January 23, 2015. 1 a.m., Mountains of Southern California. I’m sitting on a cooler, sobbing. For the first time, I’ve used my copywriting for evil. I tricked someone. Someone important. They believed everything I said. And now, in a classic be-careful-what-you-wish-for-type scenario, I’m paying for it. Next to me is one of my best friends, a logger named Jesse. Twenty feet in front of me a half-a-dozen drunk military veterans gathered around a fire, laughing and swapping war … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2018
The Copywriter’s Postgame Super Bowl Report
I always watch the Super Bowl with a notebook in hand. The pregame show, the interviews, and yes, of course the commercials… are a masterclass in storytelling. In fact, one of my first blog posts at On Life and Writing was about a Super Bowl ad. And while Tom Brady and the Patriots have created a dynasty on the field, they have failed miserably over the years at storytelling. (Just check out this map that shows unless you live in New England, you likely were thrilled with the outcome … [Read more...]