I always liked science lab

Maybe that's because I liked to blow things up. Or combine those two liquids that would expand rapidly, changing into a sort of smelly foam rubber. Who knows, if I had stuck with it, I might have been the guy who invented that mattress material that when you get out of bed looks like the invisible man is still sleeping there.

But I went into advertising instead.

Good move. I say that not because we blow things up around here. At least not that often. But because this business is just like science lab. We are always in a state of experimentation. Working with clients and helping to solve their unique challenges means we have to invent new things. Stock answers just don't work in this business. There's no one size fits all. None of that off the rack stuff that might work at Target or at your Ford Dealer. We're always peeking into the dark unknown. And wondering what would happen if you mix one of these with two of those and shake vigorously.

Is advertising scientific?

Some parts of it certainly are. We are incredibly disciplined and rigorous in analyzing situations and thinking problems through. There are no formulas. But along the way we've developed a body of knowledge about business and human behavior that allows us to bring our prior learning to every new challenge.

Yet there is more than science to it. There's instinct. Gut feelings. And pretty soon you develop an appreciation of just how crazy wonderful the human brain truly is. Because it can somehow absorb an enormous amount of information, let's say a gazillion data points, and then reach down deep into itself and pull out the most remarkable—and simple—solution no one on this planet has ever seen before.

So consider this blog an invitation into a kind of lab. We'll be experimenting here. Holding things up to the light to examine them closely. Letting our minds loose and sounding off on a variety of subjects that interest us, watching to see what happens. Be sure to wear your protective glasses and sign the brief 10-page release form. (The lawyers insist on it.) Don't be afraid to combine a few ingredients yourself. You may be happily surprised at the result.

Just don't blow your freakin' arm off.