Filed under: Uncategorized
Awesome website: thecoolhunter.net
Keeps you up-to-date on everything “cool” – from architecture, design, fashion, music, travel, gadgets, and even ads. One really cool tab on the site shows profiles of companies that are doing innovative things. This is a great site for people in the ad industry who like/need to keep up with everything trendy and new.
Filed under: travel
I’m going to India for 2 weeks after Christmas, and I can’t wait. Here are some good quotes about travel:
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.” – Mohammed
“Travel is the frivolous part of serious lives, and the serious part of frivolous ones.” – Anne Sophie Swetchine
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. the great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Some say Starbucks can no longer depend on WOM alone. Some say Starbucks has saturated the market. Either way, I think their new TV campaign is really cute. It’s not too intrusive and it doesn’t even talk about products. So, I say congratulations to Starbucks (and their agency, W+K).
However, critics bring up a good point – the ads lack identity. They could probably be used for some other brand and still work. It makes me wonder how effective the campaign will be in increasing sales/store visits.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I am ready to go snowboarding. However that could be a problem if there’s no snow. Let’s check out the conditions at the nearest resorts:
Wintergreen – still closed (no snow)
Massanutten – still closed (no snow)
Snowshoe – opening Nov. 21st (Thurs-showers 58degrees, Fri-flurries 38degrees, Sat-cloudy 43degrees, Sun-showers 46degrees)
Sugar Mountain – open (Thurs-showers 51degrees, Fri-cloudy 28degrees, Sat-cloudy 31 degrees)
I think Snowshoe has the most potential.
Filed under: visual identity
Recently, I saw the unveiling of the new Brandcenter logo. I also came across the new KaosPilot logo (a Scandinavian design school), which was altered a year ago. So, I wondered how logos among other “top design schools” [as named so by BusinessWeek, Oct 15 ’07] compared. Here are some:
Filed under: career
After 4 years of marketing in undergrad and over 1 year of “ad school”, I still don’t feel like I know all of my career possibilities. I would love it if someone just came up to me and said, “this is the perfect job for you.” So I guess what I’m wondering about are the possible careers in brand management, communications, advertising, branding, marketing, consulting, design, etc. that I would love.
This is what I’m looking for:
Something that involves creativity, and team work, but also lets you work on your own. Something that is business and strategy minded, but not too financial or numbers-based. Something that provides a great work culture, with cool people who are innovative. Something that provides friendship and commradery, without having to live at the office 24/7. Something that pays well. Something that has during/after work activities (preferably involving sports/exercise). Basically, something that is perfect.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Filed under: culture
You may have heard that New Zealand has more sheep than people…but did you know that Kiwi sheep shearers are extremely hard working people? They work from 5am-5pm, live in dorm-like buildings, and drink lots of beer.
The British who settled New Zealand were not very nice to the indigenous people, the Maoris. The Maori people had no concept of land ownership, and didn’t realize what “selling their land” really meant. The tribal chief who sold Wellington to the British thought that only 9 or 10 Europeans would come to settle there, not thousands and thousands.
There is a festival in the small town of Blackball called Blackballzup. During this festival they have a “horse plopping” competition. Participants bet on which section of a field the horse will “plop” in first. They wait around to see where the horse poops, and whoever’s right gets all the money.
One last Kiwi fun fact: In 1917 New Zealand passed a 6pm Pub Law where all pubs had to close at 6pm and couldn’t reopen until the next day. This didn’t slow the pub-goers down though. Men would get off of work at 5pm, dedicate the next hour to guzzling as much beer as possible, and then go on their way. This law lasted until 1967.
Filed under: culture
What is it about coffeeshops that are so appealing to so many people? Is it just a trend right now, or has this culture been around for a while? Maybe it’s the social atmosphere without actually having to socialize that draws coffeshop-goers in. Maybe it’s the people watching that lends itself to much procrastination from what you actually went there to do (work, read, write, etc.). Or maybe it’s the ambiance and atmosphere that people love so much. For me, I think it’s a blend of all of the above.
Which Richmond coffeeshop do you frequent the most?
a) the “real” Crossroads on Forrest Hill with the outdoorsy/artsy crowd
b) the new Crossroads/old World Cup next to VCU with students and fan dwellers
c) any of the trillion Starbucks with the in-and-out businessmen or the moms with strollers
d) the ever so smelly Shockoe Espresso with Adcenter kids and Creative Directors from Martin (and the occasional crazy person)
e) the European-inspired Cafe Gutenberg with the wine drinkers, intellectuals, and Sunday brunchers
f) all of the above
Filed under: Uncategorized
“Sometimes clients like to drink their own kool-aid…smoke their own brand-crack.”
– John Leeman, SVP Communications Planning, Carat
Nike’s ads for the U.S. Women’s World Cup team star Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight on The Office. I don’t see any connection, and I don’t think they’re funny. I assume they were trying to get a certain target interested in watching women’s soccer games. Maybe an older more professional audience? I think they could have involved the players more as actresses in the ads. This would allow America to get to know them better. Or maybe Nike doesn’t really want America to know the players – they are the ‘The Greatest Team You’ve Never Heard Of.’
buaidh no bas 