P. C. Gone Wild?

In today's world being Politically Correct is extremely important, so you do not offend anyone, but it has gone too far. People talk about it all the time, but it's true. The need to find correct ways to label someone, is just furthering the need to label them. My suite mate moved to America from Ukraine when she was 10 years old. She calls herself Russian, speaks fluent Russian (often at 8am when everyone else is trying to sleep), and always talks about loving Russia. So therefore, I affectionately call her my little "ruskie." She doesn't care, and in fact finds it funny. She calls me Yankee-doodle-dandy and whatever else. Well today I was talking to someone and got overheard and some random person felt the need to talk to me like I was four years old for using the term "ruskie." I didn't even know for sure if that was a real word. Then as I thought it over in my mind the madder I got. This whole drive to be perfect in the labeling of people is so stupid.

Maybe I'm just one of those people who never gets offended and should be more sensitive to the needs of others, but it drives me crazy. I call people from all different diversities my friends, and at the same time I have no problem with jokes pertaining to demographics. I have blond hair (sometimes) and I don't care about blond jokes. They are just jokes. I don't care when people call me "gringa" or whatever else. If people would learn to not care and get so uptight, people would learn to not be so stupid. It was once said that laughter is the best medicine of all (don't ask me who said it that one time because I have no idea, maybe Doctor Seuss) and it's true. When you are not so uptight about something then it gets less and less pressure. Just relax and realize people aren't being mean to you, they are just trying to have fun with you. Smile back and make up a joke about them. If they call you a ruskie, call them yankee doodle dandy.

There is a difference between joking and being discriminatory, and that is important. You should not go around saying things just to hurt people, but at the same time you should not have to walk on eggshells about every time you say something. One of the examples which irritates me the most is when books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are kept out of public libraries due to the racist language. If you're really deeply offended by the vocabulary of the time...don't read the book, but don't take it away form everyone else. Do NOT use the language in the book, but Twain wasn't being a racist, he was just using the vernacular of the time and place.

There is a list (http://www.languagemonitor.com/wst_page20.html) which shows the most banned words of the day, and they are ridiculous. I know plenty of people who aren't Christian, and do not care that the date is A.D. instead of C.E. If you have a problem with A.D. you should have a problem with the current calendar because it was set up by a CHRISTIAN MONK. Stop it, people are being nit picky. Back home, our only building big enough to hold a graduation of 500 persons or more was in a non-denominational church. It got banned in 2006 because some guy complained they were forcing religion on him....yet his son still went to the Baccalaureate Mass. He just did it for the attention of proving how politically incorrect we were. STOP IT. Realize being practical or having a sense of humor does not make you a tyrant!

Wii Want Rehab

I saw this the other day on Best Week Ever and just looked it up on Google. I think it's a great idea because it said that it allows physical rehabilitation patients to engage in physical movement but focus more on the game, thus making the whole rehabilitation process more entertaining. Here's an article...

Wii Want Rehab

And to mention rehab, Amy Winehouse blew everyone away with her 5 Grammy's last night even though she looked "out of it".

Google Alerts!!!

Google Alerts is an amazing feature of gmail....if you have a need for it.

You sign up for it and type in what you want to be alerted/notified about.

For example I am researching new ways to advertise on the internet so I typed in...
video advertising/internet advertising/new forms of advertising
...and then said what type of notification I wanted (there is a scroll down list of options)

Every time an article about those topics is written Google alerts emails me so I am immediately up to date.

The possibilities are endless with Google Alerts and I think this is a great feature!

WARNING: If you have too many alerts set up you will be overwhelmed with alerts in your inbox.

If you have any confusion but think this could help you out just email me and I will walk you through it lmm05d@fsu.edu

Gymboree

Hey everyone!!! I hope everyone's weekend was great! Well if in case you don't know I work at Gymboree, a baby/childrens store, and since I am a major in Advertising I always like to see how and what they do in terms of Marketing and Advertising. Well last week we got a news letter about how they are rolling out this new plan to go back to real reason they started, babies. Personally, I think that they have been slacking in the newborn dept. and this new program is great for baby gifts. They are starting this newborn section where it is dedicated to buying baby shower gifts and the best part of the program is they have special wrapping and even an incentive for the customer to spend $25 and get a special 20% to put in the gift to give the new mom. I think its great cause it gets the mom in the store as well. Gymboree is always changing programs as they get feedback from their customers. This program is going to work cause it helps with reach and getting our name out there for moms who don't know what Gymboree is all about. I love working for a company that really prides itself on what it can do for the customer. They really do listen to what their customers say about them and if it seems to be a problem they alwayys think of a solution to the problem. In addtition they are branching out and getting some product placement on tv. In the show John and Kate +8 they are starting to dress all the 8 children and taking them to our play and music classes. I have watched an episode where they took them to the play and music class and definitly made sure to mention it was 'Gymboree' and they showed the sign as well. Whenever I see a product placement I always laugh cause I feel like I'm one of the few that know excatly what is happening. Well if any of you need a baby shower gift you know where to come!

Who Knew?

Upon finishing my first legal communication test this afternoon, I have to ask who knew just how much the law was involved in advertising upon entering the major? I for one had no idea. While elective classes reading Mass Media Law, Reel Legal, and Legal Communication should have tipped me off, it wasn't until i was immersed in them that I have come to fully appreciate a new aspect of communications. Keyword: appreciate.. I will leave the legal workings up to the lawyers in the future :)

Baby in a Car seat

Hey everyone!  Last week Tom told the class to explore the art of blogging and to try new things like posting videos or pictures.  Well i decided to post a picture of myself on Halloween in one of my favorite and most creative costumes ever.  This outfit won me a second place trophy for most original costume at some party I attended on Halloween.  I think its a funny costume and I hope it gives you all a good laugh.

Just another blog...

Just when I thought we grew up in the best time period...explosion of computers, cell phones, and unneccessary technology...I get corrected. My little 4th grade friend now has a cellphone...crazy! I thought it was a big deal to get one in highschool, and now the longer techonology is around the younger people get it. My cousin has gone through 3 laptops and is only 16, I thought I was pretty darn cool getting one for college. I am now starting to see a clear generational gap between myself and the younger, and I must say it's pretty scary. It both scares and excites me to see what things will be like 10, 20, 30 years from now...better yet where technology will have taken itself...crazy crazy! PS I am loving all the VDAY ads....I hope my boyfriend is watching close!

The Moaning Cow

So while I was exploring the wonderful world of youtube this weekend, I came across a very interesting website. It's www.themoaningcow.com. It's all about marketing and advertising. They have a bunch of TV ads and campaigns on their website. I checked out some of their ads and they're pretty unique. Most of them I've never seen before, but they're pretty entertaining. The site kind of reminded me of how our creative class and catch your limit is all about fish, but this one is about cows! What's with all the animal themes in advertising? Anyways, you guys should check it out!

Someone has to bring it up...

So Valentine's Day is coming up and it got me thinking (as I'm sure it does every other girl). This one day is dedicated entirely to love. Girls dress in pink/red, guys make dinner reservations, students use it as a reason to throw a party, etc., etc. This celebration was definitely encouraged and driven by the commercial industry, but either way, we have accepted it and now girls and guys around the globe are expected to buy and act in a certain manner on this day.

But why?

I'm not at all the cynical type when it comes to Valentine's Day if I don't happen to have a significant other at the time. I actually handle it quite differently. Regardless, I get really into it and dress up for the occasion. I enjoy attending the "crushes" put on by various FSU organizations or watching a chick flick with some other girlfriends. I love getting excited with my friends who do have a Valentine and hearing every detail of their perfect (or not so perfect) dates. And of course I love helping them eat their goodies ;0) But why just flowers and candy?

I mean, flowers are nice, but they only last for a couple of days. Chocolate is great, but I have no self-control when it comes to food and I don't think that guys want to fatten their girls up on this day. So why can't guys get more creative?

I would MUCH more appreciate something with more thought and less money. Everyone has inside jokes, so use that to come up with something creative. If you absolutely are the worst dancer in the world but your girl loves to dance, take her dancing for Valentine's Day. The sacrifice on your part means much more. Especially if you're not the creative type and you come up with some really clever idea, it makes what you do that much more meaningful. (Although if you're from this class then you probably are creative and the expectations are probably higher). Whatever the case, I think its time to steer away from the traditional flowers and candy. Get creative boys, we're ready to be impressed!!!

~*HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY*~


And yaaa I think I'm finally caught up on posts!!!

Intrusion Abrusion

Last semester I took a class on political economy and the class in synopsis blamed advertising for everything. Advertising was to blame for barriers to entry for small businesses, poverty, hunger, greed, unequal living conditions, corruption, poor tv programs, boring magazines, etc. People complained that they were tired of seeing wrapped buses, advertisements over urinals, and the million other vehicles that we love to great. I see how sometimes it’s crazy, but it’s cool too. As I’m typing I’m watching CNN and the orator giving a press conference is sitting at a table with a backdrop full of advertisements, but the thing is what else should you put behind him? Why waste the opportunity by putting a cityscape or a blank screen? I think we need more. Yesterday I was working and a co-worker had her I.D fastened behind the plastic wrap on the back of her pack of cigarettes and I just thought, “Man, that is a good place for a chewing gum print ad.” I know I hate when people have cigarette breath and I’m sure they don’t want it either. What do you think about the intrusiveness of advertising?

You know you want it :D

Hey guys! I'm gonna copy Elena and campaign for ad club elections. I'm running for ad club secretary and you should definitely vote for me! I take great notes so if you ever have to miss a meeting I will make sure to include all of the details in the ad club meeting minutes. And I promise to keep you guys updated on facebook and what not. SO VOTE FOR ME :D.

If only Zicam had better advertising.....

So after the longest week and weekend EVER....I'm sick. But of course it always happens that way. Thankfully its nothing major....but I still feel horrible and have way too many once-a-week classes to get any real rest =/

Anyhoo.... Since I'm really stubborn with taking medicine, my friend recommended Zicam. It comes in a box with these portable spoons that have clearish medicine on it. The idea behind it is that you can stir it into any beverage and it is "virtually tasteless". So far I have taken it a few times...I'm not completely better yet, but I think its a great idea. You barely taste it.

I haven't seen any ads for this particular medicine...at least not to my recollection. If they did their sales would boost tremendously...There's tons of big babies out there that would buy it.... :-)

When will advertising "Go Green?"

I was at work the other night and one of my fellow servers who is in law school was informing us about how some big oil company (either Exxon or Chevron I believe) bought the patent for a fully electric car that plugged into the wall and could maintain speeds up to 140 mph. I think he said the car was created by GM and that the big oil company wanted to hide it as it had the potential for being disastrous to the oil industry. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but either way, it got me thinking about all of the green efforts efforts coming out of almost every industry, except maybe the oil industry.

Entire furniture companies are being created on the basis of being "green furniture designers." Free calendars are available online with a tip to staying green for each day such as "plugging the bath tub" and "use fluorescent bulbs." Banks are getting creative and offering a $1,500 bonus to any employee who buys a hybrid car as part of a PR effort. Today, going green is something almost every business/industry must consider to stay competitive. Consumer's care about environmentally-friendly businesses. But when will the advertising agency "go green?"

I can't say this on the record because I've never seen any research to support it, but I would bet that the advertising industry is one of the least "green" industries. I worked at an agency this summer and I can't stress enough how much paper was wasted. Exhorbitant amounts of paper were printed and automatically tossed. Today my group met, and one of our members has a job in which she can print things. We were debating whether to make the background on something black and when one member suggested to keep it white because making it black would use a lot of ink, this idea was completely discarded because the amount of ink wasted was unimportant.

I'm not preaching because I'm definitely guilty, but it I just found it interesting that the industry which strives to help other companies become more likable is one of the worst industries at being green.

You Lint Licker!

Lately I've been trying to figure out which commercials have really gotten their message across and become memorable. I'm sure you all can remember this one: "Who are you calling a cuddy queen, you lint licker." Here is the youtube link to one very funny commercial :

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9TxVJAkwbqA&feature=related
"Orbit Gum Commerical -Dirty Mouth Test 37 - Cheating Husband"

Creativity in Action

As I sit here and reflect on my week trying to find something relatively creative to post about, my Wednesday night seems to stick out in my mind the most. You see, Wednesday was my sorority's first social of the semester. For those of you who are familiar with Greek Life, almost every Wednesday you will find sororities and fraternities paired off at a bar or club "socializing" together in theme. As a member of the Executive Council it was my job to stand at the back door of Ken's and sign girls in for the first hour and a half. The back door of Ken's is elevated compared to other such as Lower Lounge and The Pub, so I had what you could call a bird's eye view of the back of the strip. So, for an hour and a half I was able to look down at the rest of the themed socials and admire these crazy, creative outfits that people put together. One theme that I was later told of was "Goodwill Hunting". The idea was to go to Goodwill and find anything to wear. Not knowing of that theme, I contemplated for quite some time as to what their theme could possibly be. No one that I saw even relatively matched each other, but they all had crazy creative outfits.

Now that I think about it, watching people come and go from that social, not knowing the theme, makes me think of our class and the crazy things that innocent bystanders probably think about us. One day we are all blind folded sitting on the ground putting pieces of felt together, the next we are playing with a potbelly pig, and the next we burst out into a random round of applause shortly followed by a girl breaking out into song...

Anyway, although my social's theme was a boring "pajama party" I really enjoyed looking at other's outfits. It's amazing how many really creative people there are out there. The sad thing is, a lot of them probably don't even realize it.

Fortune Hi-tech Marketing

Hey everyone. Just returned from good 'ole Jacksonville and I10 was just as exciting as ever. Not. Anyhow, still a little wired from coffee, I am up reading the recent blogs. I am laughing at the "Network Direct Inc." post, by Savannah, because I too went to the sales pitch and thought the same thing. It reminded me of another "opportunity" I was approached with at the beginning of the semester: Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing. I was curious if anyone else has heard of this company...or is involved with it??

I need a new job!!

So, its Sunday night at 12:45a (technically Monday morning), and I just got off of work an hour and a half ago. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to be back for another non-stop 8 hour shift at 7am tomorrow morning. So, off I go to try to grab a couple of hours of sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn to start off my 13 hour (I have class directly after work) Monday. I really need a new job, I don't get paid enough to do this!! If any of you know of companies that are hiring, I would love the reference! Thanks for listening! Good Night!

Cool Navy Ad

I saw this ad tonight and thought it was amazing. It took me by suprise. I never would have thought it was an advertisement for the Navy. The lighting and the ambience of the ad really caught my attention before I even knew what is was for. I think it's effective for recruiting for the Navy and armed forces because it presents them as very swift and quick on their feet as you can tell by the footprints that appear and quickly disappear. It's ads like these that remind me why I chose to go into this crazy profession :) Check it out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5MdaGrRrTk8

BLACKOUT!

So I'm sure that everyone and their mothers know about the plane crash/blackout on Friday night. First of all-i thought it was funny how all I've heard is how the Cessna is the "Volvo of the sky"-uhhh branding much? Volvo dominates safety so much that its name can even carry over to airplanes. I feel like a lot of the people that said that to me didn't exactly know what they were saying when they did-but I got the point.
Second-so I was at work, and our power flickered for a few minutes when the plane crashed, but we all obviously did not know what instantly happened. One of my co-workers has a boyfriend who works in the Leach (which, when the plane crashed lost all power and went completely blackout...think like you can't even see your hand in front of your face black out). So he called her and told her the story. Now, my first question to him was about the treadmills. Could you not imagine seeing people run on the treadmills & then having them randomly stop-I know these people had to go flying into something, and I'm sure that would've been a sight to see. (He claims nothing like this happened..boo). He did enlighten me with this story, however. They were evacuating all of the students out of the Leach, and a few staff had flashlights & most people were using their cell phones as guides. Aparently, in the midst of this unknown blackout this girl REFUSED to get off the elliptical. The guy had to go upstairs in pitch black and ask the girl to please stop working out and evacuate the building. Listen-I know there's a lot of pressure to drop those winter pounds for spring break but SERIOUSLY? It could've been a terrorist attack and this girl just kept going. He said she didn't have her cell phone either so she was just chillin' in the dark on the elliptical. This story pretty much made my whole weekend. What some people will do :)

Should I get a Mac?

The first question I was asked when I began my internship was whether I was familiar with Macs. Of course I answered yes, but the truth was that I had quite a bit to learn about Mac computers. Everyone that I talk to that already owns a Mac says they would never use a PC again. Of course, I figured this was all an exaggeration, but once I began using a Mac at Zimmerman I fell in love. Everything is so much more organized and Macs are just easier to use in general. Also, everywhere I go, I hear how important it is to be fluent with Mac computers, especially if you want to go into advertising. So, in conclusion, I have fallen in love with Mac computers... the one problem... $$$. The cheapest Mac is $1,000 and the screen is only 13 inches. My question to all of you, who thinks Macs are worth how expensive they are compared to PCs?? Especially if you have a Mac, please let me know what you think.

Vote 4 Me!!

Hey guys, It's Elena Mlotkowski, I am going to be running for Ad Club Historian... aka Paparazzi!

I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell you how excited I would be to win! I am already paparazzi with all of my friends and I want to save memories for all of us in ad club too! I am at all of the ad club events and my little camera has been with me through everything... It's a total trooper in that regard... I would make a great photographer/historian for our club.


So if you want to have memories from all our ad club socials, trips and meetings I'm the Historian for you! :)

Vote for me, Elena Mlotkowski, at our next meeting!!!! :)

Weekends go by too fast

I'm taking a break from my microeconomics homework to write this blog. Let me just express my hatred for microeconomics. This class is ridiculous - I have about 4 online quizzes due per week, all of the powerpoints are online, we have a textbook and study guide with practice problems and what not. On top of all of this, we have lecture 3 times a week. Are you kidding me? This class should be an online class, there is no need to drive 20 minutes to campus for a 50 minute lecture that I could've learned through the copious amount of information available to me through blackboard and the textbook.

I am currently watching Across The Universe and I love it! I love when different forms of expression are used together to tell a story. They've used dance, music, painting, split-screens and color effects...it's psychedelic. lol. I'm probably going to have to watch it again because I've been doing homework while watching it so I haven't been able to pay attention to all of its awesomeness.

This weekend I competed in my first Parliamentary Debate competition. I have just recently been thrown into this whole debate world and I felt very unprepared, however after my first debate I felt really good and was surprised at how well I had done. We had four rounds, back to back - it was about 6 hours of debating and I was relieved that I didn't make it to the semi-finals because we had no breaks and I was tired and starving. But I feel proud that I performed well and my teammate and I are totally pumped to keep growing and learning so we can dominate the next competition. And while I was waiting for the Gov't side to prepare their debate, I began chatting with the judge in the room and it turns out that he's a fashion photographer from India and he does all of the Fendi ads and the Dolce & Gabbana Gold ads. I was totally surprised. He said he gets to travel to Milan and Paris for all of the fashion shows. He's only been in America for 4 months but he's going to start working

Perhaps someone can answer me this - do I have to see the communications advisor that I was assigned to? Because I have Solomon and he is always too busy to see me and he's kind of a jerk. Any suggestions? I need to get my internship stuff cleared up ASAP!

Quote of the week - "Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource - the minds of our children." - Walt Disney

Next time you're at Starbucks...

I was reading an article about marketing translation mishaps, and came across a fun fact.

In Germany, Latte is a well known word for an erection. So, "morning latte" is when...

The word "break" means "destroy", so taking that "morning latte break" can be painful.

I'll leave the details to your imagination, as well as all the puns on how you take your steaming hot drink.

Source: http://www.i18nguy.com/translations.html

Word of Advice... Intern

For those of you who plan to make advertising a career, It is very important for you to know that internships are very important. Future employers will more readily hire you with a internship or two on your resume. If you are looking for an internship check out ad age, and the adclub website. Also it is critic`al that you have a friend or advisor review your resume, check for spelling errors and make sure to beef up yoiur resume with numerical information. One of the best ways to gain experience is to intern or volunteer right here in Tallahassee with an agency or organization that has advertising needs. Go Forth with success....

Okay, so last night...what?

Last night’s power outage definitely caught us all by surprise. I was at the Student Life Building on campus. When the power went off, I assumed it would turn immediately back on, so I didn’t panic. But, nope, no power. I waited and still, no power. Thankfully the battery-operated security lights in the building turned on, or else everyone would’ve ran around and crashed into each other. I think the scary part of last night was not knowing what was happening. Not knowing the cause of the power outage. We stepped out of the building and couldn’t see anything. All we heard were sirens. People were quick to jump to conclusions. Someone compared it to Cloverfield. Someone said this was like a scene from a horror movie. I agree that it did feel surreal. As part of the staff at the SLB, we couldn’t leave the building until the cops came. So to pass the time, we played board games. What started as an unreal night turned into fun. While playing, we all shared stories and laughed together. It was interesting to see us all getting along as friends, because we didn’t all know each other. It felt like a ‘Breakfast Club’ moment. For that time period we all bonded, even though we’d most likely not speak to each other again.

We now have personal stories that we can share with our kids one day. Where were you last night when the power went out?

A New Type of Book

I'm not sure if many people have heard of the new Amazon Kindle that was introduced November of 2007. I found out about it a couple of months ago and I thought it is actually a pretty neat little device so I decided to write my blog post about it. Basically, the Amazon Kindle is an electronic book (e-book) device launched in the United States by Amazon.com. It uses an electronic paper display and can download content via the internet. Which means that you don't have to have a computer to use it.

"Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white screen that resembles the appearance and readability of printed paper."
- Amazon.com

I think that this has a lot of potential in the world today, but where I think a large target (which is possibly overlooked) is in college universities. The Amazon Kindle is selling for $399.99 which is a lot of money, especially to a struggling college student. However, when you look at the cost of books alone, you can easily spend that much (and possibly more) per semester. Now imagine if you only had to pay around $20 for an "e-book," that would save many college students money. A successful business move for Amazon would be to get the Kindle into the hands of college students.

Now I'm sure it isn't just that simple. I'm sure text book publishers love price gouging students every semester by putting out a "new edition" of a book and I'm sure book stores love telling us students that they can't sell back a book because it's an old edition. One of the first steps Amazon would need to take is to contact publishers or whoever owns the content of the text books and let Amazon sell an "e-version" of the book online. This would allow students to pay a reduced price since they already own a Kindle. This whole process is very similar to how Apple's iTunes their music in the iTunes library for 99 cents per song. Eventually other record labels noticed the success of iTunes, and today iTunes is one of the top places to get music in the world.

The Amazon Kindle isn't perfect yet and I'm sure the price will still come down as it evolves. Their are also other competitors for it that could stand in its way. Maybe one day though instead of a college student carrying three or four books, they'll be carrying their Amazon Kindle.

strategic keg placement

So I spent my day today fixing up my resume and spending hours sifting through criegslist and yahoo for a summer internship and that was hard and all, but the most stressful part of my day was about an hour ago when I was faced with the job of strategic keg placement for my best friend’s 21^st b day party tonight.

Although you would think figuring out my future would be harder, if you’ve ever tried to find the perfect place for a keg at a party you know that it is no easy task. The problem first comes in with my double story back deck. Now you want it to be right outside the door so you can keep the most people inside (AKA noise to the minimum) but then again it needs to be accessible for those people playing beer pong on the lower level. Now any college party thrower knows that the best place for a keg is wherever the biggest circle can be formed... allowing it to be abused from all sides… and it must have an area of it’s own for this, however it can’t be further then a drunk stumble away… see I told you it was complicated!

Since I’m supposed to relate this to advertising, I guess you could say finding a strategic place for a keg, is kinda like media planning and finding a good place for an ad. You want it to be accessible to your target market (the heavy drinkers) but you don’t want to over advertise to them (AKA give them alcohol poisoning) and nobody else gets anything. Yep you guessed it, were now going back to the circle thing. You want your ad to be hit from all angles… or all mediums, letting everybody have a sip, or gulp.

We ended up putting the keg off the balcony but against the side so it could be accessible from those playing beer pong and those on the mission for beer. And then we put the hunch punch inside, for the girls who are going to complain that “it’s too cold out.” I guess there's more to this whole media planning thing then I thought!

Ps: YOUR ALL INVITED TONIGHT! We live on campus circle so stop by! Till next week…

Elance is real

I don't know if anyone actually went to Elance.com after Tom talked about it, but I wanted to post about it to make it easier for you to see it. This business model really changes the way production and essentially all business is done. You could essentially outsource anything to someone that has a 12 hour difference from you, and then get work done continuously around the clock. I was talking with someone about this and the one problem that he recognized was a communication barrier. He said that as long as you can effectively communicate what you need or what needs changed you would be golden. If not it could turn into a headache.

And for all of you people trying to build a portfolio, this may be a great place to start looking for jobs to do side work. I know that if I ever get a couple of free minutes I am going to explore the site much more.

It's Friday, have a good weekend.

YES, WE CAN,

Dear Class,

Confession: I was involved with speech & debate for all four years of high school. In fact, I got involved with that sort of thing in middle school. For a while, I aspired to be a political speech writer for politicians (I know.. 'who aspires to be a political speech writer??!'... NERD!) With the election of President Bush the first time, I gave up a lot of hope in politics.. and the second time.. in the American voters.
Tonight, however, I saw something particularly inspiring and worthwhile. For a long while, I wasn't endorsing a candidate for this presidential election, (most certainly not Barack Obama) but I think this guy is worth considering; not because of his celebrity supporters, but because of his insight for the future.

song written by will.i.am.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk

based on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms

I hope... that regardless of whichever candidate you choose to endorse.. you choose to endorse someone. Remember, the future is ours.

Have a great weekend,
April

Network Direct Inc

So I just wasted almost two hours of my life on a semi-time share pitch. I knew when I got the letter it was a scam, because I've been around these time share sharks my whole life. My dad currently sells time shares for Ron Jon's, and I even now work for a travel agency which targets students. I'm not a timeshare, lets clear that up its just cheap travel but we don't have cute little gimmicks where you get a free TV for listening to me talk about it. and I won't ramble at you with a powerpoint for two hours, but if anyone reading this is looking to travel somewhere (preferably internationally) I'll tell u about it. My dad's timeshare is a gimmick...it's Ron Jons...Its a tourist trap. This was the same basic thing, but it was actually kinda funny. During the presentation I was noticing the different communication styles she was presenting too. She kept saying how fast she would be (lies), and how everything would get right to the point. She had statistics and numbers. She offered water at the beginning, was very sociable and often mentioned how many people you could take with you on your trips. And she had lots of flashy pictures and extreme situations about how cool you will be if you travel with them. She however had TERRIBLE speaking skills. She tried to make awkward jokes which made no one laugh. There was another girl there who called the lady out on her lies in mid-presentation and instead of answering them she dismissed them, shushed the girl, or just said she did not know. The girl left abotu half way through and she proceeded to make fun of her. SHE MADE FUN OF A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER, IN FRONT OF OTHER POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS!!! I've only been selling things like this a short time but I still know you should NEVER talk ill of someone, other than maybe competitors, in front of a customer. She often jumped around and got ahead of herself and kept referring to something she never described. The best part, a trick all scams use, is they tell you that you HAVE to sign up on the spot and if you come back the next day the price sky rockets. Generally, this is because if you go home and look it up online or ask around, you won't want to buy it anymore. If it was as good as they say it is, everyone would already have it. Infomercials are the same way. The best way to earn someones trust is put them in a low pressure situation and let them decide on their own. Stupid salespeople.

Curious Quote

Saw this while reading my adbrief e-mail this morning...

"The most common trouble with advertising is that it tries too hard to impress people."
--James Randolph Adams, member, Advertising Hall of Fame

I think it goes hand in hand with what Tom always says about one of the biggest paradoxes of advertising-- that we need to break through the clutter we create.
This quote proposes another, still largely popular paradox between "cool" and "effective" ads.

...thoughts?

-April

I really can't see what 8 sets of cleavage has to do with the S-class Mercedes Benz but it was definately worth a shot for the advertisers to use this tactic to attract such a large male demographic. Even though it doesn't make sense to me I think it was a great advertising tactic. Any opinions as to why they would use this image or opinions as to preference of this ad?

My Dream Home

Three years ago I fell in love with a house. During my art history class I fell in love with Thomas Jefferson home Monticello. I realize I love neoclassical homes. I need and love the red bricks and white trimming. [One of the reason I love FSU. Love the red bricks.] The only thing is I don't like big houses. The movie scream ruined it for me. The concept of a huge house for myself is scary. I feel you should only have a big house if you have a large family.

The reason I love the neoclassical style architecture is because it incorporates greek architectural elements in a more modern twist. I love the columns and faux columns. They are very regal. Furthermore, it is a very mature look.

I apparantely spent the last hour looking for my dream neoclassical home. I want to build a custom home or find one similar to these:

I Love this central porch.

This has a central porch and a small size.
Two story column!!!

I personally do not like large houses. 3,000 feet is way to big. However, I discovered this house that is to die for.

Check out the floorplan. I always wanted a library. The master is a suite.
The staircase [mouth watering]

kdmgksdjgok;ldk

Liz and Joe... not listening in Creative I class?

No way. Not us...

My Computer Idiocrasy

Ok so I know that throughout this blog people have attested to their computer illiteracy and told us about their difficulties blogging. My story is a little different. While this is the first blogging I've ever done, I didn't have too much trouble figuring it out in the beginning. I did accidentally start my own blog instead of posting to our blog, but I figured it out pretty quickly.

I blogged a couple times, and everything was going well. Then we didn't have class because of the holiday and I forgot to blog that week. The next week when I tried to blog, the system wouldn't log me on. I tried every password and e-mail address combination with capital and lowercase letters that I have ever used. No such luck. I filled out the page that said they would send my my password to my e-mail address. Never got it. I've been desperately trying to figure out how to log on and I've been so confused as to why I haven't been able to. I open my e-mail and I'm ready to shoot Jeff and Tom a message and let them know I would like to start a new account because I can't get into my old one, would they mind, etc. But I decided to try one last time to sign in.

I start typing my e-mail address and the password I was almost certain I had set when my thumb slipped. All the sudden, I was back in the blog!

I then got to thinking, how in the world would I have incorrectly typed my password for so many weeks, without even realizing???

The second week of school (AKA when I was setting up my blogging account), my thumb was slammed in a truck door. It was all black and blue, practically unuseable, and I had to be really careful because the doctor said the bones were very weak and I could easily crush them, in which case I would need reconstructive surgery.

Everytime I hit the spacebar when I typed my password, my thumb slipped and also hit the "V" key. But because my nerves were so damaged, I had limited sensation in my thumb and didn't even notice it was slipping and hitting another key. Now that my thumb is finally getting better, its not slipping and I was typing my password as what I thought it was all along. Ridiculous.

Anyways, just thought I'd let ya'll know that while you may not be able to upload videos or post links correctly (which I can't do either), I also can't even type my own password correctly.

Get excited though because this means extra blogs from me this weekend! I wouldn't want ya'll to miss out on what wonderful information I have to share ;0)

Amy's Ticket to HOLLYWOOD!!!!!

So, Amy... you sang amazing in class the other day. I thought you should know.

...and here I lay in my bed - it's 4am. I can't sleep... so what else is there to do but to log onto the creative blog and see what's happening...

and then i got the brilliant idea to "re cap" amy's audition. what happened and what should have happened.

hope everyone is fast asleep. i should be.

AMY: Okay, I'm going to sing I can't make you love me

JUDGES: All right, let's hear it.

THIS IS WHAT SHOULD HAVE GONE DOWN...

AMY: I'm actually really good. Let me try again or i'll knock you 3 out...
SIMON: it's a no.

PAULA: Oh yes, let's give her another try

RANDY: yo dawg. feed me...

JUDGES: You're going to hollywood...

...and Liz is going to bed.

Hilarious :o)

You may be surprised to know that Superbowl 42 was my first ever and of course I was cheering for the loosing team. For the most part I enjoyed the game/commercials though I was expecting a bit more. Just wanted to share with you one of the ads I thought was the funniest that we did not cover in class.

Planters: Unibrow
http://youtube.com/watch?v=q81NFaRjp5s

Ps: I tried to upload the video itself ... but my technological illiteracy got in the way :o)

I HEART BOLLYWOOD.

God bless India. Watch this video and the subtitles that go along with it... I'd put down $50 that you'll laugh your ass off. Note that these aren't exact translations verse-by-verse, but rather what the editor thinks the song sounds like in English. You might know of the Youtube author Buffalax as the editor for the now-infamous Benny Lava video as well, so it's safe to say that between this and Benny Lava, he's a complete genius. Anyways, here it is:

american idol video clip

http://www.americanidol.com/videos/index.xhtml?vid=12

this is the link to the American Idol video that I'm in. haha - this is what no sleep will do to you.

Superbowl rocked!

So usually I can't stand watching football, and all I look forward to is watching the commercials and halftime show, but superbowl 42 was a little different. I spent the first half of the game doing homework in my cave, finished, got ready and went to a superbowl party. I couldn't take my eyes of the game and afterwards I really wished I was in NYC partying with all the Giants fans. But anyways I was pretty disappointed with the ads...except for the E Trade ad with the baby, an overused idea, but never-the-less a good commercial. Anyways class is about to start so have a good week all!
-chelsee

Take top off and push in bottom

Ok....now honestly...what do you think that could be referring to? Could it be

A. Instructions for opening a bottle of pills
B. An X-rated adage
C. A bad set of directions

If you picked A or C you'd be right. Apparently, there was an American pharmaceutical company that put those directions on a pill package. British consumers found it incredibly offensive, so the product had to be re-branded. Just goes to show ya that language is a huge barrier in cross culture advertising.

Read more branding bloopers here

I can hear myself thinking

Dear Diary,
Vanessa and Amanda have already done theirs, but I'm worried mine will never come. You know what really grinds my gears... getting pulled over! I haven't been pulled over this year and my New Year's resolution is to go the enitirety of the 2008 year without getting a ticket. I was pulled over so many times in 2007 that I am completely afraid of every police car that drives behind me. My heart starts to pound, I feel like its going to shoot out from my chest like a Superbowl Careerbuilder advertisement. That's what really grinds my gears.
NYG- I am happy for Eli Manning and not impressed with the Superbowl Ads.

Biodegradable Golf Tee

On Sunday morning I joined my father and two of his buddies for a round of 18 holes out at Seminole Golf Course.  We were on the first tee box and I couldn't find a single tee in my bag and I started to freak, so Mr. Walberg says "try one of these corn tees" and tosses one into my hand.  A "corn tee", which is the slang name given by Mr. Walberg, is actually a biodegradable golf tee made by a green company called Eco Golf.  Made from corn, the tees biodegrade in about a year in an active, organic environment; this is about three times faster than the traditional wooden tee.  They also last an average of 9.65 drives per tee which is twice as more than a traditional wooden tee.  Eco Golf claims to be saving over 100,000 trees a year with their corn-based tees.  I think these "corn tees" are the coolest, and I already purchased a pack of 1,000 on the internet.  Talk about a practical and creative way to help save the planet. 

p.s.  The Bud Light "Cheese and Wine Party" advertisement during the Super Bowl was classic.

Check it out

Okay, so I'm posting a couple commercials that I thought were clever this week, they range from funny to morbid but I think they're worth watching...

irish seat belt ad

monster.com ad

ummmm....

can anyone fill me in on what the 'Puppy Bowl' was all about? hahahahahaha

Shhh...it's a commercial!

Okay, I'm taking a wild guess and assuming just about everyone did their homework assignment and watched the Superbowl. (I know, this class is sooo demanding... ;)). Although I watched the game from start to finish, I feel like a missed alot of commercials. Maybe it was the fact that I was starving kept getting up to get food. Not only that, but the one's I did see I kept having to remind everyone to be quiet because there was a commercial on.

From what I've read on the blog so far, it seems as if I did not miss much. I did see the Budweiser one with the dalmation and horse, and thought that was cute; along with the Pepsi ones. I have been trying to catch up and review them online...which leads me to my next point: Does anyone out there know the secret to connecting a Mac to Linksys wireless?

Yes, I have performed the obvious and called the Mac people, who then referred me to the Linksys people. (Switching over from a Dell, I got a MacBook for Christmas, to preface the story). After being on the phone with the Linksys people from, literally, 12am-2am, a few weeks ago, it seemed the problem was solved. That is, until I shut down my Mac, and tried to reconnect. Needless to say, it does not work. I have heard others having trouble with this, but I thought I had it fixed when I got off the phone with the nice Linksys man (for I was finally connected.) Anyhow, it has been extremely frustrating, because it is a brand new computer and my old Dell runs as slow as molasses (I'm praying this will actually post when I go to hit 'Post.' If anyone has any inside information on this, please share!! :)

One more thing...to add to the waitressing blogs: Please tip your servers!! Or at least tip me if you come to Ruby Tuesday at the mall! We are insanely slow, and $3.34 an hour plus 'no' tip puts me out on the street holding a sign 'starving for food.' That's all I'm going to let my self say about that...because I could go on forever.

Superbowl Ads

I would just like to say that I was very disappointed in the ads last night. There is really only three worth mentioning and two of them were by the same company. I think the Justin Timberlake one was pretty funny and the best of them all were the baby webcam commericals for E-Trade. I think everyone in the room was laughing. Since they did keep advertising the myspace page to view them all, I think I am going to watch them all again later without all the hype and crazy football fans. Well see you all later!

Superbowl Faves

I'm sure most of you watched the ads during superbowl. Lets get a list going of some favorites.
My favorite has to have been the fed ex one with the flying birds. Great stuff!!! It's always refreshing to see a good ad. Seems like there were a lot of ads about animals this year. Guess they figured everyone loves to see a cute ad about an animal.

-Madeleine

I think I like the screaming =)

Last night definitely had some great and not-so-great Superbowl Ads, as expected. The not-so-great ones really got to me....$2.7 million right? It seemed like a waste of 30 seconds. I really want to make a reference to one but none of those bad ones are standing out in my mind right now.....Which goes to show that they left no lasting impression, no memorable brand. I'm sure this is also the case for many of you, so to refresh your memory go to myspace.com/superbowlads definitely check it out before you go to class.

One of my favorite ads last night was for Pepsi Stuff. It featured Justin Timberlake...which I'm sure will cause a lot of girls to say they loved it too. But besides the obvious reasons ;-) I really think they made good use out of that $2.7 million spot.

I kinda liked the Bridgestone tire ad. It was kinda cliche with the swerving off the road for the squirrel thing, but the screaming was so over the top and ridiculous that it stuck with me.

I was also a fan of the Audi and R8 spot. That shocks me I usually never pay too much attention to car ads. But I loved the whole dramatic Godfather thing.

Over dramatic screaming makes me giggle.

I'm pretty sure that "Catch Your Limit Consulting" is code for Play All Day

so i understand that the whole world may not be as obssesed with britney spears like i am, which is fine. but as i was checking up on my girl-i come across our teachers? check it out :)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ek_0qgoUM7A

trust me...you want to see it :)

ps. who's the super angry tanner kid with all the hate posts? take a chill pill bro.

All the Superbowl Ads are on Myspace

If you missed some or want to see them again...
MySpace has all the 2008 Superbowl ads in one place and they are organized by quarter!
Here is the link... Superbowl Ads


There was also an interesting article in the USA Today about superbowl ads in the money section.

wow - i can't believe i made this all somehow make sense and connect.

So I just watched the Superbowl followed by House and I have to say both were disappointing. House wasn't as dramatic as I expected and the Superbowl wasn't much of a football game until the fourth quarter when they actually started making some plays. I have to admit that I am glad the Pats didn't win. I know, I know - "but they deserved it for having a perfect season and it would be NFL history!" - but for that reason, I wanted just the opposite. I would much rather see the Green Bay Packers make history than the Pats. And now for what we're all here for - the commercials. I thought these were somewhat disappointing as well. However I have a top 3 for my faves (no particular order): #1 - Pepsi Max/Night at the Roxbury, 2 - Sobe/Thriller ad (though I didn't like the crazy lady dancing with the lizards, the lizards alone would've been enough for me), and 3 - Victoria's Secret/Let the Games begin. And on a sidenote - they played a lot of American Idol ads of course but I actually know one of the contestants who they show singing in the commercial. Robbie Carrico - he is my former dance instructor's brother. He was in Boyz N Girlz United and opened for Nsync and briefly dating Britney Spears pre-mental breakdown. He has since been a part of some random groups/bands and has become more rock-n-roll than pop and grew his hair out so he looks like the next Bo Bice. I used to love American Idol and even auditioned the year that Carrie Underwood won (we sang the same audition song). But I am really disappointed to hear that the majority of the finalists that went to Hollywood have already worked professionally. For example my friend Robbie - he used to be signed to a record label and toured with some of the biggest pop groups! And I heard that one of the contestants sold 300 copies of her album overseas after her record label spent $7 million promoting her. They are currently unsigned and not represented but it totally ruins the shows appeal. They advertise the show as if they are giving totally obscure talent a chance to make it big, but that isn't the case. I'm tempted to audition again to see if what I know now will help me get through the first round but then I slap myself because I know it's a shot in the dark and I'm better off just packing up my stuff and moving to Nashville, singing on street corners and in bars to get discovered. But thinking about the music industry brings me back to advertising in that it's all about breaking through the clutter. There are so many artists that sound alike and so many ads that go unnoticed and it is really a challenge to stand out and be heard. I am constantly striving to be an individual who breaks through the clutter and I hope that I can make both of my dreams come true - music and advertising.

Correction to previous post

By the way I made a typo I should of said "as" instead of "has," in the last sentence for all you critical philosophy writers on this blog. Thank you goodnight

A Giant Upset for all you bandwagoners

So I'm sure with the fact that we are in Florida and all pro Florida teams sucks there are a bunch of bandwagon fans for the Patriots, and yes to answer your question Tom Brady does wear a Gucci suit under his uniform. However, today the Patriots were unable to successfully film the Giants pre-game walk through and lost the game. So Bill Belechick I believe its time for you to cut off the sleeves of other sweatshirts to prepare for next season, Brady sorry your Gucci suit was unable to make it in time for your post game losing interview, and all you bandwagon fans can finally realize you're worthless and don't belong as fans of any sport. Hey there is always the Celtics to latch onto this year which I'm sure you already have. And remember Brady didn't lose this game, his defensive line, offensive line, defensive backs, and wide receivers lost this game, because remember according to everybody Tom Brady is perfect. Furthermore, it has recently come to my attention that all bandwagon fans won't find this offensive because they have no commitment to there teams. In conclusion, I believe we should not ship with FedEx has they were unable to deliver spy tapes to the Patriots in time for the game. Go Romo!!

And lastly everybody stop trying to talk with big words why sounding highly educated, it's a blog, not a philosophy lesson, you boners!!!

Mardi Gras

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the weekend. I went to a Mardi Gras parade and enjoyed seeing all of the different costumes and decorations. There's always time for a Mardi Gras sock hop! =)

Pepsi Ad

So I saw this during the SuperBowl and I thought it was pretty cool. It's kind of long but I liked that it keeps your interest the entire time. Pepsi using Justin Timberlake is a genius move.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcwSbSQTfJE&feature=related

Superbowl!!

Ok so i'm watching the superbowl right now (Tom Brady=hot!) and i'm really really disappointed with the ads! Even all the Budweiser ads (which I can normally count on being amazing) have been really disappointing. So far i've liked the Tide to Go talking stain commercial and the Vitamin Water commercial with Shaq riding a horse! haha I love horses so I could relate and I found it hilarious! Worse commercial so far was the panda commercial...apparently the guy who owns the company that did that commercial is really old and does all the commercials himself. The game itself is disappointing to...I mean, 4rd quarter and it's only 3 to 7?! Clydes was giving free shots to fans everytime their team scored and man there must be some sober and angry people in Clydes right now! They just mentioned something about bananas. Bananas?

Not- So Super Bowl

Watching the Super Bowl at a house with 35 girls has probably been one of the most irritating experiences of my life. Not that I'm that interested in football, but being the Advertising Major that I am, I actually want to be able to watch the commercials! Everytime a commercial comes on, everyone gets chatty. Don't they know that the commercials are the best part of the superbowl? I guess not everyone appreciates world famous, million dollar creativity.

With that, although they are indeed million dollar ad spots, overall I have not been impressed with the ads so far. Of course the Budweiser commercials have been pretty funny, but for example, the one with the cartoon Pandas was just nothing special.(I can't even remember what the ad was for) I did however enjoy the Coke ad with the Macy's Day Parade floats chasing after the bottle, and Charlie Brown ending up with it. It was a pretty simple idea without any dialogue, but to me it was effective.

Now that the Giants have finally made a touchdown I feel the need to end this blog. See everyone tomorrow!

The Only Good Thing About The Patriots Is Looking At Tom Brady...

okay, so it's halftime of the superbowl right now-and the ads have SUCKED. seriously-if you're going to drop a couple mil just for the spot shouldn't you show something bad ass? i'm going as far to say that I could probably make some better ads. i'm obviously not saying they're all bad-but for having the "biggest commercial stage" these people must have stage fright. (hahahah)

on another note-so I'm taking this psychology of women class, and it sucks. but i'm pretty much just going for a nice gpa boost. we're learning about all the differences between guys and girls and their personality and their work ethic and all that jazz. this led me to wonder who's more creative-guys or girls? the advertising industry seems to be flooded with testosterone now, but this could also be due to the fact that the workforce is male dominated and most of the senior leaders in any profession are guys right now (this is something my psych teacher would say-blah), but the ENTIRE COMMUNICATIONS department at fsu is like a freaking sorority. It seems that when we start to (hopefully) enter the workforce that it will inevitably be dominated by females. I guess that means girls are more creative :)

FINALLY-carrie, your post on waiting tables is hilarious. i've worked in a restaraunt for the past 3 years. while, i dont think im overpaid lol-it really has prepared me for the future. i've been yelled at for the most rediculous things in the world, i've met the most socially awkward people in america, and i've also sat down with my table and met some of the coolest people ever. it teaches you how to be personable with complete strangers...you're basically selling yourself to them, which is what we're all going to have to do later. if you can't sell yourself to your boss, client, or even teammates-then good luck getting anywhere. and in defense of jennifer-it is NOT a glamorous job so don't stiff us :)

Go Giants!

Memoir of a COCKTAIL

I have to write in response to "Is that enough flair for you?"

"One last comment… I think it was T. Roosevelt that said “everybody should be waiter in their lives so they know how it feels.” This quote is retarded. First of all, being a waiter/ waitress is soo easy and we are WAYYYYY over paid. "

Working as a cocktail, I only serve food about 40% of my shifts. However, cocktailing and serving is by no means "soo easy". As a cocktail I work 8 hour shifts that usually end no earlier than 2:45 AM, I deal with you when you're drunk, pay your tab when you walk out, clean up after you when you leave, and I do all of this with a SMILE. While I make amazing money, I earn every last bit of it. My friends have come to call me an "indentured servant" seeing as though my job OWNS me. I'm promoting and advertising when i'm not at work, which is by the way a rare occasion. I agree with the quote above whole heartedly. After working in the service industry I have learned you should ALWAYS tip your waiter/waitress, even if it's bad service take things into consideration: she didn't pour your drink, she didn't cook your food, if they are understaffed it's not the servers fault. On top of that if you don't tip your server, a majority of the time they end up paying out others from their pocket. Yes, as a cocktail I tip out the cook 3% of my sales and the bartenders/barbacks 8% of my sales... So consider how much I am tipping out on your $40.00 tab that you "stiffed" me on. While by no means is it easy, I love my job and I encourage you to take the time to evaluate your server and the work they provide more closely next time!

Sorry it took so long..It's one of THOSE weekends.

Sorry this blog took so long to post, I hate to be the person with excuses but this was the roughest weekend ever. I just found out my uncle out west is not doing so well and may soon pass away, then my car got towed while I walked inside to pick a book up from a friends house, then my computer decided to break and did not work for 2 days, then once it got restored it deleted EVERYTHING. Like when your computer first comes home from computer land, and it has NOTHING on it, thats what mine did. It, like me, apparently missed the good ol days. To the point it no longer has Microsoft Word, an anti virus, anything. Plus papers, pictures, music, all that good stuff. Again, I am sorry to make excuses, but through all this I got inspiration for something to blog about.

When you call the help desk at computers, you should know exactly what you are talking about. they ask you questions in technological terms and when you tell them you don't understand they talk to you like your mentally incompetent. I had this really condescending lady (of course with an accent it is almost impossible to understand, because I have fantastic luck) who kept asking me if my L port was lighting up. I'm not sure what or where an L port is, or if that in fact is what she was asking. Plus there would get these long awkward pauses where we are waiting for the computer to do whatever it was doing, deleting my life off of it, and she would be like "So how's your day?" and I was so upset by this point I rambled to her about my dieing uncle and towed car. Then there was another pause and she says "So Are you going to watch the superbowl?" I said yes, even though I hate both teams and she said "Oh. Tom Brady good looker. I watch superbowl for him." Thank you for your compassion lady.

I certainly hope there are some fantastically funny ads tonight to cheer me up. MSN news had some previews to things and it looks good. Thank god for advertisements, my last hope.

SUPERBOWL!!!

Today is Superbowl Sunday! All my guy friends are debating over who is going to win tonight. I watch the occassional football game every now again but am not really the Monday Night football kind of girl... Today however I am very excited. Not for the football but for the ads! The only reason I will be watching the game is for the advertisements that companies are willing to pay the big bucks for!

I was surfing online and found this cool blog that will be live during the superbowl. It has several top creatives from the largest agencies and adweek. So if your curious to know what the top creatives in this industry are thinking as the ads debut check it out!

Cleverly titled...
superadfreak.com

Where did blue eyes come from?

I thought this was very interesting, not just because I have blue eyes.


Here's what made those brown eyes blue
Scientists find that blue-eyed individuals have a single, common ancestor
By Jeanna Bryner
LiveScience

People with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor, according to new research.
A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. The mutation occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, so before then, there were no blue eyes.
"Originally, we all had brown eyes," said Hans Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen.
The mutation affected the so-called OCA2 gene, which is involved in the production of melanin, the pigment that gives color to our hair, eyes and skin.
"A genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a 'switch,' which literally 'turned off' the ability to produce brown eyes," Eiberg said.
The genetic switch is located in the gene adjacent to OCA2 and rather than completely turning off the gene, the switch limits its action, which reduces the production of melanin in the iris. In effect, the turned-down switch diluted brown eyes to blue.
If the OCA2 gene had been completely shut down, our hair, eyes and skin would be melanin-less, a condition known as albinism.
"It's exactly what I sort of expected to see from what we know about selection around this area," said John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, referring to the study results regarding the OCA2 gene. Hawks was not involved in the current study.
Baby bluesEiberg and his team examined DNA from mitochondria, the cells' energy-making structures, of blue-eyed individuals in countries including Jordan, Denmark and Turkey. This genetic material comes from females, so it can trace maternal lineages.
They specifically looked at sequences of DNA on the OCA2 gene and the genetic mutation associated with turning down melanin production.
Over the course of several generations, segments of ancestral DNA get shuffled so that individuals have varying sequences. Some of these segments, however, that haven't been reshuffled are called haplotypes. If a group of individuals shares long haplotypes, that means the sequence arose relatively recently in our human ancestors. The DNA sequence didn't have enough time to get mixed up.
"What they were able to show is that the people who have blue eyes in Denmark, as far as Jordan, these people all have this same haplotype, they all have exactly the same gene changes that are all linked to this one mutation that makes eyes blue," Hawks said in a telephone interview.
Melanin switch The mutation is what regulates the OCA2 switch for melanin production. And depending on the amount of melanin in the iris, a person can end up with eye color ranging from brown to green. Brown-eyed individuals have considerable individual variation in the area of their DNA that controls melanin production. But they found that blue-eyed individuals only have a small degree of variation in the amount of melanin in their eyes.
"Out of 800 persons we have only found one person which didn't fit — but his eye color was blue with a single brown spot," Eiberg told LiveScience, referring to the finding that blue-eyed individuals all had the same sequence of DNA linked with melanin production.
"From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor," Eiberg said. "They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA." Eiberg and his colleagues detailed their study in the Jan. 3 online edition of the journal Human Genetics.
That genetic switch somehow spread throughout Europe and now other parts of the world.
"The question really is, 'Why did we go from having nobody on Earth with blue eyes 10,000 years ago to having 20 or 40 percent of Europeans having blue eyes now?" Hawks said. "This gene does something good for people. It makes them have more kids."
© 2008 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

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LCD TV's

So the next big ticket item I'm saving up for is my very own 26 inch high resolution HDTV by Samsung. This is probably going to be one of the most expensive investments I have embarked on in a long time. For those of you out there that are thinking of a similar purchase. Take these qualities into consideration.

Plasma vs. LCD- always go with the LCD, better quality and longer life span

HDTV- Make sure your tv is compatible

chicken wings? more like 'butt' wings

Today, I went to Jim and Milt's on Pensacola because I heard their chicken wings are the most delicious in Tallahassee (plus, they were $.35 a piece today). I was a little skeptical at first. I haven't had a good wing in this town since I moved here 3 years ago.

But it seems like every college guy's dream: $2.00 beer pitchers, wings for $.35 cents each, and all of the college basketball you could watch... on multiple screens. I was in my element.

Now, I wouldn't say I'm a connoisseur in the world of wings... But I know a good wing once it hits the taste buds.

These wings were the anti-Christ of chicken.

They were like a mix between worn tire tread and molten arm pit sweat. Absolutely terrible. First of all, there were only 3 flavors available and they all tasted the same. Secondly, I CHEWED THROUGH two bones (bones are supposed to be soft and chewy???)

And to top it all off, the waitress couldn't figure out how to change the channel on the TV- so we watched the golf channel. That's oodles of fun right there, let me tell ya.

Waitress- "Sorry, but these are new TVs and I don't know how to change the channel yet."
Ryan- "Uh... isn't there two little triangle buttons on the side that you can push?"
Waitress- "I'm not sure, let me ask my manager." *walks away abruptly & NEVER comes back*

So there we sat. Plates half full of untouched wings, 10 television screens ALL TUNED INTO THE SAME GOLF MATCH, and our burden of hunger... unscathed even after my friend and I were done.

Yes, yes, yes... we drank the beer- but that's always good.

So I leave you now with this: Classmates, teachers, friends and foes alike... If you go to Jim & Milt's for wings, you will be headed to your kitchen shortly thereafter for a pot of spaghetti.



Cheers,
Ryan

Gallery Hop

Last night was First Friday at Railroad Square where I ran into many of you guys there. I always look forward to visiting art galleries for a few reasons, but mainly because I like to see the final result of days and weeks of an artist’s effort to express his/her message. My painting teacher in high school always reminded his class that artists spend hours on a piece that people will glance over for a few seconds…if they’re lucky, stressing the importance of putting your best work out there. This advice is applicable to us ad kids because we will put so much time and effort into devising a great campaign in hopes that it will stand out from the clutter and receive some attention.

Anyway, the point was to talk about a performance piece in 621 Gallery by Matthew Borgen (the image on the right); there was a rack of angel wings available for people to strap on and do as they please. A friend and I were there in the beginning when there were just 3 or 4 people. We tried on the wings and pranced around with them and took pictures and laughed and then moved on. Towards the end of the night, we stopped at the gallery once more to see the wings again and the place was packed. A crowd had gathered, but no one tried the wings on because everyone realized that people were looking. My friend and I both turned to each other and said the same thing; “I’m glad we tried them on before anyone saw us.” I even heard a little girl next to me tell her mother that she wanted to play with them, but she was too shy. It made me think of our inhibitions and how we tend to get shy when there is a huge crowd and we know people are looking. To tie this in with the creative process, I think we need to let go of our inhibitions and see where that takes us. Of course it would be great if we could all adopt that attitude, but that is much easier said than done.

S'up party people

How's it going everyone? I have decided that Thursday will become my night for posting because that is when the weekend begins for me!

Okay.... That is the message I started writing on Thursday. Even though I didn't finish because my friends showed up at my door I am still happy that I tried to start on Thursday. So, I will start over, how is everyone? I have had a great week so far, and I'm fairly certain that tonight will be great as well. It is Saturday after all... My internship went well this week. I was able to sit in on a call and observe the way that professional speak to clients concerning ads. The passion that I was able to witness coming from the art director was phenomenal.

I also thought that class on Monday was a great success. Brittany and I were nominated by a classmate for having good socks. Personally, I was very proud of our socks! I felt that I had a great understanding of ads that are aimed specifically at one of the four communication styles. The best part of class was having a groups chosen. I was very nervous about this, as I'm sure everyone was, but I feel like I got a great group. I am very excited to work with three people I have never had the opportunity to work with before. Knowing who my group is definitely took a load off. I am looking forward to seeing the first FISH assignment next class!

Well, I'm hungry so I'm going to go eat something. All I have left to say is GO GIANTS!!!!!!

Creative McDonalds Ad

This ad is an ad that was in a newspaper a while ago. Many people complained that it was too intrusive, but many people thought that it was very clever. I think it is intrusive, however it is a very creative way to advertise McDonalds.

KFC Super Bowl stunt not in NFL playbook

After a long week, that wasn't that long but man am I tired, some interesting developments are in line for Sunday's Super Bowl game.  This a the first couple of paragraphs from an article in AdAge, and honestly, I think that what KFC has here is a great advertising plan. I mean, look at the publicity they already are getting for this plan.

"KFC Corp. has cooked up a tasty bit of ambush marketing for the Super Bowl, but what if the players turn out to bee too chicken to play along?

"The Louisville, Ky.-based chicken chain on Jan. 17 said it would make a charitable donation of $260,000 to "Colonel's Scholars" in the name of the first player or entertainment performer who does the wing-clapping part of the wedding perennial "chicken dance" for three seconds in the end zone.

In a related campaign,  Ryan from Wisconsin won the Show Us Your Hot Wings! contest. He won a party valued at approximately $4,2500 with some chicken of course, but also including a flat panel television, a limo to escort guests, cheerleaders, and even a cleaning service. What did he do to win? Just watch below. (It is actually pretty good.)

Jackie Chan Olympic Commercial

I'm a sucker for the Olympics and I can't wait until the opening ceremonies to get excited... People overcoming obstacles to compete while others may have given up. Cheesy yes, but interesting all the same.

Here Visa uses Chinas' two biggest stars in a commercial to get you to the games.

Is that engouh FLARE for you!

It is amazing what people will do for money! I just started working at “On the Boarder.” Now I’ve worked in the restaurant industry since I was 14 and I’ve been a waitress for 5 years now and I can’t tell you what I’ve done for 4$. The point that you will sink to. You get yelled at, “live to serve” others, and a robot could probly do your job more efficiently. The best part is when one of your tables gets really mad at you and doesn’t realize that you don’t care. Like when you mess up somebody drink order, app, and then entrée and they give you the look of death and try to bring you down (as if your day isn’t bad enough). Those are the people I laugh at… I really could care less if you drink isn’t strong enough or if your medium burger comes out well done, keep your 4$. But of course I don’t say that, I smile giggle and say “omigod I’m soooo sorry, I’ll be right back!”

One of the reasons I bring this up, is because I’m looking for summer internships online right now in “advertising” and I’ve come across so many ads for waiters and sales associates! I’m sorry but if I’m going to college, majoring in advertising and end up as a waitress I’m going to kill myself! But then I got to thinking how they are similar. 1) It’s your job to make sure spend more money 2) you’ll lie to get that money (“your kids are so cute!”) 3) You have to smile even when you’re secretly punching them in the face 4) you usually end up working with people just as desperate and nutty as you!

One last comment… I think it was T. Roosevelt that said “everybody should be waiter in their lives so they know how it feels.” This quote is retarded. First of all, being a waiter/ waitress is soo easy and we are WAYYYYY over paid. Don’t feel bad for me, I make about 25$ an hour in cash… so if your waiter sucks, don’t tip them well, but don’t waste your time complaining to us… because we don’t care… but if you like us… tip us!

Ps: On the Border just signed up to do 900 TV spots a month (for the first time) so I’ll let you guys know if this whole advertising thing really works !

psps: you guys have to go watch this REAL TRAINING VIDEO for "Wendy's" from the 1980's ITS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDNf0CXTr_8

Death to Nielson in Sight????

Extra! Extra! Read All about it

Everyone [at least in this class] should now the problem with the Nielson diaries. It requires people to accurately recall and record what they watched on T.V. However, in this day and age, with over 80 channels and no real loyalties to a particular station or show, that is pretty hard. I know I can watch two shows at once. Well, it seems that:

"NS Media Research will use set-top box data from 100,000 DirecTV households around the country to mine new information about television viewing patterns."

Do you realize what that means. Apparently, it'll show by the second what shows are on. The coolest part, it will also record what commercials people watch. Which is amazing. Nielson doesn't do that. However, all great things have a down side. It doesn't record the demographics.

Well for all us ad majors it is something for us to be on a look out for.

Check This Article Out

Night Staff

It is amazing what people will do for money. For instance, I work as a night staff receptionist in the dorms. I forgo sleep to be a defender of the night. My 9 hour shift is from 10:30 pm until 7:30 am in the morning. It is an easy job.

Guess what I am doing at the O'so early 1 am in the morning. Reading for media planning. It would seem the greatest benefit of this job is the ability for me to catch up on my readings. Sadly, I am only able to concentrate on my homework for a short time. Which means, I have 6 hours to and I am being productive. My goal is to be done with all of my readings and assignments for all of my communication classes tonight.

Power to the Red Bull.
- Tochi signing out.