Fired up to write it down.
Articles by David Burn
Big Idea: Cricket Wireless Introduces Vinyl Voicemails
Note: It was on this day, 22 years ago, that Adpulp.com first published a series of very short articles. October 2004 was a time before social media, and a time when personal blogs (and a handful of professional blogs) were beginning to take off. As is the case with the industries we cover here, a lot has changed since then, including asking people to visit a website. Yet, here is the website I continue to return to with things I want to share with you. Things that stand out. Things that matter.
In the Quest for Control of the Senate, Maine Is A Battlefield
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is concerned about the GOP losing control of the U.S. Senate in the upcoming midterm election. You can see this concern plainly in the commercials that the mainstream group with fringe views makes and runs. Here’s one that attacks Graham Platner, the Democratic Senate candidate from Maine. NRSC is particularly concerned about Platner—they’ve aired half a dozen new Susan Collins ads in the past few months.
After Thirty Years, KesselsKramer Closes Its Doors
Advertising agencies go out of business every day. But what about agencies with superlative creative credentials? Do they fail on a less frequent basis? I’d like to believe that, although I don’t have the data to support the thesis, and the list of great creative shops like Wexley School for Girls, Modernista, Barton F. Graf, and Cliff Freeman & Partners that are no more is long and growing longer. Now, KesselsKramer, is on the list.
Ally Turns Worried Worker Into Successful Shopper
I’m intrigued by how members of Gen Z see their future, socially, economically, and politically, and how this new campaign from Ally (and their agency, Anomaly LA) portrays their thinking and concerns, while also making room for the ambitions and desires of a young working person today. Americans across all age groups are increasingly concerned about money. Boomers and members of Gen X are concerned that they may not have enough money to retire.
Texas (and Nation) In Midst of A Massive Data Center Boom
A new Gallup survey shows 70% of Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including 48% who strongly oppose them. That’s a significant jump from the 47% who opposed these projects in a separate late-2025 survey. Additionally, there are no meaningful differences in total opposition by age, race, education, income or urbanicity. Opposition is slightly lower among those living in the West (63%) and East (68%) than in the Midwest (76%) and South (75%).
Popular Brazilian Lager Is Preparing World Cup Fans for Victory
The world’s favorite game and most prestigious championship is coming to North America this summer. The FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams, 104 matches, and 16 cities, with the final held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. Only one team, Brazil, has won the World Cup five times. Will they win again in ’26? According to a survey by Genial, just 28% of Brazilians believe that Brazil will win their sixth title this year.
A Real Nigerian Prince Pitches New Vaseline Authenticator
With so much signal jamming, disinformation, spam, and outright fakery flooding the market today, it’s increasingly hard to tell fiction from fact. Here’s something that is painfully real: the global trade in fake goods is estimated at $467 billion (USD). That’s a real problem and Nigeria’s skincare market has not been spared. Consequently, Nigerians are at risk of using products made with unregulated, untested and potentially harmful ingredients.
No More Wrestling Ad Campaign Features A Lot More Wrestling
Packaging improvements help create a better brand experiences, but these sort of upgrades rarely get the attention that a smart advertising campaign provides. Of course, Chupa Cups isn’t your everyday packaged good. It’s a candy with history and a loyal following. To promote Chupa Chups’ new ‘easy-to-open’ packaging, BBH created an out of home campaign that links wrestling with the product’s hard-to-open wrapper to Lucha Libre, or Mexican professional wrestling.
Wildlife Photographer Takes Jeep Cherokee Hybrid Deep In the Woods
Jeep is launching a wildlife print campaign for the all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee Hybrid shot entirely in nature, where the vehicle’s hybrid technology helped make the intimate images possible. Created by Publicis Canada in partnership with award-winning conservation photojournalist Patricia Homonylo, the campaign places the vehicle and the artist within real wildlife environments without overtaking them. The campaign was shot over two days in Muskoka, Northern Ontario.
Better Healthcare Delivered—In SE Alaska It’s All in Black and White
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is a non-profit medical, dental, vision and mental health organization serving the residents of Southeast Alaska. In this new healthcare campaign from R&R partners, real SEARHC providers, not actors, describe how they deliver care that is rooted in cultural understanding and connection. “The Southeast Alaskan story, and spirit, is unique,” said Theresa Menz, Associate Creative Director at R&R partners.
A Fundamental Truth, Powerfully Conveyed: No Blue, No Green
São Paulo – Droga5 São Paulo introduced the second phase of “Lifeless Flag”, a campaign created for SOS Oceano, a coalition of NGOs advocating for the expansion of marine protected areas. The first phase of the campaign, launched at Rio Ocean Week in October 2025, removed the blue and green from the Brazilian flag to demonstrate that one ecosystem cannot exist without the other. One needs blue to create green, and without the blue of the oceans, there is no green life on land.
How Are You Currently Factoring for AI Shopping Assistants?
Finding the best deals on the top products, services, and experiences can become an exhausting exercise. The web is full of options, with endless data about each choice available to today’s shopper. Perhaps this is why people are increasingly turning to AI shopping assistants for help. As of late 2025, approximately 250 million customers had used Amazon’s Rufus, and users who engaged with this AI-powered shopping experience were 60% more likely to complete a purchase.
Burger King Wants to Reclaim the Flame and Make You the New King
Burger King is taking a page from Domino’s 2009 playbook and reinvigorating the brand by focusing on improving its food, customer service, and overall restaurant experience. To highlight the changes underway, Burger King premiered its brand reset commercial, which introduces the new brand platform, “There’s a New King, and it’s You,” during the Oscars on Sunday night. The ad was made byBarkleyOKRP.
AI Permeates the Adver' Bowl
Like it or not, artificial intelligence can’t be avoided. It’s in the news each and every day, and on the tongues of students, professors, influencers, and office workers. When I visit LinkedIn, I am flooded with full-throated enthusiasm for AI. Even the Super Bowl has been taken over by AI. Did you know that 23% of Super Bowl commercials—15 out of the 66 ads—featured AI?
Instacart Entertained Its Way to The Top (of Minds)
Super Bowl Sunday came and went. What about all the ads? Are these high dollar productions that cost a mint to run now lost in time and soon to be forgotten? Or will they endure in the minds of fans for months and possibly years to come? For me, one Super Bowl spot stood out this year. One brand boldly defied the Sea of Sameness, and delivered something memorable. Hat’s off to Instacart for going bananas. Their spot has the director, the cast, the costumes, the stunts, and the music all going for it.
The Getty Is "ALL FOR ART"
LOS ANGELES — The J. Paul Getty Trust introduced a new brand identity that captures the breadth and complexity of its work and defines and symbolizes what makes it unlike any other arts institution in the world. “This new design reflects Getty’s personality and where we are headed,” said Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust.
Rocket and Redfin Want to Turn Strangers Into Neighbors
DETROIT — Rocket and Redfin’s Super Bowl ad, “America Needs Neighbors Like You,” is a rallying cry for American neighborhoods focused on the enduring power of being a good neighbor. Set to Lady Gaga’s reimagined version of Fred Rogers’ iconic theme song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” the ad follows two teenage girls from different backgrounds whose lives intersect after major family transitions. The story explores how empathy, kindness and human connection thrive through shared experiences.
Doner and Colle McCoy Merge to Form DonerColle Partners
DETROIT — Stagwell agencies Doner and Colle McVoy have joined forces to form DonerColle Partners, a new entity created to serve the brands that move America. As the Midwest emerges as the demographic and cultural center of today’s consumer landscape, DonerColle Partners is strategically positioned to help brands connect where it matters most.
2025 Epica Awards Grand Prix Winners Announced
European agencies and brands dominated the Epica Awards this year. In fact, there’s not a single North American, South American, Australian, African, or Asian winner among the eight Grand Prix designees. The jury decided to award two Grand Prix in a pair of closely-fought categories (Film and Responsibility). In Film, which continues to shine in an era of multiple media platforms, two very different films for home improvement brands won.
Sandisk Offers Content Creators the "Space to Hold More"
Content creators require copious space for all the data they produce. More space than their devices can handle. That’s why they turn to flash drives and other external storage products from companies like Sandisk. To promote these products, Sandisk teamed up with Austin-based CALLEN. The result is a new ad campaign that speaks directly to creators of daring stunts, cat videos, presentation decks, and anyone else with terabytes of information to stash and easily transport.
In Chile, Corona Takes People On A Photographic Journey
To celebrate 100 years of Corona in Chile, DAVID Buenos Aires used pinhole photography—a lensless technique developed in the 19th century that relies solely on a box, a small aperture, and natural light—to create new images with a timeless quality. Conona’s team set out to tell 100 unique stories along Chile’s coastline. “With this project, we wanted to pay tribute not just to our beaches but to the human stories that grow around them.
Indeed's New AI Search Agent Helps Job Seekers Hit the Curveball
Finding a new job can be a brutal, lonely, and defeating process. It can also help the job seeker focus on what matters most. For instance, do you want to work 60 hours per week with ultra-competitive people who do not have your back? If you type all the write things and say all the right things, a job like that could be yours. For job seekers with higher standards and more self-worth, the search is equally perplexing. Hence, the need for an AI search agent. Indeed now has one.
When Prompted, ChatGPT Offers Helpful Down-to-Earth Advice
How do you use ChatGPT? Is the AI assistant currently reducing your workload and making you more productive? In this new ad campaign, the use cases for the technology are simpler than that. “The goal was that the work feels both inspirational and grounded in real usage, making ChatGPT something people want to be part of,” ChatGPT’s chief marketing officer, Kate Rouch, told Adweek. OpenAI’s in-house creative team developed the campaign with agency Isle of Any.
Sir John Believes In the Value of "Original, Unaided Thought"
In July, Sir John Hegarty offered a challenge to the ageism problem that continues to plague the ad agency business. The founding partner of Saatchi & Saatchi, co-founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and first recipient of the Lion of St. Mark award, also sounded off on AI and the ever-present need for human talent. Here’s his LinkedIn post, embedded here for your convenience.
Hailey Whitters Makes Music & Sweet Butter for Land O' Lakes
Note: On this day 21 years ago, I made my first six posts to this website. This was before the dawn of social media, and my posts back then were mostly short bursts of information, much like what came to Twitter a few years later. Much has transpired in the advertising, marketing, and media industries since 2004, and Adpulp.com has likewise experienced several twists and turns. What’s remarkable to me is how I keep coming back for more. And why.
HOPE FLOATS: Maine Oysterman, Graham Platner, for U.S. Senate
Positioning is fundamental to brand advertising, and some of today’s Democratic Party candidates are positioning themselves as pro-labor, anti-oligarch defenders of the American people and the American dream. Graham Platner, an oysterman from Maine, is one such candidate. He is running to replace the state’s incumbent Republican Senator, Susan Collins. Democrats from coast to coast would love to see that happen in a little more than a year from now.
HOKA Helps Endurance Runners Find "Shelter from the Storm"
“Well, I’m livin’ in a foreign country but I’m bound to cross the line Beauty walks a razor’s edge, someday I’ll make it mine…” -Bob Dylan “Shelter from the Storm,” is one of Bob Dylan’s best songs on his brilliant 1975 album, Blood on the Tracks. It’s also the new soundtrack for endurance runners in the HOKA camp—runners who participate in ultramarathons, which are longer than 26.2 miles and often take place in mountains, deserts, and jungles.
In New Spot from Mother, Claude.AI Is the AI for Problem Solvers
Claude.AI is the AI for problem solvers. In this new anthem spot from Mother, the narrator says, “There’s never been a better time to have a problem. To be stuck, to be overwhelmed, to be impatient, to be out of ideas, or out of your depth, out of breath.” No need to freak out. According to Anthropic, the key is to “keep creating, keep researching, keep learning, keep coding, keep thinking.” This is a good commercial. It does its job well.
You Don't Know What You Don't Know. No Big Deal, Just Ask Google.
When life presents challenges or opportunities, we ask questions (and hope for factual and detailed answers). How do I become a fine art painter? How do I fix up our house? How do I find companionship that leads to love? Big questions all, but there’s no test and nothing to worry about—not when you can Just Ask Google. I’m getting the sense that Google Search is a transformational product. Who knew that you could Just Ask Google and go?
The Retro Double Play: Coors Banquet and Chili's
Did you know that Coors Banquet is the new PBR and Chili’s is once again packing the house? According to Alyssa Lynner, Senior Marketing Manager at Coors, Banquet has been on a roll for years. “We have three straight years of momentum, with 13 consecutive quarters of dollar share growth and in 2024 volume growth in every single region,” says Lynner. What’s driving this interest and marketplace growth?
Holding Companies Are Struggling to Hold Their Value
Omnicom and WPP are clearing regulatory hurdles and preparing to merge. Both holding companies are also struggling in today’s tumultuous economic environment. WPP reported a 71% slump in profits for the first half of its financial year. For its part, Omnicom saw its revenue inch up by 4.2 percent in the second quarter, but its net income fall by 21.5 percent compared to Q2 2024. “I have never seen a more volatile market,” WPP CEO Mark Read told The Guardian.
Trump's FTC Wants to Protect Far-Right Media Outlets
The Trump Administration wants to make a deal with the advertising industry. The deal goes like this: Support our friends who own far-right media outlets, and we’ll let you go about your business. Given how elite universities, the legal profession, and the free press have been treated recently, it’s not surprising that Omnicom’s proposed $13.5 billion acquisition of The Interpublic Group of Companies has raised “antitrust concerns” for the Federal Trade Commission.
Apple Can Help You "Be Ostentatiously Mediocre And Succeed"
Navigating the demands of office work in The Age of AI presents new challenges for today’s thought workers. If you are not careful to constantly upgrade skills, colleagues who have, may lap you in the perpetual race to impress the boss and keep your job.
New York Is Doing Its Part to Make America Worth Visiting Again
International travelers spent a record $254 billion in the US last year. Things look notably different this year. White House travel bans, a constant barrage of insults, and hostility towards all sorts of people have quickly led to the possibility of billions of dollars in losses for the US travel industry, as Canadians, Mexicans, and Europeans hesitate to travel to the US.
No Humans Needed: Machines Will Make and Distribute the Ads
Meta is an advertising-fueled juggernaut. Its fourth quarter income was $48.39 billion, up 21% from the prior year. The company is minting money, and recently, Mark Zuckerberg said his company plans to further disrupt the advertising business with AI-assisted automation. According to two articles in The Guardian, Facebook’s new AI-powered tools will autogenerate an entire ad campaign, including images, video, and text for customers.
The Trump Team and His Backers Believe in the Power of Advertising
The election came and went, but the campaigning never ends. Welcome to the new not normal where the Trump administration invests millions of dollars in advertising to persuade people who already voted and advance its agenda. Maybe you’ve seen the commercial from the Department of Homeland Security featuring its newly appointed leader, Kristi Noem (the former Governor of South Dakota). The anti-immigrant spot has been running regularly since January.
Zales and Anomaly Court Stylish Zillennials with Bling-Filled Ads
Zales* has launched a new campaign developed in partnership with Anomaly in New York. The jewelry for sale at Zales today is featured prominently in the advertising. The campaign is not high concept, but it is fashionable, dramatic, and it’s also clearly advertising (where product and story are neatly intertwined). The line “Own It” punctuates the end of the film, and according to the brand it serves as a rallying cry for a new generation of jewelry lovers.
Now Watching "Quantum Marketing with Raja Rajamannar"
Quantum Marketing with Raja Rajamannar is a new Bloomberg Originals series hosted by Mastercard’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and author of Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow’s Consumers. The series contains six episodes that delve into the future of marketing in the face of rapidly emerging technologies.
Weirdness Is A Virtue (That We Must Cultivate and Celebrate)
“Austin has become the epicenter of exponential growth.” -Douglass Rushkoff Douglas Rushkoff is one of America’s most important intellectuals, authors, and teachers. In March, Rushkoff spoke at South By Southwest about the changes he has witnessed at the conference, in Austin, and the culture at large thanks to technology’s imprint. It’s a ball-buster of a talk. He’s a funny, playful man who isn’t afraid to name names.
Surprise Surprise, Consumer Sentiment Is In the Dumpster
For advertising to impact buying decisions, people need to feel confident about spending money. Given the price of goods and the daily chaos emanating from The White House today, confident is not how people are feeling at this moment in time. Consumer sentiment plunged 11% this month to a preliminary reading of 50.8, the second-lowest reading on record going back to 1952. April’s reading was lower than anything seen during the Great Recession.
Starbucks and Anomaly Combine To Brew Something Good
Starbucks and its new advertising agency Anomaly, are making interesting new product- and café-focused commercials. The cinematic spots feature soundtracks by AC/DC, The Ting Ting, and Willie Nelson. And smart copy. It starts in darkness. In countless neighborhoods before sunrise. And then suddenly, out of the darkness, energy. According to Marketing Dive, Starbucks executives including CEO Brian Niccol affirmed that marketing investments are a large part of the chain’s turnaround plan.
FREE YOUR MIND
David Burn · Follow 3 min read · -- J. Frank Dobie was a naturalist, folklorist, author, and an English professor at the University of Texas. He wrote eloquently about cattle, cacti, and the colorful people of his native Brush Country in South Texas. J. Frank Dobie, a man with a liberated mind Dobie was an erudite gentleman who believed in civil rights, extending the vote to women, and treating people and the land with respect.
Make America the Land of White Male Conformity Again
In order to impress the new administration in Washington, soldiers from the Culture War have entered the sliding glass doors of America’s most prominent retailers—a fact that increasingly threatens their ability to make their own business decisions and operate stores profitably. Three days into his job, Florida’s new Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a class-action lawsuit that alleges Target Corp.
Democracy Did Not Die In Darkness, But A Formerly Important Newspaper Did
Associated Press reporters have been barred from the White House and Air Force One because the venerable media business refuses to change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. On the other side of the Constitutional issue is The Washington Post, which is doing whatever it can to please the nation’s Supreme Ruler. (Are you surprised? The newspaper is owned by billionaire tech bro, Jeff Bezos.
America's Top Technology Firms No Longer A Reliable Source of Truth
Google, Apple, Microsoft, et al, would rather kiss the Supreme Ruler’s ring than provide accurate information to its customers. According to The Guardian, Google’s online and mobile calendars no longer include references to Black History Month, Women’s History Month and LGBTQ+ holidays, among other events. Google is also rolling back its previous commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in its employment policies following the US president’s orders to curb DEI in federal agencies.
McConaughey, Harrelson, and Friends Are "True to Texas"
Last week, the Texas Senate announced its budget includes $498 million to revamp the Texas Film Incentive. The state wants to encourage film and TV production in the state, and to encourage the state’s lawmakers, a group of famous actors with ties to Texas have made a video pitch. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson reunite in a “True Detective” moment in this new ad directed by series creator Nic Pizzolato. The supporting cast includes Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, and Renée Zellweger.
Please Buy Adpulp A Coffee
Dear reader, you have your own reasons for supporting this website and its creators. And I honor your reasons! My reason for asking today is not because we are presently short on coffee. I’m a fiend for the brew. In fact, just this morning my local purveyor poured me a delicious Horchata cold brew. The cold brew was dispensed from a nitro tap. It cost five dollars. I’m asking because I’m a member of the creator economy. Wink wink. Let’s focus on coffee for a minute.
Holding Companies Seek Even Greater Profits In New M&A Deal
Mergers and acquisitions—it’s one way to grow a company beholden to its shareholders. Ad industry holding companies know all about it, given that they regularly acquire and then “hold” what were once independent and innovate agencies. Earlier this month in what could become the merger of all mergers, Omnicom announced its intentions to acquire Interpublic Group in a deal worth $31 billion.
LiveOnNY Asks Holiday Shoppers to Give the Gift of a Lifetime
Holiday shoppers in Manhattan are being met with different sort of pitch this year, one that asks them to open their hearts and minds, not their wallets. DeVito/Verdi has a lot of experience working with healthcare concerns and pitching in to help cause-based organizations. In the agency’s latest campaign for LiveOnNY—the organ procurement organization for the NYC metro area—these concentrations intersect and the concept of holiday generosity is smartly reframed.
Uber Eats Reminds Football Fans That They're Hungry
One thing I love about watching soccer on TV is the complete lack of commercial breaks until half time. The great American game of football makes no such allowances and thus it takes much longer to watch. Did you know that the average college football game lasts 3 hours and 24 minutes and the average NFL game takes 3 hours and 12 minutes from start to finish? Given the wide expanse of time people are likely to get hungry.
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