Final Friday marked 20 years of Marketoonist. On October 21, 2002, I printed my very first advertising cartoon, then known as Model Camp. It was a cartoon on the 8 Kinds of Model Managers.

I had simply began as an Affiliate Advertising and marketing Supervisor at Normal Mills, engaged on Yoplait. I emailed this primary cartoon to 35 co-workers from my cubicle on the 4th ground, linking to a e-newsletter sign-up.

I imagined this advertising cartoon sequence could be primarily for my co-workers within the workplace. However I quickly began listening to from individuals working in advertising in all kinds of corporations everywhere in the world. I discovered all of us share related tales and experiences on this humorous advertising business of ours (and enterprise generally).

Advertising and marketing is consistently in a state of flux, with an infinite stream of shiny new issues to distract us. However the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.

Over time, I’ve liked this communal feeling that we’re all figuring it out collectively.

I by no means imagined that this cartoon would have lasted 20 years, and positively not that it might evolve into my profession. I saved drawing as I labored at totally different corporations (Normal Mills, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream (Nestle), Technique Merchandise, HotelTonight) and in other places (Minneapolis, San Francisco, London).

In October 2010, I made the leap to deal with Marketoonist full-time, rising it right into a customized cartoon studio and giving keynote talks around the globe. This gave me the chance to fulfill lots of you in particular person.

I largely need this cartoon sequence to be a reminder to not take ourselves too critically. And I feel that laughing at a number of the humorous issues in advertising might help us change into higher entrepreneurs.

I’m grateful for all of you who’ve been studying this cartoon through the years. Thanks for becoming a member of me on this journey and supporting me alongside the way in which.

Later this week, I’ll share an interview with MarketingWeek on a few of what I’ve noticed on this 20-year journey, and the backstories on a few of my favourite cartoons over the past 20 years.