From the TV Critic Grimlock vlog.
I think it is a pitch perfect parody of the halftime in America Chrysler commercial.
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Midweek Video: After Hours: 4 Commercial Alternate Universes
The arguments about the as-seen-on-tv ads are very persuasive I have to admit. Once again, Cracked hits one out of the park.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Why Are Golden Retrievers On Everything?
Has anyone else noticed that on dog food and other related products, the Golden Retriever seems to be the go-to breed, like they are the idealized version of what a dog is.
I am not saying they are on everything, but it seems like it is on a majority of items dog related.
When you look at cat related products, it seems there are a greater variety of felines on their packaging than the stuff for their canine compatriots.
I wonder at what point the golden retriever took on this mantle of being the load bearing animal for dog products everywhere, especially since there are so many breeds out there that would look great on a label.
I mean, there are so many different breeds out there, representing so many different sizes, colors and fur types, how did one breed come to epitomize an entire species?
I am not saying they are on everything, but it seems like it is on a majority of items dog related.
When you look at cat related products, it seems there are a greater variety of felines on their packaging than the stuff for their canine compatriots.
I wonder at what point the golden retriever took on this mantle of being the load bearing animal for dog products everywhere, especially since there are so many breeds out there that would look great on a label.
I mean, there are so many different breeds out there, representing so many different sizes, colors and fur types, how did one breed come to epitomize an entire species?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Weird Thought
Am I the only one who when they see a commercial for Abilify that that should have been the name for the drug in the movie Limitless?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Gah! What A Silly Product
There is an ad for a particular hand soap that has been bothering me lately.
You see, there is a certain brand of liquid soap that has been advertising a new touchless pump and playing up the fact that your kids don't have to touch the dirty top of the pump with this new innovation.
But the thought that occurred to me was what is the very next thing you do after you pushed liquid soap out of a dispenser?
If you are like me and the rest of the civilized world, you wash your hands. So why do you have to really worry about having a dirty pump if the next thing you are doing is rubbing your wet hands together into a lather, thus cleaning them.
But I can just imagine the paranoia that is feeding into, the fear that our hands in our own home can't be contaminated by germs for 2 seconds between when we touch something and when we wash our hands.
In thinking about it, the product that I think would sell like hotcakes is the hand soap that disinfects your taps and door handles immediately after use.
I am wondering if the people in R&D looked at the automatic water taps in public restrooms and thought, "hmm, we could trick the American public with a soap dispenser that does this."
You see, there is a certain brand of liquid soap that has been advertising a new touchless pump and playing up the fact that your kids don't have to touch the dirty top of the pump with this new innovation.
But the thought that occurred to me was what is the very next thing you do after you pushed liquid soap out of a dispenser?
If you are like me and the rest of the civilized world, you wash your hands. So why do you have to really worry about having a dirty pump if the next thing you are doing is rubbing your wet hands together into a lather, thus cleaning them.
But I can just imagine the paranoia that is feeding into, the fear that our hands in our own home can't be contaminated by germs for 2 seconds between when we touch something and when we wash our hands.
In thinking about it, the product that I think would sell like hotcakes is the hand soap that disinfects your taps and door handles immediately after use.
I am wondering if the people in R&D looked at the automatic water taps in public restrooms and thought, "hmm, we could trick the American public with a soap dispenser that does this."
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Creepy Ad Similarity?
Am I the only one who thinks that the commercials for Ancestry.com are getting suspiciously close to... I don't know... ads for dating sites?
I mean, there is the same kind of feeling and set up to a lot of eHarmony commercials. It is sort of weird when you think about it.
I wonder if the same ad agency sold ancestory.com and eharmony on the same pitch. I wouldn't doubt it.
Just creepy once you notice it... like these people are talking about getting matched with their ancestors.
I mean, there is the same kind of feeling and set up to a lot of eHarmony commercials. It is sort of weird when you think about it.
I wonder if the same ad agency sold ancestory.com and eharmony on the same pitch. I wouldn't doubt it.
Just creepy once you notice it... like these people are talking about getting matched with their ancestors.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Why The Groupon Ads Were A Good Thing
I know there was a lot of negative publicity for the recent Groupon ads that aired during the Super Bowl, and I find myself in a rather unique position as I actually thought that some good actually came out of them.
The sad truth is, most of the time when an ad bought by a public advocacy group comes on, you know that a lot of people tune it out. You know it and I know it. I hate to admit that, but I am certainly guilty of tuning them out. And yet as tasteless as it seemed presented as part of a pitch for a website, the front-end information presented in those ads reached a very receptive audience, as the commercials are as much a part of the Super Bowl watching experience as the actual game. And aside from a few of the most well-funded groups, there would be little chance that an organization could buy ad time to air that message to so receptive an audience.
And the discussion about these ads on television and online allowed the first half of these ads to be shown repeatedly or made people who hadn't seen them to watch them and then think about why they were offensive. Which means that for at least a brief time, a large number of people were thinking about the problems facing Tibet and the Brazilian rain forest. That isn't valuable, even given the commercial trappings that created that interest?
I am not defending the ads for being tasteful in any way because I agree that they were tasteless. However, I still think a greater good ended up being served from their creation and distribution.
The sad truth is, most of the time when an ad bought by a public advocacy group comes on, you know that a lot of people tune it out. You know it and I know it. I hate to admit that, but I am certainly guilty of tuning them out. And yet as tasteless as it seemed presented as part of a pitch for a website, the front-end information presented in those ads reached a very receptive audience, as the commercials are as much a part of the Super Bowl watching experience as the actual game. And aside from a few of the most well-funded groups, there would be little chance that an organization could buy ad time to air that message to so receptive an audience.
And the discussion about these ads on television and online allowed the first half of these ads to be shown repeatedly or made people who hadn't seen them to watch them and then think about why they were offensive. Which means that for at least a brief time, a large number of people were thinking about the problems facing Tibet and the Brazilian rain forest. That isn't valuable, even given the commercial trappings that created that interest?
I am not defending the ads for being tasteful in any way because I agree that they were tasteless. However, I still think a greater good ended up being served from their creation and distribution.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A Commercial That Gets Me Going Every Time
I've been meaning to write this little rant for a while now, but I'd always forget about it the next morning.
You see, there is a particular Head and Shoulders Ad that clearly exists in the magical world of adland.
Watch it if you haven't seen it before. I'll wait.
Now in what world is that at all cute? Honestly, when would anyone get away with that?
Do you know what would happen if I was that guy in the real world? I'd at least get a dirty look, I'd probably get smacked in the face and perhaps the police would be called and just maybe the whole thing would end up on the news after someone in the salon recorded the aftermath or it was caught on the security camera. And I am not implying that it is a matter of how I look either. I think that would happen no matter what the person looked like.
And I think that is how I would have loved that commercial to have played out... the pervy water guy getting smacked for his harassment, because that wasn't flirtatious... that was just creepy.
You see, there is a particular Head and Shoulders Ad that clearly exists in the magical world of adland.
Watch it if you haven't seen it before. I'll wait.
Now in what world is that at all cute? Honestly, when would anyone get away with that?
Do you know what would happen if I was that guy in the real world? I'd at least get a dirty look, I'd probably get smacked in the face and perhaps the police would be called and just maybe the whole thing would end up on the news after someone in the salon recorded the aftermath or it was caught on the security camera. And I am not implying that it is a matter of how I look either. I think that would happen no matter what the person looked like.
And I think that is how I would have loved that commercial to have played out... the pervy water guy getting smacked for his harassment, because that wasn't flirtatious... that was just creepy.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sunday Video: Charlie Brooker takes on Aspirational Television
I hadn't thought about the subject until I saw this a few weeks ago, but yeah, I think Charlie Brooker really hit the nail on the head with this.
What a sick, sad world we live in.
What a sick, sad world we live in.
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010
So now there is a V-word?
Anyone think it is strange that we can have a bunch of commercials touting remedies for erectile dysfunction, but somehow when a tampon company wants to talk to women like they are adults and refer to the vagina by name or by the compromise "down there", that is somehow not appropriate for 3 of the broadcast networks. Never mind that the line of ads these new ads are following are basically ripping on other euphemistic advertising about these kinds of products anyway.
Interesting how that double Standards and Practices works.
Interesting how that double Standards and Practices works.
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Friday, March 19, 2010
Giving away ad space to my fellow bloggers
For a couple of years now, I've had ad space on my blog, mainly because I wanted to advertise my t-shirt shop... the one that went nowhere, and I made a few bucks from those spaces.
However, there is a lot of downtime for those slots, times when no one is buying ads, and during those times, either my default t-shirt shop ads appear or in the case of my skyscraper, there is no ad.
Seeing that there is space available, and a lot of people I love in the blogging village, I thought I would offer up those spaces during non-paid times to you my readers to advertise your own blogs for free.
As I said, I have three spaces available... the square ad (125 X 125), the skyscraper (160 X 600) and the leaderboard (728 X 90).
So if you want to use the space to advertise what you are doing and you can make a graphical ad in one of those sizes, I'd happily consider running it, as I said, for free.
Drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com, and we will discuss the matter.
However, there is a lot of downtime for those slots, times when no one is buying ads, and during those times, either my default t-shirt shop ads appear or in the case of my skyscraper, there is no ad.
Seeing that there is space available, and a lot of people I love in the blogging village, I thought I would offer up those spaces during non-paid times to you my readers to advertise your own blogs for free.
As I said, I have three spaces available... the square ad (125 X 125), the skyscraper (160 X 600) and the leaderboard (728 X 90).
So if you want to use the space to advertise what you are doing and you can make a graphical ad in one of those sizes, I'd happily consider running it, as I said, for free.
Drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com, and we will discuss the matter.
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Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday Favorite: A note to the Film Distributors and Theatre owners out there
I think it is sort of cute that I actually mention VHS near the start of this entry, posted in November 2006. It is so quaint.
The message is one which I still believe in however.
--
I know there is one issue that most people agree on: they are sick of seeing straight-up advertising before movies. I am not talking about the previews here; I am addressing the placement of television ads for products and services before feature films at the theatre and on DVD/VHS recordings.
If the theatres, studios and advertisers insist on showing the movie-going and renting/buying public ads before features, they should at least compromise with us all and not show the same ads they do on television, because we all know they can do better.
I mean, look at the BMW Films series of branded content. You are telling me that the audience wouldn't respond to seeing well-crafted narrative short films featuring A and B-list celebrities and directed by accomplished directors? I am paying for that experience for an engaging narrative, and the BMW films ads do have that quality to them. Ads of this nature would be a welcome change from most of the drek we are subjected to before a movie. Considering the quality of those short films, they are probably better than most of features they would be the vignettes to.
Or how about some more of that old-time spectacle like that Honda ad... something that could be water cooler/web forum talk, ads which would be perpetually on Youtube and take on a life of their own, and while these ads may be expensive, they could probably yield better results than the ads that are currently being used and it would probably do a lot to clean up that black eye the industry is getting for how ubiquitous advertising is.
So I implore people at all levels of this problem to demand better. What's the worse that could happen?
--
In looking back at that Honda ad again, the company could totally play dirty and start playing that ad again just to stick it to Toyota.
The message is one which I still believe in however.
--
I know there is one issue that most people agree on: they are sick of seeing straight-up advertising before movies. I am not talking about the previews here; I am addressing the placement of television ads for products and services before feature films at the theatre and on DVD/VHS recordings.
If the theatres, studios and advertisers insist on showing the movie-going and renting/buying public ads before features, they should at least compromise with us all and not show the same ads they do on television, because we all know they can do better.
I mean, look at the BMW Films series of branded content. You are telling me that the audience wouldn't respond to seeing well-crafted narrative short films featuring A and B-list celebrities and directed by accomplished directors? I am paying for that experience for an engaging narrative, and the BMW films ads do have that quality to them. Ads of this nature would be a welcome change from most of the drek we are subjected to before a movie. Considering the quality of those short films, they are probably better than most of features they would be the vignettes to.
Or how about some more of that old-time spectacle like that Honda ad... something that could be water cooler/web forum talk, ads which would be perpetually on Youtube and take on a life of their own, and while these ads may be expensive, they could probably yield better results than the ads that are currently being used and it would probably do a lot to clean up that black eye the industry is getting for how ubiquitous advertising is.
So I implore people at all levels of this problem to demand better. What's the worse that could happen?
--
In looking back at that Honda ad again, the company could totally play dirty and start playing that ad again just to stick it to Toyota.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
Miracle Whip? Tone it Down? Wha?
I had one of those epiphany moments last night where I was able to finally see how insane something is.
In this case, it is a slogan that Kraft is bandying about for Miracle Whip.
"We are Miracle Whip and we will not tone it down."
Has anyone in the history of mankind ever said something like that after eating a sandwich or other edible item prepared with Miracle Whip?
Tone it down?
Seriously? Who are these people who have been asking Kraft to tone down Miracle Whip... I want their names, I want their addresses and I want to have them involuntarily committed for the sake of humanity as a whole.
I mean, if someone was to advertise Tabasco sauce like that, it would make more sense. I can just see the ad campaign now (Crazy People style):
Or you know, if Miracle Whip had introduced some new flavors, like a chipotle blend (I just had a Freudian slip there as I typed bland rather than blend... oops), and they were using this campaign to advertise it, then again, that would be great.
It is like having an ad campaign for vanilla ice cream where you talked about how extreme a flavor it is. If you are trying to be funny, it works, but I don't get that sense from the Miracle Whip ads. It is like they are trying way to hard to rebrand themselves as this alternative sandwich spread when they have been the establishment ever since the process for making it was discovered during the Great Depression... and they were the cheaper alternative to mayo back then... now, not so much.
You can't be rebelling against the man if you ARE the man.
What I would love to see is French's Mustard and Heinz Ketchup totally mock these ads in their own special way. I mean, I would buy more of their products if they did. I make that pledge to you, my readers. In fact, I think I would make that promise about any product that prods Miracle Whip for making such a stupid commercial.
In this case, it is a slogan that Kraft is bandying about for Miracle Whip.
"We are Miracle Whip and we will not tone it down."
Has anyone in the history of mankind ever said something like that after eating a sandwich or other edible item prepared with Miracle Whip?
Tone it down?
Seriously? Who are these people who have been asking Kraft to tone down Miracle Whip... I want their names, I want their addresses and I want to have them involuntarily committed for the sake of humanity as a whole.
I mean, if someone was to advertise Tabasco sauce like that, it would make more sense. I can just see the ad campaign now (Crazy People style):
Or you know, if Miracle Whip had introduced some new flavors, like a chipotle blend (I just had a Freudian slip there as I typed bland rather than blend... oops), and they were using this campaign to advertise it, then again, that would be great.
It is like having an ad campaign for vanilla ice cream where you talked about how extreme a flavor it is. If you are trying to be funny, it works, but I don't get that sense from the Miracle Whip ads. It is like they are trying way to hard to rebrand themselves as this alternative sandwich spread when they have been the establishment ever since the process for making it was discovered during the Great Depression... and they were the cheaper alternative to mayo back then... now, not so much.
You can't be rebelling against the man if you ARE the man.
What I would love to see is French's Mustard and Heinz Ketchup totally mock these ads in their own special way. I mean, I would buy more of their products if they did. I make that pledge to you, my readers. In fact, I think I would make that promise about any product that prods Miracle Whip for making such a stupid commercial.
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Midweek Video: The Most Honest Used Car Ad Ever
Why do people hate used car salesmen? Because they've met a used car salesman.
Even though this is a parody, I think it accurately portrays not only the pomp of used car commercials (because wording aside, it is almost exactly like the ones I'd see as a kid on local TV), but the underlying attitude a lot of bad used car salesmen bring to the jobs.
Even though this is a parody, I think it accurately portrays not only the pomp of used car commercials (because wording aside, it is almost exactly like the ones I'd see as a kid on local TV), but the underlying attitude a lot of bad used car salesmen bring to the jobs.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Touch: The Skittles Ad I can't Stop Thinking About
I know Skittles commercials are supposed to be surreal and weird, but there is just something about one of the ads in particular, Touch, that bothers me and makes me ask a lot of questions about that particular version of the world.
Maybe it is the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to have someone whose touch turns objects into Skittles working at a desk with a computer and a phone. I mean, really, what does he do at his place of work exactly? Is he the implied threat of doom if you don't perform? I mean, it seems sort of mean to have someone sit at a desk with things they can't use, in a way that is almost mocking him day in and day out. That's just sadistic. I mean, given his limitations as a worker, I guess the only people he could possibly work for would be Mars, the maker of Skittles. It is a talent which could be very useful for them, as he can turn anything into the candy, so I could see them using this particular talent/curse to turn even garbage into Skittles, making that division the greenest industrial activity in the world.
That'd probably have to label them as such of course, and then some plucky policemen would discover that in addition to vast piles of trash, the occasional dead body would be thrown into the mix, and he start running through the streets yelling "Skittles Green is made from people!" and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Maybe he could feed starving children in the third world with his skill though (that or because of the sugar content of the candy, arable land which is used to grow sugar cane could be put to other use).
When they show this commercial on TV, they usually cut out the part where he talks about killing someone by shaking their hand... because that is really brutal for a commercial. And you just know some little kid on that bus ate some of the Skittles, which is doubly upsetting because a) they used to be part of a human being and b) I've seen the floor of a bus, and you don't want to eat anything off of one. Which begs the question: does he pay for the bus with Skittles?
I also wonder how this individual managed the act of lovemaking without touching his lover with his hands... did she milk his prostate? Or did he develop the Skittles curse after she was impregnated (and I think having hands that turned things into Skittles would all but bar you from adoption).
I wonder how many Skittles this dude eats in a day, because if you are making something which is marginally considered food from your fingertips, you probably eat a few of them... though I can imagine that he would utterly despise them now as they represent everything that is evil in the world to him. Does he go to a support group.
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that girl Flo from those Progressive Commercials?
Clearly it is a commercial that asks more questions than it answers.
Maybe it is the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to have someone whose touch turns objects into Skittles working at a desk with a computer and a phone. I mean, really, what does he do at his place of work exactly? Is he the implied threat of doom if you don't perform? I mean, it seems sort of mean to have someone sit at a desk with things they can't use, in a way that is almost mocking him day in and day out. That's just sadistic. I mean, given his limitations as a worker, I guess the only people he could possibly work for would be Mars, the maker of Skittles. It is a talent which could be very useful for them, as he can turn anything into the candy, so I could see them using this particular talent/curse to turn even garbage into Skittles, making that division the greenest industrial activity in the world.
That'd probably have to label them as such of course, and then some plucky policemen would discover that in addition to vast piles of trash, the occasional dead body would be thrown into the mix, and he start running through the streets yelling "Skittles Green is made from people!" and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Maybe he could feed starving children in the third world with his skill though (that or because of the sugar content of the candy, arable land which is used to grow sugar cane could be put to other use).
When they show this commercial on TV, they usually cut out the part where he talks about killing someone by shaking their hand... because that is really brutal for a commercial. And you just know some little kid on that bus ate some of the Skittles, which is doubly upsetting because a) they used to be part of a human being and b) I've seen the floor of a bus, and you don't want to eat anything off of one. Which begs the question: does he pay for the bus with Skittles?
I also wonder how this individual managed the act of lovemaking without touching his lover with his hands... did she milk his prostate? Or did he develop the Skittles curse after she was impregnated (and I think having hands that turned things into Skittles would all but bar you from adoption).
I wonder how many Skittles this dude eats in a day, because if you are making something which is marginally considered food from your fingertips, you probably eat a few of them... though I can imagine that he would utterly despise them now as they represent everything that is evil in the world to him. Does he go to a support group.
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that girl Flo from those Progressive Commercials?
Clearly it is a commercial that asks more questions than it answers.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
How I spent my Ad Revenue
As I am sure some of you have noticed, over the past year or so, there have been a few ads on my blog. It originally started because I wanted to make a little money to use to advertise my t-shirt designs, and well, I didn't really get around to doing that.
And because I am just making mad money from my ads doing this whole blogging thing... I mean, I could probably get a cup of coffee a week... not that fancy Starbucks stuff, or even a large one at a relatively reasonably priced chain that I am sure every Canadian is familiar with, but if I budgeted it right, I might be able to afford a small one every week. Might.
However, I just kept letting that loot build up in my account, and after my recent confessional post last week, well, I thought I should try something I hadn't done before and well, I went over to Ebay and parlayed the little bit of money I've made blogging to try to check at least one thing off that list.
Thus I bid on and won the following item:
I've fought the temptation since October 2007, but I finally gave in. Given this precedent, I guess I will start twittering sometime around October 2010.
And because I am just making mad money from my ads doing this whole blogging thing... I mean, I could probably get a cup of coffee a week... not that fancy Starbucks stuff, or even a large one at a relatively reasonably priced chain that I am sure every Canadian is familiar with, but if I budgeted it right, I might be able to afford a small one every week. Might.
However, I just kept letting that loot build up in my account, and after my recent confessional post last week, well, I thought I should try something I hadn't done before and well, I went over to Ebay and parlayed the little bit of money I've made blogging to try to check at least one thing off that list.
Thus I bid on and won the following item:
I've fought the temptation since October 2007, but I finally gave in. Given this precedent, I guess I will start twittering sometime around October 2010.
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Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday Favorites: Things I miss from childhood
When I mentioned this article a few days ago when I was writing my post on toys I covet, and I thought it was worth sharing in full again at some point, and well, there seems to be no better moment to do so than now.
--
I was thinking about a few of the things that I miss from childhood or even the recent past and I decided to put together a short list of 15 things that I miss now that I am an adult.
Some of these things are no longer around, some of them I outgrew and some of them are very niche items. Note: Some of these items may be widely available where you live(particularly food items), so take some of these in the spirit in which they are written.
1. 2D Fighting games... 3D has some selling points, but I grew up on River City Ransom, Double Dragon, Street Fighter and Samurai Shodown.
2. Video stations that actually showed music videos. Canadian stations have followed MTV/VH1's example.
3. Tahiti Treat and strawberry flavored sodas. They both remind me of my grandmother.
4. The online soap operas of the 1995-7 era. The Spot, where art thou.
5. Radio programming not determined from a formula. DJ are supposed to be taste makers dammit.
6. New episodes of the recent Disney animated shows(Filmore, Recess, the Weekenders)
6a. The older Disney cartoon series based on their classic properties(Duck Tales, Talespin)
7. Frankenberry Cereal. I still remember the taste.
8. Little green plastic soldiers. I SO outgrew them.
9. Bags of Swedish Fish. I loved them as a kid as penny candies.
10. Puppets and models in movies... I recently watched Close Encounters again, and you know what... that ship still looks pretty damn good. And well done puppetry has an organic warmth to it that will always stay with me.
11. The old funny commercials for FedEx, Wendy's and Alaskan Airlines they used to show in the 1980's... and are largely the basis for Commercial Crazies
12. Good Teen comedies in the theatres. John Hughes, you made an era.
13. The period where Travolta was a punchline and not a leading man.
14. Cajun Spice Ruffles. I didn't appreciate them as much then as I would now. I can take the heat, and I want them back in my kitchen.
15. Action figures that are meant for kids to play with. What is with this keeping crap in the box? Toys are meant to be played with.
So, what do you miss from childhood?
--
I was thinking about a few of the things that I miss from childhood or even the recent past and I decided to put together a short list of 15 things that I miss now that I am an adult.
Some of these things are no longer around, some of them I outgrew and some of them are very niche items. Note: Some of these items may be widely available where you live(particularly food items), so take some of these in the spirit in which they are written.
1. 2D Fighting games... 3D has some selling points, but I grew up on River City Ransom, Double Dragon, Street Fighter and Samurai Shodown.
2. Video stations that actually showed music videos. Canadian stations have followed MTV/VH1's example.
3. Tahiti Treat and strawberry flavored sodas. They both remind me of my grandmother.
4. The online soap operas of the 1995-7 era. The Spot, where art thou.
5. Radio programming not determined from a formula. DJ are supposed to be taste makers dammit.
6. New episodes of the recent Disney animated shows(Filmore, Recess, the Weekenders)
6a. The older Disney cartoon series based on their classic properties(Duck Tales, Talespin)
7. Frankenberry Cereal. I still remember the taste.
8. Little green plastic soldiers. I SO outgrew them.
9. Bags of Swedish Fish. I loved them as a kid as penny candies.
10. Puppets and models in movies... I recently watched Close Encounters again, and you know what... that ship still looks pretty damn good. And well done puppetry has an organic warmth to it that will always stay with me.
11. The old funny commercials for FedEx, Wendy's and Alaskan Airlines they used to show in the 1980's... and are largely the basis for Commercial Crazies
12. Good Teen comedies in the theatres. John Hughes, you made an era.
13. The period where Travolta was a punchline and not a leading man.
14. Cajun Spice Ruffles. I didn't appreciate them as much then as I would now. I can take the heat, and I want them back in my kitchen.
15. Action figures that are meant for kids to play with. What is with this keeping crap in the box? Toys are meant to be played with.
So, what do you miss from childhood?
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Monday, February 23, 2009
My First Swag
I remember back when I received my first press release... oh, what heady times those were back in late 2006. And like the borderline narcissist that I am, I made it all about me.
Well, another one of those times is here. I am sort of like Kathy Griffin that way.
You see, I finally got my first swag. So it basically took almost 2 and a half years for things to progress from press releases to someone actually wanting to send me something.
I have a feeling aside from some review copies, this may be the last time this happens, because this post is going to burn that bridge.
I made sure that the woman at the E-PR firm knew beforehand that I was all about disclosure. She said that was no problem.
I don't think she knew how much disclosure there was actually going to be. Truth be told, I probably didn't know either.
Now, if you hadn't realized it by now, I am cheap. Really cheap. So naturally I leapt at the chance to sample some free as-of-yet unnamed Doritos. (The naming process is part of the Doritos Guru contest that pays 25 grand and 1% of the future net sales of that flavor).
I remember back at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, I was sitting in a class and we were supposed to introduce ourselves to our fellow classmates and being the epic wit that I am, I stated that I had eaten so many bags of Cool Ranch chips over the summer that I met Jay Leno. That's how much I've enjoyed them over the years.
OK, it seemed witty at the time.
So naturally when offered free snack food, I grabbed it. I mean, it was the first swag I'd ever been offered (which means that no, I haven't been a paragon of blogging ethics and virtue over here, merely I had never been given the chance to take anything period).
Now here is the funny thing: they sent the chips and the media kit to me overnight by courier service. I don't know how much that cost, but I admire the effort.
If I was a little more full of myself, I'd say they went to all that effort because I am super important and influential. But I am not any of those things, so it seemed a little extravagant to me.
But in the end, perhaps it was worth it... after all, I did mention the contest they wanted me to talk about. So it is official. My price for talking about anything is now one dollar and 29 cents retail. But turning that much swag into a blog post having much more to do with me with just a small dash of the actual work that the swag was supposed to produce. That is priceless.
(Now I wonder when Mastercard is going to give me that buck 29.)
Well, another one of those times is here. I am sort of like Kathy Griffin that way.
You see, I finally got my first swag. So it basically took almost 2 and a half years for things to progress from press releases to someone actually wanting to send me something.
I have a feeling aside from some review copies, this may be the last time this happens, because this post is going to burn that bridge.
I made sure that the woman at the E-PR firm knew beforehand that I was all about disclosure. She said that was no problem.
I don't think she knew how much disclosure there was actually going to be. Truth be told, I probably didn't know either.
Now, if you hadn't realized it by now, I am cheap. Really cheap. So naturally I leapt at the chance to sample some free as-of-yet unnamed Doritos. (The naming process is part of the Doritos Guru contest that pays 25 grand and 1% of the future net sales of that flavor).
I remember back at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, I was sitting in a class and we were supposed to introduce ourselves to our fellow classmates and being the epic wit that I am, I stated that I had eaten so many bags of Cool Ranch chips over the summer that I met Jay Leno. That's how much I've enjoyed them over the years.
OK, it seemed witty at the time.
So naturally when offered free snack food, I grabbed it. I mean, it was the first swag I'd ever been offered (which means that no, I haven't been a paragon of blogging ethics and virtue over here, merely I had never been given the chance to take anything period).
Now here is the funny thing: they sent the chips and the media kit to me overnight by courier service. I don't know how much that cost, but I admire the effort.
If I was a little more full of myself, I'd say they went to all that effort because I am super important and influential. But I am not any of those things, so it seemed a little extravagant to me.
But in the end, perhaps it was worth it... after all, I did mention the contest they wanted me to talk about. So it is official. My price for talking about anything is now one dollar and 29 cents retail. But turning that much swag into a blog post having much more to do with me with just a small dash of the actual work that the swag was supposed to produce. That is priceless.
(Now I wonder when Mastercard is going to give me that buck 29.)
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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