TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008
BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE
by Amal Adi
The effects of Ike’s unfriendly visit are still noticeable. I look back at what was barely a month ago and remember feeling like I was in the midst of a movie. I see slow shots of the aftermath playing in front of me…long lines of weary families at the gas stations, surprisingly not complaining about the wait because sitting in their cars is the most AC they're going to feel all day. Cut to the debris-filthy streets, to the 100-year-old oak tree lying dead in someone's driveway with its roots torn mercilessly from the ground. It’s the part in the movie that brings tears to your eyes. I can hear the melancholy soundtrack.
As if coping with a Category 3 hurricane wasn’t eventful enough, Houstonians and this time the rest of America too, now have an economic meltdown to deal with. Here, it feels less like a movie and more like a chapter in a future American history book. Included in this chapter are the newspaper headlines that currently have us sweating bullets: Foreclosure crisis: The $4 Billion Fix, 600,000 Jobs Lost - and Counting, Wall Street Sings Bailout Blues.
So, I reflect upon the past month, contemplate the current situation, wonder about what’s to come and can’t help but worry. But then, I look again.
I recall the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and see something different…neighbors chitchatting, sharing their stories outside in the front yard because well, there's no TV to watch. I see, for the first time, my neighbor kick a soccer ball around with his son. I’ve never witnessed more people walking, biking and enjoying the beautiful weather in my neighborhood before. It’s a scene that brings a smile to your face.
If a natural disaster can result in some unconventional goodness, surely a monetary one can too. Seems like wishful thinking now, but this holiday season may not be so doomed. A co-worker of mine who usually spends the last three months of the year “researching the perfect gift” is discouraged with her tighter budget. She joked about making her gifts this year, one idea being a customized photo book. I don’t know about the gift’s recipient, but to me that does sound like the perfect gift. Maybe this year more gifts will be forcefully thoughtful and unusually creative.
It’s often said that desperation is a catalyst for improvement, that difficult times lead to better days. It can only go up from here, right? Sure. But you can also try seeing what good is already there to begin with. It might take a squint or two.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008
POKER IS NOT A SPORT.
by Kyle Jones
Seriously, it’s not. And it doesn’t belong on my sports t.v. If I wanted to watch a buncha yay-hoos in bad shirts try to out-wit at each other, I’d flip on The View.
On a good day, Poker might be considered a diversion, or a game – maybe even a competition; but a sport? Not a chance. Let’s see what our good friends in the Words Dept. have to say.
Merriam-Webster
SPORT - (1): physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2): a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in.
Dictionary.com
SPORT - 1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.
Hmm…I’m seeing words like, “physical” and “athletic”. Last I heard, curling vodka tonics wasn’t included in the regiment at Gold’s Gym. And I doubt if they ever refer to their nicotine huffing of packs and cigarettes as sets and reps.
I already have enough problems with NASCAR and billiards claiming sports status, but poker doesn’t even come close. Sure, gambling has its place in sports, but not as a sport itself.
Is ESPN really that desperate for programming? There must be dozens of more exciting and more relevant alternatives. How about lacrosse, gymnastics, cycling, sumo wrestling, handball or even that silly little most-popular-game-in-the-world – soccer? Better yet, volleyball. Think about how many guys would huddle around the t.v. and check out bikini-clad Brazilians get all sweaty and roll around in the sand. Plus, there’s indoor college women’s volleyball. Think about it, 6-foot tall co-eds squeezed into shorts from the children’s department - yeow! Is it sexist? You bet. Is it a sport? Big time. Would it work? I can hear the sponsors calling now.
Simply put, I want my sports programmers to stick to what they do best – sports. Poker may be a real gas to play, but that does not make it entertainment, at least not on a so-called sports network. Sure, Texas Hold’em can be a fun night with my buddies, but I’d rather watch the Houston Texans hold ‘em on fourth and goal.
I’m out,
Kyle
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008
YOU DA MAN!
by Mike Albrecht
Silence seems to be the golden rule for golf fans worldwide. I have always thought it interesting that certain sports can command raving fans to muzzle their enthusiasm so the great ones can concentrate. Who decided that golf galleries can’t be peanut galleries?
Picture this. The league’s best reliever is on the mound with a full count on the clean-up hitter. The bases are loaded, the score is tied in the bottom of the last frame, and the announcer reprimands the fans and calls for silence. I mean after all, the great one needs to concentrate. Heaven forbid the crowd show enthusiasm or contempt, as they try to add energy to the situation. Obviously, this wouldn’t happen. Baseball is a real sport. Like football, hockey, and basketball. Scream your head off. And watch those pros deal with it.
Tennis pros, bowlers, and golfers would all be better off if the fans were allowed to cat-call during their games. Yelling “Slice!” during Tiger’s back swing would add another dimension to the game of golf. In fact, it would make the game real and add the crowd to the list of distractions that make a real athlete concentrate. I mean, seriously, tell Andy Pettitte not to pitch until the guy in the third row puts down his camera. The clicking noise might distract his form.
These golfers travel around the country playing a leisurely game, with no teammates to hassle them. They are treated like royalty at the doors of some of the finest country clubs in the world, and get to enjoy star status at every turn. Shoot, they don’t even have to carry their own equipment. And on top of all that, they insist on quiet for each shot.
They have fashion stylists telling them what to wear, advisors telling them how to swing, cohorts handing them the right tools, and even a private room to add up their scores in silence. It’s no wonder that the game of pro golf has the highest usage of sports psychologists than any other sport. I say, no more. Make noise. Make golf a real sport. And make golfers rake their own sand for goodness sake. “Hey golfer golfer. Swiing!!”
MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2008
PENNY LAME?
by Dallas Baker
The buzz in the news lately is that the government is considering discontinuing the penny, because it costs more to issue them than they’re worth. But let’s not act too quickly.
I’m no coin collector. I’m an advertising guy. For as long as I’ve been alive, things sold on TV have cost $19.99. Ron Popeil, founder of Ronco and inventor of that company’s greatest contribution to our society, Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman must really be sweating this out. When he asks, “now how much would you pay?!” he wants the answer to be under $20, even if it’s only one cent under $20.
And what about 99¢ Only stores? Do they simply round up now? Isn’t their value proposition based on things costing less than a dollar? I suspect a more than 4% price drop on every item might hurt too much, were they to test the marketability of “95¢ Only” stores.
I’m sure we could start a kind of electronic “take-a-penny-leave-a-penny” program with cards that collect our change in credits everytime we bought a $1.29 pack of Twinkies, until a viable denomination is reached. But I’ve never once used the old fashioned ones at convenience stores. And, it seems like it’s the first step down that slippery slope of removing all currency from society, which we’ve all been told is a sign the world is ending. Not even Ron Popeil wants that.
Truth is, the penny might have gone away long ago if not for advertisers’ gimmicks of making people think they’re paying less than they really are. In other words, because of advertising, that penny can really be worth as much as a dollar in the minds of consumers. That’s saying a lot, because the dollar isn’t even worth a dollar in the minds of consumers anymore.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2008
EQUAL PARTS ART AND SCIENCE
by Dallas Baker
Creative people may cringe when I say this, but I’ve always thought of advertising as equal parts art and science. I think creative types sometimes get so caught up in their desire to be artists that they miss the mark in the strategy department or in the overall organization of a campaign. The opposite is also true. If too much focus is placed on merely meeting a communications or strategic goal, with not enough style and artistry to distinguish the brand, we end up with something we’re all just not very proud of.
I think about the lasting impression creative work leaves on a community every time I drive by that high-rise condo tower at 59 and 610 that looks like a grain silo or an elevator shaft. The ideas behind that thing were all good. They were just poorly executed.
The original concept was to build four identical towers—back-to-back and facing outward—which would hide the nearly windowless concrete sides of the building. When people saw how ugly building #1 was, though, buildings 2-4 didn’t stand a chance of being built. And now, it’s something we’ll have to live with for a long time.
Advertising, though not as permanent as architecture, deserves at least as much consideration for the statement it makes about our culture. Done well, advertising can set the foundation for a brand that will stand for decades. It can even become art, in and of itself. Brands like Nike, Apple, FedEx and Porsche owe their brand equity and their longevity as leaders in their respective markets to well conceived advertising and the guts it takes to do something truly original, yet strategically sound. The flipside could be viewed as the dot-com ads from several years ago, where hamsters were shot through walls, cats were herded and other silly scenarios were used to sell products and services we can’t quite remember today. They made a splash, but failed to capture the lasting attention of people or to build the momentum it takes to truly brand a product.
Art and science. Not cool for the sake of cool, nor informational at the expense of adventurous. It’s a fine line. The question for business is, do you trust your agency to help you draw that line and to be a true steward of your brand? Likewise, do you have enough confidence in them to allow them to push boundaries, knowing they have your best interests in mind?
If you don’t, you should. Or, they shouldn’t be your agency.
