Tom Ruwitch
When I was a lovesick teenage boy, I listened to one song more than any other: “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by the Animals. It usually worked like this: I had a crush on a girl. She didn’t have a crush on me. That made me sad. I’d come home from school, close my bedroom…
Ken Burns on Earnest Hemingway + Hemingway on How to Become a Great Writer + Natalie Hemby Time-Honored Tradition + Clara Barton on Danger, Fear, and Courage
First a music recommendation and then a business lesson… I’m a big fan of Aaron Lee Tasjan. I recommend all of his albums, including his new one “Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!”Maybe you’ve heard of him. Maybe you haven’t.Maybe my recommendation influences you. Maybe it doesn’t. But don’t take my word for it. Check this out… That’s this…
Joshua and Rob bought 100 little thrift store objects because they wanted to prove a point. They wanted to show that one person’s thrift store junk is another person’s treasure… …if you can attach emotional significance to the object. So, Joshua Glenn and Rob Walker enlisted 100 creative writers, assigned one of the objects to…
When a top-notch copywriter forwards to me an example of great marketing, I pay attention. My buddy Adam is one of the best copywriters I know. And yesterday, he forwarded to me a subject line that caught his eye. The subject line: “MIT Device Cuts Power Bills By 65%” Adam said, “That’s about as good…
I nearly no-showed for a meeting with a new LinkedIn connection last week. The connection, Terri, sent me a message to tell me she was waiting in the Zoom room. I had forgotten our meeting. I was eating lunch, oblivious, when Terri’s message arrived. I joined the Zoom room, tail between my legs, apologizing, embarrassed.…
Apple’s great “Bounce” advertisement + Scott Ginsberg Prolific + Mastering Fear — A Navy Seal’s Guide by Brandon Webb and John David Mann + The Highwomen “Crowded Table” + Cy Young Preaches Patience
In the most recent Monday Mash-Up, I shared with you this ad from Apple which I love: Great visual storytelling. Great special effects.  But as great as the “Jump” ad is, it’s not the greatest I’ve seen from Apple. This one, named “Bounce,” is even better: When Apple released this ad in 2019, I showed the ad…
In 1987, world chess champion Garry Kasparov declared, “No computer can ever beat me.” That was the year I graduated from college, ready to make my mark. I was cocky as Kasparov. Supremely confident in my abilities. A problem solver. A go-getter. Ten years later, an IBM super-computer called “Deep Blue” whipped Kasparov in a…
Daniel Levis Why Facts Tell and Stories Sell + One Night in Miami + Sara Bareilles: Goodbye Yellowbrick Road + William Shatner