How could they?

I've never used the phrase "drink the Kool-aid." It's too cliche for me. And a little cruel.

After all, the people who did, literally drink the Kool-aid, followers of cult-leader James Jones, died. 918 of them. The biggest single deliberative loss of American life until 9/11.

Drinking the Kool-aid always seemed to me to indicate that you were ingesting something bad. You were swallowing a corrupt party line.

That's why when I saw this ad from DDB California, I was more than a bit sickened. I realize someone at DDB who probably has no idea who Bernach was, what he stood for and what he built was likely responsible for this ad.

But did no one at a senior level approve it? Did no one think the phrase "Bernbach koolaid" was desecrating the heritage of the inventor of modern advertising.

Or are we, as an industry, so far removed from those principles that made our industry important, that we choose instead to make our demi-gods the butt of lame copy.

There are damn few places in our industry that have a heritage of great advertising they can draw upon. 

It's a shame to treat perhaps the greatest like this.