These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art.  It is a certain season. And as I try to find ways to distract myself from the pending collapse of the nation, a sad prediction bolstered by every congressional session with a prospective cabinet member, I can at least take solace in the knowledge that Point Bock is once again being offered in America’s Dairyland. I’ve waxed ineloquently on the longstanding appealing of this dark wonder before. It always arrived in the heart of winter, usually serving as … Continue reading The Art of the Sell: “Give Yourself a Pat on the Bock”

These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art.  When I was a kid, I needed one thing and one thing only at this time of year: a Christmas catalog from one of the big department store chains. I tend to think of it as a Sears catalog, but realistically any of them would do. As long as the square bound publication was as thick as a big city phonebook and one-quarter to one-third of it was devoted to toys. I spent countless hours lying on … Continue reading The Art of the Sell: Christmas Catalogs

These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art.  1999 was a heady time for baseball. Just a few years earlier, Major League Baseball delivered a nasty self-inflicted wound with a labor dispute that cancelled a sizable chunk of the season, including the World Series, an event that world wars and devastating natural disasters couldn’t wipe off the calendar. Fan animosity was justifiably at a riotous high, and it seemed likely that legions would turn their back on the sport for good. Then Cal Ripken, Jr. … Continue reading The Art of the Sell: “Chicks Dig the Long Ball”

These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art.  The primary motivation behind sharing this today is to acknowledge that I’m spending the bulk of this Thursday in my grown-up costume. That also helps account for the relatively low-content mode the space is in, I’m afraid. It’ll get wordier again next week. Other entries in this series can be found by clicking on the “Art of the Sell” tag. Continue reading The Art of the Sell: “Basketball pro? No.”