worked in marketing for a number of years, I keep seeing the same mistakes made over and over. When it comes to gimmicks, some approaches have stood the test of time, like the...
Analog Thinking in a Digital Age
I noticed it first in an office setting: people who insist in emailing files even when there’s a networked drive available. It’s a much better use of time and brainpower to leave the file...
Playing Office
Are you working. Or are you playing office? There are an awful lot of office workers out there who “play office”, like a little kid imitating her parents. This is a subtle and pernicious...
27 Kinds of Cheez-Its
Cheez-It Crackers are delicious, but there are too many kinds. Go to your local supermarket, and you’ll find half an aisle of them. Just out of curiosity, I went to the Cheez-It website. It...
Workplace Adventures: Door-to-Door
One summer, just before I started college, I got a job for an environmental lobbying firm. I’ve always had a bit of an activist streak, from grade school to college. So if I could...
Subtle Foe of Creativity
The subtle foe of creativity Drowns us in banality. Endless meetings and pointless emails, Mindless procedures and operations. A delicate idea that barely exists Can be crushed with great ease. Bureaucracy kills all innovation,...
Hidden Sights in an Office Park
The other day I took a walk. After a tough morning, I needed to get out of the office. I grabbed an apple and started walking around the little office park where my building...
Coffee: My Benevolent Addiction
While too much of anything can be bad, I think that coffee is for the most part a benevolent addiction. For me, it helps spur creativity and keep me in tip-top mental shape. As...
