Let us know what you think!

Ron B. Arnold spent decades writing ads for brands including Saab, Just For Men and Vagisil. At 74, he makes fine art by hand and uses AI every day. I asked him which of those fears he believed about himself.

In this conversation: why an ad you know is manipulation still works, the Saab "car head" ad that made the company's president furious, why he says AI will never have scars, where his hand-made work ends and AI begins, and the AI-generated images he says were used to win approval for a development on Block Island. He also talks about the years he stopped working, and why he decided not to keep them secret.

The claims about the Block Island development are Ron's own account. What he says about his health and medication is his personal experience, not medical advice. Don't change any medication without speaking to a doctor. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the US.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Which fear did you believe about yourself?
01:42 Art Center, 1974: who said drawing was a real job
03:05 Doyle Dane Bernbach and the three-martini lunch
04:52 Mad Men: what's true, what's invented
06:31 The B in Ron B. Arnold, and the other Ron Arnold
08:55 The one promise every ad makes
10:40 Why an ad you know is manipulation still works
14:09 Ads then and ads now
16:30 Volkswagen and breaking the pattern
18:37 The Saab "car head" ad
21:40 Selling fear: Just For Men
24:40 AI is a tool
26:45 Will AI take over?
28:11 "Lessons are scars"
28:42 Hand-made or AI: where one ends and the other begins
31:10 A relic who's better suited to work with AI
33:16 The gap in the CV
35:18 What he'd say to someone who is struggling
36:04 The bucket in the Atlantic
36:56 Why he shares it
37:31 Block Island and the AI-generated images
40:42 One sentence for anyone in their hardest year

INSIGHT is hosted by Emma Sargsyan. New episodes Saturdays 1pm PT.
Partnerships and guest suggestions: emma@emmasargsyan.com

#advertising #AI #creativity #INSIGHT

Support the show

Subscribe to the Youtube Channel

Follow me on Instagram