Giant Helium Balloon

Summary: In advertising, life and society are blown up to be bigger than what they actually are. The themes of luxury, self-worth, belonging, and sex fill the offline and online channels. Much of the advertising we all see is meant to show us how our lives can be improved by the goods and services that are available.

Summary: Sometimes it is worth taking a step back and looking at a situation in a different light. As an advertising professional, especially in the agency world, we are obligated to stay up to date with the happenings of the industry. We, as well as you, keep abreast of the news from Adweek, AdAge, MediaPost, Ad Contrarian, Forbes, NY Times, LA Times, TechCrunch, and the like to make sure we know the latest trends and technology. We know the movers and shakers. We see who is losing the big accounts and who is winning them.

Summary: In New York state, the administration is about to finish its stance on “fracking” in parts of its Southern Tier, just north of the Pennsylvania border. As many of you are aware, fracking is the process of pushing water, sand, and other minerals deep into the ground in order to release and collect natural gas. With the area called Marcellus Shale that covers large parts of Pennsylvania and New York, companies have been falling over themselves in order to get a piece of the action.

The environmental effects of fracking are not clear-cut. The public is torn about it, and the state administration is being pulled by opposite sides of the debate.