Since our economy collapsed and the great recession sunk its tentacles deep into the psyche of our nation, I’ve noticed that our industry has come under fire. People come up to me and cry about the fact that advertising creates demand for things we don’t really need.
To which I usually reply, “you’re welcome.”
Does anyone even understand how the economy works? If everyone suddenly stopped buying stuff they didn’t need we’d all be out of work, homeless and most likely killing each other for a small share of the rapidly dwindling …

About 15 years back I had a debate with a colleague about patterns in cultural trends. My colleague claimed that the rise in the number of health clubs and increase in the popularity of healthy foods at the time was an indication that society had come to grasp the importance of caring for one’s self and we would not be turning back. I held the position that society doesn’t move in a consistent direction but rather swings like a pendulum and argued that, for better or worse, we would be …