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Articles by Tracy Brady
When college send-off is a family affair
“I can’t do this!” My father gasped, as we searched in vain for the University of South Carolina administration building. It was a swampy 98 degrees in Columbia, and we were at freshman orientation — not for me, but for my 18-year-old son. My 81-year-old dad had invited himself after my husband bailed for work and home projects, and I’d happily agreed, forgetting somehow that there would be a lot of walking on a huge Southern campus in July. Being 81 was no match for Dad’s take charge style.
You never get this time back
When my son was 8, he was in a New Hampshire Tourism campaign. We spent an October day at a shoot at Squam Lake, where he jumped into the water over and over, warming up in a hot tub between takes. The campaign ran everywhere, and a photo of him launching from a Squam Lake dock still graces the digital photo billboard at the welcome center in Hooksett, New Hampshire. It’s like he’s frozen in time, all the innocence, energy and joy of childhood on display for every traveler who stops.
6.2 Miles and the Case for Brand America
I go to our nation's capital for business three or four times a year. This is new for me, thanks to our new client, Marriott Bonvoy, in Bethesda, Maryland, and our new partner, Stagwell, which is just blocks from the White House. My preferred hotel (yes, it's a Bonvoy) is also blocks from the White House. Three short ones. As I do on business trips in every city to which I travel, each time I'm in Washington, D.C., I go for a morning run.
What Writers Are Grateful for This Holiday
The season of gratitude is upon us. As a copywriter or speechwriter, it can get easy to live in your own head—and sometimes that can be a jaded place. So, why not get a fresh set of opinions from some of the best minds out there? I asked a few writers I admire what they're grateful for this year. Here's what they said. Luke Sullivan Author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads "As a writer, I am thankful that I get to use my brain for a living and not my back.
Advertising People, Which Character Are You in Ford v Ferrari?
I'm basically the best dad in the world. I surprise yanked my twin 11-year-old boys out of school in the middle of the day and took them to see Ford v Ferrari. Great movie, blah blah blah. But as I sat there in the dark looking at the screen, I came to the realization that I was watching the last 20 years of my life play out before me. No, I'm not a professional racecar driver. I'm in marketing. Specifically, advertising. More specifically, a creative director.
Press 9 If You Can't Find Grandpa: The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line for Modern Thanksgiving Emergencies
From the Butterball website: The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is available to help concerned cooks through December 24. Many of the questions remain the same (How long does my turkey need to defrost? How often should I baste?) but the methods with which those in turkey turmoil get in touch with Butterball's experts has expanded. Today you can connect with the Talk-Line through social media, live chat, texting—even Amazon Alexa.
The Perks and Pitfalls of Working Remotely
Since last September, I've worked remotely between two countries and five cities. The perks of working from afar and from home go without saying—pants are optional, and if you don't mind doing work alone it can be incredibly productive. But I never dreamed of having a satellite office in my kitchen. Let's go back. "We're moving to Canada," I was informed on a Wednesday last July. It was July 4, to be specific,, the one day a year when I finally make peace with hot dogs and being American.
We Are All Trying to Be Superheroes: My Evolving View of Work/Life Balance
I sat curled at the end of the couch with my laptop balanced precariously across my legs, desperately trying to lay out a keynote presentation while Slacking with a colleague about a client's latest request. My daughter was sprawled alongside me, playing chess against an imaginary opponent, while my son raced around the living room in his underwear and cape, hunting bad guys. And you ask how work affects my home life, and vice versa… It's a brave question nowadays.
Fathers: The Worst Consumers in the World
If I were a contemporary history professor, I would screen ads in class all day. If there is one discipline capable of portraying Western society in the past five or six decades with surgical precision, it is the advertising industry. That is one of the good aspects of our profession: It is a concise and effective chronicler of its time. However, one of the bad aspects is: It's easy to stereotype and fall into the ordinary.
Need Dog Insights for Your Pet-Care Brand? Say No More
For those of us who toil in the pet care category, focus groups aren't always as insightful as we hope. If only we could interview the actual consumers to round out the brief with a "Day in the Life" portrait of the target audience. Good news! Recently, I found this note in my laptop case. I think my dog knows how hard we all work. It was an unsolicited gift from him. And as a pay-it-forward to all the creatives working on dog brands (literally or figuratively), I thought I'd share.
6 Ways Maternity Leave Can Make You a Better Creative
It's no secret that having time off can lead to more creativity, less burnout and better work. Long weekends, vacation days, even an extended leave or sabbatical can do wonders for your return to the office. But if you really want to get better at your job, all you need to do is have a baby. Here's why. You learn how to maximize your time. Post-baby, your free time dwindles down to basically none. When they're up, you're parenting.
Just When I Thought I Was Out, Agency Life Pulled Me Back In
When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter several years back, I did what a lot of people with families do: I left agency life. I wanted a job that would allow me to go home in the evening and see her without feeling like I was letting my colleagues down. Plus, to be completely honest, I was a little disillusioned by what I saw going on around me. I was disappointed by the lack of female leaders in the industry, as well as the bullying, sexual misconduct and harassment, and lack of diversity.
What the Unibeaver Hot Dog Taught Me About Creativity
"What's this? I asked with a practiced blend of dread and curiosity, as I pulled a mystery item from my 10-year-old son's backpack. It was wrapped in newspaper and heavy, but on the plus side, didn't seem either alive or rotting. He smiled proudly. "Open it." So I did. It was a ceramic … colorful … what the hell was it?
How Running Helps Me Creatively
I haven't always loved to run. Growing up as an athlete, running was the thing you had to do to get to play lacrosse or soccer or basketball or whatever I was playing that season. I don't run because I'm good. I'm not fast. I'm not graceful. In fact, I often compare my running style to an old diesel engine. It takes a little while to get going and can run forever, but it's NOT a pretty process.
Why Marketers Need to Be Cultural Linguists
Amid the constant drumbeat of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, the latest news about the U.S.-China tariff battle, and the fate of Brexit, it can be difficult to keep sight of deeper, longer-cycle shifts taking place across the world's economies. Changes are now happening faster than most global brands are prepared to address, making it all the more urgent for marketers to find new adaptive strategies.
A Lesson in Lifestyle, Courtesy of the Woolsey Fire
If you're lucky enough to have a long career in advertising, you will inevitably be faced with choices that pit your job against your lifestyle. Last year, I tried choosing both, and somehow ended up with more. For as long as I can remember, the ocean has been my therapy. When I lived in New York, I spent half my life in transit between Manhattan and Montauk so I could be near water every weekend. So, when I moved to California in 2007, Malibu seemed like the ideal place to settle.
This Newspaper Made Ugly Sweaters to Bring Attention to the Year's Ugliest News
"Truth is the cornerstone of journalism, no matter how ugly it is," says Helsingin Sanomat's senior editor-in-chief Kaius Niemi, echoing the video's conclusion: The truth may be ugly, but it will never go out of style. "We can't shy away from topics that are difficult, in-your-face or hard to swallow," says Niemi. "That's why this Christmas we are wearing them on our sleeve, literally.
Advertising Creatives, I Need Your Help With My Christmas List
Dear leading ad industry creatives, I realize I have probably aged out of most groups you typically target, since my own children are budding sullen teenagers and I'm closer to membership in AARP than Girls Who Code. Also, I know (some of) you probably still have paying clients who are far more deserving. But ... I'm desperate. God has not answered my pleas. Neither has His son, nor my husband, nor Macy's, nor my own parents, who stopped giving me gifts I actually wanted decades ago.
Want to Be a Better Creative? Scare Yourself and Learn to Fly
At Huge, my job is to create transformative experiences for consumers across myriad landscapes—from platforms and products to AR/VR to Super Bowl spots and yes, even print ads. The boundaries and channels where creativity can live change rapidly as user behavior evolves. I believe there's no better time to be in our industry. But a few years ago, before joining Huge, I had reached an impasse of sorts. I felt a little burned out. A bit bored.
5 Ways Parents Can Successfully Transition Back to Work
Like any major life event, parenting changes people in fundamental ways. Studies prove that biochemical reactions change women's brains after they become mothers. Regions associated with emotional regulation and empathy grow. And according to one researcher, "in animals and humans during the postpartum period, there's an enormous desire to take care of their own child." Similar changes occur in men involved in caregiving.
Rethinking the Publicis Pullout: Awards Shows Like Cannes Are About More Than Just the Awards
Aftershocks from Publicis’ decision to take a year off from major conferences and awards shows are still reverberating through the cafes and nap rooms of top creative agencies around the world. It’s about more than rosé and parties, we say. It’s even about more than the best global creative talent and ideas all in one place, we say. Better creative means better business results, we say. It’s not about the awards, we say. Well, sometimes it is, but not always.
The Best Way to Make Sure Important People Remember You
The MPW Insiders Network is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for, “What’s the best way to manage your personal brand?” is written by Tracy Brady, VP of agency communications at Hill Holliday. I believe that personal brands, like consumer brands, require three things: clarity, character, and consistency.
8 things you need to know before launching a virtual reality brand experience
Gaming execs: Join 180 select leaders from King, Glu, Rovio, Unity, Facebook, and more to plan your path to global domination in 2015. GamesBeat Summit is invite-only -- apply here.
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