Video Game Nerdament

So, this last weekend three good friends of mine and I decided to participate in a video game tournament here at FSU's Student Life Center. The name of the game was Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii, a game that takes an impressive roster of Nintendo game characters and allows players to finally settle their age-old debates as to who would win in a fight. Everything from Mario to Captain Olimar (from the Pikmin series) are available to choose from. My character of choice was Ness (pictured above), a psychic boy hailing from the old Super Nintendo role-playing game, Earthbound.

I've been "training" Ness ever since I got the first iteration of Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64 in 1999, and have not let up on playing the game since then (2 generations later: Melee was released on the Gamecube, and Brawl, which is the most recent). This was back in elementary school, and I'm still playing this game regularly with my friends in college. We all figured it was about time to see how our skills compared to the rest of the world (or at least a 70 person pool in Tallahassee), and felt quite confident. We practiced hard for 2 weeks, meeting between classes for quick matches, reading up on techniques and suggestions on line, the whole 9-yards.

Saturday came, and we were excited, feeling prepared, confident, and somewhat arrogant. We arrived at the SLC, signed up, and began to watch other players practicing on 4 different screens (2 televisions, a projector, and of course, the large, full sized theater itself which sadly, I didn't ever get a chance to play on). We joked around, and pointed out the techniques that others were using, as well as the many faults we found with them, especially if they were using a character we were playing as. I had not seen another Ness user. The time came, and I was the first person assigned to a game. Nervous that I would make I stupid mistake, I made my way to "tv 2", a standard tv in a cubicle. The match was a breeze, and I destroyed my opponent, filling his eyes with tears, and his heart with disappointment (Maybe I exaggerate a tad). Relief washed over me. My friends had breezed through their first rounds as well. Arrogance grew.

I played my second match, which was not nearly as easy at the first. Things were getting serious and my nervousness returned full force. I made some sloppy mistakes, but ultimately came out victorious again by a hair. My opponent was playing as Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series. After I won the match, one of the observers saw me sigh in relief, and proceeded to say something that filled me with dread: "I've seen Snake players far worse than the one you just played here". My heart dropped, and I could only hope that either all the Snakes were eliminated before I had to play them, or that the guy was exaggerating.

Nintendiclēs, God of all video games, mercilessly shattered these hopes. As I sat beside my next opponent, we exchanged pleasantries, and I felt my soul sink as I saw him select none other than Snake. "Ah, Snake. The guy I last fought against used him", I told him. He looked into my eyes and, without cracking anything resembling a smile, said "that last guy you beat was a friend of mine". Wonderful.

Needless to say, I was obliterated. As were my friends within the same round. It didn't really phase us though. We laughed it off, and actually felt quite proud of ourselves (we did manage to get somewhat far in the tournament, and turned a few heads during the games) as we left the tournament, wondering as to whether or not we'd return for a rematch.

our society & teen pregnancy

We all know how much more prevalent (or maybe just more talked about) teen pregnancy has become over the past few years and how our generation has been put under much scrutiny because of it. The media has taken a huge part in this debacle with the huge coverage on the pregnancy pact girls from Massachusetts that is now a Lifetime movie and the much watched television shows on MTV, 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom. I've watched the shows and follwed the stories, but it never seemed to effect me until the other day. I nanny a family a couple of days a week by picking the girls up from school and watching them until their mother gets home. One particular day last week I just had the 4 year old and like any awesome babysitter, I took her to get an Ice-e (sp?) at the circle K by her house. In line to pay I was holding her hand and we were discussing how we got the exact same flavor and how cool that was. Then the older woman behind us (in her40s!) proceeds to say "Aww, how sweet! Matching mother-daughter slushies!" Insinuating I was young enough too to drink a slushie. EXCUSE ME!!? Given Barrett, my 4 year old little FRIEND, does look a lot like me... same exact hair, eyes, and skin color and when I went on vaction with their family this summer as a nanny many thought I was a third daughter but, still, I was shocked! I just politely laughed and said "Oh no I'm just the sitter." The woman obviously a little embarrassed (but looked almost relieved) just apologized and made some LIE of a comment how I looked so old... obviously just to avoid awkwardness. Oh yes of course my 19 year old self in my messy ponytail, no make-up, and running clothes definitely looked like a woman old enough to have a 3 year old. I think not. She thought I was a teen mother and felt the need to make a comment about us BOTH getting slushies. She seemed so much nicer when she realized I wasn't actually Barrett's mother. I left the store surprised. I was way more upset about the way she treated me when she thought I was a teen mother than the fact that she thought I was one. It just finally hit me that teen pregnancy and teen motherhood have become something our society still views as unconventional and many still condemn it, but it is also viewed as a normal occurance. I just thought of those girls on Teen Mom and how I would judge and laugh at the show's content and outlandish situtations. Needless to say... Guilt ensued. I was judged by a upper-class snooty woman in public for being what she thought was a teen mom. It wasn't earth shatteringly horrific but it was, however, enlightening. Just maybe think about this next time we see a young mother...

"if you judge people, you have no time to love them." - mother teresa

West Coast Reppin' It With a Green Tea Partay!

Most people remember the incredibly successful viral ad campaign for Smirnoff Iced Tea. Here it is... The Sequel. Because of the great response JWT NY created another Tea Partay music video to promote Smirnoff Green Tea. Very appropriately they 'repped' the environmentally conscious, health conscious, and spiritual wealthy 20-somethings for their Green Tea Product. Just as successful an execution as the original Tea Partay video with a new sound, new actors, and a new vibe that really tapped into the stereotypical Beverly Hills type. They acknowledged the type that was very environmentally conscious and health conscious but still got plastic surgery, fake tans, fake highlights, and had the superficial lifestyle to balance. This video is every bit as funny and entertaining, but reaches a different audience that would identify with the new product.

Apple IPad

Although the name for Apple's new persona device is somewhat disappointing, I am really loking forward for the iPad to come out. Not only does this device work as a notepad, it also works as a place to store you books, music, photos, and access the internet. For me, it would be extremely great to have my personal planner, alongside with my email, contacts, access to blackboard and other internet sites and all my school books all in one tiny place. No longer would I have to bring my planner, books, notebook, and laptop to class... just the new iPad. I cannot wait for this device to come out so I can be one of the first users to bring it to Creative 1 class.

This video makes me Snicker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QAlt4Sfl7Q

I know you guys have seen the recent Snickers ads that go something like "you are not yourself when you're hungry". I saw this voiceover/slowed down parody video of Lord of the Rings recently and though that'd make for a funny Snickers ad. Then I started to think about why doesn't Snickers start using cartoons, superheros, etc. rather than old people. I'd assume candy bars target a younger demographic. How much more would a preteen get out of spider man failing to have his web catch a building and falling into a snack stand only to stand up holding a Snickers that he then eats giving him the ability to sling off into the skyline again? As compared to Arethra Franklin and Betty White? I definitely like Snickers' new campaign, but there is so much more room for expansion within this message.

Who Knew Turtles Were So Funny

I'm not a fan of Comcast, but their turtle commercials are hilarious! This ad premiered during Super Bowl 2009 and has been running on cable every since:



I dislike Comcast but this ad is so effective! Whipple Ch. 5 is all about creating efficient and effective comercials, so the fact that this commercial is entertaining, short, sweet, simple, and to the point makes it very effective!

I <3 turtles with country accents :)

Shutter Island...any thoughts?

So I have wanted to see Shutter Island so bad because of all the hype surrounding it and the fact that Leonardo DeCaprio is in it, doesn't hurt. Many people I know have seen it and I have heard mixed reviews. Some say it was absolutely awesome, some say it was too predictible, and if you're like my friend Michelle she said she felt like she had schizophrenia after watching it. I love scary movies and I think that the fact that it is set in a mental hospital makes it even more intense. So final thoughts, yes I should see it and spend the ungodly amount of money that movie tickets are these days or no and save my money and wait for it to be available at Redbox?

ADS ARE EVERYWHERE!!!

Its hard to go anywhere these days where you not bombarded by an ad, but much is too much? Is too much when it becomes Modern Art. Take Andy Warhol for instance. He revolutionized Campbell's Soup!

Warms your heart.

Last night while I was watching the Olympics I saw a commercial that I loved. I wanted to find it on youtube and blog about it but I cannot for the life of me find it online. It shows a dad running up to his two kids with paper bag lunches. When he reaches them and hands them their lunches, he is so winded from rushing over to them that he takes one bag back and pours out the contents and uses the paper bad to help himself breath. I believe that it was a commercial to promote adoption of kids. I thought it was was a great commercial because it was humorous but also tugged at the strings of your heart. I really enjoyed it; I literally stopped studying for my french exam and started talking about how good the commercial was. Of course, my friends don't care about commercials, so it wasn't a very long conversation.

Not addicted to plastic surgery?

WOW! I don't even know where to start. For those of you who many not know, Heidi Montag caught the public's eye on MTV's "The Hills." She basically got famous for being famous and now she wants to be a pop star. Oh yeah, and i forgot to mention, she also got 10 plastic surgery procedures in ONE day. Is that even legal? Most hospitals don't recommend being under anesthesia for more than 6 hours, yet she was under for 10 hours. These 10 surgeries include: brow lift, botox on forehead and frown area, nose job revision, fat injections in cheeks and lips, chin reduction, neck liposuction, ears pinned back, breast augmentation revision, liposuction on waist, hips, inner and outer thighs, and butt implants. She claims that she only really got two major procedures done and that the rest were just revisions. Really? if you go under the knife it IS a procedure, no matter it is a revision or not! Most shocking of all is that after getting her breasts augmentation revisions from a C to a shocking DD, she still admits that she wants to go bigger. I must have been living in a bubble because i just found out about this last week and was absolutely shocked. Its pretty sad, she looked so much prettier before. Hope all the plastic helps you with your new singing career! wait can you even sing? (i must question this because she refused to sing when asked during an interview with ABC). But no worries, America, Heidi has the same producers as Michael Jackson, so she is sure to be a hit!

Tiger Woods

I tried to resist the urge but I did tune in on Friday to watch the whole speech with Tiger. I wanted to know what other people thought about it? Did you buy it? Did you not believe it? Was it just right?

One thing I will state is that Tiger gave the public way more information than I thought he would. At the start of his career Tiger never really grasped the concept of celebrity and why everyone was so concerned with his life. A few years later he still has yet to fully wrap his head around this concept. As a celebrity, this is one of the things you give up when you make millions of dollars a year and it is called privacy. Everyone thinks that they are privy to your life and what is going on. Up until his recent scandal with all of these women, Tiger has been viewed as the Golden Child because many did not expect this behavior from him. In his speech he explicitly stated that he would appreciate it if the media stayed away from his wife and his kid. But I would like to see how long that will last.

In my opinion I sincerely believe that Tiger Woods did not owe anyone an explanation. He did not kill anybody or bring physical harm to another individual, therefore why is he even giving the public this. Although I do like that he gave a speech I do not feel like it was necessary. However, one thing I wished would have happened is that he would have memorized what he had to say because it looked like somebody wrote down information and he simply read it aloud. In fact it was poorly read but from the heart, I guess.

Ever have one of those weeks?...

Working, studying, life and everything in between. College is stressful no matter how organized you are. Sometimes students need to take a deep breath, relax, and have a good laugh. That's the only purpose this blog serves. Laughs.

Yea I could tie in a marketing aspect on how the BBC took normal animal clips and prepared them for a new humor fueled generation, or how voice overs enhance everything from a TV show to a commercial. NO! Not this week. just forget about all that and enjoy ;)

Consider Your Culture Part I (Obesity)

http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/mystocks_ball

After watching the ad which is at the link above, a curious thought occurred to me. From my years of television watching experience here in the U.S. of A I have rarely, if ever, seen an ad that pokes fun at fat people, unless the ads were aimed at dieting or the like. The ad I watched, which is for a German marketing campaign for mystocks.com, portrays a couple at a brokerage firm asking questions about their investing future. The broker himself is portrayed as dunce when he answers their questions by letting a rather fat person roll down a ramp with a half green half red suit which will tell them if they should or should not invest. Mystocks.com then proceeds to position themselves as a brand that doesn't leave things to chance. What is shocking about this ad, however, is not the fact that I can understand German, but rather that in German culture it is okay to poke fun at fat people because the aren't the fattest country in the world. I think you would be less likely to see an ad such as this in America because of that fact.

Keeping all this in mind I think it we should begin to broaden our views about international advertising, but more will come on that topic next week...

It Could Happen

Since it's internship-finding-hair-pulling season, I decided I'd stick to the internship theme. All of us are looking for internships, and some of you may already have landed the perfect opportunity. But for those of you who are still on the search and thing they might die of anxiety if they have to wait 'til April/May to hear back from internships, I have a suggestion for you.

Disclaimer: be ready to step outside of your comfort zone

Have you ever wanted to go somewhere abroad or out of the ordinary, but never have time or company or whatever? Your internship is your perfect excuse. Take me for example: anyone who has ever talked to me for a couple minutes knows that every 4 years, for 1 month, there are no problems, worries, etc. Unless the other team is winning (which thankfully, since I'm Brazilian, doesn't happen often - haha just kidding). I'm talking about the World Cup, which is in South Africa this year.

Anyways, long story short. I decided to apply for internships in South Africa! I literally Googled "advertising agencies South Africa", found a list of about 30 on bizcommunity, and started researching who worked at their HR department and emailed them my resume. I know it might be a long shot, but I applied to several local agencies as well as global companies like DDB and TBWA\. Maybe I won't get any offers, but at least I know I tried, because if I DO get it, if I DO go to South Africa during the World Cup, it would be the most amazing experience EVER!

So give it a try. "Ad agencies in Fiji" or perhaps "Ad agencies in Paris"? Make it a summer to remember.

Google Creates Some Buzz

Google is well on it's way to world domination. With products ranging from cellphones to search engines to GPS systems, it was only a matter of time before they tried their hand at social media...

Enter Google Buzz: the social media supplement integrated into Gmail

With Buzz, Google was hoping to create a platform which could unite all the existing forms of social media into one convenient stream. Essentially, it provides the same appeal as the Facebook Newsfeed page; you choose which friends you would like to receive updates from, and then Buzz sorts them into convenient columns where you can flip through your friends' lives like a newspaper.

Not everyone is responding as well as Google had hoped, though. Features like auto-follow were seen to be a threat to privacy rights. Small design oversights like non-collapsible comment threads and no choronological sorting option seemed uncharacteristic for Google.

With a plethora of updates and patches on the way, I don't doubt that Google will fix most of these issues. The question is, why was it rolled out at all? Google has one of the largest pools of beta testers in America, and has a history of going through copious testing before rolling out its products. In my opinion, Google broke one of the cardinal rules of sales: Never release a product that's similar to another product in the market unless your product has something new and important to bring to the table. I'm a huge Google supporter, but Buzz has a lot more kinks to work out before it can compete with the Facebook Newsfeed.

To try Google Buzz yourself, just create a Gmail account and log-in. You'll see the "Buzz" link on the left-hand sidebar, and Google has a neat little video to walk you through the set-up process. I've been using it for the last few days, and so far it seems to be a well-functioning, well-designed addition (with the exception of the annoyances I listed earlier.) Buzz may have had a rocky start with some critics, but I haven't lost faith yet... Because if there's one thing I know about Google, it's that they don't like being 2nd place.

I am filled with GLEE!!!

Over winter break I decided to cave into watching the newest show Glee. While all my friends would get together to watch it during the fall I would laugh at them and say bye I am going to go watch something with more substance to it. Well all in all, I was bored one day over winter break and decided why not give it a shot and watch the first episode. Four hours later I found myself part of the way through the first season. I was like wow I now know why my friends like this show. It’s very captivating and they sing many of the songs we grew up to listening, good oldies and some current tracks. Honestly the acting isn’t “the worlds greatest” its fine but the singing is INCREDIBLE! Lea Michele is one of the main stars of the show and is an amazing singer. I realized after watching the first episode that she was in the Broadway show Spring Awakening, which I saw a few years ago. ATTENTION to all those who don’t watch the show, DO IT! Catch up! Glee comes back on April 13 to Fox! I can’t wait! (Weird to say but it’s the truth!!!)

Advice from a recent grad

Hey Guys!

It is sooo much fun to take a break from my day and read some of your blogs. I know when I was in this class the blogs were one of my favorite parts. I've been reading a few and a common concern is internships. Trust me I've been there and I completely understand what you are going through. The good news...you will find an internship....you will succeed...and you will graduate.

So my advice to you is be open to new opportunities and be creative in your intern search. If you are determined you will find a way to find an internship. I interned at Euro RSCG as my frist internship with no previous experience and I was able to get some experience in account services. How you ask? Trust me I knew I couldn't compete with people out there that already had tons of experience, so I took a different approach. I met the person in charge of interns at the AWNY conference and decided to try and intern in the HR department. No one really applied to that department so lucky for me I got it! While I was there I was asked if I wanted to help with an account since my background was advertising. I of course jumped at the opportunity. Then I worked my tail off everyday while I was there.

I know it seems impossible sometimes but I had a friend who worked for a sporting company and she asked to create her own internship and put together a creative plan for them to improve their website, make sample flyers and sales plans for them and that is how she got her internship credit.

This class is all about thinking outside of the box (sooo much fun!!!) take the same approach to your internship, believe in yourself, and in a few years you will be at your first job wondering how the hell you got there! Our program at FSU is amazing and if you are in this program taking this class then well you must be pretty extraordinary yourself.

Good luck, and have fun!!!

Obama Plate and Snuggies

This is one of my favorite commercials ever. It's so terrible I wanted to buy the plate. Or keep it on my desk to admire and nod at while I work. I'm pretty sure it's Obama's confident smile and kind eyes that really draw me in.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is actually a genius ploy. I have a friend who was going to pay the 20$ for the plate, not including shipping and handling because she thought it was so funny. And what about snuggies? They started out with semi-legit commercials, and people thought it was a good gag to buy one because they're such a ridiculous product. Afterwards, I think the snuggie people realized who their customer base was and took it to a new level. Suddenly, theres zebra print snuggies for your dog and middle-aged people in snuggies butt-bumping and raising the roof. It's 2010. Raising the roof? They have to be doing this on purpose.

Spicin' things up!

Ever since this Old Spice commercial hit the market, women and men both have been going crazy over it. I personally haven't even seen the commercial on TV, but only heard about it through facebook statuses and all the commotion it has conjured up. What is it that is so great about this commercial that has got people talking? After watching the commercial on YouTube, I see the humor in it, but still feel as though I have seen much more humorous ads that haven't stirred up this much talk. The ad seems to put women as the target of the message for a mens product. That to me is GENIUS considering women have most of the buying power in the household. However, even though the message is targeting women, every single person I've heard talk about this commercial has been male. What is it about this ad that has every guy talking? And are more women buying the product for their men? All in all, Old Spice took a very creative approach by subliminally talking to their target market. I'm very curious to see the rest of the ads that follow in this campaign.

am i out of the loop?

maybe i am out of the loop but i came across this video today and thought it was one of the coolest things i've ever seen. especially for anyone that is studying abroad and doesn't know the language of that country very well, this is great for finding out information about restaurants and such. Or even if you are just traveling to some place you have never been before. i cannot believe how far technology has come...

INTERNSHIPS :-O

So, I have decided to blog about internships because this is a topic that I am very stressed out about right now-and I am sure their are many others in our class who are going through the same aggravations that I am going through. I am so nervous. I worked so hard on my resume. Will the HR people like it? Will they even bother opening it? If they do like, will they contact me for an interview? If they want an interview, what do I wear? Should I smile? Should I act very professional and stern? Should I continue writing to HR people? Am I being annoying? Millions of questions are ragging through my head right now. I am so incredibly nervous. I am not sure what to think or do. I also heard that we won't hear final decisions about internships until the end of April. That's to late!! What if I don't get anything! Then what am I supposed to do?

THIS...... Is how I feel right now! AHHHHHHHHH!!!

I know I am freaking out way to much. I need to calm down. But just as I calm down, my father will call me on his way home from work to find out if I have sent out any more resumes-and that's just makes me freak out even more! ahh! I just want this entire process to be over. I wish I could just see into the future and learn what is going to happen. Please wish me luck and I wish everyone else luck! CROSS YOUR FINGERS!!!!

Ok, on a positive note- I'm excited for class tomorrow and I can't wait to learn who our client is going to be and who will be on my team!!

These ads really caught my eye because they are so drastically different from the normal pet food ads we see on TV. The first one, Adventureland is a little strange, but graphically amazing. The ad ran during the Olympics and apparently Friskies is going to run a 3D one soon too. The second ad is for Pedigree dog food, and it employs a super slow motion camera capturing a series of dogs catching a piece of Pedigree dog food in their mouths.

Both commercials definitely deviate from the normal pet food ads usually involving a pet owner hugging their freshly groomed and happily satisfied pet. The unique approach to each ad is eye catching and engaging. I wanted to see where the cat ended up in Adventureland and if the dog caught the food in the Pedigree ad. Both ads used a very creative, artistic approach to capture the audience's attention, and I think it definitely worked.

HOMEMADE BUFFALO CHICKEN PIZZA

My New Year's resolution was to cook more and not only have I been saving some money, it has also been surprisingly fun!

This weekend I made one of the best pizzas I have ever had. I went to Publix, got all the ingredients, and began putting together this masterpiece you see to the left. I highly recommend you and your roommate try making this because it was delicious. Here is the ingredients and some instructions:

1 bag of pizza dough

1/2 cup of ranch

1 cup of mozzarella cheese

3 fried chicken tenders from the Publix Deli

1/2 cup of red onion

1. Roll out pizza dough onto a cookie sheet. You are probably going to need flour when doing this. Get rid of excess flour on the sheet when your done.

2. Once the dough is stretched across most of the pan, add ranch onto the dough as you would with pizza sauce.

3. Cut up your red onion and 3 pieces of fried chicken into fairly small pieces and disperse across the dough.

4. Lastly, sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the top and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crust looks golden brown.

ENJOY!!! =)

A Weekend Away from Advertising...or not.

I took a trip to South Florida last weekend (kind of like a small weekend getaway). To save some cash - being the broke college student that I am - I took the long way around across Alligator Alley. In any case, the extra long trip gave me a while to really enjoy the drive, and the large amount of advertising along the way. I never really realized how well this class has helped me to understand, and appreciate, advertising. From numerous Geico "googly-eyed money stacks" to Cracker Barrel's "Homestyle Cooking Next Exit" billboards, I really came to an understanding as to why certain advertisements are the way they are, particularly after reading Whipple (I spent a couple of hours enjoying the weather outside while reading Whipple)

Saturday night I opted to go to the movies. Not being too inspired to see Avatar (I'm not much of a guy for sci-fi), I instead opted to see "The Blind Side" which I hadn't really been too keen to see up until now. Movie was excellent, but the advertising seemed just as interesting. As Whipple says, no one really appreciates advertising in the theatre. You're there to watch a movie and conduct movie-ish business, not be interrupted by Sprint and the "Now Network." But for once, I took the time to mentally dissect these advertisements, and its surprising to me how clear and clean cut they are. They follow the textbook style down to the dotted I's and crossed T's.

I thought I could spend a weekend away from Advertising, Whipple, and Creative Strategy, but apparently, advertising is like your own personal stalker. It follows you everywhere.

Neural Advertising: The Sounds We Can't Resist

I read a very interesting article via Digg.com that caught my eye. Time magazine online published an article about the potential sounds may have in persuading consumers. The article focused on research done by Martin Lindstrom, a neuromarketing researcher (I didn't even know that was a job title?!). Neuromarketing research consists of consumers being exposed to ads while being hooked up to machines that monitor their brain activity, pupil dilation, sweat responses and flickers in facial muscles, all which tell the researchers about their emotions while watching an ad. Lindstrom found that the #1 responsive sound was a baby giggling. Next in place was a cell phone buzz sound, and then the sound of an ATM dispensing cash. An interesting side note is that the participants responded higher when the sound was more subtle. Advertisers should take this research seriously and alter the current statistic that 83% of advertising triggers only one of our senses- sight. Sound clearly works if advertisers use them the right way!

Banner ads = annoying and obnoxious. Or maybe not?

 

Usually when I see banner ads I think they're intrusive and obnoxious. I quickly dismiss the ad's message solely because it tends to distract my view and interrupt my web-surfing. There was never a time when I was truly impressed by a banner ad, until I saw this one.

It is the most addictive ad you will probably ever see. The pringles guy actually keeps consumers engaged with his entertainment and funny copy. If you continue to click the ad, you'll probably sit at the computer for 5 minutes just to see what he'll say next. The point of this ad is "once you pop, the fun don't stop." To join in on the fun, click here: http://bit.ly/10QAQX 

-Arielle

Julia Nunes

Thank you Austen, for inspiring me to also write about music.

As you all know, new media is becoming increasingly important to our generation. The fact that we can become famous on a world-wide scale with a simple recording from something as ordinary as a camera phone is something that is unique to our generation alone! Now, by reaching a certain level of fame, people can be recognized by people who actually pay....like, say a record label.

Julia Nunes is a quirky college kid, who started off writing songs and at age fourteen. She plays guitar, ukulele and melodica. One day, she decided to record one of her songs on her Youtube page, and lo and behold---a fan base started forming! Soon enough, she was able to get a hold of a record label and now, she's been invited to perform in Bonnaroo, one of the most famous indie music festivals in the world!

So, if there are any musicians in the class, I would highly recommend you to at least record your songs...you never know what may come out of it. :)

She's a beauty! Or...is she?

Today, during my Digital Color Foundations class (Yay! GD), my teacher previewed our lecture with this Dove tv ad from a couple years back. We're working on portrait editing (scar, wrinkle-"imperfection" removal) for the next couple of classes, and he wanted to show students to full capabilities of Adobe Photoshop. For those of us who don't remember, Dove repositioned themselves in 2006 to highlight the power of natural beauty, and the superficiality of edited beauty. They wanted to show consumers that the perception of what one should like, through tv, magazines, and other forms of media, is often misleading. This move was brilliant. Dove was essentially linking their brand to the acceptance of all natural body types, regardless of shape or size. Highlighting the harmful effects of common industry tools such as photoshop positioned the brand on the consumer's side rather than that of the fashion industry, or societal standards for beauty. Dove created a campaign about imperfections, and sizes above 0 being beautiful, radiant, natural. Henceforth, Ogilvy & Mather was able to construct a new image of a perfect body type...yours. With all things iconic, parodies soon follow. Below is the parody of a...less attractive reality, reinforcing the value of editing photographs. Whichever you enjoyed more, as of next week I'll have some tricks to share for you proud adobe owners.

I need a rememberal

So there is a Taylor Swift concert March 4th in my hometown in Tampa. Great huh? i can start my spring break early with my girl T-Swift. I got awesome tickets for a reasonable price back in November and now that it's crunch time...have misplaced them. I've looked everywhere and I mean everywhere. No luck. What is a girl to do? They can't be reprinted nor can I get a refund for my stupidity. Screwed. So now the big question is...do I suck it up and pout as my friends hate me for the next six months? Or do I buy new tickets, spending more money but restoring my friendships? Decisions Decisions.

Chatroulette

Chat Roulette is quickly becoming the go to site if you want to chat with the most socially depraved people you will ever interact with. Nothing can prepare you for the images you will witness, so you will just have to see it for yourself. Created just three months ago by a 17 year old Russian named Andrey Ternovskiy, Chatroulette lets you chat with the world through webcams. You will meet a random succession of strangers that you can talk to, or not. Some may be clothed, some not so much.

You go to the website and Play, and at that time your webcam is activated and you are told that Chatroulette is "Looking for a random stranger." Then a video will open up so you can start chatting with the person on the other end. If you don't feel like talking to that person you can merely hit next and then it is onto your next stranger.

Try it out for yourself and comment on some things you encountered. Have fun and be SAFE!

If you want to try it out, click here

Ohh BBC

This week, someone on my dance team introduced me to a series of hilarious videos. BBC has these little "episodes" on their website called "Walk on the Wild Side" and I personally think they are hilarious. The videos are montages of different clips of interesting animals with voice-overs narrating from the animals' point of views. I picked one at random to share with you guys, and here it is! If you like it, you can check out the rest on the YouTube page or on BBC's website! I hope you guys find this as amusing as I did =).

KardashiWHO??

Kimberly, Kourtney, Khloe, Kris....am I forgetting anyone?? Oh yeah there is Kendall, Kylie, Bruce and Robert, one big happy family, or so we think. The Kardashian family is a reality family who has made it big in the celebrity world. Every week, "Keeping up with the Kardashian's" airs on Entertainment television during prime time, Sunday 10P.M. to give us, the D lister's, a peek into their family who are all A lister's. Bruce Jenner the father of the family was an Olympian athlete. He married Kris Kardashian, who already had 4 lovely children, then together they had Kendall and Kylie and now they share one big ball of love for everyone. The Kardashian's hit the television screen over 2 series ago and has everyone waiting to see what happens in the next episode. Khloe just got married to Lamar Odem, a professional basketball player, after dating him for a very short period, Kourtney, just had a baby and is not even engaged or married, and Kim continues to do photo-shoots and promoting different brands. And what do I have to say about all this......WHO CARES. They are just an American family who is trying to get by day to day with their busy lives. Obviously people have fallen in love with them, if their show continues season after season and they are aired during prime time, but seriously if the American people have time to watch a show about another family and their problems, by all , means go for it. But for those of us who actually have things to do and have problems of our own to fix, We will be fixing them Sunday night while while the rest are mesmerized to the TV.

A New "Top Dog"

Today, January 22, a new "top dog" was crowned. "Giant George" was announced as the world's tallest dog by the Guinness World Records. At seven feet and three inches from head to tail and 43 inches (3 ft 7 inches) from paw to shoulder, this Great Dane beat the previous record holder, another Great Dane, by 0.75 inches. Giant George gathered quite a following on his journey to be named the world's tallest and even appeared on Oprah in a feature called "That's Incredible". All of the media surrounding him, however, created some controversy over his actually height which ended up requiring an in-person measurement by an official adjudicator. This record has sparked interest in other pet records so Guinness World Records is launching a search for longest ears on a dog, smallest dog (length), oldest dog, smallest cat, and oldest cat. To learn more about Giant George you can visit his website www.giantgeorge.com and to find other world records you can visit Guinness World Records site community.guinnessworldrecords.com.

What's your secret?

Have you cheated on an important test? Do you flip pennies on the ground so that they're heads up for the next passerby? Are you in love with your best friend? Do you wish you were someone else, someone better than yourself? Every week, the PostSecret website publishes 20 home-made post cards that share the deepest, darkest, and sometimes funniest secrets of society.

This community art project, known as PostSecret, was created by Frank Warren in January 2004. Every week, hundreds to thousands of anonymous members of the community send their secrets to Frank's home address in Maryland. On Sundays, Frank uses Blogspot to upload the 20 secrets that will be featured online for the next seven days. This project's popularity has grown nationwide, and occasionally viewers will see an international secret posted as well.

The beauty of this project is that it has the power to connect humankind. Although some of the secrets seem totally obscure, vulgar, or altogether unimaginable, others have the power to speak directly to us and we realize that we are not alone in this world. I really like that there is such a simple concept behind the fact that we are all more alike than we may think.

For more secrets, you can search sites like facebook fan pages, Twitter, and order a number of books compiled from the post cards online.

YouTube

YouTube has become a huge outlet for advertising. It's actually just become huge in general. It's where EVERYONE goes to see ANY online video. I couldn't really name a serious competitor. All the ads referenced in my Intro to Advertising course came from youtube. Tosh.0 is a television show created entirely to find and make fun of some of these videos.
It's an excellent place for companies to post an ad, for a couple of reasons. Number one being that it's free. You just gave over 300 million people access to your message for FREE (although it comes at the cost of clutter, 200,000 videos are uploaded daily). Number two being that the people who watch an ad on youtube, WANT to see the ad. They are much more likely to listen, watch, and receive the message. While the internet audience doesn't represent the masses, many companies are taking advantage of this medium, from AllState to DieHard.

Below is a really cool video from DieHard, catered to the internet audience.


Additional kudos to DieHard for making the ad entertaining. Many companies simply post their TV ads; without the entertainment value, fewer people are likely to actively seek out the ad.

If you guys click the link, you'll find an article rating the worst drivers by profession. Marketing/ Advertising professionals rank #7 on the list. The good news is that we rank lower than Dog Groomers. The bad news is that we still rank within the top 10. I say we should all try and beat this statistic!! Let's put down our cell phones, I myself am guilty of trying to multitask...which is a huge MISTAKE. Maybe we'll be bumped down a few slots and out of the top 10!

Nascar: Not Just Cars Turning Left

A week ago the nation joined together to enjoy one of the greatest Sunday's in and American's life. While the Daytona 500 is nothing compared to the Super Bowl, for someone from the area Nascar has a special place along with NFL. Here are some of the best ads from this past Sunday's premier sporting event. These ad show how branded entertainment can go far beyond musicians to Sports stars. Nascar is full of advertising. If you can get your logo on a car and run a couple of thirty-second spots in the beginning or the end of the race, then you have an incredible amount of weight based on the fact that people are going to be watching your logo turn left for hours and hours. Last year Southern farm Bureau shifted their advertising spending to sponsor a racing team. This seemed to be a very smart move considering a large majority of their target market were also Nascar fans and would see the big FB logo on top of Kyle Busch's car all day long every few Sundays. Nascar racing is a great opportunity for the right brands. While expensive, it can prove to be an intelligent media planning strategy.

drink mania

Throughout the past year and a half, I walk into my sorority house to find some new brand of drink being dumped by the hundreds in our foyer every month. I'm sure some of you know what I am talking about. Brands have included Monster, Amp, random new-comers, and even really neat small aluminum bottles of Diet Coke. Needless to say, they go extremely quickly as does anything free on a college campus. The reps usually drop them off and have to get a picture with some of the girls to prove they were promoting the product. All in all, it's gotten pretty old and recently the drinks have been left to rot... most likely due to girls spazzing from too much caffeine. But as of this week there was a new contender that didn't have a rep drop by that overloaded us with hundreds of drinks we didn't need. Red bull made aluminum flowers out of their cans, put them on sticks, stuck them in the ground on our front lawn, and put full red bulls inside of the red bull flowers... I wish I had taken a picture because it truly was pretty impressive. They might've done this for every house I'm not too sure, but there were only about 50 red bull flower drink holders and, for the first time in a while, they were gone before I even got a chance to get to the house to see what everyone was talking about. We aren't entirely sure who put them there but I'm pretty sure it was local promoters in the spirit of Valentine's Day. Ultimately, they did great... girls actually took the drinks and the neat flowers are still on our lawn for everyone to see.

Starbucks

I think most of Starbucks' sales come from the loyal customer base, we have customers who come in three or four times a day. Some customers come in and roll right down the modifiers list: double tall soy extra hot no water chai in a grande cup. Then we have people come in and ask what a latte is. That was definitely me a few months ago. So I'm going to explain a little. If you know your drinks like the back of your hand, just skip down to the bottom for recommendations.

Coffee - is just what you're used to it being. We're supposed to keep two kinds brewing at all times. If you're not sure which one you want, ask which one is more bold. The bolder coffee will be a "darker roast" meaning the coffee beans were roasted for longer.

Latte - if you get flavoring, your latte starts with that. Mocha syrup or chai or raspberry or whatever you ask for. My coworker likes Pumpkin Spice, White Mocha, and Cinnamon Dolce. Then we add espresso, and steamed milk. If it comes with toppings it gets those too.
(Iced lattes use cold milk instead of steamed milk and are topped with ice)

Cappuccino - a cappuccino is exactly like a latte: flavoring, espresso, steamed milk. The difference is that a cappuccino is mostly foam from the steamed milk, with a little liquid milk.

Frappuccino - we have three bases: coffee, coffee lite, and cream. Then we mix in whatever syrup or other mix-ins (vanilla, matcha, and java chips) the recipe calls for. Btw, java chips are baked with cookie dough in them and if you ever ate a plain one you could taste it.

Iced Coffee - is already in a pitcher and we sweeten it as you order. Classic syrup is added to "sweeten" it, but most people order with cream and sugar and get confused when we offer the classic. It's just another form of sweetener, it cancels out the bitter part of the coffee taste without just covering it up.

So now you're informed! You don't have to go in embarassed and order a plain old medium coffee when you could have a iced grande white mocha with caramel drizzle. I mean nobody starts out that way, but you'll work your way there.

I recommend:
1. Caramel Apple Spice - is Cinnamon Dolce syrup, steamed apple juice, whipped cream and caramel. It tastes like apple pie.
2. Black and White Soy Hot Chocolate - regular mocha is chocolatey but white mocha is sweet, so they balance great for chocolate lovers. And if you use soy, its thick and has a hint of vanilla.
3. Strawberries and Cream Frappuccio - but ask them to substitute toffee nut for classic syrup. It tatses like berry berry cap'n crunch.
4. If you're trying to be calorie-conscious, I recommend a cup of iced coffee. Or flavored regular coffee. It's cheaper, probably has more caffeine than your latte, and can be made in any flavor you want.

Enjoy your tuition money to the fullest with music

I've been to a lot of shows here at FSU where it felt like they were private concerts just for me. I would even talk to the bands after the show. Of course I love this kind of intimacy with my music, but at the same time I wish others could share in these experiences with me. I've always felt not enough students take the time to check out the acts coming through. Sure, Union Productions appeals more to an indie crowd and I might know most of the bands they book beforehand, but I've definitely discovered new gems through taking the time to check out some of the shows where I didn't know the artist like Walter Meego and A.A. Bondy. So in the hopes to see more of you out at these FREE shows I decided I'd share some of the artists listed to make an appearance here that I will definitely be checking out. If you guys like anything you hear, let me know and maybe come with me to see it live.

March 2nd P.O.S.

March 15th Fruit Bats

March 17th Little Dragon

March 24th Cursive

March 26th Hockey

April 3rd Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

April 5th The Big Pink

April 11th White Rabbits

Coffee Shops: Tallahassee's Own Creative Hotbeds

Imagine your favorite coffee shop, and if you don't like or drink coffee simply suck it up and give this exercise a chance, who just happens to be sitting in there? Ahh, yes, there is that token guy in the back corner that actually didn't buy any coffee but has somehow managed to pirate the free WiFi all afternoon. Ahh, you have it, there is that girl that is on her third latte and she is boisterously trying to prove to her friend that the best way to color your hair is with Kool-Aid, while simultaneously trying to control herself when she gets the caffeine shakes. Sitting next to that girl, as usual, is the passive aggressive studier who has been plotting for the past thirty minutes how to get the Kool-Aid girl to talk softly without saying anything directly to her. Finally, there is a guy sitting with a pen and paper creepily writing all of this down, who looks oddly similar to me.

If this is what you imagined, then you were spot on in imagining what nearly every coffee shop in Tallahassee I have been to has been like as far as the people are concerned, with a few exceptions. What I have failed to mention thus far is how the coffee shop actually looks, which in my mind is the most important part of the whole experience, when you consider that the people will always be the same.

Take All Saint's Cafe for example, the artsy-ness of the establishment exudes creativity. From the large graffiti wall the adorns the parking lot to the local art that is displayed on the wall inside, it is like there is peer pressure to make something creative when you walk in. The same goes for places such as the Brew & Bean which has modern architecture and a clean look and feel and is equally inspiring a place to make creative things happen. That being said, I have begun to frequent different coffee shops, not to gain indie points, but to work on a poem, a song, or even an ad. What I'm trying to say is, if I were to quantify it, Tallahassee would be home to two heaping handfuls of privately owned and franchised coffee shops. Each one with its own atmosphere, it own creative environment and I would like to invite everyone to start taking advantage of the potential advertising genius which resides in these places. I have a list of a few places that you can try out if don't already know about them.

1. All Saint's Cafe

2. Brew & Bean

3. The Black Dog

4. Bada Bean

5. StarSeas Cafe

6. Bishops Cafe

7. RedEye Coffee

I would write down directions but that would just be silly, Google it! So go out with your advertising problems and come back with a vanilla chai latte and a great idea.

Promotion Fail!

P&G Removes the Veil

For years, corporation Proctor & Gamble has been the umbrella company for hundreds of household brands and products, for example: Johnson & Johnson, Olay, Old Spice, and in the last five years, Gillette. Each of these products are individually branded, and if it weren't for the money trail, would have little connection with their parent company.

This year, using the Winter Olympics as their platform, P&G hopes to change all that. Leading the charge is Global Brand-Building Officer Marc Pritchard, who oversaw an extensive campaign intended to shift the positive product attributes of P&G's smaller brands into their corporate image of Proctor & Gamble. Here's a preview of their new strategy, which was aired last week:

Pritchard explained that the Winter Olympics were chosen as their medium for their message because of it's capacity to bring families together. P&G chose to market 18 of their most family-oriented products in this new campaign, and highlights 16 American athletes. Will the campaign bring the dawn of a successful new identity for P&G? It's too soon to tell; but from their textbook implementation, I've got to say, my money's backing Pritchard.

They get you every time

I would just like to share a little bit about online shopping. In case you didn't know ladies, Victoria's Secret online store has a large variety of inexpensive and extremely cute clothes. I discovered this about two years ago and sadly it is where most of my money has been going to.

Today I was royally screwed over by them. Maybe it hasn't been the first time, just the first one I've noticed and I know it won't be the last time they take advantage of me.

Back on January 1st when it was just as cold, or maybe colder, that it is now, Victoria's Secret introduced their 2010 swimsuit line. Although I couldn't walk around outside without a parka all of a sudden my mind flashed to spring break. Maybe it was my longing for warmth or longing to look like model Alessandra Ambrosio but I purchased two swimsuits.

Now, on February 17th, the introduced over 500 newer and cuter swimsuits for the season. They got me. I feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. If I would have waited just a month or so I would be able to choose from a larger selection and would be able to purchase the ones I bought a month ago...at a reduced price. STUPID STUPID STUPID!!

Their discounts and "free totes" get me every time. They know I am a sucker for free shipping and they target me for it!! So if you can excuse me I am off to buy some more swimsuits with my weak self control.

Lost Connections

As amusing as the lost connections application is on Craigslist.com, I found a blog created by Sophie Blackwall and it is inspired by these lost connections that occur everyday in New York City. Her profile reads:

Messages in bottles, smokes signals, letters written in the sand; the modern equivalents are the funny, sad, beautiful, hopeful, hopeless, poetic posts on Missed Connections websites. Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I'm trying to pin a few of them down.

Cartoons accompany the description and several reach out to the people they ran into or saw shortly for that day. The locations range from the library, street corners, subways, coffee shops and so on. Here are some blogs from the website:

Friday, January 8, 2010
- m4w
When I put your coat collar up to protect you from the cold...
on the corner of E Houston and Bowery...
and I looked in your eyes...
I was very tempted to kiss you...
but I don't steal women from other men...

still...
I was tempted..

Sunday, January 31, 2010
- w4m (BPL)
We were in the Brooklyn Public Library on Saturday, browsing graphic novels – you had on a big furry hat and nice smile. You tapped me on the shoulder and told me I'm pretty. That was nice. Which book did you end up borrowing?

To see more of the blogs the website is: http://missedconnectionsny.blogspot.com/

Advertisers Are The New Record Label Execs

Are ad agencies replacing record labels?

Since 2007 I have noticed an increase in not only the popularity of indie music in mainstream music, but also in its use in commercials. I love indie music and I find that lots of companies use indie music in their ads to appear trendy and exciting yet simple and relatable.

If MTV and VH1 and BET don't want to play music videos anymore, it seems artists are resorting to the ad industry to break through to eager listeners. Catchy indie music is now abundant in commercials, movies, and tv shows way before they hit the radio waves.

I first noticed it in Apple's iPod nano commercial with Feist's catchy song "1234":



her music video was basically the commercial. who needs MTV?!

Then i noticed indie in Old Navy's 2008 winter sweater commercial with Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am":



Such a catchy song! and the calming, snuggly, warm feeling of winter sweaters is effectively portrayed!

Fast forward to 2009/2010 and we have THE catchy song of the moment, Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition" featured in the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack:



Even though I have a crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I was honestly not even gonna see this movie until I heard the soaring music of Temper Trap...so I guess it's a win-win situation for the artist and the production studio. Temper Trap gets awareness and $$$ while Fox Searchlight gets $$$ and more $$$!

And lastly, Phoenix. The hot indie band of the moment! Who, after this Cadillac commercial, will have to change their genre to POP due to their popularity:



So, am I crazy for seeing this trend? I've been following it since 2007 and I'll even go as far as to say that my love for music, my interest in the rise of indie music, my heightened observational skills, etc. helped me realize that Advertising should be my second major!

Indie music, which used to be underground and highly overlooked, is now the go-to genre for ad music. In fact, sometimes consumers might even forget the ad's message and just want to know:

"What's the name of that song in the [insert product name] commercial?"

Indie is the new Pop. Good-bye Britney Spears, hello Phoenix!

Lichtenstein gets REAL

For those of you who don't know, Roy Lichtenstein was a 1960's American Pop artist who's signature style was recreating classic comic book illustration into amazing works of art.

Lichtenstein described his art as"not 'American' painting but actually industrial painting"

One of his most famous works included a blonde girl, who was commonly referred to as Lichtenstein's girl.

So how do you reconnect a new generation with inspiring and creative art like Lichtenstein's?

Make her real, futuristic, and glamourous of course!

M.A.C. cosmetics took on the task of recreating Lichtenstein's girl to a real life portrayal for a new campaign.

here is M.A.C's recreation.

Even down to the dots used in old school comic book printing! M.A.C. nailed this recreation perfectly!

Just like Lichtenstien brought new life to comic book illustration, M.A.C. did the same for his inspiring art.

It's even more proof that almost everything can have new life for a new generation of people,

but most importantly consumers.

-Matt