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.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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.
Do you use FB both socially and professionally? If not, will the new privacy settings change that?
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?
Friday, June 19, 2009
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?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
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?
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?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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!)
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!)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
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?
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?
Saturday, May 2, 2009
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
