Final Friday marked 20 years of Marketoonist. On October 21, 2002, I revealed my very first advertising cartoon, then referred to as Model Camp. It was a cartoon on the 8 Forms of Model Managers.
I had simply began as an Affiliate Advertising Supervisor at Common Mills, engaged on Yoplait. I emailed this primary cartoon to 35 co-workers from my cubicle on the 4th ground, linking to a e-newsletter sign-up.
I imagined this advertising cartoon sequence could be primarily for my co-workers within the workplace. However I quickly began listening to from individuals working in advertising in all kinds of firms everywhere in the world. I discovered all of us share comparable tales and experiences on this humorous advertising business of ours (and enterprise generally).
Advertising is continually in a state of flux, with an countless stream of shiny new issues to distract us. However the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.
Over time, I’ve cherished this communal feeling that we’re all figuring it out collectively.
I by no means imagined that this cartoon would have lasted 20 years, and definitely not that it could evolve into my profession. I stored drawing as I labored at completely different firms (Common Mills, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream (Nestle), Methodology Merchandise, HotelTonight) and in other places (Minneapolis, San Francisco, London).
In October 2010, I made the leap to deal with Marketoonist full-time, rising it right into a customized cartoon studio and giving keynote talks around the globe. This gave me the chance to satisfy lots of you in particular person.
I largely need this cartoon sequence to be a reminder to not take ourselves too critically. And I believe that laughing at among the humorous issues in advertising can assist us develop into higher entrepreneurs.
I’m grateful for all of you who’ve been studying this cartoon through the years. Thanks for becoming a member of me on this journey and supporting me alongside the way in which.
Later this week, I’ll share an interview with MarketingWeek on a few of what I’ve noticed on this 20-year journey, and the backstories on a few of my favourite cartoons over the past 20 years.
“If advertising stored a diary, this may be it.”
– Ann Handley, Chief Content material Officer of MarketingProfs
Right here’s my first-ever cartoon on this sequence, and some others that come to thoughts:
