So today is like a second birthday for me, a kind of rebirth. 5 years ago today while driving home I experienced discomfort in my chest that stayed with me for two days. It was a Wednesday much like today and I thought it was heartburn from the spaghetti & meatball dinner I had with the chicken nuggets mid-night snack. It was unusual for me but I had spent the night watching over my mother who was in physical rehab; I’m fortunate to be part of a strong support system in my family. I did not think it was serious because like a lot of men in my position I was pretty active. I swam occasionally knocking out laps with ease. I rode my mountain bike pretty hard, no less than 10 miles, 4 to 5 times a month I even shoveled my parent’s driveway and sidewalk with no issues a couple of days prior. I was fit except for excess weight. The fact is I was very sick and had no idea. See that Wednesday 5 years ago I had a heart attack and didn’t realize it until I was on the table two d...
Big surprise, Pepsi pulled it's tone deaf " Live For Now " Ad starring socialite and reality personality Kendall Jenner in what had to be an expensive production complete with an anthem "Lions” by Skip Marley, large cast and several days of shooting, editing and revisions I'm sure. This stuff doesn't just fall together without some effort and coordination. I mention all of this because clearly A LOT of thought went into this production that fell so very flat. As an ad guy I can almost see the brief in my head: Capture the passion and energy of the recent protests without any of the controversy. Yeah right. Pepsi failed to realize in order to inspire true authentic passion on a topic like this you HAVE to pick a side. YOU HAVE TO PICK A SIDE. You have to either risk being controversial in controversial times or stay out of the CONVERSATION all together, you know... to reference their own ad. Deciding whether to weigh in or not is...