In praise of the ball-peen hammer

We’re in a golden age of communications tools, there’s no question.

That these tools are kept in separate tool boxes (the creative agency, the media agency, the digital agency) is at the root of the inefficiency that plagues our industry at the moment, but it will be a blip in time. Digital and non- will embrace each other in a heart-warming Hollywood-style final scene. Cue sunset.

Meanwhile, it’s good to see that the old tools, when used intelligently, work so well. Take this ad from last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, created by (I believe) Devito/Verdi. I’ve been aware of this campaign for many years. They’ve stuck to their tone, their look, their message, and their media placement, turning up again and again in my life, in a simple, smart, respectful way. It’s old school in just about every way there is. But I’ll bet it’s persuasive.