Hasta La Creative!

My head is spinning. Yvon Chouinard’s memoir/manifesto, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, is the reason. I don’t know that I can successfully convey how important this book is. Yet, it’s imperative that I try.

First, let me say this book is the best “ad” I’ve ever seen. I’ve been a hard core fan of Patagonia for 25 years, but this book/ad has deepened my respect for the company. The example being set in Ventura is encouraging to say the least. Knowing that business is being done differently–that is, with an ethical compass firmly in hand–is proof that there’s reason to be hopeful.

There are hundreds of pull-quotes to share, but check this one out:

When I die and go to hell, the devil is going to make me the marketing director for a cola company. I’ll be in charge of trying to sell a product that no one needs, is identical to its competition, and can’t be sold on it merits. I’d be competing head-on in the cola wars, on price, distribution, advertising, and promotion, which would indeed be hell for me. I’d much rather design and sell products so good and unique that they have no competition.

In other words, a product that needs very little, or better yet, no advertising.

It’s sad when the shunning starts. Funny interpretation of Internet brands as your friends and neighbors.

Spotted at the one and only Dear Jane Sample.

Chicago Sun Times advertising writer, Lewis Lazare, likes him some Michigan.

“Pure Michigan” is a pure delight. We’re talking, of course, about the exquisite ongoing ad campaign developed by McCann Erickson/Detroit to promote tourism in Michigan.

What makes this “Pure Michigan” effort stand apart — way apart — is the stunning voice-over copy. Listening to the rhythmic waves of writing made us aware just how tin-eared so many so-called professional advertising creatives are nowadays. Most are so busy trying to be cute and, uh, funny that they have forgotten how powerful simple prose can be in the hands of someone who knows how to write with feeling and precision.

So-called? Either you work in the profession, or you don’t. Someone who cares deeply about words, might want to pay closer attention to his own.

Speaking of things to do in Michigan, here’s something that doesn’t appear in the campaign.

The Wall Street Journal airs some laundry in their front page piece on the Busch clan of St. Louis. Ostensibly, the article is about Belgian giant InBev’s possible bid for Anheuser, but it delves deep into family history and the tensions therein.

An offer by InBev would put the 43-year-old August A. Busch IV in a tough spot. If Anheuser is sold to InBev, he could be remembered as the member of the founding Busch family who let the St. Louis icon slip into foreign hands. The Busch family controls less than 4% of the stock, so even if a majority opposed the deal, it can’t block it.

But the talk of a takeover carries even-more personal considerations for Mr. Busch: his tenuous relationship with his 70-year-old father, August A. Busch III, now an Anheuser director.

The younger Mr. Busch says he wants to show his father what he can do to revive the struggling brewer. August Busch IV said he’s still seeking his father’s admiration. “His love and respect will be when I’m ultimately successful,” he says.

Born into the family dynasty in 1964, Mr. Busch is the fifth member of his family to run Anheuser. Despite his lineage, August A. Busch IV faced a somewhat rocky path to the helm of the King of Beers.

His parents divorced when he was 5 years old and he lived with his mother. He still saw his father often, but mostly at the brewery.

“I never, ever had a father-son relationship,” the younger August Busch says. It’s “purely business.”

There’s more, but I’ll leave it at that.

Doritos.co.uk has made — surprise, surprise! — a YouTube channel for people who want to make their own Doritos ads. My favourite was put together by the Doritos staff as a source of inspiration. It’s called “Hair” and it reminds me of a My Little Pony doll I used to have.

Brett Ratner, the director who gave us X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour trilogy, has launched Brett Ratner Brands.

[via Copyranter on Animal]

[DDB Stockholm campaign for McDonald’s via Tim Nudd]

Last week, American Apparel CEO Dov Charney was awarded Retailer of the Year.

How was your day? Dear Jane Sample decided to summarize her day in logos:

Looks like a fairly eventful day to me.