St. Marks

There are so many things in/outside of Tallahassee that I need to take advantage of before I leave. At the top of my list is St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. I’d always heard about my friends biking on the trail there, but I never considered going. On Saturday, a friend of mine invited me to come along with him, so I did. We got there really late, as the sun was about to set, so we didn’t get to stay long, but it was incredible. For starters, I saw a deer! Having lived in NY and South Florida all of my life, I’ve never come across deer! There were numerous birds that he was able to recognize simply by the sound they made. We drove all the way to the coast, but sadly, we’d missed the dolphins and sharks. Next weekend I plan on going back to see what I can before the animals start to hibernate.

The drive over to St. Marks

The sky looked like it was in flames! I have never seen a sunset like that!

An owl that my friend got excited about. He took this photo, not me.

Hahaha, I saw this image on a website today when I was researching St. Marks and...

...I happen to have a similar picture that I took!

Rock the Vote

I am taking a political communication class. Last week we had the discussion as to what each amendment meant on the ballot; from that discussion this article was pass on to me. Hope this helps!

If you're a Florida voter, prepare for a workout Nov. 4.

Already you will help decide one of the most closely watched presidential elections ever. And all 120 state House seats are up for election, plus half of the 40-seat Senate. Not to mention local elections.

But that's not all. The statewide ballot also contains nine proposed amendments to the state Constitution ranging from a ban on gay marriage to a fundamental change in how public schools are funded.

Here's a summary of those ballot items, in order of appearance on the ballot:

1. Repeal "Alien Land" Law

Would delete from the state Constitution language allowing the Legislature to regulate or prohibit property ownership by aliens ineligible for citizenship. From 1862 to 1965, more than a dozen states passed laws restricting Asian immigrants from owning property. Most states did away with the laws, but Florida has yet to do so.

2. Gay marriage ban

Would define marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife. Florida already has such a law, but backers say putting it in the Constitution protects from legal challenge.

3. Energy/hurricane

tax break

Improvements on residential property for energy efficiency or windstorm protection wouldn't be subject to property tax assessments.

4. Conservation

land tax break

Land held in perpetuity for conservation would be exempt from property taxes, and other conservation lands would be taxed on their current use rather than their "highest and best," or potential use.

5. Tax swap

Would reduce overall property taxes by about 25 percent by eliminating most property taxes for schools in 2011. To replace the more than $9-billion, lawmakers would have to increase the sales tax, eliminate sales tax exemptions, extend taxes to services such as lawyers or cut other state spending.

6. "Working

waterfront"

tax break

Would provide a property tax break for waterfront businesses such as marinas and boat repair shops that do not intend to convert to a more lucrative use, such as condominiums.

7. Repeal ban on funding for religious organizations

Would remove "Blaine Amendment" from the state Constitution, a century-old ban on funding for religious groups. In 2004, an appellate court cited the provision in rejecting then-Gov. Jeb Bush's school voucher program.

8. Community colleges

Would allow local option sales taxes to support community colleges if approved by local voters.

9. School funding vouchers

Orders that 65 percent of school funding go toward classroom instruction. Changes a provision of the state Constitution to allow private school vouchers.

By: Alex Leary
Times Staff Writer

In-spir-a-tion

So people that inspire me, though who are not famous (I'll save that for next week) are my mother, aunt, and sister. They may seem inconsequential to advertising, but I think they develop principles which are important for people in the advertising world to understand and harness.
I think I come from a very creative family, at least from my mother's side. My father's side are all lawyers or professors :) . My mother is an interior designer for yachts. She has to walk onto a dingy, horribly decorated boat, and see it's absolute and complete potential. Then she has to alter that potential to go along with what the client wants. Usually what the clients wants is very different than what my mother wants, which is why the client needed her in the first place. When I look at her designs, and when I ask her questions, most of her inspiration comes from natures. She loves being in the garden (and hers is beautiful) and so she like fabrics and styles that bring the outside in. Anything that she can put a pretty, not tacky, tropical pattern on, she will.
My aunt, though less creative in the artistic sense, has been creative enough to make her own jobs. Jobs that I didn't even knew existed, and theoretically they didn't because she created them. However, what people are willing to pay for baffles me. She was a stump grinder. Someone to come in, after you cut a tree down, and she grinds the stump so that all remains of the tree have been demolished. If this doesn't illustrate how very different my mom and aunt are I don't know what would. She draws her inspiration out of necessity. When she needs money, she looks for a need people have, that is currently not being fulfilled, and she fulfills it.
My sister is a pre-K teacher. She happens to be the most successful teacher because of the creativity she brings to the classroom. Although her inspiration for the activities comes from the children in the class: what they'd like to do, what seems to keep them intrigued the longest, etc, her artistic talent is innate. Her class always has the best art projects. However, she chooses to teach in a non-traditional way, and you can see that the students learn more from it. Rather than repetition she creates rugs and toys that allow the kids to play with the subject matter. Instead of sitting counting quarters she has the kids count out beads and make maracas. She says most of her success is trial and error, sometimes an idea works, and sometimes it doesn't. She just has to adapt and work with the ones that do to succeed.

George Washington would be proud.

It sounds a little lame but, I am actually sad that I don't get a "I Voted" sticker since I sent in an absentee ballot. I was really looking forward to one. As this is my first presidential election where I can participate, I'm happy to see that it will be an exciting one...and that it is almost over. Seriously, I can't watch any more political ads. (On the bright side, it has given Jon Stewart amazing material to work with.)

With that, I hope all of you have or are voting. (Even if it means no sticker!)

FYI- This article explains all the Amendments in simple, unbiased language. Hopefully, it will help you make smart decisions when voting.
http://tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article501958.ece

Also, this is a complete waste of time, and absurd, (yet oddly funny) video tribute to a kick-ass president. Enjoy.

How do you Rebel?

I am really interested in this whole Mac v PC advertising that has been going on lately. Both TBWA/Chiat/Day and Crispin Porter & Bogusky are very respectable agencies, and I have to say I favor CP&B. A while ago, I was reading an article about Alex Bogusky's take on what they would have to do in order to save Microsoft as a brand. Most of what he said was expected, it made sense. You have to make people want to use a PC, duh. He had a lot of interesting things to say about it, but what really stuck with me was something quite unrelated to the two brands. The reporter commented on how, over the years, Bogusky's office "matured" into what was a more contemporary and "respectable" office. His reasoning for the change was that "Life conspires to beat the rebel out of you...I was at a meeting at Nike recently with a bunch of senior people, and that's just the thought that went through my head. For everyone at the table, I could see how life was trying to beat it out of us."

Well I think that sucks. Why should the rebel in us be something we have to get rid of in order to be respected. Is it not that same rebel that makes us unique, that makes us interesting? Maybe we should change the meaning of the word rebel to fit my definition (one that I believe Alex Bogusky pretty much is refering to). First of all, I don't think any one person should wholly be "rebel," that's when you become some kind of extremist, and usually that is very dangerous. I do believe that we should all indulge the little rebel inside of us every once in a while. And by that I mean daily.

For me, the little rebel is so tiny that there are a million of them. I have plenty. The rebel represents all of the things that make people look at you twice when they see you. It makes them laugh when you tell a story. It inspires you to think of something new. The little rebel is the reason we are in advertising knowing full well that the economy sucks and that entry level pay is crap regardless. The rebel in us is the reason why we come to class til 8:30 every Tuesday and are fully prepared to spend countless hours on a campaign that may or may not be chosen as the winner.

So I embrace my little rebels. And I'm calling on you all to embrace yours too. I'll even list some of mine off the top of my head.

1. I've watched Beauty and the Beast approximately 15 times in the past 4 months-- and I'm 21 years old
2. I will not touch a cotton ball, end of discussion
3. I watch Univision and don't understand a word of it
4. I went to Armenia for a month simply because I didn't feel like seeing a boy anymore.
5. Sorry Justin, I do not know who ADCD is.
6. Dedicated Michael Jackson fan.

That's enough for now, I'm tired. Here is the link to the article I was talking about.

Shirts with random triangles?

Genius might be the only word to describe these ads. 

I don't know who thought of the Coors Light Ads that feature the NFL coaches press conferences, but I wish I had thought of them. Now, this has nothing to do with my love for football, I don't get as involved with the NFL anyway. The fact is that these commercials are hilarious. These are probably the only commercials that make me laugh out loud every time I see them. 

This is probably my favorite ad at the moment: 

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

I haven't learned how to post a video yet, it's pretty sad. But watch it, it's funny! And when you watch it you should watch a bunch of the others as well. You will laugh!

Brand New

It is safe to say that I frequently peruse the internet. Most recently I came across a website that I'm surprised I haven't heard of. The site is called "Brand New." It's a little confusing because the site isn't called "BrandNew.com," it's address is http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/. Anyways, it's a site about corporate and brand identity. Here's some of the things that are on it that are pretty cool:

Free taco, anyone?

Here's to all of us who could afford some free food...


Taco Bell sets first free taco day for World Series promotion

Beth Pinsker
Oct 24th 2008 at 4:00AM

Filed under: Daily Deal, Fantastic Freebies

taco bellUPDATE: The first tacos, celebrating Jason Barlett's stolen base for Tampa in Game 1, will be available Tuesday, October 28 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. What can you get for stopping by? A free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco. Thanks, Jason!

At least somebody is excited about the World Series, even if the TV networks are fretting about the lack of a big city audience to drive up Nielsen numbers. Taco Bell is one again offering its free taco deal for any stolen base during a game -- the series starts Wednesday at 8pm and runs, potentially, through October 30. If this year goes anything like last year, the tacos will be offered during certain hours on the day following a game where a player steals a base successfully.

If you're a baseball fan -- or watching Fox at all over the next week or so -- you'll hear a lot more about this in the coming days as the series kicks off. Last year's promotion caught some people by surprise, but you can bet Taco Bell will get as much mileage as possible out of its deal witih Major League Baseball this year.

For anyone who thinks this is small potatoes, money-wise, Forbes ran the numbers last year and found that even if only one base was stolen during each game (the average is 1.2), that still adds up to over $200 million in taco dues.

A New Fav

I know that many of us are stressing out about the economy and making our big step into the real world with a real job. As I was on the job hunt I came across this website that I think is genius, so I have to share it with you all. Its called One Day, One Job. They claim to be the insider’s guide to unique and exciting entry level job and career opportunities for recent college graduates. They offer daily employer profiles highlighting the best entry level jobs and job search tips that will make your life easier.

Take a minute to check it out, you never know, maybe you'll find your future employer. And they have a blog!

Share a smile today.

Two Dead in Shooting on Campus. That’s how the New York Times started my morning off. I almost skipped right over the article, I always try to avoid the really depressing stuff anyways. But the word campus caught my eye and I read on to find out that two students my age from University of Central Arkansas were dead this morning. Now geographically, I probably don’t have much in common with these students (honestly I’m not sure if I could even point Arkansas out on a map). But in the ways it counts, I have everything in common with them, and so do you. They probably woke up yesterday with that same Sunday feeling you did; stressed about an upcoming test, or reminiscing about the drunken things they did on Friday night. Maybe one of them argued with their mom about whether or not to walk at graduation. But not anymore. Now they’re just another tragedy.

It brings me back to the VTech shootings, or even (way back) to Columbine. How for a couple weeks after, everyone tries to be a bit nicer to their parents, smile at the kid you’ve never noticed in class before, yet, so quickly everyone goes back to their own selfish lives. I can’t force the world to care, to sit up and pay attention to the things in life that really matter. But I can change myself. I can remind myself when I get a parking ticket that it’s not a disaster; that two more dead IS. I can let it go when the guy in the big truck cuts me off, because somewhere, two more, one more, ten more- are dead. Their families are hurting, that deep, hard to breath hurt; their friends lives forever changed, in an instant.

So I’m going to work harder to smile at the waitress, or compliment someone I don’t know. And I’m going to look for the good in people. For the simple reason that I’m alive- and I can.

Pumpkin Pie

So, as I hope you are all aware Parent's Weekend has just passed us by. My parents have not yet left, as they are leaving on Monday. This weekend in celebration of their visit I have been cooking up a storm. I made cookies, brownies, cake, and fudge all from scratch. My last big adventure was to make pumpkin pie...from scratch which includes a real pie pumpkin. This has proved to be the most difficult task ever. First cutting open the pumpkins took 3 people...and power tools...then cooking them correctly and scooping them out, finding all the correct spices, roasting the pumpkin seeds. It is quite a bit of work....and in the end I don't like pumpkin pie. I'm not sure I know anyone who really does.... Well that was a lot of wasted effort. so my new quote for this class is "creativity is like making a pumpkin pie. You need to bring a lot to the table, it's much harder to do alone, you love your results...but your not quite sure why you started int he first place"

pumkins "college style"

Growing up I LOVED carving pumpkins. It was always that dorky thing my family did for our pain staking “quality time”. At least we wouldn’t fight, due to each on of use being fully armed w/ knives and scrapers :) …. Anyways… I started thinking about how I hadn’t carved a pumpkin in college, and honestly, I probably won’t… but if I were too, it’d look a little something like this…

Blogging gone wrong!

This weekend I was fortunate enough to have three of my good friends stay at my apartment for the game. For some reason I have always had older friends so all three of this fine gals have "real life" jobs. Since I am extremely interested in the entry-level job process, I asked my friend Meghan to tell me what she does on a day-to-day basis. Well, once she explained her job she told me about this amazing story that made her embarrassed for quite a long time.

She was at work and I suppose decided to take a little break. Well, she has a Livejournal account and was posting a blog on that. Apparently her company has some sort of system on their computers where whenever the company name is typed, the company has track of it. Unfortunately for Meghan, her post was all about how she was having issues with her boyfriend, about how sometimes her job drives her nuts because it is so boring, etc. etc. The icing on the cake is that at the very end of her post, she decided to mention how she wasted an entire hour typing the blog and how she was still getting paid for it since she did it at work! Ha, bad move.

Word about the infamous blog traveled quickly among her co-workers and next thing she knows, all of them are talking about how young puppy love is so un-complicated and how it was ridiculous that she was typing her post at work. Needless to say, she still feels extremely awkward at work.

Moral of the story, if you are going to waste time at work, make sure there is NO way of them finding out about it! Haha. Poor, poor Meghan.

Bobby Bowden Has Called Us Out!

Hey everyone! I wanted to give you all a quick reminder to show up at Doak Campbell Stadium tomorrow and show your support for the Florida State Seminoles! Our football team is playing better then it has in recent years and still has a shot at the ACC Championship Game! The team has already called out the fans for not showing up at games and now I read in an article that Bobby Bowden has called out the fans. This is what the article said: 

"So important is the game against the Hokies that FSU Coach Bobby Bowden during his weekly booster luncheon implored Seminoles supporters to fill Doak on Saturday and to make a lot of noise while they're there. None of FSU's three previous home games has been sold out. 

"Spirit, spirit, spirit... we're going to need it, you know," Bowden said. "So you all get your group all wound up." 

I know I find it disappointing when the stands aren't full, especially at huge games, so it must be disappointing for the team. A win against Virginia Tech would be HUGE for our team, so please show up in support of our Seminoles! The game is at 3:30, I hope I see some of you there! 

Wait. You mean you made this?

So I just stumbled upon a rather incredible website. I'm quite the fan of handmade stuff and even more so if it's a bit....well different. So when I found www.etsy.com I was more than a little impressed. It's a site where people sell their stuff. Here's just a sample of things I found:

Homemade Fudge

Charlie Daniels Band Sketchbook


Buffalo Greeting Cards


A Steve McQueen Cigarette Case


Kung-Fu Fighter Tie

So if your taste are a little more...eclectic...then I'd suggest you check it out.

GIRL POWER!!!

For all you girls out there that are intereseted, FSU has a chapter (thanks to my roomie)of the National Organization For Women a.k.a "NOW". NOW's purpose is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now. NOW promotes equal partnership with men with respect to citizenship, public service, employment, education, and family life. We also strive to advocate freedom from discrimination because of age, race, marital status, sexual orientation or parenthood. It is a great way to get involved on campus and stand up for something that you are passionate about. Spread the word and invite your friends to join! This week NOW is participating in activites for Violence Awareness week. Below is a list of the events! Our meetings are every Wednesday at 8pm in Bellamy 114, so come out and join us...everyone is welcomed!

Join NOW and Together We Can Make Equality a Reality!


DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS WEEK!
Oct. 20 -24

Tuesday: Same Sex Couples and Domestic Violence
7 pm, Pride Student Union

Wednesday: Rape Awareness Defense Class (RAD)
Free class to learn self defense moves with police officers
6:30 at the FSU Police Dept on campus

OUR EVENT! THURSDAY, OCT. 23 - "SPEAK OUT" at 8 pm
Dialogue on Domestic Violence
Co-Sponsored with the Women's Center and the F-word
* at the Women's Center (near the Student Services Building)

Friday: "Slam Against Domestic Violence" sponsored by the Refuge House
at the FSU Law School Rotunda at 6 pm
Former victims of Domestic Violence speak out

Look out for the "Clothesline Project" on campus!


p.s. Check out our Facebook group too!

Make your presentations better

Sharpen your knives.

I hope you enjoyed my video.

Funny Picture

I came across this today. The building that "Go Cards" is on is in Louisville.

In case you don't get it... their grade given was a "C" by the Department of Health and Wellness.

The Miley Girls

Hey guys Chelsee didn't post it right, so I decided to repost it for you all. Here it is...The Miley Girls

help save the environment!

I'm the PR/Marketing Chair of Alternative Break Corps here at FSU and the best weekend trip EVER is coming up real soon! (it's the best because I'm leading it)

Basically, ABC at FSU offers weekend, winter and spring break trips where participants volunteer & meet new people!

THE BEST PART? Weekend trips are super cheap (only $35) !!!

Here is more information about the trip I'm leading:

This alternative weekend trip will be NOV 7-9 at the The Nature Conservancy of Alabama! (In Perdido, Alabama).

Volunteering will include fire-line construction/creation, removal of exotic plant species, habitat improvement, general park up-keep.


Important Info:
>Cost: $35.00 ( a $10 deposit is due with application.)
>Placement on trip is FIRST COME FIRST SERVE basis
>SITE LEADERS: Diana Altieri and Hayley Wilson.
>For more info, contact Weekend Trip Coordinator, Ashley Smith aes05g@fsu.edu
>Applications be found at The Center for Leadership and Civic Education within the new Dunlap Success Center (across from the diner..and next to the SLB)
OR on the ABC blackboard site under Documents>Applications
OR send an email to fsuabc@yahoo.com asking for an electronic copy.

****Applications are due October 24***

If you guys have any more questions, let me know in class or email me: dra05@fsu.edu :)

Artists tell lies to tell the truth, politicians tell lies to cover it up.

Every time I come across a movie that I consider to be spectacular the first question I ask myself is, "why the hell hasn't anyone recommended this movie to me yet?" The other night I decided to watch V for Vendetta after it was recommended to me by two different people at two different times. V is a brilliant movie that takes place in a dystopian future and battles issues of large government, personal identity, and human nature. I don't want to spoil the movie for any of you, so I won't go into a lot of detail, but I wanted to mention a quote from the movie. "Artists tell lies to tell the truth, politicians tell lies to cover it up." This thing is poetry to me. I know it is a line that has most likely been used before, but I never heard it before and when I googled it, I didn't see it referenced anywhere else.




Check out the trailer and the clip I attached. Then watch the movie and tell me what you think. Also recommend to me any movie that is equally great that I may have missed.

Acting Like a Kid

So this weekend I decided to go home cause I'm not going home again until Christmas Break and I really wanted to see my nieces. Anytime I go to see them its such a great time and I really feel like a kid again when I go over there. On Friday I went over there and had to put Elmo to sleep, sing music songs, puzzles, and make food in their kitchen. Then on Saturday morning we went to the beach and my nieces absoutly love the beach. The beach and going swimming in the pool are their two most favorite things to do. Usually when I go to the beach I hangout with friends, layout in the sun, get in the water only to cool off, and usually drink. Well I encourage you all to go with your family or if you have younger siblings, cousins, or nieces and nephews cause it really helps you to remember what you used to do when you were young. So while at the beach with my nieces we made sandcastles which of course they knock down the minute you get them up. The we run after the seagulls and the best part play in the mud. My niece, Kat, is completely obsessed with playing in the mud. So I sit there by the shoreline and cover her with mud. Also she loves to have her legs covered with sand. Its really funny actually. And then of course we actually go on the pier to look for people catching fish and pelicans. Then of course before we leave we go to the ice cream store where they cover themselves with chocolte ice cream. So being home this weekend really helped to bring out the inner child that Tom is always talking about. So again I urge you all to hangout with younger kids. Its really a great time and kids are also one of the most funniest things I have ever seen or heard. So here are some pictures of them at the beach. 

Yay! Radical Christian Guy!!!

Today was one of the very special days where radical christian guy 'graced' us with his presence. Most of you know who I'm talkin about. He's the dude with the glasses and the bible who is pretty much a walking advertisement for radical christianity. No joke. He literally has reversible signs strapped over his body for everyone to read. The one he had on for the most of his speech today carried the message:

WARNING
Fornicators, drunkards, sodomists, pot smokers, gangster rappers, immodest women, darwinists, gamblers, feminists, socialists, abortionists, pornographers, homosexuals, jihadists, dirty dancers, hypocrites

JUDGMENT IS COMING!!!!!

He came with his own tag line too that he kept spewing out. It was "Turn from your sin and turn to the lord....Cuz if you dont turn..You burn!!!!" Lol it rhymed!

Radical christian guy came to advertise his religion and personal beliefs through messages intended on scaring us (the giganctic crowd) straight. BUT his message was perceived much different to his target audience than he intended. He told everyone they were going to hell. And his passion and fervor just so happened to inadvertently make my day =) The crowd kept growing. It was the best visit I've seen from radical christian guy yet! At one point he began shaking his fists in the air declaring "I AM JUDGMENTAL!!"... and he got 4 more onlookers instantly. Friends were coming over becuase their friends called them to share the message. It was great. It was so word of mouth. It got pretty heated though when he declared that "whosoever votes for Obama will go to hell". It stopped being funny to ppl..it hit too close to home. His visit caused such an uproar. Kids began fighting amongst eachother about the election. They got so loud that radical christian guy had to relocate two feet a way so he can keep delivering his powerful message. He really moved ppl even if it wasnt in the direction he planned. He drew a huge crowd, caused word of mouth, and stirred emotions in ppl. It was a great visit. It just goes to prove the power of thinking big.

10 Rules for More Effective Advertising

So I was browsing around and came upon American Research Group, Inc.'s 10 rules for effective Advertising. I'm not sure I really believe all of them though.

. Does the ad tell a simple story, not just convey information?
A good story has a beginning where a sympathetic character encounters a complicating situation, a middle where the character confronts and attempts to resolve the situation, and an end where the outcome is revealed. A good story does not interpret or explain the action in the story for the audience. Instead, a good story allows each member of the audience to interpret the story as he or she understands the action. This is why people find good stories so appealing and why they find advertising that simply conveys information so boring.
2. Does the ad make the desired call to action a part of the story?
A good story that is very entertaining but does not make a direct connection between the desired call to action - the purpose of the ad - and the story is just a very entertaining story. The whole point of the story in advertising is to effectively deliver the desired call to action. If the audience does not clearly understand the desired call to action after seeing the ad, then there is no point in running the ad. Contrary to popular belief, having an entertaining story and clearly delivering the desired call to action are not mutually exclusive.
3. Does the ad use basic emotional appeals?
Experiences that trigger our emotions are saved and consolidated in lasting memory because the emotions generated by the experiences signal our brains that the experiences are important to remember. There are eight basic, universal emotions - joy, surprise, anticipation, acceptance, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust. Successful appeals to these basic emotions consolidate stories and the desired calls to action in the lasting memories of audiences. An added bonus is that successful emotional appeals limit the number of exposures required for audiences to understand, learn, and respond to the calls to action - people may only need to see emotionally compelling scenes once and they will remember those scenes for a lifetime.
4. Does the ad use easy arguments?
"Jumping to conclusions" literally gave our ancestors an advantage even when the conclusions that made them jump were wrong because delaying actions to review information could have deadly consequences. Easy arguments are the conclusions people reach using inferences without a careful review of available information. Find and use easy arguments that work because it is almost impossible to succeed when working against them.
5. Does the ad show, and not tell?
"Seeing is believing" and "actions speak louder than words" are two common sayings that reflect a bias and preference for demonstrated behavior. This is especially true when interests may not be the same. Assume audiences are skeptical about any advertising and design advertising that shows and does not tell.
6. Does the ad use symbolic language and images that relate to the senses?
People prefer symbolic language and images that relate to the senses. People are far less receptive and responsive to language and images that relate to concepts. Life is experienced through the senses and using symbolic language and images that express what people feel, see, hear, smell, or taste are easier for people to understand, even when used to describe abstract concepts. The language and images used in advertising should "make sense" to the audience.
7. Does the ad match what viewers see with what they hear?
People expect and prefer coordinated audio and visual messages because those messages are easier to process and understand. Audio and visual messages that are out-of-sync may gain attention, but audiences find them uncomfortable.
8. Does the ad stay with a scene long enough for impact?
People have limited mental processing capacities. Quick cuts to different scenes require people to devote more of their limited resources to following the cuts and less resources to processing each scene. It takes people between eight and ten seconds to process and produce a lasting emotional response to a scene. Camera movement or different camera angles of the same scene can engage people through their orienting responses while providing enough time for them to process the scene.
9. Does the ad let powerful video speak for itself?
Again, the processing capacity of our brains is limited and words may get in the way of emotionally powerful visual images. When powerful visual images dominate - when "a picture is worth a thousand words" - be quiet and let the images do the talking.
10. Does the ad use identifiable music?
Music can be a rapidly identified cue for the recall of emotional responses remembered from previous advertising. Making the same music an identifiable aspect of all advertising signals the audience to pay attention for more important content.

A few of them seem like it would really depend on the product to actually be effective, but in a pinch here are some helpful hints to keep you going!

technolgy's a bitch

ok so this weekend I was down in Naples, home to my grandmother, my father and also home to my most recent X boyfriend. We all know that when you run into an X you want to look your hottest and be seen w/ somebody even hotter. I was hoping not to run into him, but of course there are only a few bars in Naples, since half the people use walkers and Saturday night I saw him from across the bar.
At convincing myself not to run for the door since I had just paid a 10$ cover, I thought It wouldn’t be so bad, since I was dressed cute, hair done, make up, and of course tipsy. So then I think, we’ll I’ll just go over there and calmly and casually say hi (those of you who know me know that calm and casual are not in my vocab). But it all worked perfectly! I went over said Hi, gave him a quick hug and said I had to go. I was so proud of myself… I had mastered the perfect first time seeing each-other-after-a-break-up-hit-and-run, until just before I walked away he said to me, “Oh by the way, I saw your music video…”
Considering he saw me wearing Chelsee’s scarf tied around my head, doing a choreographed dance, being totally serious lip syncing Miley Cyrus, with more make up then Mimi from the drew carry showI think we can all agree, in the battle of the X’s… he won. I hate YouTube.

technolgy's a bitch

ok so this weekend I was down in Naples, home to my grandmother, my father and also home to my most recent X boyfriend. We all know that when you run into an X you want to look your hottest and be seen w/ somebody even hotter. I was hoping not to run into him, but of course there are only a few bars in Naples, since half the people use walkers and Saturday night I saw him from across the bar.
At convincing myself not to run for the door since I had just paid a 10$ cover, I thought It wouldn’t be so bad, since I was dressed cute, hair done, make up, and of course tipsy. So then I think, we’ll I’ll just go over there and calmly and casually say hi (those of you who know me know that calm and casual are not in my vocab). But it all worked perfectly! I went over said Hi, gave him a quick hug and said I had to go. I was so proud of myself… I had mastered the perfect first time seeing each-other-after-a-break-up-hit-and-run, until just before I walked away he said to me, “Oh by the way, I saw your music video…”
Considering he saw me wearing Chelsee’s scarf tied around my head, doing a choreographed dance, being totally serious lip syncing Miley Cyrus, with more make up then Mimi from the drew carry showI think we can all agree, in the battle of the X’s… he won. I hate YouTube.

Who's Interested in Account Planning!?

If you are interested in Account Planning, I highly suggest you look into the Miami Ad School. I went to the Graduate School Fair today on campus and Miami Ad School was there. They gave me all their information on their Account Planning Boot Camp. It may sound intimidating but it sounds amazing! It is a hands on 12 week program taught by real world account planners. Each week is taught by a different planner on a different topic such as "Week 4: Understanding the Idea". You are also given a main client to work on for the semester (kind of like Creative Strategy) and the creatives actually execute your strategies. At the end, you present to the client and more than likely leave with a job at a top agency. The boot camp isn't only in Miami, they have different locations depending on the semester. In winters are in Miami, summers in Minneapolis, and the Fall is in San Francisco.

Take a look at their website if you are interested! And let me know if you want to see the packet they gave me.

Man Junk - Project Two Client?

In light of our struggle last week to agree on a cool creative client, I CAME ACROSS SOMETHING IN ADWEEK (I want to be very clear, I was not searching for this product). I think we can all agree Man Junk would have made an extremely...interesting client. Man Junk, an all organic male personal wash, is holding a tv commercial contest. The person who presents the best tv commercial wins a trip to a "Secret Tropical location". You can know your creative genius is going to a good cause too, since a portion of Man Junk proceeds are going to a good cause.
Click on the bottle to take a look at the website.

A little background information:

Man Junk is specifically designed to fight men's bacteria build-up, unpleasant odor and even skin irritation. So what really makes our personal wash that much better?

• Designed by men for men
• Natural & organic ingredients
• Fights sweat, odor and odor-causing bacteria
• Improves overall hygiene and body health
• Increases confidence and sex appeal

All of you creatives with video camera's and Man Junk ideas should holla!

Publication Sites!

I am currently taking Media Planning and in the textbook came across some important information I feel we should all be familiar with. Check out theses sites of Advertising Publications. I promise you can't go wrong! See for yourselves =).

Advertising Age (http://www.adage.com/)
Advertising Age is the oldest weekly trade publication of the advertising industry. It's website provides current information on all phases of advertising, media, creative, and Internet communication.

Adweek (http://www.adweek.com/)

Adweek is a weekly trade publication that covers the advertising industry. Its website, Adweek Online, provides daily headlines and excerpts from the magazine.

Pools guild...ok

We have become pretty picky and arrogant as creatives. After much thought about a "cooler" client and how to get one I decided lets go with what we have. It's a challenge. It's a real client, a realistic client we might get in our career. Honestly do we expect McDonalds or Nike to be knocking on our door the minute we get a job? Hell no. Every product, brand, etc. started off somewhere, maybe it would be that much more awesome to be the start of something great. We probably will get put on things we don't like from time to time, but thats how it goes. So lets rock these pool peoples socks off!

Idea Generator!

Here's little widget I came across awhile ago. It's fun if you're trying to come up with an idea for just about anything you can think of. Add this one to your bookmarks, it comes in handy!

http://www.tdbspecialprojects.com/

Craig

OK here it is...

I keep forgetting to post this so here it is....

DurexU wants You!

So I am finally going to be starting my marketing job with Fuse. The client is Durex Condoms! haha I am not alone however in this venture, Jordan Rich is also working on the campaign. Some of you may know him, he is a Junior advertising student. So if you see us on campus throughout the next month come say hi! We have to poster the campus and pass out promotional stuff which will be fun. I posted one of the creative ads we have to work with. They are pretty unexpected and funny! Soo...I am sharing this on the blog because I can use everyone's advice. I also have to market the brand at a variety of student events. Do you guys have any ideas as to which events I could look into attending? I figured I would hit Ad Club up because that would cover a good amount of people and recruit a few friends on gamedays outside the stadium. If any of you are a part of a student organization that you feel would be open to having Jordan and I distributing free stuff on behalf of Durex let me know and we'll be there!

Teach for America

I finally decided what I want to do after college! I finished my TFA application last night, I will keep you all updated as to if I get it or not. For those of you that don't know what the program is all about.. you dedicate two years to teaching in a low socioeconomic community. You get paid a normal teachers salary. The best part is that they have partnerships with all different grad schools, you have the option of going to grad school while teaching. The application process is pretty intense, I need to make it past the first step before I get too excited!

Hi, Billy Mays here...

You may not know him by name, but you definitely know his voice! That’s because he SHOUTS whenever he is selling something. I thought he only sold household products you’d never actually buy, like OxiClean or KaBOOM! but now, he’s selling…health insurance???

I had the TV on while I was cleaning my room, when, suddenly, I hear someone yelling on the TV. He never fails to grab my attention. Looking up, I see that recognizable, full beard and that slicked-back hair, that blue (sometimes purple) button-down and khaki pants. It’s strange because Billy does not age at all!

Would I buy insurance from him? First, not with that kind of pushy strategy. I don’t respond to screaming. I don’t know who does. And second, I doubt his credibility.

According to wikipedia though, Billy has been super successful as a salesman.

Resumes: This is why, this is why I'm hot.

Resumes. I hate them. I hate them with a passion. How am I supposed to explain what I do on a 1-page, bulleted and indented paper? You get basically 10 seconds to grab someone's attention, and explain, in the words of Mim's "this is why I'm hot"...so please hire me.
It gets frustrating. Everyone has a different opinion on style or choice of words. I mean, don’t HR people get tired of reading all the same “action” words, like “maintains”, “manages”, “creates”, etc. Personally, I think “action” words are more like “Shazam”, “Kaboom”, or “Pow,” although those might be slightly harder to slip into Professional Experience.

While looking for resume help I ran across some resume bloopers that I thought I’d share…
•Candidate included a letter from his mother.
•Candidate wrote résumé as a play - Act 1, Act 2, etc.
•Candidate included naked picture of himself.
•“1990 - 1997: Stewardess - Royal Air Force”
•Other Interests: “Playing with my two dogs (They actually belong to my wife but I love the dogs more than my wife)”.
•A candidate listed her e-mail address as pornstardelight@*****.com
•Hobbies: “Having a good time”
•Candidate explained a gap in employment by saying it was because he was getting over the death of his cat for three months.
•Languages: “Speak English and Spinach.”

See more at:
http://jobmob.co.il/blog/funniest-resume-mistakes/

And if you’re actually looking for resume help…this site has simple advice on sprucing up your resume.
http://www.lifeclever.com/give-your-resume-a-face-lift/

MyAds

I came across this article on adweek...



"Why MySpace’s MyAds won’t be the next Google AdWords"



Why MySpace’s MyAds won’t be the next Google AdWordsWhen it comes to online advertising everybody wants to be the next Google, and News Corp-owned MySpace is no exception. Today the company rolled out its latest advertising platform called MyAds, designed to service “individuals and small businesses” rather than the big name brands that the social networking site’s existing ad offerings cater for.

The new self-serve system enables anybody - “from local retailers to musicians and politicians” - to create customized Cost-Per-Click (CPC) banner ads that target specific demographics and interest groups using MySpace’s HyperTargeting technology. A technology that was previously only available to the company’s largest blue-chip brand advertisers.

Placing an ad comprises of “a few easy steps”:

1. Sign-up on advertise.myspace.com
2. Create a display ad using the MyAds Builder Tool
3. Select a variable ad spend anywhere from $25 to $10,000
4. HyperTarget to customers (based on self-expressed interests available on MySpace profiles, along with age, sex and geographical location)
5. Measure ad performance with MyAds analytics reporting

The end result, says MySpace, is to democratize online advertising. Or to borrow another phrase from the Web 2.0 bible, the company is attempting to monetize the Long Tail.

If that all sounds very Google-esque to you, you’re not alone.

See also: Madison Avenue to Facebook: you’ll never be the next Google

“We think the sky’s the limit on this,” Jeff Berman, president of sales and marketing at MySpace, tells AdWeek. “No one has done this kind of self-service for display as well and simply as Google has done for text quite clearly.”

The problem with the comparison, however, is that a user declaring a general interest on their social networking profile in, say, “video games” or “soccer”, isn’t nearly as monetizable as intent e.g. a search for the latest XBox 360 FIFA 09 title.

Having said that, I’ve no doubt that MySpace’s new MyAds system will help the company shift a significant amount of inventory as the self serve system removes a lot of the friction associated with banner ad campaigns and the CPC model lowers the risks for advertisers. If anything, Long Tail advertisers who currently use Google AdWords will, in the short term at least, experiment with MySpace MyAds and see what they can learn.

Help me with some Guerrilla Marketing

Hey guys!

I know we've all been there once, and most of us never want to look back. But I need your help to get people to take the AD Research survey. The survey is about drinking, and I am asking you all to take the survey, and I know you don't have any incentive to, but I would really appreciate it if you passed it along to your friends through facebook and what not. Last year, AD Team had the most survey respondents, and we are trying to blow them out of the water with respondents from this year!!! Thank you so much even just for reading the email. I have the link to the survey and if you decide to make a facebook group/event for it. Here is some copy you can use to make it easier on you....


We are conducting an online survey project regarding alcohol use among college students. Could you please help us out by completing our survey? If you copy and paste the link below in your web browser it will take you to the questionnaire. Also, could you forward this email/request to any of your friends who are 18-24 years old and attending a college or university? Please note: THE SURVEY DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 30TH.

http://communicationimc.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_9RBybnnOINVx8kA&SVID=Prod


THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO OUR SURVEY!



You guys are amazing, see you tomorrow!

Go Green

Last week I wrote that I didn’t want to send myself into a early grave because of food choices that were convenient now but which would hurt me long term. This week, I’ve been thinking about how that same idea applies to the environment. I constantly make excuses to myself that “going green” is for people with money, or at least not college kids… but then, that’s kind of the problem isn’t it? Too many of us say “I can’t afford a snappy new hybrid car or bamboo wood floors so I can’t possibly do anything to help,” when in reality, the small changes could be the most important.

I bought two reusable Publix grocery bags about a month ago, and although I’ve forgotten to use them once or twice, I still feel like I’m doing a little something to help (bonus: the handles don’t break like plastic bags and more food fits in than with plastic). I’ve even started taking them with me to Target or Walmart, which can be awkward because it feels a little like ordering McNuggets at Burger King, but I refuse to be ashamed that I’m helping to save the planet. Another simple way to help out and get some good karma: recycle the 300 Natural Ice cans that you clean up after your Halloween party. I researched three other college friendly ways to go green;

1. Change your light bulbs to Compact Flouresent Bulbs (CFL’s)

Why? They consume about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer (10,000 hours as opposed to 1,500). Replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save up to $83 over the life of the bulb.

2. Unplug things when you’re finished using them (i.e. your straight iron, cell phone charger, or x box).

Why? You save electricity and up to $200 a year.

3. Recycle your old cell phones to greenphone.com

Why? Make a quick buck, clean out your desk drawer, and save the landfills 4 million pounds of refuse a year (if we all recycled one phone that is).

And for anyone who wants to call me a tree-hugger, go ahead- I’ll be thinking of ways to spend the extra bucks I have from going green ☺

Stink faces...why?

I don't know about any of you, but I hate stink faces. What is a stink face, you ask? Allow me to explain! A stink face is basically someone's face of disgust towards another person/thing. Maybe I've been spoiled by having classes with all of you guys, but as I walk around campus before my music class I see TONS of stink faces. I don't understand why some people walk around with such a face of disgust!

Also, why do people refuse to look at each other in the eye as they pass one another? This is one of my biggest pet peeves, probably of all time. If I pass you on the street, I will give the whole "Hi, I don't really know you but am still going to be friendly" smile. Will it kill you to be friendly to someone you don't know? Maybe that person is having a horrible day and your smile just cheered them up slightly.

Perhaps I am asking too much of people. Unfortunately I am beginning to think that a lot of people these days care only about themselves. I feel as if everyone is too busy walking around on their phones, checking their Blackberrys for emails, or texting to actual look someone in the eye as they walk by. Maybe I'm being overly naive when I say a stranger is just a friend we haven't met yet, but I honestly hope people start to realize that face to face relationships cannot be replaced by technology. I know some people will call me incredibly naive but I can still hope change will occur. As our future President once said, "There has never been anything false about hope".

Next time you are walking around campus/town/Publix/where ever, I hope you smile as you pass someone. One by one, let's try and eliminate all the stink faces in Tallahassee! After all, it makes me sad to think that these days common courtesy is all too uncommon.

Making your own fun is the BEST kind of fun =)

I love making the most out of a situation. And not to toot my own horn or anything but I think me and my friends do a fantastic job at it.

Case in point: this horrible critical essay that I had due today for one of my Anti-Creative classes. Well who woulda known! But my teacher actually gave us a pretty cool assignment. We had to write as a colonial native Latin American person (Maya, Inca, etc.) a letter to some monarch asking them to address some grievance or life threatening situation. Now you may think this is pretty fun..and so did I. But to my shock and horror kids in class hated it!!! They didn't make it fun or creative at all!....Actually I don't know why I'm shocked seeing as these are the same kids that couldn't function on the first day of school when the desks were not in straight rows! Lol. Anyways they pretty much wrote: To: King Blah blah. Long, lame, monotonous essay. Signed: so and so. For me it took a lot of research but it was SO hilarious writing it! If I was home I would upload it right now. They even put cover pages and all that jazz. What kind of letter to a King has a cover page!!!!!! I was a misplaced-lighter-close to burning the edges of the paper to make it look old and 16th century. Im still kickin myself in the butt for having no idea where it is.

Ad CLubs trip to Atlanta was one of the best make-your-own-fun experiences. There were little flubs here and there that put a good amount of ppl in a sour mood. But the best ad clubbers were the ones right there with me doin the soulja boy in the garage when we had nothing to do....or even better the ones who were building pillow fortresses with me late into the night =) =) instead of sleeping! And letting me hog all the blanket =) (actually they kinda put up a fight!)

AND making my own fun comes SO in handy every single T and TH as me and Vanessa sit through out Language and Culture class. That class is beyond lame. And I really thought about it and thats really the nicest way I could describe it. The class is so serious and anti-creative and the teacher is the lowest talker you will ever encounter in your life. I think she does it on purpose so no one talks. Well in that class we make fun by paying attention to every single possibly interesting detail in that class. Theres so many little stuff that regular ppl overlook that we find hilarious just cuz we'r SO starved for something interesting in that span of an 1 and 15 min.

Speaking of time. Teacher starts our 3:35 class at 3:30 every day!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways that class is fun-ish now b/c theres so many fun characters that we see in the boring kids so we've come up with little backstories for them and what we think they'll do interesting that day. Need an example: Okay. THeres a boy in that class that, without looking, you may think is an african amercian guy. He has a sort of urban dialect, so to speak. BUT he is not. He's and Italian kid from Jersey. THATs not even the best part. The best part is that he switches mid-sentence between African American speech to Italianish. He's all yo yo yo bro one minute and then dude I'm totally psyched the next. The bass in his voice even changes. He sounds like Barry White one minute and then Zack Morris the next. ITs fantastic. We think he may have grown up between homes..and maybe his dad lived in the projects and his mom lived with the country club. Im not even exaggerating this. I wanna bring him to class for show and tell!!

ANyways gotta go to that class now!! See you all Tuesday =)

Anyone need an internship?

Hey everybody! It's been awhile since I blogged....I miss being in class with you all. There are only 11 people in Solomon's class. We are split into two groups and we never have a formal class so we never really see the other group ever. It's actually not as horrible as I thought it would be. haha.

So anyways, some of you may remember seeing some of my posts from my internship this past summer in Chicago. My whole trip was planned by an internship program called University of Dreams and they have programs in NYC, Chicago, LA, Barcelona, Costa Rica and many other amazing cities and countries. I had such a great time this summer that I am not a Campus Marketing Intern for U of Dreams. The program is all inclusive - room & board, transportation, weekend trips and activities, and a placement agent who not only helps you write your resume and coaches you through the interview process but also GUARANTEES you an internship. You could work for companies like ABC, Summit Entertainment, MTV, Solo Cup, Ghirardelli, InStyle Magazine, Google, San Francisco Giants, and more.
So for any of you CSI students that need an internship, you should totally check out www.SummerInternships.com. And for those graduating in December or in May, you should still look into it because a lot of recent graduates end up with full time jobs through their internship. One of my friends in Chicago was hired by the marketing firm she interned for.
Don't let the website fool you, they used to only offer summer internship programs but now they have spring and fall as well. They have internships for all majors so if you know any friends that need an internship please pass this message on! The spring 2009 program is in NYC and if you sign up now, you get a $500 discount. You just have to say that you were referred by me, Amy, and use the discount code: SPRINGNY.
So just humor and at least check out the website. And join our facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36779998775&ref=ts

Also, if any of you are in any clubs/organizations with student that might be interested, let me know and I can come speak to the group or send you an email with the info.
Sorry for using this blog to solicit but I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was worth it - this really is a great experience!

Toms Shoes

Hey guys, I mentioned this company in class and thought it might be a cool idea for our second project. Have a look at the website and see what you think. If anything maybe pick up a pair for yourself and a child in need somewhere.

http://www.tomsshoes.com/

Have You Lost Something?

So I guess I'm really into websites that serve a purpose. Obv-postsecret is my fave, but there's a close contender for second. It's called ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com (it's in the same blog as ours!) Now, most of us are in college so we go out from time to time, and needless to say after a cocktail or seven we tend to lose things. The worst thing to lose-YOUR CAMERA! It's the worst, all your memories....GONE! My best friend lost her camera on her 21st birthday....it had pictures from our spring break in the Bahamas and her birthday adventures. It was almost as if we had lost a friend (I know..kind of weird).
So these people (I don't really know who started it) created this blog, and they allow viewers to upload pictures from cameras people have found. It's a nice little touch to let you know that there's still some scrap of humanity out there. I check the website religiously to see if anyone's found my bf's camera, and I honestly believe that our pictures are going to be up there one day. There's nothing like being reunited with an old friend-so I'm keeping my fingers crossed :) And it's no wonder that sites like this and PostSecret get so many hits, they update so much so often that I have to try to NOT go back.

OH MY GOSH

I'm sooo sorry abotu the picutre on the last post for Halloween Horror Nights!! I really had no idea that picutre was gonna do that. Just goes to show how technologically savvy I am. Again I'm SOOO SORRY!! I had no idea.

Women Have ISSUES!!!

I recently join an organization on campus dealing with women empowerment and the issues we face in today's society. I am in charge of coming up with event ideas but seem to have run into a road block if you will. I have the basics such as domestic violence, gender wage gap in the work force, and inter-personal issues.

I am calling upon you all for assistance!!! Women have ISSUES ... what are they? Any and all ideas are more than welcomed; no idea is too small. Let me know what you think.

PS: Here is the purpose of the organization. Hope it helps you with some perspective and brain storming:
"The purpose shall be to raise awareness and dialogue on a series of issues ranging from violence against women to social injustice to the broader Florida State University community both on and off campus by working with and conducting service events in the cultural, social, and educational spectrums."

CATS ARE EVIL....

According to the E! network cat's are evil. I don't know if any of you have seen this new promo ad for Snoop Dogg's new season of his show Father Hood, but it is hilarious!!! It is a spoof on a political ad, but instead of two candidates it has Snoop Dogg against cats as the theme. For someone who isn't really fond of cats it is pretty funny! I'm sure all you cat lovers out there are pissed, I know how defensive people get about cats...haha. Anyways here is the clip of the ad. See you all in class!

Will it Blend?

I found this website a long time ago and lately was reminded how great it is. The site is called "will it blend" and basically they use this badass blender to blend just about anything you can think of with pretty spectacular results. They use a BlendTec blender to blend iphones, baseballs, marbles, bottles, anything! As I was going through the site I almost felt a viral vibe to the whole thing. You can email in suggestions of what to blend and at the end of the clips theyre marketing these super blenders by BlendTec. They also have a blog, "will it blog". Check out the site, some of the blends are pretty sweet! My favorites are the Guitar Hero III and the bic lighter blend. I really want a blender like this... though I imagine all of my blends would only add to the "dont try this at home" list.

http://www.willitblend.com

Boo! Were you scared?

So this time of year is when it is actually fun to be terrified out fo your mind and not sleep well for a few days. Many people even go to events where they pay to have people scare them. I was one of these confused souls.

Every theme park (Well at least to me knowledge) does some kind of Halloween Extravaganza. Universal Studious puts on the Halloween Horror Night event (one which I fall victim to year after year) this year's theme being the childhood scary tale of Bloody Mary. Six Flag's does Fright Fest. Busch Gardens does Howl-O-Scream this year with the theme of twins. (ya I think thye are scary sometimes too). Wild Adventures is hosting Phobia. Even Disney does Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween, but c'mon thousands of kids running aroun disney in costumes at night....sounds pretty terrifying to me. Inside these parks there is "scare zones," haunted houses, shows, alcohol in creative ways (such as the "blood bag" jello shots Universal had this year) and general monstors and creepers ont he rampage.

Some of these events are scarier than others, and some are much more well orgainized and put together with their themes. Which made me think about the extreme amount of creativity needed to pull off one of these events. There needs to me a main story, with a back story, every hosue must somehow link and also have a backstory, plus the scarezones, plus the food and drinks served. It is a very well oiled machine.

This all is a lot like what we are doing in advertising, only their main for of advertising is putting on an event that actually is scary and cohesive and worth your money.

Boo!

Were you scared?

(yes, this year in Halloween Horror Nights I had a guy scare me and I kinda well...jumped and freaked out and he said "Oh im sorry did I scare you? Wow I'm good! Boo! Were u scared?" but he had a fake chainsaw so he was pretty scary.)

Guess what!!

I had the most amazing birthday of my life!!.....Mine was freakin great...Vanessa's was freakin great..it was just an amazing weekend! I wish I could do this blog a bit more justice with some pics, but I don't have them yet...But anyways, I can't help but to vent this happiness and I'm sooo glad I got to see some of you on thursday for Vanessa's party. I went to Miami for the weekend but it was great celebrating the beginning of my birthday weekend with you! .......

And even now as I'm CRAZY homesick...I feel better because I look forward to this class! I love that our major is so close. I actually love hanging out with you guys outside of school! I talk to my non-advertising friends and they barely have relationships with the kids in their majors. Its so sad to me. I always think what it would be like had I not met some of you...and if I was in some lame major. So thanks for being absolutely wonderful everyone!! And see you later!! =)

PS
I DO realize this is the gaaaayest blog I've ever written....I'm just pretty freakin happy thats all!!....LOL get it?? HAPpy=Gay <--------------Thats for you Tony.....and before you get on here ready to comment on the gayness of it keep in mind its still bday week..........Lol. YEA. I played that card. Try not to fall from grace with your meanness. =)

A hidden love

South Park is my favorite television show. When I was in middle school everyone would quote the show and obsess over its crude content, but I never took the time to try and enjoy it. I thought it was immature and pointless. Now that I am "older" I can't get enough of it. I watch it ON Demand and might even buy a few of the seasons, if they weren't so expensive. Today I stopped to think about how I could go from despising a show to loving it. I think that the reason for my change in perception isn't a change in my character, but the realization that the crude humor is a useful tool in communicating a larger concept. Every episode has a deeper underlying message and the writer's of the show use different themes to talk about these issues. That to me is fascinating to watch. It gets to the heart of why I enjoy advertising. I enjoy advertising because I am a fan of the art and skill involved in finding ways to communicate complex or simple messages in a unique way. Like South Park.

Make a Wish Foundation

Anna,

I will definitely be there this weekend! Make a Wish Foundation is one of the best causes, I went to high school with a girl that was diagnosed with a terminal disease.. her one wish was to go to Paris with her family. The foundation granted her wish! I thought this was a really cute wish story... See you this weekend :)

Five-year-old Pierce, with his chubby-cheeked smile and mop of blond hair, is his parents’ pride and joy. Bill and Elena have seen their son persevere through challenge after challenge, beginning with the Down syndrome diagnosis he received at birth. Still their little boy’s bright blue T-shirt with a yellow smiley face said it all – Pierce is a “happy camper.”

Pierce’s medical condition caused many developmental delays. He had trouble standing and speaking and had never taken steps on his own. But these setbacks were nothing compared to the news Bill and Elena received three days before Pierce’s third birthday.For his fourth birthday party, they took Pierce to see miniature animals. There, Pierce got to ride a pony and couldn’t get enough of trotting around on horseback. He took turn after turn – eagerly filling in for the other kids at his party who were too scared to saddle up. Although Pierce couldn’t articulate his heartfelt wish, his parents knew he would love another chance to ride a horse.

It's all about point of view.

It's funny how a little twist can change something around so much. For example there's this old church in Live Oak. During the day it's a pretty cool place, especially with the sun shining through the stained glass windows throwing colors everywhere. But one time I was in there at night and it was kind of creepy, a place that I had always seen as bright was now dark and little like the place I remembered. It really drove home how much a small change in atmosphere can affect us. The same can be said about these trailers. They're from popular movies, but have been re-edited and had different music added. Check it out.

The Shining


Mary Poppins


Taxi Driver


Wayne's World


Night of the Living Dead


The Big Lebowksi

The Great Schlep- Even for the Nonartisan and Non-Jewish

Economy, Democrats vs. Republicans, and Foreign Policy, are just a few of the controversial political issues that are polluting our headlines. According to CNN, our country is facing voter fatigue. Americans are over it. Done and done. Were done listening to campaign advocates, done talking about the view points, and done watching the political ads...(unless you're an ad major-your never done). We are ready for a new president.
So I though a little political comic relief was necessary. If you're Jewish, you may have heard of Sarah Silverman's Great Schlep video. I'm not jewish, but laughed my ass off. The video is advocating the younger Jewish generation to persuade their family to get over the misinformed fears and vote Obama. Regardless of your political view.....watch it.

Distracted Driving

I think it is safe to say that we are all victims of texting or dialing while driving. Or, if you're a girl, have mastered the art of driving while finishing your makeup and most likely talking on the phone. I'm surely guilty of this! Unfortunately this has caused deadly accidents in the U.S. In fact, there was a recent train crash that was speculated to be cause by the driver being distracted by text messaging and therefore missing the red light. Well a Canadien software company, Aegis Mobility, has announced that it created a software called DriverAssistT that actually can tell whether a cell hphone is going at a car's speed. If so, it will alert the cell phone network and tell it to hold calls or texts until the drive is over. Callers will be told that the person is driving and will be given the option to leave an emergancy voicemail. In order to work, Aegis has to get the permission from cell phone providers. It doesn't have any agreements yet, since it just came out, but they are working on it! All this was actually started by a parent who works at the software company whose child was killed by a driver who was distracted on their cell phone! Amazing what one person can start! Here is the article if you want to read more!

Busy This Weekend?

This past Thursday night my sorority house invited a Make-A-Wish child, Amber, and her family to our house for dinner; her wish was to meet Bobby Bowden. We were so excited to welcome Amber and her family with gift baskets full of FSU gear. More than anything we were so excited because Chi Omega has two philanthropies, Walk-4-Wishes in the fall and Sandslam in the spring, both of which benefit The Make-A-Wish Foundation. After four years of raising money for our philanthropy, it was so nice to personally touch a Make-A-Wish Child.

This story couldn't come at a better time, because our fall philanthropy Walk-4-Wishes is acutally this weekend. We would love to see you all there!

McClay Gardens...off of Thomasville
Registration begins at 8:30AM and the Race begins at 9:00AM
$12 per runner/walker, or a team of 5 people for $50 (just $10 per person!)

If you have any other questions ask me or e-mail: walkforwishes@hotmail.com

Thanks Guys :)

Insert Blog Here

My official blog for the week will be the debut of the first music video from the Miley Girls. It will be released tonight after the premier. I can't wait....to see you again.

The Miley Girls

So I think you should all know that today class is going to be awesome! The Miley Girls will be presenting our first video that is soon to be a breakout! I know how excited you all are to see us preform our video tonight and if your not you should be. The Miley Girls are probably going to have to videotape another song rather soon because the demand after tonight is going to be astronomical. Thanks Scott for giving Chelsee the assignment, it was the best and you will not be disappointed. So tonight all of you look for the best music video you have ever seen, your going to want an encore! (I just know it) See you all tonight for another wonderful class!!!!!! 

-The Miley Girls

PS: I just want to say that if any of you are going to NYC, Chelsee, Carrie, and myself are staying at a Hostel called the Swiss 1291. They have private rooms that sleep two, bunkbeds, and its only 120 a night. There are other rooms you can get as well. We are also going up on Tuesday since it is Veteran's Day and we don't have school that day. So if any of you are interested let us know or you can look up the website... www.1291.com. Also Justin is staying there as well in the 6 mixed suite. SOooooooo excited to go up there! Looking forward to another awesome year!!!!!