BRANDING

Analog Thinking, Genuine Storytelling

As it turns out, no one needed a better mousetrap, the mice want the cheese

Photo by Jamie Brown on Unsplash

We all get nostalgic. We think back to a time when things were simpler or at least more manageable. Personally, I think we just miss the optimism and possibility of our youth. Sometimes, we long for things we never even experienced or that didn’t actually exist; a phenomenon social scientists call “anemoia.” We are searching for something.

I was taking a trip down memory lane recently, watching a selection of old favorite commercials, and what I loved about them was that they were so simple. They had perfectly aligned production values, with no special effects or crazy techniques. Just good, solid storytelling. The one thing they all shared was a profound understanding of the human condition. They resonated on a deep, emotional level. I miss that.

I believe that our culture has lost its way — that we’ve lost our balance. Technology can be a wonderful thing and the product of amazing creative innovation. I’ve always been a big fan and more often than not, an early adopter. But there’s more to life than what goes on inside the little gadgets in our pockets. We’ve lost touch with what’s important, and that has adversely affected the art of branding products and…