Mick Jagger turned 79 the other day and thumbed his nose at aging. To celebrate, here’s a flashback to the Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge tour. I had just joined VH1 as the head of marketing and wanted to create a buzz for the relaunch of our channel. The Stones were planning a big tour. So, …
A reporter asked AC/DC’s Angus Young, “Would you agree that your band has essentially made the same album 15 times?” Angus replied, “Hell no! We’ve made the same album 17 times!” There’s no denying that AC/DC’s no-frills, pelvis-grinding signature sound. But, they’re instantly recognizable and beloved by fans. For decades, the bad boys from down …
More than 100 advertisers paid $6+ million for their Superbowl moment…only to be immediately forgotten. The top-rated ad showed Meadow Soprano driving a Chevy. Did it inspire anybody to buy one? It’s time we call out the elephant in the room. Mass marketing is just eye candy that rarely moves the needle. So, what does …
I was excited to watch a story about NASA’s new space telescope. So, I clicked on the link and the screen filled with images of…an insurance company ad. And no way to stop it. Sorry Flo, that’s not how to win my business. We don’t buy products because we’re forced to watch an ad. …
There is no such thing as throwing something away. There is no ‘away’. Once our trash gets hauled off, it becomes someone else’s problem. Out of sight, buried in landfill or incinerated and spewing megatons of dioxin in the air. What’s dioxin? The deadliest toxin known to science. Meanwhile, we’ve made consumption a way of …
Elon Musk could’ve taken his SpaceX rocket out for a joyride like other spoiled billionaires. Instead, his Inspiration 4 mission took the first step towards making space tourism a reality. SpaceX strapped four civilian crew members into a 200’ missile and launched them into orbit around the Earth. But that wasn’t the big story. Beyond …
This is the homepage of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website. It proudly states their mission to honor “the people who shaped the history of rock & roll.” Like Abba. It seems like the Rock Hall only exists to support a tourist attraction. How did this coveted award become so meaningless? I …
I heard a fascinating conversation between music writer Bob Lefsetz and Michael Rapino, the CEO of Live Nation. With no concerts to produce, their stock in the toilet and thousands of employees on the payroll, Live Nation was on the ropes. So, Rapino had to make some tough choices. And he made them fast. Most …
Have you heard? Rupert Murdoch will soon launch the Fox Weather channel. It’ll be a streamed network that promises to do for weather what Fox News has done for politics. Cable TV news ratings are down 38%, while the Weather Channel was up 7 percent. The reason is obvious. As the climate change issue gets …
“We can’t win without a bigger ad budget” Really? Hold my beer. Anyone can throw money at a problem. But unless you’ve got Geico’s budget, you’ll get ignored. Reaching people starts with a clever idea that taps an emotion. Make us laugh, or cry or care about your brand. Of course, that connection can’t be …
