You Sleep When You Die

I always admired Al Davis a great deal, and saw him as a special kind of role model. He embraced the “maverick” label, and he successfully walked the thin line between being feared and being loved. Perhaps most importantly, he had a long-term commitment to excellence in the art of branding. The iconic silver-and-black Raiders logo is one of the most enduring brands in all of sports.

Technically, Clemons may not have been the E Street band’s front man, but he was a brand unto himself every time he picked up his horn. Springsteen recognized, and celebrated, the emotional power of Clemons’s brand early on.

Thanks to Jumeirah and Oakley’s willingness to take a chance on a rising star, these two firms are now enjoying a global windfall of exposure for their brands.

The lesson: Taking smart risks on emerging opportunities can pay off big.

November 2 is right around the corner, which means the 2010 midterm elections are almost here. There’s no way you can miss them with all of the political advertising that’s running right now. The problem is that almost every candidate out there is doing almost everything WRONG!!

The U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform legislation has been called a success by Democratic supporters and a parliamentary sham by Republicans.

As an advertising executive, I call it a failure.