Tuesday, November 22, 2011

It's polling season.

I love stats. So, here are some entirely made up stats - that might be true - for you to ponder:

Roughly half of the 1% agree with the 99%.

About a quarter of the 99% wish the rest of the 99% would go to hell and die.

60% of the 99% thinks everyone in the 99% needs to shower, put on a suit and just get a job already.

73 and one third percent of everyone has no idea what's going on or what the hell Europe has to do with it anyway.

And 93% still hate Dane Cook, but would inexplicably watch him do a stand up special if it's on Comedy Central cause, "there ain't shit on any of these other stations. Besides I'm only half paying attention because I'm dicking around on Facebook at the same time anyways. So shut up."

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The Marlboro Man seems a bit effeminate

No offense to Leo.

As a child the Marlboro man always seemed a bit off to me. Dainty if you will. Now this isn’t some sort of anti smoking tirade, there are far too many of those as far as I’m concerned. No this is more a commentary on social upbringing, on how a child defines the world around him.

Growing up, my mother smoked and my father did not. Some of my aunts smoked, and some of my mother’s friends smoked. They all smoked cigarettes. My father did not smoke, and he would yell at my mom if she lit up in the house. As a matter of fact the only time I remember seeing my father smoke, he was puffing on a cigar with a group of other men, and he explained to me that it was ok to smoke a cigar on very special occasions. I accepted this as fact true. And up to that point, anytime I’d seen a man smoke, it had been either a cigar or a pipe - so everything seemed right in the world.

But in grade school the world expands - it changes. You start going over to your friend’s houses and you meet their families, their world. It was at one of my friend’s houses that I saw his dad smoke a cigarette. This was a man’s man. A blue collar man. A construction worker. But there he was puffing on this thin little stick, something that was reserved for ladies with flowers in their hats. This was my first encounter with gender confusion. And I asked about it, in the car, with the whole family. “Why does your dad smoke cigarettes, only girls do that?” I can assure you my confusion only managed to confound them far more than me.

It’s not so much what you teach your kids, it’s how you live around them. My parents never taught me cigarettes are for women, I just picked it up from what I thought were social cues around me. The things a parent accidentally teaches their children are far more powerful than anything an advertiser can ever try to accomplish.

And that’s why the Marlboro Man never really qualified as a man.

I guess it’s also why after a few beers on the weekends that I act like a little bitch.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

If you don't want to be mistaken for a banker, don't dress like a banker.

There was an article yesterday in the Chicago Tribune about an influx of black youth from the South and West sides heading into Boys Town to party. Problem is they tend to get mistaken for the thugs who go there to cause problems. Naturally this brings up the thought 'if you don't want to be mistaken for a thug, don't dress like a thug.'

It's an old cliche and a problem often thrown around, why do we as a culture idolize criminals at the worst and athletes at the best? Obviously they're not roll models. But who is a roll model? I don't think anyone has been bragging about being a banker or working for a Wall St. firm the last couple years. (Not that we're anywhere close to a revolution, but if we were, the bankers tend to be the first to be killed off, unless of course there's royalty to be killed).

So, who should young people see as roll models and how should they dress? Keep in mind that most good roll models dress tragically lame. And youth will never go for that. At least not en masse.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Intel

Sorry, I know it's been a little advertising intense today. But I'm geeking out a little.

Intel has maybe the best campaign out there. Few brands go out of there way to show they 'get' their consumers.

Congrats to Venebles Bell (I know it's an old campaign, but they just released some new work)



Stupid never rests.

3 Tennessee freshmen football players were arrested yesterday for armed robbery. To be that stupid is one thing. To be that stupid in season is entirely different.

Maybe if a booster had them in the back pocket this never would have happened.

Victors and Spoils

Victorsandspoils.com

Pure evil genius.

But they're downfall might be what makes them successful. This is the only place where decent creatives might be willing to work for free because of their connection to Crispin Porter.

Their first project (creating their logo) had 1,118 entries. And after browsing them, quite a few were awesome. 5 people got paid. So 1,113 entries went unpaid (most designers entered more than once I imagine). One person got a measly $100. And the winner got $1,000 still probably less than they would have been paid in a regular gig.

So the question is, how long will people be willing to work like this? If you work on five projects and never see a dime, or very little money, will you work on a sixth? Especially against such stiff competition. Eventually, and I think soon, the numbers and quality will diminish.

I imagine there will always be ad school and design students who figure they're not getting paid anyways, but how long can you survive on student labor?

Good luck guys, but I have a hard time seeing how this can survive for the long - haul.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Looking for a new cult

I'm looking for a new cult leader to work with to hone my marketing skills.

I'd be happy to give references but the last group set their ocean side mansion on fire during the Perseids. There were no survivors. They're all on a spaceship to galaxy NGC 6494. I hear it's nice there. Mission was a total success.

I can build you a small but very loyal following. I'm willing to do this work on a pro-bono basis. I only ask that if you are planning a doomsday cult please find a more creative way to indicate the end of times. These mansions are not easy to come by. They are beautiful and deserve a little more respect than to be burnt to the ground.

Thank you.