All right, guys: Buckle up.
You’ve likely encountered Mark Ritson’s work on ADWEEK over the past year.
If you’re a marketer, perhaps you even took it personally.
But that’s good, because every column Mark has written has been in service of improving our readers’ ability to do their jobs. Which means if he thinks a campaign or practice is lousy, he’ll call it out and say why. Likewise if he thinks something is amazing and effective.
That’s why we’re thrilled to launch this dedicated portal of all his columns.
As the guy who edits most of Mark’s work on ADWEEK, I can tell you it’s fun. He has a pugilistic style that slices through the industry’s endless capacity for self-delusion. When Hugo Boss created what he dubbed “The Worst Ad of the Year,” Mark didn’t mince words. When Target lost the middle class to Walmart, he explained precisely how. When the industry declares things dead that are very much alive, he calls it out with the receipts to prove it.
Of course, plenty of people can throw stones. His critiques are backed with a PhD in Marketing, 25 years of teaching at institutions like London Business School and MIT, and 13 years as LVMH’s in-house brand consultant.
Whether you’re a CMO who needs to hear hard truths or a junior marketer trying to cut through the noise, this collection, which will be constantly updated, represents some of the sharpest thinking in marketing today.
Mark Ritson will teach the ADWEEK MiniMBA in Marketing in April 2026, a ten-week MBA level program for senior managers who never received (or have completely forgotten) proper marketing training. Sign up here.
