Man vs. Wild. I mean, vs. Toddler

Muscle Milk Does Thanksgiving

In honor of my Puritan and Mayflower roots. Who needs turkey when you have Muscle Milk! (Kudos to Adverblog for the link!)

Cool new blogs!!!

Hey folks!

Two blogs you MUST READ NOW.

First, check out one of my best friend's blog -- Images from Above. It's a collection of really cool photos she has taken from flights all over the world. A couple of the coolest photos are below...but make sure you add it to your blog roll and check it out as she is always adding to it.





Next, the fabulous Greg Morago, Food Editor at the Chronicle, style guru and all around freaking awesome DUDE has a great blog on the Chronicle site. It's called Food and Cork, and in it he gives us the scoop on all the cool rezzies and bars opening up in Houston. Bonus point -- he sometimes invites me, which means I'm sometimes in the blog! Um, AWESOME. Check it out here.

ENJOY!

Social Media ... is it a fad?

This video was shown at the Pierpont Digital Bootcamp (#dbcpierpont, @pierpontcom on Twitter). It's f'ing awesome -- and very inspiring for a digital geek like myself. Know someone who thinks social media is a fad? Send 'em this video.



(P.S. Thanks to @elehr, @brittneydanne, @lindseydonnell, @briguyblock, @nancylsims, @denise_patrick, @nicolehub, @stacy_armijo, @helenrod, and everyone else who is not on Twitter for an AWESOME bootcamp! Y'all rocked my Friday the 13th!)

Eek.

Once again, it's been FOREVER since I posted. And I don't really have an excuse, other than being lazy, lazy, lazy. Yes, I admit it. Lazy. But that is changing -- beginning today.

What inspired this? Quite simple actually. Some fellow Pierponters and I (@briguyblock being one of them, Emily Bernard -- who isn't on Twitter I think -- another) developed the first official blog schedule for Pierpont. (Check out the blog here.) That's right...an organized, step by step and date by date blog schedule. Sadly, we're already off by one day (grr!) but I'm not letting it get me down. In fact, I'm using this "calendering" as I call it to inspire me to create a schedule for my own blog. As many of you know, I work well when things are structured -- either someone creates the structure for me, or I do it. Otherwise, it'll get done, but it will take a lot longer. (Hey, at least I'm honest.)

So in honor of my new blog schedule, which will begin STAT, I'm asking y'all, my loyal readers and lovers of all things Jen, to let me know WHAT you want to hear/read/see about. A lot of this blog has been focused on marketing, social media, and (occasionally) fashion in the past. Anything else you are dying to learn about from moi? Let me know and in the meantime, buckle up. My tank is full and I'm revving up.

Great Photo

Seen on the streets of Austin....


Thanks to Martin, our fab creative director here at Pierpont, for the image.

Protect your brand -- and pay Godin $400

I tweeted about this yesterday on the AMA Houston Twitter feed, but in case you didn't see it, here's the scoop: Seth Godin, marketing mavrick and blogger extraordinaire, just launched Brands In Public, a site that aggregates internet comments (think Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc.) about brands into one simple, easy to use dashboard that anyone can access. The twist -- if there's a page about your brand, you'll have to fork over $400 bucks to "coordinate" it. What does this mean? Basically, you can't change the content that's rolling in but that you can highlight the positive tweets, direct readers to your own company's videos, blogs, or sites, and defend your brand from any comments that may appear. Essentially, you're "curating" a clearinghouse of consumer buzz about your brand.

"Pay me my money -- or your brand gets creamed."

Thus far, Godin has introduced about 100 or so pages for some of our fave brands, and a few (Allstate and Home Depot, for example) appear to have forked over the dough to coordinate their dashboards.

Others are holding off for right now....and many are pissed. Why? Duh -- they feel backed into a corner where they have to pay Godin or potentially risk having a page on the web that highlights all things negative about their brand.

We'll see where this goes and if it takes off. I think what's really going to impact how seriously brands take this new venture is how well the Brands in Public pages show up in search engines. It'll also depend on how well consumers take to the new site. So far, all the talk about Brands in Public has been from marketing and branding folks like me, but if the site is going to take off, consumers are going to have to bite into it and use it.

Thoughts on all of this? $400 bucks isn't that much when you're a Home Depot, but do you think its fair to "hijack" (as some bloggers have said) comments about a brand and then force 'em to pay to defend themselves? And the most important question of all -- will this really help consumers make better decisions about brands??? Let's discuss.

Emmy Red Carpet, 2009....

My faves (and not so faves). So without further ado....

WINNERS:

Mariska Hargitay. Simple dress but she still looks smoking. Her hair is a bit sloppy, but perfection is hard to find.

Entourage cast: Hot. I am especially digging Perrey Reeves' look.

Holly Hunter: Y'all know I love things that sparkle. So obviously, I'm loving this dress. Fits her like a glove too.


John Krasinsk: Um, hello John. Yum. Where's your hotel room?

Heidi Klum: WTF? She's about to pop and still has a hotter body than me. This dress is AMAZING on her.


Debra Messing: Debra Messing looks smoking in this dress. I love the one-shoulder look, too.


Blake Lively: She's a terrible actress but I love her anyways. Plus, this is a great dress....sexy and fun.

LOSERS:


January Jones: January's fashion choice is quite, er, chilly.

Josh Segal: So I admit that I have a secret crush on Josh Segal (I like dorky guys!) but even I've gotta draw the line somewhere. This suit looks like something he got off the rack at Big & Tall. On sale -- or clearance.




Sarah Silverman: Great color....and that's about it. Ew.


Shar Jackson: Omigod, omigod, omigod. What the hell was she (or not) thinking???

Spell check anyone?

Another example of when a little proofing would have gone a long way....

News

Hey folks!

First, apologies for my complete lack of posting. I've been busy. Very busy. Why? Cause I just landed a new job! Starting Sept. 1, I will be working here. I am totally stoked for the new position. Pierpont is an awesome company and I think it will be a great opportunity. Yay me!

OK, promise I'll update again soon. XOXO!

Let's talk about height, baby

I am so excited to read The Tall Book. Why? Because tall people ROCK. (Not that I am biased, being 6'1" and all.) Need more proof that we're super cool? Read this TIME article. Here is an excerpt: "... tall people have a more pleasant disposition and are more easygoing. They don't have to make an extra effort to command attention. When they walk into a room, it tends to come naturally to them." Yeah, we're awesome.

So since I'm on a tall kick, here are some of the best sites for Amazon ladies like myself. Admittedly, most of them deal with online shopping since 1) I hate shopping in stores (malls = hell) and 2) it's impossible to find clothing in a normal store that fits long-legged ladies like myself.

- Barefoottess.com: Ok, not specifically for tall people per se, but since tall chicks usually have elephant sized feet, this site is essential. Cool and fashionable shoes up to size 15? Um, sign me up. (Side note -- my feet aren't that big. I wear an 11 or 12. Ok, fine, I wear a 12.) Make sure to sign up for the newsletter to get access to amazing sales. (I scored $300 Delman shoes for $150.)

- Zappos: Duh. Have you been living under a rock? Like Barefoottess.com, lots of shoes, lots of sizes.

- Bananarepublic.com: Y'all know the mall store, but did you know that the online store sells most of their clothes in tall sizes? And here is what truly makes BR rock: I got a few pairs of nice dress pants for the wallet friendly price of $80 bucks a pair. (Quite the steal compared to the $150 I used to drop at J. Crew, who also sell tall, albeit, expensive duds.) Plus, as I said above, I hate shopping in malls, so this saves me a trip. Yay! (BONUS: Check out sister site Gap.com. Their jeans come in extra long. Sweet!)

- SeatGuru.com: Not only am I very tall, but I am also all legs. My inseam is 36" -- the same as my 6'7" brother Robby. (I know, woe is me right?) So traveling by plane is pretty painful, if not impossible, because my legs barely fit into the tiny seats. SeatGuru rocks 'cause it has all the details about what seats are most comfy, have the most leg room, etc. Essential before any trip.

- Last minute addition: BCBG. No idea why, but their stuff fits me -- and most tall people -- perfectly. Only issue is that the skirts are a tad bit short, but I just don't bend over.

- Tallpersonals.com: I'm kidding.

By the way, want to check out the weirdest web site ever? Click here. A friend forwarded me this a while back, and I just stumbled upon it again. The dude has the weirdest tall fetish EVER. So strange.

Addicted to the internet?

Yeah, me too.

Great Alt Text post on Wired.com that has you rate your internet dependency. Here's how it works: assume that your DSL goes down. What are you going to do? Compare what you would do with the different stages of internet dependency listed on the post...and then go turn off your computer for the first time in 2 months and pick up a book. (You know, one of those bound paper things? Yeah, remember?) Me, I'm stage 4. That's why I don't remember what a book is.

Oh yeah -- HAPPY FRIDAY!

Saving Cali's schools...

...one joint at a time?

Ok, seriously -- check out the new ad campaign brought to us by the Marijuana Policy Project. Apparently, taxing pot will save California's budget deficit? Huh?

This is ridiculous.

Pandora's Box

Is anyone besides me OBSESSED with Pandora? I love it. I have about 10 stations that I switch between while I am at work. Chill hippy music? Check. Really bad 1980s music? Got that too.

My Pandora Station....I think I was listening to my Euro Trash music when I took this screen shot.

Anyway, until earlier today, Pandora was in danger of being shut down. (The horror! You can read about it here -- but to sum it up, it involves royalty payments with music labels.) However, it just reached an agreement with SoundExchange (a non-profit group that works with the U. S. Copyright Office to collect royalty payments for online music) that changes the manner by which Pandora (and sites like it) make royalty payments. It's a little complicated, but TechCrunch sums it up pretty well:

The key part of the resolution involves SoundExchange agreeing to a 40-50% reduction in the per-song-per-listener rates. In exchange, Pandora is giving up either 25% of its U.S. revenue or the new per-song-per-listener rate, whichever is higher. This agreement runs through 2015.

That second part (the "new per-song-per-listener rate" and "whichever is higher") is important -- because these rates are pretty heavy on the wallet, Pandora is implementing a 40 hour per month usage cap on users. For most people, it's not a biggie -- in fact, it only impacts 10% of Pandora's heaviest listeners. But guess what? I'm one of the 10%! In fact, I got an email today from Tim Westergren, Pandora's founder, that said this:

While we did the best we could to lower the rates, we are going to have to make an adjustment that will affect about 10% of our users who are our heaviest listeners. Specifically, we are going to begin limiting listening to 40 hours per month on the web. Because we have to pay royalty fees per song and per listener, it makes very heavy listeners hard to support on advertising alone. Most listeners will never hit this cap, but it seems that you might.

Wow...I had no idea I was listening to that much music. Anyway, I'll still be able to get my Pandora fix pretty easily -- once I reach my 40 hour limit, I simply pay $.99 to continue listening to unlimited music for the rest of the month. Seems like a sweet deal to me, and well worth the buck. After all, Pandora has introduced me to a ton of new artists and genres....artists and genres I wouldn't have been exposed to had I just been listening to my iPod, cds, or (heaven forbid) the whirl of my computer.

Anyone else a crazy Pandora addict? Or am I the only one? If they had Pandora's Anonymous, I would so have to join....

Tom Cruise makes a commercial. Or, to be more accurate, his freaky weird religion does.

It starts out ok. In fact, it actually seems like a decent, half-slick spot. Is it a new cotton commercial? Another annoying AT&T ad? Nope. Just wait.



Quite a change from the old ads, eh?



Eek. Just remember: If your religion needs commercials, run away. Fast.

Thanks to Consumerist for the links.

Tour de France...sur le web

When I first bought my bike a couple years back, I only used it for commuting. Then, last fall, I started hitting the road for real. Granted, I'm not a very good cyclist, and my road bike needs some serious upgrades (which should be taking place this week....I *think*) but it's still an awesome way to get out in the sun, burn some calories, and explore the area.

So given my new-found passion for aluminum and carbon on two wheels, as well as my obsession with all things web and interactive, I was pretty stoked to find this Wired article online. It lists all the ways you can use the net to stay up to date on what's going on with the Tour -- even if you are seven timezones away. Among the cool ways you can track Lance and the other bikers: live video and audio streams, really sweet interactive maps and Twitter updates. Check it out.

Privacy and Facebook

I recently became involved with the social media committee of the Houston American Marketing Association (AMA). I'm responsible for tweeting for the AMA (@AMAHouston) and monitoring the social media sites (like LinkedIn). This also means I manage the AMA Houston Facebook group, page, and updates, so I've been getting a ton of friend requests from people who are involved in the AMA but who I don't know. I don't want to not accept their friend requests (they could be valuable business contacts in the future, of course!) but do I really want a potential future client or employer to see those photos of me out with girlfriends for my birthday last weekend? Hmm, that's hard -- no.

So given that privacy settings are pretty important to me and my two-sided relationship with Facebook, I was stoked to find out that Facebook is implementing better privacy controls -- or more importantly, simpler ones. The old ones were a bit unwiedly and confusing (they took 6 pages to work through!), and they often required a lot of trial and testing to see if they worked. Now, you'll be able to decide right when you post an update to FB publisher who should see that one particular post -- everyone (meaning the WHOLE world, or anyone who goes to your facebook page) or only your friends. Got a complaint about your job? Send that post out to your close friends only. Want to announce a cool AMA event (like I often do)? Post it to the world. They are also ditching the regional networks, which were confusing for a lot of people, and putting all the privacy settings on one page.

So in summary: Although FB didn't really add any new privacy settings, the entire process of deciding who should see your info and updates will be greatly simplified. However, will anyone bother using the new settings? Most people I know use FB for either all professional networking or all fun social stuff (or they mix the two and just don't care :) ). And although I suspect these new settings will be a breeze to use, some less tech savvy people (ahem, my Mom, who yes, is on FB) still won't get it. It's just too much/too many choices for most people.

Maybe FB is trying to be too much to too many people. LinkedIn is all professional, MySpace is all social, and Twitter is 100% public. Facebook is trying to do it all -- and do it so it is simple and easy to use. Is that even possible? I guess I'll see when I get access to the new settings in the next few weeks.

Facebook Privacy Enhancements

View more presentations from guest5f7bf4.

Do you use FB both socially and professionally? If not, will the new privacy settings change that?

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines....

I'm not on deadline right now, so I took a 5 second breather to check out the blog of fellow Houston AMA-er and general marketing guru Robin Tooms. AND...I had to post this video that she had on her blog! Isn't it great?

Sweating up some moola on some new workout clothes

So earlier this week I went for a run around Memorial -- first time in about two weeks. It was an oven outside. I was dying. And I had no motivation. Why? Because 1) it was an oven outside (did I say that already?) and 2) I looked like crap.

See, some of y'all know that I usually workout looking like this:



Yeah, sorta scary. (LOVE the rolled up pants, right?) You see, it's hard to get motivated to work out (or be seen in public) when you're working up a sweat in old college tee shirts and shorts that you think once belonged to your brothers (but in all honesty, you really have no idea how they ended up in your dresser). So, since spending moola on new clothes always makes me motivated to go out, I started wondering if new workout stuff would make me more motivated to exercise. In all honesty, this may just be an excuse for me to blow some dough, but I'm gonna test out my new theory: new workout clothes = more motivation = better work out. So in honor of the fashion side of my lovely blog, I'm going to write about my pursuit for workout clothes that actually fit. (And don't have holes!)

From the Gap's new workout line, Athleta:


Cute tanktop. I love racerbacks, too!

Short shorts -- but not too tight. I like the side detailing.


Fun biking jersey! I'm not into the jerseys that are crazy bright, so this one is a good compromise.


And from another cool company, Marika.


These shorts look SOOO comfy. I don't know if I would ever take them off.



Love this tank -- I'd even wear it out!


And from another brand - Lucy Activewear.


Admittedly, these are a bit, er, inappropriate, but I still think they are cute! You have to have amazing legs to pull these suckers off. (And side note -- I would never wear these. Ever.)

So, what do you think....should I expand my workout wardrobe with some of the options above?

Ready, Set....BING!

In an attempt to whoop Google, Microsoft launched a new "decision" engine called Bing. You can check it out here.

Have you tried it out yet? I've read reports that it's either going to take over 30-40% of the search market....or die a sad, lonely death. I'll test it out over the next few days and let y'all know what I think. In the meantime...here's the ad that Microsoft is launching to introduce it:



My thoughts on the ad campaign: I'm not digging how Microsoft tries to tie together online searching and the current recession. Seems like their forcing an emotional response on us, and I don't buy it. Second, the commercial does a poor job explaining what makes Bing different. A decision engine? What the hell is that? And finally, the commercial fails to answer the all important question: I like Google, so why should I switch to Bing? The commercial does make some arguments about search confusion and cutting through the (crap), but when I put a key word into Google, I usually get what I want. Search confusion? What are you talking about?

Anyway, enough about search engines. I should be sleeping, but my poor veins are high on caffeine right now (damn Diet Coke addiction). So on that note, I'm off to Google, or maybe Bing, some celeb gossip.

The Mile High Club...

....just got a bit easier to get into. If you fly Air New Zealand, that is.



Y'all know that I'm not usually a fan of the whole sex sells thing (because let's be real -- how uncreative can you get?) but this one is pretty cute. It's meant to illustrate that Air New Zealand's fares have nothing to hide - unlike all those damn US airlines, Air New Zealand won't use hidden fees to, er, screw you over.

Eeek...

I've been bad. I haven't updated my blog in TWO weeks. TWO WEEKS! Not good. Sorry. And since you already think I'm a blogging loser, I'll also confess that I am absolutely EXHAUSTED, so this post will be short. Sorry. Again.

So without further ado -- yawn -- let's get started.

As my friends (or as anyone who has ever met me for about half a second) knows, I am OBSESSED with the show Gossip Girl. LOVE. IT. It's seriously a problem. Anyway, Gossip Girl recently partnered with Dove for a pretty cool promotion. I'm actually kind of digging it. Check out the clip below.



Basically, Dove created short vignettes of four real NYC gals in which they talk about their hopes, dreams, issues, what it means to be a socialite, blah, blah blah. Think profiles of Gossip Girl characters.... but with uglier ladies. (Oops, is that mean?) The clips aired during the Gossip Girl commercial breaks, and they were actually kind of interesting. Plus, the only reference to Dove was when they introduced the commercial/mini-show. I like that, obviously.

Dove did a similar promotion last year with MTV. It's an interesting way to engage an audience in a different way -- you're not selling to them, but instead showing that you get them. You're connecting with them and giving them content and info they want. Sounds sweet to me.

What do you think? Cool....or should the commercials be shipped off the Jersey? (Ew!)

McCafe My Day

Would you like a cafe mocha with that Egg McMuffin?

Beginning today, McDonald's is going to be advertising its newest venture -- fancy coffee. It's supposedly the fast food giant's biggest advertising launch EVER. Check out the TV ads here. (And apologies for the random ad that may appear first -- I couldn't find a sample on YouTube yet.)

Mickey D's entire premise is to keep getting your fancy coffee...but get it for a lot less than you would pay at, say, Starbucks. And if it works, well, Starbucks needs to watch out. Some analysts say McDonald's McCafe could dent Starbucks' revenue by 5%. Not good, especially since Starbucks closed hundreds of stores and laid off over 12,000 employees last year.

But Starbucks isn't just sitting on its overpriced tush and letting McDonald's steal its customers. America's favorite yuppie coffee house is shooting back with a campaign touting the quality of its coffee as compared to McDonald's and other cheaper brews -- and it's is not making any apologies for the price. Here is a sample ad:


Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz says "We don't want the public to be misled that all coffee is equal, because it's not." Perhaps, but is your coffee worth an extra $2 a day, an extra $10 a week, and an extra $520 a year??? Given the current economic climate (I know, I know -- all my recent talk about the recession makes me sound like a broken record...), maybe not. Starbucks is already having to push back on rival Dunkin' Donuts, so McDonald's entrance into the coffee industry is probably raising the blood pressure of quite a few Starbucks employees.

So....what do you think of the new McDonald's ads? Enough to make you trade your Starbucks for a McCafe?

Anti-Gay Marriage Ads

Did you hear about a new anti-gay marriage advertising campaign? Seems that Miss California, a cute Christian college coed named Carrie Prejean, is the star of a new campaign created by the National Organization for Marriage. Why her? As anyone who has been on YouTube during the last two weeks will recall, Ms. Prejean recently lost the Miss USA competition. She claims it was for this controversial answer:



Anyway, the new ad is titled "No offense" ('cause no offense, but gays are gross and immoral, right?). You can view it here.

My thoughts: I'm pro-gay marriage, so I obviously don't agree with Ms. Prejean. At the same time though, I respect her for having the guts to speak her truth. My biggest problem -- why would the National Organization for Marriage pick such an uninformed and inarticulate spokesperson to represent them? Ms. Prejean is probably a very sweet and lovely young woman, but her ability to argue her point, both at the Miss USA competition and in subsequent interviews, is clearly lacking. To be blunt -- she's a blond bimbo. Apparently the National Organization for Marriage couldn't find anyone better to support their cause. Hmm....I wonder why.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream....

For Ice Cream!

Read an article today about how Houston's fave artery-clogging, mixin-lovin' ice cream shop, Marble Slab, is rebranding itself. Courtesy of MarketingDaily:

"This spring, the chain, which has more than 390 locations in 35 states, Canada, Mexico, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the U.A.E., will roll out redesigned packaging on all containers and point-of-purchase materials. The new containers will highlight the tagline "Find Happiness Within" and move from plastic to paper to be more environmentally friendly. "

Other rebranding initiatives include a new website that will appear more "high-end" as well as new store designs in a pink and brown palette.

Interesting. Marble Slab has always been the ugly stepsibling to other ice cream shops (think Cold Stone and the new tart places that seem to be popping up everywhere). The new brand is supposed to change this by connecting customers with the "gourmet" ice cream experience they're looking for. I don't know if I buy the whole gourmet ice cream thing, but hey, my fave ice cream is a Wendy's frosty, so I don't exactly have refined taste.

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens. Admittedly, my eyebrows do raise (just a little) about an ice cream shop trying to appear more high end in this economic climate. Given the slowing sales at Starbucks and the (relative) stability of it's blue collar competitor, Dunkin' Donuts, going high end seems like a suicide wish. I guess only time -- or a couple banana splits -- will tell.

REALLY bad product placement

I'm not a big 90210 fan. (I really only watch it when I want to avoid going through my bills.) But I watched an episode the other day and OMIGOD ...MUST.BLOG.ABOUT.IT.

Some of you saw my facebook status a couple days ago about the show, so you know that I wasn't interested in (insert sarcasm here) the riveting storyline or award-quality acting. No, what shocked (and disgusted) me about the most recent episode was the ridiculous Dr. Pepper product placement. In fact, the LA Times compares it to a "'Saturday Night Live' spoof of a television show doing product placement." Yikes.

Check out these stills from the show (courtesy of NY Mag). Keep in mind that this is only a FRACTION of the Dr. Pepper placements in the show....I seriously thought that at one point Dixon would just turn into a can of the freaking drink. It was that bad.



(I especially love the second image 'cause when I road trip, I always make sure to pack my cooler with Dr. Pepper cans...and the logo is always showing. I guess I'm just cool like that.)

With the invention of Ti-Vo, I understand that companies are having to come up with new ways to get their brands in front of consumers. (Cause with the exception of Ad Geeks like myself, who watches commercials???) And to be honest, I think product placement can be a good way to reach these customers. But the key is to make sure it's not too blatant or inauthentic. I'm not stupid. I know when you're selling to me while pretending you're not. And that just pisses me off and makes me put that Dr. Pepper back on the shelf.

When your marketing firm has bad ads

Hi all,

In Austin this weekend with the lovely Ms. Carolyn Goodwin. So far, it's been a perfect weekend --- too much food, too much wine, and too much sleep. Perfect.

At one part during the weekend, Carolyn's mom showed us an ad for a marketing firm in The Woodlands. "Have you heard of them?" Neither Carolyn nor I were familiar with the company (who shall remain nameless) but within 5 seconds we were both grimacing. Why? The ad, for said marketing firm, was awful.

I always find it humorous when marketing or advertising companies boast generic logos, advertisements created in word, or (worst of all) websites reminiscent of 1999. Yikes. What are these companies thinking? Sure, the average person isn't going to know great design from good design, but bad design? Sorry to break it to you -- they know. And the worst part? An advertising company with bad marketing materials is like a surgeon marketing a recent malpractice suit, or a home builder publicly admitting that his homes have leaky roofs.

My current company is doing stuff the right way. We're in the process of reworking our website -- admittedly it's overdue -- but in the meantime we've resisted keeping our old, out-dated site up. Although not having a web site is risky, we recognize that having a BAD site up is far worst.

What do you think? Are you equally as repulsed by marketing and advertising companies whose design or writing leaves much to be desired? Or am I just overly critical?

Jack in the Box

My fave post-bar restaurant is revamping its style.

San Diego-based Jack in the Box is undergoing an entire brand makeover. New logo, new store layout and even a new website. Have you seen it? Check out some of the images below.


Thoughts? People seem to be mixed about the whole thing. Some people love it, others hate it. The major consensus is that it doesn't look like a fast food restaurant logo....

I personally dig it. Much better than the old, outdated one. Thoughts?

As seen on tv....

Did you hear that Billy Mays is getting a television show?

Don't know who Billy is? Trust me, you do. Watch.



I guess this is actually sort of old news. The show launches April 15 on the Discovery Channel and follows Billy (as well as Anthony Sullivan) during the taping of some of their two minute commercials.

Is it just me or is it sad that we now have a TV show about infomercials? Reality TV is getting to be too much....

I wanted a Mac but all I got was this lame PC

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=0bb6a07c-c829-4562-8375-49e6693810c7" target="_new" title="Laptop Hunters $1000 - Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion">Video: Laptop Hunters $1000 - Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion</a>

Have you seen the new Microsoft commercial? Lauren, a cute redhead 20-something, needs a new computer -- specifically a 17-inch laptop for under $1,000. She starts at the Apple store before discovering that you can't get a decent Mac for that cheap...so instead she's stuck going to Best Buy or Staples or some store like that and springing for an HP computer. The ad summary -- with a PC, you get more for your buck.

Advertising based strictly on price -- it's a relevant idea, given the state of the US economy, but does it work? I don't think so.

There are two major issues I have with the ad:

1) Advertising based on pricing only works in the short term. To successfully market something, the product has to be valuable. Basing an entire marketing strategy on selling a cheap product is the least effective way to add value to your product. Consumers aren't stupid, and we know that you get what you pay for. (And as a side note, the HP computer that Lauren ends up with sucks.)

2) In the end, Lauren doesn't get what she really wants (a Mac) and instead settles for what she can afford (settles being the key word here). Do you really want your product to be one that people "settle" on? It's hard to build long term brand loyalty when even you admit that the competition is better.

Thoughts?

Vroom, Vroom!

I came across an article in the NYT about Harley-Davidson and the company's recent financial woes. Seems that Harley, a classic Outlaw archetype brand, is seeing fewer of its core target -- baby boomers -- shelling out dough for the bikes. To add insult to injury, younger riders are turning to Harley's rivals. Harley, it appears, ain't doing so well.

It's sort of interesting that such an iconic brand is finding itself in such a pickle -- and it's in this mess precisely because it was (or IS) such a defined brand. The whole premise behind effective branding and marketing is to create a story that resonates with the audience and makes your consumers feel that they belong with your brand....that they need your brand. Harley's whole image was creating a "bad boys" family of bikers. But now that the economy is suffering, being a bad boy isn't enough for these men (and sometimes women) to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for the thrill of experiencing the Harley story. And because Harley defined its brand so clearly, the company is having a tough time getting embraced by those riders outside of its usual target.

I know that marketers can't please everyone, and that they have to focus on their key audience. But what do you do when your core audience -- the people you have been going after for decades -- suddenly drop your brand? How do you evolve and attract new customers without isolating your original target completely? Thoughts?

Legal Ads

Boston's most famous seafood joint, Legal Seafoods, has released new ads for the Beantown T. They're pretty entertaining -- and since they've been approved by the MBTA, they won't be taken down like their last campaign.

Thoughts? I don't really know if the ads work well with Legal's overall brand image, but they are certainly cute.

Just for fun

My friend sent me a link for a recent concert featuring....well, you'll have to watch the video to see.



LOVE THIS VIDEO.

Organizing my life

Sorry I have been MIA lately. It's been sort of crazy over the last few days. However, I have some very exciting news to share with y'all -- I have a job! I'll be working as a senior account executive at a small marketing firm here in Houston. I'm totally stoked about the new position. It will be fabulous!

Anyway I have to run, but I promise to write a more complete post tomorrow. In the meantime, did you hear the news about The Post-Intelligencer? Not a good week for the print media world. Even Houston, which has been somewhat sheltered during much of the recession, isn't immune. Did you hear that the Houston Chronicle may merge with the San Antonio Express-News?

Sigh.

Self-portraits

My school photo when I was in 2nd grade and lived in Cali. I haven't had a professional photo of myself taken since I was a senior in college.

My friend Raluca treated herself to a portrait session a couple of months ago. The photos are amazing (sorry, she won't let me share any!) and she captured a really cool time of her life -- being young, single, and carefree.

I gotta admit, though -- at first I was taken aback by the idea of getting self-portraits. But then I started thinking: I'm only going to get fatter, wrinklier, and uglier. Shouldn't I be capturing myself now?

Have you taken any professional photos recently? Should I?

Paris, je t'aime

As most of you know, I spent my junior year abroad in Paris. It was THE bomb. Being a 20 year old American girl in Paris is freaking amazing. I won't get into details, 'cause it would take you about 3 hours to read this post, but suffice it to say: IT.WAS.THE.BEST.YEAR.EVER. (Btw, the photo above was taken with my host bro back in 2002. I "made" Thanksgiving dinner for my French fam - or, to be completely honest, dropped 100 euros on a pre-made dinner, courtesy of a little American restaurant in Paris.)

So given my adoration of Paris and all things French (with the exception of the rank scent of the Paris Metro. It really is that bad.), I must comment on my fave collections from Paris Fashion Week. All you non-fashion lovers, go check out Sports Illustrated. Otherwise, onward!

Some of my faves: (DISCLAIMER: Paris Fashion week kicked ass. I loved lots of collections, but the ones below stood out as both interesting AND (sorta) wearable.)


















Balmain. The rocker chick look will always win in my book, even if it is a bit boring. I think it all stems from my secret desire to cover my arms with tattoos and rock it out Courtney Love style. (And as a side note, what better inspiration to hit the gym than to fit your bod into this dress? Sexy doesn't even describe it.)

Balenciaga: Flirty, fun and feminine. Not words usually associated with this label, but it works this time around. And there was still enough of an edge to make a heart flutter, even just a little.

Hermes: Ah, I love Hermes, even if one of their famous scarves will set me back half a paycheck. (And if I wanted to splurge on a handbag...well, there goes my 401K.) This collection does not disappoint. Leather, luxury and Amelia Earhart go well together.

Lanvin: Lanvin, if you were a man, I'd jump you. You're so Parisian, which I love -- sleek, modern, and consistently sophisticated. If my bank account were bigger (er, a LOT bigger) we'd make one sweet couple.

Men at work....or not (and what's a marketer to do?)

My friend Jess needed a last-minute babysitter for her two adorable kids, so I volunteered to serve as nanny du jour. Her kids, 4 and 2, are obsessed with trains and the zoo, and as luck would have it, the Houston Zoo is literally a stone's throw from the Hermann Park Train. So guess what I spent my morning doing? That's right -- hanging out with lions, tigers, and bears, as well as some dirty diapers, juice boxes, and trains.

The zoo itself wasn't especially interesting (I've been about a dozen times this past month -- it's my go-to babysitting distracter) but what was interesting was that I saw at least 5 dads wandering around with strollers, diaper bags, and (of course) kids. These weren't single dads -- gold bands donned their ring fingers-- but it was clear that they were in charge of the kids. One dad, decked out in shorts and a tee-shirt, sported an Accenture hat. Needless to say, I don't think riding the carousel with his twin daughters qualified as consulting. Another victim of the recession? Probably.

I recently came across an article about how the recession is impacting traditional gender roles at home. With men being laid off at a much faster rate than women (per the article, at least -- as y'all know, your's truly was laid off, as were many of my friends with boobs), more and more men are watching the rugrats, cleaning the house, and making dinner while their wives are serving as the chief breadwinner. And while a female provider is nothing new for some well-educated couples, it looks like it could be a new trend among average Americans as well.

It will be interesting to see if this current trend continues. Some statistics show that women now make up almost 50% of the workforce -- that's pretty exciting (although let's not forget that women still earn, on average, $.80 for every dollar a man makes. Boo.) If the number of women in the workforce continues to grow -- and if these new Stay At Home Dads don't return to their jobs -- some marketers are going to have to shift how they're speaking to consumers. Advertising that used to target Stay at Home Moms will now need to start speaking to Stay at Home Parents. Could Glad commercials soon feature both women AND 40 year-old-men with glasses, balding hairlines, and expanded midsections?

As a side note -- Sammy, Jess' two-year-old daughter, gives the best hugs ever. So cute!

Soda, au naturel

Did you know that Pepsi is launching a natural soft drink? First a new logo, now a new soda. Check out the article here.

I am not sure how I feel about this one. Sure, it makes sense that food and beverage companies are riding the natural food wave. Today's consumers are demanding healthier food, and companies are responding. But natural soda? Isn't that an oxymoron of sorts? I always thought the natural sodas sold at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's were sort of silly. If you want something natural, drink H2O.

Anyway, the new Pepsi Natural will contain (duh) all-natural ingredients -- sparkling water, raw sugar, natural caramel and kola nut extract. You'll also save 9 calories compared to regular Pepsi. Yum. But you can't just buy it anywhere -- Pepsi is doing a selective launch in major US cities. I suspect Pepsi Natural will see the same fate as Crystal Pepsi (remember that one?) but you never know. It will also be interesting to see if Coke jumps on the natural soda bandwagon. Only time will tell.

Things you may not want to know about me....

For no particular reason -- 5 tidbits about yours truly that make me blush.

1) I once went 5 days without showering or bathing. Keep in mind that I was camping and hiking and had very limited access to running water, but even so - ick. My hair was thisclose to dreadlocking.

2) I like to pop pimples. It's gross.

3) You know the magaine Glamour? The really cheesy one whose cover is always promising to divulge what really turns him on? Well, I am obsessed with the Glamour.com blogs. It started with the style blog, but now I read the dating blog, the fitness blog, the weight loss blog, the "I-got-knocked-up-and-am-now-a-single-mom" blog, the cancer blog (yes, there is a cancer blog!!)...and I read them every single day.

4) When I listen to my iPod, I make up dance videos in my head in which I'm the star. They're usually really bad.

5) I am a psycho Google stalker. If I've met you, I've Googled you. Sorry, but it's true.

OK, I've dished. Now it's your turn!

Facebook, new and improved and (sorta) copying Twitter

Did you guys hear about the new Facebook changes? In case you've been living under a rock, you can check them out here. The overall gist -- Facebook is about to become the ultimate personal homepage. Here are some of the major changes that we'll see in place sometime next week:

- live feed. That's right -- Facebook is copying Twitter! The new live feed will also allow for easy uploading of pics, videos, etc. (Thank God since it is such a pain to upload now!) And, like Twitter, it will be in real time, which means no refreshing (the current Facebook updates every 10 minutes or so.) Sweet!

- no more Friend limit. The old Facebook limited your friends to 5,000, so companies and public features were having to turn to Twitter to keep their fans/customers updated. Sort of makes you wonder if we'll have to redefine the definition of Friend, but I digress...

- a new and improved hompage. The new homepage will feature the live feed and allow users to easily filter and sort through the updates. (Especially important for those with more than 5K friends -- most likely the celebs and corporations who will be taking advantage of these new Facebook changes.) Also cool -- those "friends" you interact with the most will be highlighted to stand out.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Twitter during all of this. Let's not forget that Twitter is still in early adopter stage, and it's very possible that Facebook's changes will wipe it out. I hope not -- I, for one, use Twitter as a professional tool, whereas Facebook is reserved for my actual friends. (After all, does my boss really need to see pics of a recent vaca in Vegas? I don't think so.)

Viagra and 13 year olds

Have you seen the new Viagra commercial? It's supposed to remind you of your first time. Um, yeah, because for most people, their first time is like totally awesome and amazing and just incredible.

Yeah, right.

Anyway, check it out below. It is definitely a different approach for Viagra, so kudos for that. But is it just me or do the kids look like their 13 when they really start getting frisky? I don't even think I had kissed a guy by the time I was 13, let alone done the dirty. Ick.

Btw, the ad is by Z Publicidad in Mexico.

Put that glass down

Too much of a good thing is bad. But what about very, very, very little of a bad thing?

It's common knowledge that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to major health issues. But recent research from Oxford suggests that women who consume even relatively low amounts of alcohol (think a glass per day) have a higher risk of developing cancer. Yikes. In fact, researchers found that moderate drinking accounts for about 13% of breast, liver, rectum and upper respiratory/digestive tract cancers among women.

Here's the CliffsNotes summary: "In developed countries, where women typically consume low-moderate amounts of alcohol, we estimate that for every additional drink regularly consumed each day, there would be about 15 extra cases of cancers of the breast, liver, rectum and mouth and throat diagnosed for every 1,000 women up to the age of 75. Most of this excess risk is due to breast cancer."

The study was conducted among middle-aged women and researchers found that the risk of cancer increased as alcohol consumption increased. No surprise there. But the major takeaway is that just one daily glass of alcohol increased a woman's chance of developing cancer. Just one glass!

Keep in mind that the study was conducted among women who drink daily, so there is no evidence to illustrate that weekend warriors (i.e. women who drink moderate to high amounts of alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights) have the same increased risk of developing cancer. That said, I would suspect that the correlation still exists. (Plus, let's not forget about additional SERIOUS risks when a large quantity of alcohol is consumed, like drunk driving and lowered inhibitions.)

Scary stuff.

Death of an Idea

Hey all you marketers, advertisers, designers, etc.! Have you ever put hours of work into what you believe is the BEST and COOLEST campaign or advertisement ever....only to have it shot down by your client for one (silly) reason or another? I know I have....and it sucks. All that hard work and you're left with nothing more than a killed idea and 30 hours of unbillable time.

But soon, all will not be lost. Introducing a cool new project I read about through Adrants. Here is the gist:

Beginning February 24, you are encouraged to submit your killed ideas to killedideas.com for potential inclusion in Killed Ideas Volume 1, a book published by Blurb and edited by Adrants Editor Steve Hall. Fifty of the best killed ideas will be selected for the book which will be published in May.

The coolest and most quirky ideas will also be featured on the KilledIdeas website. And for all you Tweeting freaks out there, there is (of course) a Twitter feed. Follow @killedideas.

But you best hurry up and submit your work soon. You only have about a month before entries close.

Oscar Fashion 2009 -- mostly losses....

Let's get started! Jen's 2009 Oscar Fashion analysis, in no particular order....


















Anne Hathaway: Very cool dress, but not sure the strapless look is the most flattering on her.


















Marion Cotillard: She only gets away with this 'cause she's French and I love the French. Otherwise, ick.


















Angelina: Smoking hot, except for the earrings, which look a bit like they came from Claire's. Jolie also gets extra points since she's not in her usual potato sack.


















Amy Adams: She never fails to disappoint, 'cause she always look awful. This dress is so not flattering, and I have no clue what's up with the weird geometric print over her boobs.


















Meryl Streep: Ugly dress. Ugly color. Why oh why must you always look so plain?


















Jennifer Grey: Smoking hot. Too bad no one knows who you are.


















Natalie Portman: Nice color -- if you're a Barbie doll.




































SJP & Penelope Cruz: Double Yikes. It's the attack of the mutant wedding gowns!


















Amanda Seyfried: She's looks like a cast member of 16 Candles. This is the worst bday present ever.


















Marisa Tomei: Hot, Hot, Hot. Love this dress!


















Jessica Biel: Interesting but the overall look (especially with her bedhead hair-do) looks overly sloppy. And what's with the black purse?

I could go on and on and on....but I'll stop here. And I promise I'll leave all this fashion talk behind soon.

Photos: Oscar.com