admin

If You Think Advertising Sucks, You Weren’t Around For Its Golden Age The industry replaced classic, unforgettable ads with JackAss gifs and juvenile memes By Lon Shapiro (originally published on Medium, June 13, 2021)   When I started my career, the advertising industry was nearing the end of its golden age. Look at the subtlety […]

Break the Chains Holding You Back Cracker Barrel’s brand testing failure was a recipe for disaster By Lon Shapiro (originally published on Medium, August 28, 2025) Unlike Donald Rumsfeld, Psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger won a Nobel Prize for their work on unknown unknowns. In 2002, Rumsfeld used the concept of “unknown unknowns” to

How to Trust the Magic in Your Creative World. When you know it’s great, don’t stop believing. By Lon Shapiro (originally published on Medium, September 14, 2019) There is a huge difference between creating art and becoming an immortal. In 1482, the Duke of Milan commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to create the largest equestrian statue

Are You Thinking Like an Artist? Confessions of a creative mercenary. By Lon Shapiro (originally published on Medium, September 5, 2019)   If you make a living as a creative, are you an artist or a sell-out? Da Vinci had rich jerks for clients who asked him to do their portraits, murals, and even sets

How to Think Different: A New Prespective on Creativity Practical lessons from movie posters you can apply to writing. By Lon Shapiro (originally published on Medium, September 14, 2019) Look at the posters above and tell me what you see. Is there something that connects them, or is this just a jumble of images? Over