Enjoyed for nearly 250 years.

Classical is not my favorite kind of music. But it's a great background for writing. And for developing creative ad concepts for clients.

Was listening to a classical station the other day. The host of the show identified one of the just-heard classical pieces as being written in the 1760s. The 1760s. I paused. Then I smiled. This composer had created something that people were still enjoying almost 250 years later.

Wow.

A super dose of creativity.

The game isn't always super. But the commercials usually are. At least the majority of them.

So, what are you waiting for? When this post was written, 85 percent of ABC's commercial time during the February 5th Super Bowl was already sold. Still wanna play? Just send me a check for $2.5 million. I'll see to it that your business gets its 30 seconds of air time during the world's premier sporting event. I'll also contact my favorite art director so we can begin to develop some creative concepts for your super spot (at an extra cost, BTW).

Actually, a Super Bowl spot is a decent buy. You'll reach about 80 million people. And they won't be passive viewers; they'll be absolutely, positively glued to their LCDs. And many of them will tune in primarily to watch the commercials, going to grab a snack when the game resumes.

I'll be one of those.

Thrive branding campaign is a gem.

Had breakfast the other day with a few branding experts from Nead Brand Partners. The talk turned to the killer "Thrive" branding campaign of Kaiser Permanente. Phase two is in full swing and features TV, radio, billboard and print ads.

The campaign continues to emphasize total health and well-being. And, while the messages are clearly healthy, so are the ads and commercials themselves.

The creative is ultra-fresh. The design is lean and fat free. The pacing is definite, yet unhurried. And the simple words are easy to digest.

And, speaking of words, isn't "thrive" a winner? It hasn't been used (or abused) by many copywriters, including me. And everyone can warm up to it because we all want to thrive.

Good stuff. May it thrive for many years.