Femi Corazon

This article has been written many, many times in my career, yet very little changes. I post this not to rant at the system, but to continue to acknowledge the obvious disparities. Advertising must do better. Let me know what you think, or simply vent. I think we at least deserve that. #advertising #diversity https://lnkd.in/eHmGk-yv

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Tommy’s Briefs: What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you've ever made? Tom McManimon—Founder of StimulusBrand Communications: “One of the best investments I’ve ever made is working on myself becoming a strong creative director. In that role, I get to influence teams of people and be their mentor, help them rise, and deliver their very best. In my career, I have surrounded myself with accomplished creative directors and learned from them. Another investment I’ve made is in public speaking. It’s one thing to present creative campaigns to CEOs or boards of directors which I have done for years, but another thing to be on a stage in front of a bigger audience—in  service to them. So, I enrolled in professional speaker training (again, from some of the very best) and learned a “thing or two.” I am in a career that requires that you know your target audience. The same holds true in speaking. Creating material that is relevant and meaningful is key. It became important to me to try to share messages and emotional stories that go beyond advertising to lift people and help business leaders have one of those lightbulb moments. To accomplish that, you have to learn to write well, rehearse it, and then deliver it as the authentic you. I was wise enough to surround myself with a team of people who were great at that and they help me every day to be compelling, engaging and on point.

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"Chaos asks questions of you order never will" The wonderful Colleen DeCourcy retells her experience working with Dan Wieden when she took over as Chief Creative Officer at Wieden+Kennedy Her immediate response to me asking about working with Dan was this quote about chaos. We have a natural reaction against chaos because it can be destructive and unsettling but what if we reframed it as a necessary condition for achieving something truly breakthrough 🌪 Chaos propels you forward while order maintains the status quo 🌪 Chaos creates leaders while order creates managers 🌪 Chaos demands a response while order delays it 🌪 Chaos reveals the cracks while order papers them up 🌪 Chaos forces ownership while order delegates it 🌪 Chaos fosters creativity while order fosters compliance 🌪 Chaos requires trust while order replaces it It got me thinking whether there is an optimal mix of Chaos and order required to achieve breakthrough ideas and momentum? We spend most of our time creating order but what if what we actually needed was an injection of chaos? To hear more from this episode check out the links in the comments John Kearon Kerry Collinge Orlando Wood

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"Accessibility isn’t just about doing the right thing for disabled people—it’s a smart business move that benefits everyone." And Campbell's Soup proved it by making their iconic labels easier to read and understand. The result? Higher sales and better customer experience. See how they did it. #accessibility #smartbusiness #labeldesign

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Speak out on topics that truly matter and authentically align with your brand's values. And do not play the short game of acquiescing to the usual mob of purpose-haters. #SocialJustice #BrandValues #TakeAction

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Someone recently asked me how we consistently get to work that lands in culture. I wasn’t able to say this at the time but now I can. “Read the book” Day Trading Attention is literally the playbook for how modern brands need to really connect to find relevance with today’s consumer. Link to pre-order in comments #modernmarketing #advertising #creativity #socialmedia

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50+ Million Views, 50+ CGI Creations, and we’re just getting started! 🚀 Thrilled to see Craywingz featured in ThePrint, as we continue redefining what digital advertising can achieve with CGI. From bold, immersive campaigns for Phoenix Malls, Jade Blue, Shivalik Group, and more, we’ve always believed in pushing the boundaries of creativity. As I mentioned in the article, “We started when minimalism was a trend in digital creatives; as the trend kept up, we leveled up.” And level up, we did—transforming how brands connect with their audiences by merging art and technology to craft unforgettable experiences. This recognition is a testament to the passion and hard work our team pours into every project, and we’re just getting started! With 50+ million views and counting, we’re ready to continue pushing the envelope and elevating digital storytelling. Check out the full feature to dive into our journey and what’s ahead: https://lnkd.in/dFu-Bpcp #Craywingz #CGI #CGIAds #CravStudios #ArtMeetsTechnology #Advertising #CGIAds

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This is important. The cost of inaction outweighs the cost of action. https://lnkd.in/ePGY8fU2

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Sometimes, my job is designing a logo, and sometimes, my job is designing a space. We've created some fun brand experience installations for our partners that I'm really proud of (and have pushed me outside of my comfort zone). Read more about our approach to crafting identity-driven spaces in my latest blog. #BrandScape #DigitalRelativity

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As an icebreaker in a recent dance class, we were asked to say our names in melody or rhythm. The result? Momentary embarrassment followed quickly by the freedom of play (shoutout to my freestyle+ play maestros) - but more than anything, an instantaneous and lasting memory of all 20 classmates' names. Is this not the power of sonic branding? Veritonic's recent study revealed that "64% of podcast listeners report feeling more connected to a brand when it has a sound identity as opposed to brands that only have a visual identity." The neuroscience holds up as our brains are wired to connect melody to memory, but brands are slow to prioritize "sound and feel" in their identity and awareness strategies. Now, this study started with listening behavior to begin with - polling podcast listeners about, well, listening. But the direction is still (ugh pun intended) sound... Podcast hosts are even taking sonic branding into their own improvised hands - Dax Shepherd's greatest gift to ZipRecruiter was creating that "get recruitin'" melody in each podcast ad, Busy Phillips did the same for Foria (with an homage to "Gloria") - perhaps creating more actual brand recognition and value than any testimonial could. SO. Brands, like my fellow awkward dancers, may follow the same trajectory: momentary embarrassment (I need a jingle in 2024?!), the freedom of play (yes, yes I do), and invaluable lasting memory. I mean, does Gen Z even know how to spell b-o-l-o-g-n-a?! https://lnkd.in/gd2seDCG

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The process is the creative work. The result is the art, the product, the ad. But it’s in the process where truly resonant work is made. A pie is great, but not if it’s half-baked. So why do so many of us, especially creatives, dread workflows? Because too often, workflows are designed for business, not creativity. Short turnarounds, layers of reviewers, subjective pivots, and endless feedback loops dilute creativity instead of enhancing it. Strong campaigns drive strong ROI, and the best campaigns need time to fully develop. When creativity is supported, campaigns thrive, and so does the business. Great creative is great business. And workflows that protect creativity are great for business. After years in the industry and many of my own process oversights, here are my must-haves for a creative-first process: - Ask creatives if they have enough time. If a process isn’t informed by creatives, they won’t follow it. It has to be realistic for them—and most of the time, they want to move quickly, just not at the expense of quality. - Creativity doesn’t happen in one session. You start with an idea and revisit it, ideally more than once. Creativity evolves as we think through and refine the idea, so make time for this. - Consider overlapping systems. A campaign may involve internal creatives, agency teams, partnerships, marketing, social, paid teams, and more. How can you involve these partners early to align on the idea and reduce review layers later? Bringing partners into the ideation process helps everyone stay aligned and brings in a wider range of perspectives. - Don’t rush production. Creativity doesn’t stop with the idea. Each person working on the project—designer, motion artist, editor—adds their own expertise, which requires time. Again, make time for this. This approach won’t quadruple timelines; it may add a few days or even a week. While that might seem like a lot in our fast-paced world, creative work that has more time to develop often performs best (yes, some sprints produce great ideas too, but that’s rare). The best work of my career so far, built using these exact principles, continues to deliver the highest-performing results to date. Do you agree? What are your must-haves?

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So happy that the The Oregonian / OregonLive.com is going back to broadsheet size. Here is a great explanation about Newspaper jargon, formats, and web printing by Editor and Vice President of Content, Therese Bottomly. #editorialdesign #oregonian #broadsheet #tabloid #abovethefold #clippings #byline #newshole #columnwidth #missmanners #dearabby #oregonlive #newsprint #newspapers #journalism #checktheclips #dateline #newsprint #compacteditions

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You've likely heard "pets are the new kids." But it's more nuanced than that, says Senior Creative Director Meredith Post: "We're noticing how pets are treated differently than children: they are an idyllic extension of a person's identity. We treat them better than we treat ourselves and use them as a signal of who we are and want to be.” It means pet CPG is extending into realms like personalized nutrition and luxurious self-care. For more insights from Meredith Post, Carina Sandoval and Kyle Schutte, head here: https://okt.to/aOmhTg #petbrands #petcpg #consumerstrategy #petcare

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Right. The world really needs more voices talking about this new Apple Ad, so here I am. (It doesn't really, everything you need to read has been written by Ben Kay.) Alas, perhaps the intention was to communicate "all this, crushed into this". But sadly, for some, the take out was "all this, destroyed by this. (And also by AI.)" As Ben rather deftly puts it: 'If you create a metaphor, you'd better be prepared for it to be interpreted in ways you hadn't intended.' Anyway, I clearly lack Ben's writing prowess, as here's my ten pence worth: All this ballyhoo feels like a classic case of 'advertising that's good vs. advertising people like'. In an ideal world, those two are one in the same thing. But they're not mutually inclusive. On a personal level, I find this ad arresting from the off, and engaging throughout. Will it survive the scroll past test, or 6-second skip test? Time will tell. But it kept me watching. Where the wheels perhaps come off, though, is where Apple ceases to have its finger on the cultural pulse. The arts, and the creative industries are under-funded, and under-threat. It might be a while before AI is running creative agencies, design studios, and production companies... But creative people are already losing work to AI. (With many individuals sharing proof of this on their own social media.) Given this is happening in a cost of living crisis, and that creative people tend to prefer Apple products over those of competitors... the ad, while being what I'd define as 'a good ad', strikes me as a faux-pas with target customers. Because "all this, crushed into this" has definitely been interpreted as "all this, destroyed by this. (And also by AI.)" Oh, and LG ad BBH did the ad in 2008... #advertising #advertisingagency #creative #creativeagency #marketing

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Let’s bring some nutrition into cards. That’s something OPC (Organic Playing Cards) probably thought of themselves when they started to create playing cards with various fruit and vegetable themes. Together their team and I refined OPC’s positioning allowing the brand to double down on the things it is already known for. In a collaborative effort, we discussed ways to redefine OPC during multiple strategy sessions. The goal was to clarify OPC’s voice and approach to ideate, produce, and sell products as a community-first brand. Eager to grow and expand awareness the following are some learnings we discovered. Complete Case Study: https://lnkd.in/ewCPvx3T —- Client: Organic Playing Cards Strategy: Max Jung

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Can Design and Style Be Taught? A Perspective Through Visual Communication and Marketing https://lnkd.in/gBvcne3G

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I’ve been reflecting on the role of critique in creative spaces, spurred by this insightful Creative Boom article. I can admit to jumping to scathing design reviews (sorry Jaguar) -- but stepping back to eat a slice of humble pie has been healthy. In creative fields, feedback is oxygen—it pushes our work, and our thinking, further. Yet, as the blog points out, a growing “cancel criticism” culture risks turning this vital exchange into something feared rather than embraced. While it’s important to be mindful of how we deliver feedback, we can’t afford to strip away the boldness and honesty that make critique valuable. Healthy critique is about trust and collaboration, not tearing down ideas but building them up. The best teams I’ve worked with challenge each other with care, curiosity, and respect, knowing that creativity thrives in this delicate balance. As leaders, collaborators, or creatives, how do we foster a culture where feedback is welcomed—not avoided—and where the discourse strengthens our craft? Give it a read and let me know: how do you approach giving and receiving feedback in today’s climate? https://lnkd.in/e4rZiFKm

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