SERIOUSLY: Memphis Bleek in Garnier Fructis Ad

A part of me dies whenever I see one of these youth-targeted ads. I always wonder why nobody in the room is willing to raise his hand and say to the room, “that’s kind of a bad idea.” I’ve done it before. In one case, when I was brand new to advertising. To one of the partners. It’s the reason they want young blood in advertising — to save them from looking like out-of-touch idiots.

So please, members of the coveted 18-34 demographic. If you’re ever in a brainstorming session and someone suggests a “hip,” “trendy,” or “urban” way to sell crap to your peers, clear your throat and let him/her know: bad idea.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… Seriously, Bleek. That bad? I guess that inheritance from Jay isn’t putting food on your table today.

Also, should that ad be pitching Piperlime so hard?

Tech Tyranny, Part 1: This Is Your Grandmother’s Cellphone Provider

So, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple months, you’re acutely aware of two stories heating up the tech world. That doesn’t happen too often, now does it — mainstream audiences giving a damn about tech-industry happenings. I am, of course, talking about Apple’s war with Adobe and Facebook harvesting your likes, allergies, and phobias for eventual sale to our future alien insect overlords. In this, the first of a two-part series, we’ll look at how Apple went from edgy, fashionable outsider to Tech Goliath (MechaGodzilla, I guess).