For five years Wendy’s has taken a more aggressive comedic approach, ‘Why should we just laugh at ourselves, when we can laugh at you?’

At the same time Major League Baseball (MLB) has made a revolutionary rule change to speed up America’s pastime, some renown business leaders have called a timeout to slow down the planet’s hottest new technology, Artificial Intelligence.

Are colleges now becoming locations where young minds learn to place prop bets and parlay their winnings? As more schools find gambling partners, those educational outcomes seem less like longshots.

Competition is an inevitable part of life: Each day people contend for everything from parking spaces to produce, but perhaps the most intense competition occurs when one’s livelihood is on the line.

If last month was “Dry January,” this year’s alcohol-soaked Super Bowl ads might mean calling the current month Febrewery.

Ill-intentioned people can invent some very unscrupulous schemes when they put their minds to it, e.g., Volkswagen’s infamous defeat device that intentionally tricked auto emission tests.

When you think of artificial intelligence, do you hope it will make your life easier, or do you worry it will someday take your job?

We’ve all said things we later regretted.  Fortunately, a personal apology can often atone for such individual indiscretions.  Advertising gaffes, which may reach millions, are much more damaging and difficult to roll back, so why do some of the world’s most creative companies and brightest people continue to make promotional faux pas, and what can be done to avoid them?

Famous people have promoted products for centuries, encouraging others to buy everything from cereal to cigarettes. 

At Thanksgiving, individuals often express gratitude for what they’re personally appreciative, e.g., family, friends, health.  It’s less common to hear of organizations’ gratitude, but if they were to count their blessings, what would they be?  Answers to that question could provide each of us with valuable perspective and perhaps help recalibrate our own thoughts of thankfulness.

I recently received LinkedIn connection invitations from two different recruiters – It’s nice to be wanted; although, it’s nicer when the people pursuing you actually exist, which I’m certain wasn’t the case for either.  As rapidly advancing technology helps blur lines between fact and fiction, does marketing have any obligation to stand for truth?

Bobby eagerly opens his Happy Meal box, tossing the chicken nuggets and fries aside to find the special toy tucked inside.  Kids have repeated that ritual for decades, but Bobby is 32.  While it’s nice that McDonald’s and other companies increasingly meet the need for nostalgia and help grown-ups relive childhood highlights, is selling sentimentalism a good adult-use of time and resources?

Millions of baseball fans were recently watching televised games when they were unexpectedly hit by a pitch!  An errant slider didn’t fly through their screens; rather, they were beaned by a very unconventional advertising curve.  The promotional pitch for Smile didn’t leave any bruises; in fact, many even liked it, but is this kind of guerrilla marketing fair or foul?  A veteran marketer and a rising rookie argue the call.

Tom Brady is one of few professional athletes who transcend their field.  While many football players and fans revere him, even those who pay little attention to sports know his name.  In a new video ad, Brady surprisingly suggests that aspiring athletes shouldn’t aim to be like him.  That advice sounds self-effacing, but how does it fit with other messaging surrounding Brady’s brand?

Despite her aging appearance, Queen Elizabeth II kept her job for an unprecedented 70 years!  A Canadian news anchor who let her locks go grey wasn’t as fortunate.  Her seemingly heartless dismissal has aroused widespread empathy, including from some of the world’s leading companies, sounding an alarm against ageism.  However, in an era when brand-building is of utmost importance, shouldn’t companies have a say in the looks of those they pay to be the faces of their firms?

Drive slower, pay taxes, vote — While we expect governments to tell us to do those things, we wouldn’t imagine they’d urge more alcohol intake, yet that’s exactly what one of the world’s leading nations is doing.  Why a country would encourage sipping more sake is an interesting question, but it begs a much bigger one:  Is it possible to promote alcohol responsibly?

There was a time when only celebrities and aspiring actors were spokespeople.  Now the friend you’re having lunch with tomorrow may, unbeknownst to you, have an endorsement deal.  It’s nice that company sponsorship has been democratized, but with so many people pushing products, how can consumers survive the promotional onslaught?

“That’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year”—such was Cousin Eddie’s inane attempt in Christmas Vacation to console a devastated Clark Griswold after he found out his firm gave him a Jelly of the Month Club membership instead of a generous cash bonus.  Clark had good reason to resent receiving a product subscription, but how should consumers feel about more companies moving to subscription models?

“Auditors Cheated on Ethics Exams”—a recent New York Times headline revealed.  During my 20-plus years teaching college ethics courses, my students and I have sometimes joked about that kind of thing, inferring that of all places, an ethics class is one deserving of absolute integrity.  Who would cheat on ethics?— apparently plenty of people in one of the world’s largest accounting firms, but why?

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”—it is a high compliment when people respect someone’s work enough to replicate it.  But, when one of the world’s largest companies’ smart speakers start imitating people’s voices, has flattery drifted into deceit?