People like P zzl s.

People like P zzl s.

By DavidMar 28, 2017
You see it all over the place, every day. Puzzles. Games. Invitations to engage/enrage/enrapture. Pattern recognition: it's fundamental to our very survival and has been hard wired into our brains since some upright hominid figured out that those patterns in the snow meant there was food on the hoof somewhere over that a way.    What are these strange things? An invitation to DINNER.   People really, really enjoy p z l s. And…
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Play the Opposite

Play the Opposite

By DavidMar 21, 2017
The best actors do it all the time: Play the Opposite.   Let’s say you’re cast to be a psychologically terrifying super villain. The kind of blood chilling monster that’ll keep you up nights after seeing the movie.   Someone like this:      But someone even worse. The Joker was, after all, telegraphing his malevolence via makeup. This is no slam on Heath Ledger. His portrayal was magnificent. Easily the best comic übermeany…
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Brand is >.

Brand is >.

By DavidMar 15, 2017
The thing about a shared language is that we all think we’re speaking about the same thing. And most times we are. Is it raining outside? Easy. How ‘bout dem Packers? A little harder to answer, but we all understand what you mean. But the word ‘brand’ has a myriad of definitions that can lead to minor misunderstandings at best and outright hostility at worst. So what do we actually mean when we bandy the…
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Ephemeral vs. Evergreen

By DavidMar 06, 2017
  With Snapchat’s IPO garnering a lot of heat (but not necessarily light) both online and IRL, it’s a good time to step back, breathe deep, and ask one very important question for your brand or business:   What’s more important: Ephemeral or Evergreen? The three B’s—Budget, Bandwidth, and Brand Relevance—have long been the primary limiting parameters for any marketing campaign. The challenge has always been to balance all three to achieve the biggest brand…
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A winning recipe for blog casserole.

A winning recipe for blog casserole.

By DavidFeb 21, 2017
I received an email the other day that really got me thinking. Spencer X. Smith, you may know him as THE go-to guy for social media strategy, asked me about writing really engaging blog posts.   To be honest, I had never really thought about such things before. I just wrote them. But the question kept nagging at me. How do I actually do what I do?   No good writing follows a formula (possible…
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Show, don't tell.

Show, don't tell.

By DavidFeb 06, 2017
Deconstructing magic: Apple's 'Stroll' TV spot       Take a look at this TV spot. It's a great example of 'showing, not telling.' Now let's deconstruct it.   But first, why:   Arthur C. Clarke's third law stipulates that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." And he's absolutely right.     A maybe TRUE FAMILY STORY about the intersection of tech and magic.   My progenitor Sonck Knudten, a Danish ship captain…
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Gamification clarification.

Gamification clarification.

By DavidFeb 05, 2017
I originally wrote this in 2014, but am re-upping it now because it's truer than ever, and too many still aren't getting in the game.   At a recent client meeting I did what I often do: use a relatively obscure term that requires a level of 'get-it-ness' that has yet to fully penetrate the popular consciousness. That term is 'gamification.'   The easy definition? Take the techniques games use to delight their players, and apply…
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Context before concept

Context before concept

By DavidJan 30, 2017
    Like any experienced creative type, I've got an unwritten list of rules that I alternately cleave to or break on a daily basis. One that proves surprisingly resilient is "Always understand the context before wasting time on the concept."   I was reminded of this maxim when I saw the maximum impact this creative concept had for the Swedish drug store chain Apotek Hjärtat back in 2014.   Apotek Hjärtat - Blowing in…
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About my Zuckerbirthday.

By DavidJan 01, 2014
All of you kind Facebook folks who wish me a "Happy Birthday" every January 1st need to stop. It's not that I don't appreciate the greeting (which I most certainly do, especially from those I haven't seen in decades) but…it's not actually my birthday. January 1, 1901 is my Zuckerbirthday—the bogus date I selected when I first signed up for Facebook a long, long time ago. Why? Because I'm a natural contrarian who doesn't like…
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Beyoncé zags.

By DavidDec 13, 2013
Big news today: Beyoncé dropped a new album Bigger news today: the way Beyoncé dropped her new album. Now we all know Beyoncé is a force of nature that demands attention. And she's getting it. But the cool thing about this (to me) is that the lady (and her marketing team) clearly understands an old chestnut of marketing: When everybody else is zigging, you zag. I mean, come on, this is the most crowded, noisy,…
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Spare me your dystopia.

By DavidDec 04, 2013
I get it. Things aren't all rainbows, unicorns and flying cars. Life is a struggle. Always has been. Always will be. But enough already. The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, Doomsday Preppers, Left 4 Dead, Minority Report; a non-stop diet like this leads to mindless nihilism—or the necessary purgatives of Duck Dynasty, anything Disney, and K-Pop. Dystopias can be fun (Get the zombie, Rick!), but overdose on it and you're the problem. Suddenly every turban…
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People like p z l s, part II.

By DavidNov 26, 2013
I wrote a post a long time ago (in social media years) entitled "People like p z l s." Its takeaway: that too many marketers want to say everything in every communication, but that it's more important to leave room for their intended readers to fill in the blank. A simple, brilliant example: -from the folks @ Ireland/Davenport, Johannesburg, South Africa The story of Vivian Maier is "People like p z l s" personified. Long…
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portfolio_Discover Wisconsin’s Next Host

By DavidNov 22, 2013
25 year-old TV show. Host of 18 years goes on to bigger and better. So what are you going to do? Scour the state for a new one. The audition event and attendant social media marketing campaign resulted in over 400 user-generated video auditions, 65+ live auditions at Lambeau Field, and countless Facebook likes, retweets, blog posts, etc. And the result? The new host for the 2011-12 season, Emmy Fink. Creative Director/Copywriter: D.P. Knudten Art…
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portfolio_The Cherry Cricket

By DavidNov 22, 2013
The Cherry Cricket is a ‘50’s-era gin joint located in Denver’s swankiest shopping district. These ads are just a sampling of those created for this unique establishment, and are great examples of how a headline’s tone can reflect a product’s core attributes while complementing the attitude of the publications in which they run (alternative publications like The Onion). The previous sentence is an excellent example of how a competent copywriter can create an effective rationale…
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portfolio_Briargate

By DavidNov 22, 2013
True story: an employee of Briargate who was unaware that a new marketing campaign was being launched was watching TV the night this spot aired. Half way through she said to herself "this is the kind of commercial we should be running for ourselves." She was delighted when she saw the logo at the end, and that the spot captured the truth of this brand-new, old-style community. Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: D.P. Knudten Art Director: Greg…
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portfolio_London Bay Homes

By DavidNov 22, 2013
A custom homebuilder for the ultra-riché, London Bay Homes needed an ad to run in symphony concert programs. My thought? The buyers for these homes travel in Gulfstream jets, not VW Jettas. Let’s make an ad that looks like it should run in Vanity Fair, not New Homes Finder. It’s also another example of how I think visually. Concept/Copywriter: D.P. Knudten Art Director: Rick Tackett Agency: Miles Advertising • Denver, Colorado
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portfolio_Ski The Summit

By DavidNov 22, 2013
This is another piece from early in my career. The agency I was working at found out that the review for the SKI THE SUMMIT account was reopened at 1:45 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. Scrambling quickly, we put together a “foot in the door” piece with ad samples and broadcast reels by 5 p.m. This panel appeared on the outside of the box. The inside reveal said: “That’s exactly how we feel. We heard…
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portfolio_Alley Grant & Logan

By DavidNov 22, 2013
I was out on my own for a number of years during the virtual agency gig under the moniker Alley Grant & Logan (named for my garage office between Grant & Logan in Denver). So what did I do during those years I was out on my own? Provide “big agency” strategies and concepts to businesses that couldn’t afford “big agency” retainers & fees. These pieces highlight my niche: high quality/low price. Creative Director/Copywriter: D.P.…
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portfolio_Breckenridge Ski School

By DavidNov 21, 2013
In the best of all possible worlds, concept precedes execution. But as we all know, this is not the best of all possible worlds. Ever get one of those “here are some pictures from our library— can you write some headlines to match them?” jobs? This series of bus boards is exactly that: photos from Breck’s photo library in search of headlines relating them to their ski school. Copywriter: D.P. Knudten Agency: Wilson Lass Imagemaker…
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portfolio_Janesville Jets

By DavidNov 21, 2013
Every agency has a ® or ™ branding process. This is an example of the final deliverable created from the Brand BackStory™ process I crafted for Discover Mediaworks. The client in this case is the Janesville Jets, a North American Hockey League team. Get Jets Yet? This Brand BackStory was created to make sure you will. Creative Director/Copywriter: D.P. Knudten Art Director: Steve Vollmer Agency: Discover Mediaworks • Madison, Wisconsin
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GETTING CREATIVE: It takes a neigh BRAH! hood.

GETTING CREATIVE: It takes a neigh BRAH! hood.

By DavidOct 25, 2013
I originally posted this in 2013, but given the amount of bad bro behavior going on, I think it's worth an update and a repost. -dp I ran into an HR situation today that was quickly resolved with three simple words: 1. Dude 2. Not 3. Cool When used in combination, they form a phrase of surpassing power, an incantation capable of transmogrifying a raging jackass into a repentant basset hound. "Dude, not cool" (DNC)…
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De-Facing Facebook: The coming anti-Social correction.

By DavidApr 07, 2012
Originally posted some time in late 2009. Still think it's going to happen. Guess I'm just a...futurist. - dp (writing 6.30.2011) It's inevitable. And for many, it's going to be painful. I'm talking about what happens when the first wave of Social Networking enthusiasts crashes into the rocks of real.We've already seen the first of its victims. Remember that wack mom who faked her Space and quite possibly led to the suicide of a teenager?…
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People like p z l s.

By DavidApr 05, 2012
Originally posted some time in 2009. Re o t d oo re ak a oin . - dp You see it all over the place, every day. Puzzles. Games. Invitations to engage/enrage/enrapture. Pattern recognition: it's fundamental to our very survival and has been hard wired into our brains since Ogg figured out those things in the dirt pointing in one direction meant there was food on the hoof somewhere over that a way. People really,…
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Showroom vs. Barroom.

By DavidFeb 11, 2012
Originally posted some time in 2009. Reposted because this is a personal manifesto that's truer and truer every day. And yes, obnoxious pedants, truer is a word. - dp (writing 6.30.2011) Ah, the good old days. You come up with a product, gloss it up with some graphics, and then pick one of a handful of communications channels and pummel the entire United States until they staggered out like zombies to buy it. Even if…
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Facebook status updates.

By DavidJan 26, 2012
Originally posted some time in 2009. Don't Facebook as much, or Twitter. Too dang busy (shoemaker's children, if you know what I mean.) - dp I have a confession to make. I signed up for a Twitter account close to a year ago. Had to. Working in advertising/marketing, especially on the creative side, demands keeping up with all the latest, even if it's dumb, halfbaked, or just plain stupid (think: Jonas Brothers). So I signed…
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Location Based Hominid.

By DavidJan 22, 2012
Originally posted some time in 2009. Recycled for maximum blog churn. - dp There's been a lot of Cable TV babble about cell phones, "location based" services, and the creeping fear of Big Brother knowing where I am, what I'm buying, what I'm watching, what I'm thinking! ARRGGGH! My advice: just relax. And if you're really, really worried, just turn off your phone dipstick! This has been the same fear/pseudo argument of the Luddites since…
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