Jim Morris

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If It Isn’t Advertising, What Is It?

Brand Marketing

Many companies that used to call themselves advertising agencies have fled that term over the past decade or so. They’ve labored mightily to redefine themselves as “idea factories,” “marketing,” “communications” [...]

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Dazed and Confused

Brand Marketing

In case you find yourself scratching your head after watching a commercial on TV, rest assured, you’re not alone. A new study reports that “three-quarters of Americans have found at [...]

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Why Taglines Are Keepers

Brand Marketing

As advertising continues to explore and integrate new ways of engaging customers, the tagline seems to be taking a major hit. According to my own unscientific survey, a look at [...]

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In Defense of Advertising

Brand Marketing

The following e-mail exchange, edited slightly for space, took place recently between Sara, an out-of-work account executive, and me. Desperate for solace and encouragement, she resorted to contacting me, who [...]

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How Agencies Tell Stories

Brand Marketing

Conventional wisdom tells us much of the best advertising consists of short stories, well told. If ads are often stories, then copywriters and art directors can be seen as modern [...]

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It’s Tough to Be a Good CD These Days

Brand Marketing

With many advertising agencies continually shuffling and reshuffling their organizational decks, one badly drawn line seems to survive every upheaval. I refer to the responsibilities assigned to many (or most) [...]