Hydrogen Advertising

My sister (not in the ad biz) called me the other night. I assumed it was about her recent visit with our mom, who turns 96 next month. But instead, she wanted to ask me about a tagline she had recently heard in a movie. Not just any tagline, but one that was foundational to our childhoods—and probably helped send us to college. The line? “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” The campaign was for Chiffon Margarine and it won a lot of awards (see photo of the 1966 Clio—it used to be in our parents’ attic). I remember watching behind-the-scenes home movies of the shoot, fascinated when a freak snowstorm caused the team to change the ending in one of the commercials on the spot. Is that when I decided to go into advertising? No, but it would’ve been a great story, right? Our dad, Richard Kuska, worked as the "client" for Chiffon Margarine, and while the campaign ran through the 1960s and ’70s, my sister had recently heard it quoted in the 1996 movie The Truth About Cats and Dogs. I’ve seen it referenced here and there over the years, so I decided to do a bit of research and see where the line has appeared since its glory days. Here are just a few: In 1980, SNL took on the then-classic with a series of commercial spoofs, featuring Dan Aykroyd playing Mother Nature. In 1993, Homer Simpson riffed the line while eating a snack cake, paying animated homage to both the slogan and pop culture. In 1994, Fran Drescher took on the tagline in the sitcom The Nanny, as she tried to maneuver a tricky situation. As always, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. DiGiorno Pizza launched their “It’s not delivery, it’s DiGiorno” line in 1995—well over a decade before I worked as a Group Creative Director on what the agency called the “Fooler” campaign. I remember doing a double-take early on during my tenure on the business when I realized it was the exact same construct as Mother Nature. I guess you could say, I was literally following in my dad’s footsteps. I had heard that the long-gone ad agency Ted Bates & Co. was responsible for the campaign. But upon deeper reading, I was pleased to see the historic campaign described as a true collaborative effort with the marketing department at the client. What a great story of client/agency partnership. And proof that a relationship built on trust leads to the kind of work that lives on. Nice work, Dad. I look forward to following in your footsteps for years to come. Hydrogen Advertising Worldwide Partners, Inc.

Celebrating the incredible women who have shaped our industry, our network and our lives. Today, and everyday! #internationalwomensday #IWD #IWD2025

I could use a tiny break from the chaos right now. You too? Then meet Olive, the TV-watching Frenchie.? Olive doesn’t just watch—she goes full-body-wiggles insane. If an animal appears on screen or makes even a little squeak, she launches toward the TV. And if said animal exits the frame? Olive scans every corner, waiting for the return of her fellow fauna—from fuzzy to feathered to wtf-is-that slithery thing. So, what does this have to do with advertising? As Olive and her owners know only too well, many commercials have animals in them! And here are a few of her favorites: Olive’s Animal Ad Ratings ?? 6/10 – Freshpet My Boy Junior Commercial | :30 “It’s dark, was that a dog’s butt? Where’s the dog? Oh, wait—dog at :14! Yay! …Wait, where’d the dog go? Okay, dog at the end. Overall: more dog please.” ?? 7/10 – Blue Buffalo "Mom and Mia" “There’s a dog! There’s a dog on the other side of the screen! Wait, where’s the other dog? Whoa, now both dogs are on the same side!” ?? 8/10 Farmer | LiMu Emu & Doug | Liberty Mutual Insurance Commercial “Strange oversized chicken. Nice sunglasses. Fierce stubborn streak. Love.” ?? 9/10 –The Farmer's Dog Commercial: Delivery Day “Look! Dog in the window! Dog on the stairs! Wait, where’s the dog? There it is, under a blanket! DOORBELL!!!” ?? 10/10 –Coors Light - Slow Monday :60 - Big Game Commercial 2025“Sloths in the office! Sloths at the gym! Sloths everywhere…wait? Did that human just swallow that sloth? Nooooo!!!!” Olive would have reviewed more spots, but the FedEx driver just pulled into the driveway—and that, my friends, is more compelling than any ad you or I could ever create. Hydrogen Advertising Worldwide Partners, Inc.

When it comes to Super Bowl posts, I know I’m late to the game (sorry about that). But I have a confession to make. My favorite ads weren’t the Google AI “Dad” spot (which left me—and several other women I’ve talked to—with a vague icky feeling) or even Nike’s triumphant, poetic return to the Super Bowl (people at my party talked all the way through it). Instead, my favorites that Sunday were two spots featuring a gratuitous use of celebrity. Whaaaat? Up to this point, my number one pet peeve from the sidelines (there I go again, sorry!) has been the use of celebrities without a specific link to the concept or brand. (Some examples that have done it well: Michael Cera for CeraVe and Michael Bublé for Bubly.) It breaks every rule I’ve preached on every Super Bowl panel I’ve ever sat on. But I’ll admit it—I loved the pure joy of the Michelob Ultra spot with Willem Dafoe, Catherine O’Hara, and a spectacularly gratuitous supporting cast. And perhaps even more, Seal as a seal for Mountain Dew (from the brand that brought us “Puppy Monkey Baby” in 2016), along with his happy-go-lucky boatload of completely incongruous celebs. I know a lot of Super Bowl spots are made for the industry. I loved Instacart’s quick nod to the previously mentioned “Puppy Monkey Baby”, but I’m always struck by how we, as an industry, tend to fall in love with the quiet, artful ad rather than those that really break through the chaos. Last week, I attended a local industry Super Bowl talk and then served on the panel at a Seattle University event the following night. As always, I compared what the industry loves with what the good ol’ USA Today Ad Meter says, and I have to admit—it’s hard to find common ground between the two worlds. Kudos to those who understand that people expect the Clydesdales, just like they expect chicken wings and queso dip. I wouldn’t call it a personal favorite, but I do think the Bud team honored tradition while adding something new. That spot wasn’t mentioned once during the panels but it topped Ad Meter. My realization of how important a venue is to an ad’s success came years ago when I sat on a panel in Chicago. I was pretty sure the planner on the stool to my left was about to take a swing at me when I wouldn’t agree that Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” was the hands-down winner of that year’s Super Bowl ads. (Flash forward to 2025 and several audience members vigorously defending Google “Dad.”) I countered with Volkswagen’s “Darth Vader” spot, which the planner argued didn’t have a unique selling point and was therefore a bad ad. But I think he was the one who missed the point. “Darth Vader” was a spot you could enjoy with a roomful of beer-fueled partygoers, while the nuance of Chrysler’s spot was lost in the noise of the party I attended. Both were great ads—but only one is still held up as a Super Bowl classic because it rose above the chaos that is Super Bowl Sunday. Now, off to the Oscars! Hydrogen Advertising Worldwide Partners, Inc.

I was having coffee with (and drinking in the wisdom of) Betti Fujikado—Seattle ad icon and agency founder. She now focuses on her new passion, Success Cohorts, a coaching and community-building company dedicated to driving measurable success in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. As we talked, I shared a story about how much I’ve learned from my clients. When we think of clients, things like briefings, presentations, deadlines, results, and even friendships come to mind. But teachers? Absolutely. We all learn from our clients. As we approach our fifth year with Planned Parenthood, I often reflect on the knowledge they’ve shared with us—insights that make us stop and think before we act. One thing I particularly appreciate is a vocabulary list they sent us early on at our request. It outlined phrases we use without a second thought, many of which have deeply problematic origins. Some are rooted in cultural appropriation; others stem from racist or violent histories. These words and phrases, often tossed around in business settings, can carry an unintended impact on the listener—whether or not harm was meant. It’s easy to say, “I didn’t know,” but what matters is how our words make others feel. At Hydrogen, I’ve mentioned our daily “Hello” check-ins, where we cover different topics depending on the day. Over the years, we’ve incorporated “Word Wednesday” into our all-agency video calls. Using Planned Parenthood’s list, we examine a small selection of words, exploring their origins and deeper meanings. It’s an opportunity for our team to ask questions, dig deeper, and gain a true understanding of context—so we leave the call not just more informed but more intentional about the language we choose. As a writer, I know the power of words. And I’ll be forever grateful to our Planned Parenthood clients for gently teaching us how to choose them wisely. Hydrogen Advertising Worldwide Partners, Inc.

We all know Hollywood has a serious problem with ageism—especially when it comes to women. But something has changed. Women like Viola Davis and Jennifer Aniston have taken control of their own projects and proven that audiences want to see older women in deep, complex roles. Actors like Michelle Yeoh and Jennifer Coolidge have shown us all that great talent doesn’t have an expiration date. And wow, how about Demi Moore’s Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning role in "The Substance?" At 61, she’s not just headlining a film—she’s owning it, delivering a raw performance in a body-horror film that challenges everything Hollywood once believed about aging female actors. It’s proof that audiences are not just willing but eager to see older women in bold, unexpected roles. But, as is often the case, the ad world is lagging behind. Women over 40 are still either ignored or boxed into the same tired roles: the caring mom, the health-conscious retiree, the “still got it” celeb in an anti-aging cream spot. And that’s just the ads themselves. We already know female leaders in our industry are few. Look at women over 50, and the number drops even further. Of course, we have our share of trailblazers who embrace rather than hide from their age—like the formidable Cindy Gallop, who at 65 encourages us to “Say your age as often as possible. Be loud and proud.” And yesterday, the world watched a one-sided game and advertising’s debut of the “Silver Bowl” (as dubbed by Adweek reporter T.J. Stanley). Ads featured the expected grannies-gone-wild bit but also AARP-eligible A-listers like Catherine O’Hara in one of my favorite spots as well as a double dose of?83-year-old business mogul (and 2023 SI Swimsuit model) Martha Stewart. Speaking of SI, Paulina Porizkova is a glowing example of a woman who has rewritten her story and is now a respected author and celebrity on her own terms—not society’s. I’ll admit, I had to deprogram my own inner monologue and embrace my Boomer and Gen X peers in the belief that owning our age means new opportunities, not closed doors. I turn 61 next month, and I’ve never been more excited about what I’ve yet to accomplish—and the potential of the all-ages team at Hydrogen Advertising, now and for years to come. #ViolaDavis #JenniferAniston #MichelleYeoh #JenniferCoolidge #DemiMoore #CindyGallop #SilverBowl #TJStanley #CatherineOhara #MarthaStewart #PaulinaPorizkova

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, it’s proven to bring significant changes to the world of creative advertising. Read how Tim O'Neill, Associate Creative Director and Writer at Hydrogen, is navigating the rise of AI and its impact on the industry. Read here: https://lnkd.in/eV4uGuDQ #adagency #agencylife #indieagencies Worldwide Partners, Inc.

I got blasted with a fire hydrant of double-X-chromosome energy, smarts, and positivity last week—and I’m still drinking it in. It all started a few weeks ago when the unstoppable force known as Ali Cox, OLY from Noble West (also a Worldwide Partners, Inc. agency) called me up and convinced me to book a flight to Los Angeles for the Own It conference. Thank you, Ali—your generosity and friendship mean the world. (Also, I can now say I’ve lifted weights with a silver-medal Olympian. Check that off the bucket list!) At the conference, everywhere I turned, there were new ideas, business tips, and friendships forming. It was an incredible reminder of the strength we, as women business owners, bring to the table. (For those who don’t know, I co-own Hydrogen with my longtime creative and business partner, Michael McGrath (he/him).) My takeaway? We need to double down on the power of all voices—not just for ourselves, but for our industry and our clients. Progress doesn’t move forward on its own; it’s up to all of us to keep pushing. As a white cis woman in a position of leadership, I recognize my responsibility to lift others up, and I take that seriously. Some of my favorite work to date has come from bringing multiple perspectives to the table. Take the awareness campaign we created for Planned Parenthood, highlighting the reinstatement of the now at-risk Title X program. Or the downloadable Girl Stuff Guidebooks we developed for our former client MultiCare, offering real, girl-to-girl answers to questions like, “Why do I pee when I sneeze?” This work resonated because it was created by women who had lived through their first periods, as well as those navigating the joys of hot flashes. And, of course, the partners who love them. You can’t fake authenticity. We all know that by now. So at Hydrogen, we’ll always strive to make sure all voices are heard. It’s the right thing to do—and, as a bonus, it’s smart business. A huge thank you to Christy Hiler and Jean Freeman for championing women agency owners and for spearheading not just a day of OWN IT, but an ongoing community. It was incredible to be in a space where the goal was to build each other up rather than tear each other down. Sarah Tjoa Libby Brockhoff Hydrogen Advertising

Last week several of our US West Coast agencies met up at Zambezi‘s office in Culver City. It was a pleasure seeing new and friendly faces, and discussing collaboration opportunities amongst our agencies! Thanks to Ali Cox, OLY for spearheading the meetup, to Jean Freeman for your warm hospitality, and to everyone who made it out. Five by Five Global Giant Spoon Helios & Partners Hydrogen Advertising Noble West Odysseus Arms R&R Partners Sway Group Syn Music White Rabbit Group Until next time! #indieagencies

In support of Los Angeles and those affected by the devastating fires, our agency partners at Zambezi have channeled their grief into this touching video tribute. If you feel moved to stand behind the heroes that continue to fight, contain and save lives and homes, please share the video and join us in supporting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation at https://supportlafd.org/