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Welcome to the Land of Sky Blue Waters: How the Hamm’s Bear Disrupted the Beer Industry
By Heather Taylor For more than 150 years, Hamm’s Beer has refreshed lager lovers everywhere but the beer really hit its stride at the tail end of 2017. As reported by MillerCoors (which counts Hamm’s among the brands it brews), Hamm’s was up 74.6 percent on an 87.3 percent jump in volume. Sales are increasing, continuing to draw in its…
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Behind the Icons: Joel Friedman
By Heather Taylor As a kid, Joel Friedman loved listening to Kellogg’s jingles from the 1960s. “I liked the verses and music. They combined rhythm and meter and music in a way I found appealing.” Friedman said. Little did he know then, those jingles would pave the path for his career in advertising. Friedman has penned copy and jingles for…
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The Names of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Mascots Are…
By Heather Taylor Earlier this year, we shared a glimpse at the Olympic and Paralympic mascots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The official launch for the mascots was slated for Summer 2018 and the names of the characters have finally been revealed as… Miraitowa and Someity! Who’s who? Miraitowa (pronounced as “miray-towa”) is the Olympic mascot in blue. The…
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The Short-Lived, Icky Life of Pepto-Bismol’s 24-Hour Bug
By Heather Taylor Happy 99th anniversary, Pepto-Bismol! Launched in 1919 and currently produced by Procter & Gamble, this pink liquid has spent nearly a century acting as a medicine cabinet staple that treats and provide relief for the five symptoms of overindulgence including nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, and diarrhea. In celebration of the major milestone, Pepto-Bismol has released an…
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Follow Your Nose: The Staying Power of Toucan Sam
By Heather Taylor When Peter Lohmeier first joined Leo Burnett in 1974, the Kellogg’s Froot Loops account, brightly colored mascot Toucan Sam, and its tagline “Follow your nose!” had already been with the agency for four years. The cereal had been around much longer than that, debuting in 1963. In time, Lohmeier would rise from rotating through offices (there wasn’t…
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A Tale of Two Slushies: ICEE Bear and SLUSH PUPPiE
By Heather Taylor For decades, we’ve spent lazy summers sipping on flavored frozen beverages from ICEE and SLUSH PUPPiE. Illustrated on each cup was a different mascot to represent the brand. ICEE has its ICEE Bear, staying cool in shades, blue pants, and a red shirt with a capital “I” stitched on it while SLUSH PUPPiE stars a pup in…
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Hummingbird Couple Finds the Perfect “Nest” in Airstream Campaign
By Heather Taylor Meet David and Gigi. Just like the humans we see on any given episode of House Hunters, these two lovebirds are searching for the next perfect space to call home. Only David and Gigi actually are birds — a pair of animated, colorful hummingbirds — and their dream home is anywhere they can perch their nest. Or…
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Remembering Sam, the Dog That Played Duke for Bush’s Beans
By Heather Taylor Roll that beautiful bean footage again, Sam. On July 3rd, the BUSH’S Beans Facebook account shared news that Sam, a golden retriever that had portrayed their brand mascot Duke in commercial spots, had passed away. While it has been years since Sam last worked with the brand, BUSH’S Beans expressed sadness over his passing and gratitude to have…
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Chicken, Fries Face Off in Epic Burger King France Encounter
By Heather Taylor The biggest blockbuster of the summer isn’t part of the Marvel or Jurassic Park franchise. “Death Road,” a new TV spot for Burger King France from agency Buzzman, is a heart-stopping, chest-pounding, apocalyptic thrill ride where a chicken and a cone of French fries finally come face to face for the ultimate fast food showdown. Set in…
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PopIcon Throwback: Eskimo Pie Kid
By Heather Taylor By now, it’s highly likely that you’ve munched on an Eskimo Pie. We take the creamy milk chocolate ‘n vanilla treat for granted as a freezer staple today, but it was actually patented in 1922 as America’s first chocolate-covered ice cream bar. According to the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History, Christian Kent Nelson…
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Inside the Keebler Hollow Tree Pop-Up Event
By Heather Taylor Nearly two weeks ago, we reported that Ernie Keebler and his merry band of Elves had uprooted their magical Hollow Tree to the heart of New York City for a special pop-up event in honor of Keebler’s new Whoopsy! Fudge Stripes cookies. Turns out a branch of the Keebler “FacTree” actually runs right into SoHo! While I…
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How Seth Werner Turned a Cluster of Grapes Into the California Raisins
By Heather Taylor Seth Werner still remembers the night he came up with the idea for the California Raisins. The year was 1986. Back then, Werner was 31-years-old and had been living and working in San Francisco, California for a year at the ad agency Foote Cone Belding. Mike Koelker, famous for creating the Levi’s “501 Blues” campaign, hired Werner…
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How a Giant Changed Tourism with the “Palau Pledge”
By Heather Taylor The few giant characters we encounter in the advertising space have always proven to be great helpers. When we first meet the giant featured in the “Palau Pledge” campaign, however, he seems more like foe than friend to the country’s citizens. The unnamed, lavender colored giant arrives out of nowhere one day. He stomps on the island’s…
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How Fudgie the Whale Became “Fudgie the Beer”
By Heather Taylor No need to check the date again while reading this — it’s not April 1st and we promise this post isn’t a joke. Fudgie the Whale, the beloved icon for Carvel ice cream, has his own beer. If you haven’t already tried it, the brew is described as a creamy stout made with hints of those famous…
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Meet the Official Mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Zabivaka!
By Heather Taylor Welcome to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia! Loyal fans of the sporting event may recall that the candidate for Russia’s mascot — then known as “Wolf” — was introduced in 2016. Since his initial debut, more than one million Russians cast their votes during the month-long voting period to pick his name. Wolf was renamed “Zabivaka”…
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The Many Funny Faces of the Jif Jaf Biscuits
By Heather Taylor Have you heard of Jif Jaf? Launched by Kraft Heinz, Jif Jaf is a line of chocolate sandwich biscuits that recently debuted in China. Also available in wafer packs and butter cookies, the brand is meant to target Chinese millennials who are caught in a tug of war in wanting to fit in but also embrace their…
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The 10 Best Cities for Gamers
By Heather Taylor Whether on the go or on your TV, the $36 Billion a year industry is rapidly becoming the entertainment standard that all others aspire to be. Gaming is everywhere, but where’s the best place to be if you’re a gamer yourself? A recent WalletHub survey gives a look at 2018’s Best Cities for Gamers. WalletHub analyzed things like…
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The Keebler Elves Head to NYC to Debut Hollow Tree Pop-Up Event
By Heather Taylor In honor of National Fudge Day on June 16th, Ernie Keebler and his elf buddies are uprooting the Keebler Hollow Tree to the Big Apple for an exclusive pop-up event. If you’re familiar with the Keebler Elves, then you’ll know that the Hollow Tree is where some of their most scrumptious delights — including cookies and crackers…
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Doggone It! The Most Memorable Real-Life Dogs in Advertising
By Heather Taylor For decades, our four-legged friends have been spotted in ad campaigns for some of the biggest brands in the world. More often than not, however, it’s the dogs that consumers remember most afterwards. From Gidget, the itty-bitty Chihuahua who had us all saying “Yo Quiero Taco Bell!” in the 1990s to Bullseye, the Bull Terrier nearly everyone…
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Remembering Kate Spade’s Most Iconic Advertisements
By Heather Taylor she is quick and curious and playful and strong. she is a voracious reader and a fantastic dancer. she saves old snapshots, but always loses her umbrella. her emails pile up, but she never forgets to call her grandmother. she has $7 in change at the bottom of her handbag. When news broke on Tuesday June 5,…


















