I keep seeing and hearing news stories about this "best job in the world." It's the campaign to boost tourism in Queensland...this video shows a news broadcast about it and what the total value of exposure has been...talk about an innovative and cheap (when looking at the grand scheme of what company's normal advertising budget is) way to reach the entire world. The 6-month salary for this is AU$150,000...that's comparable to a 4 week billboard in downtown Seattle with 100GRPs. Seriously...amazing.
VIDEO
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Consumers Say They Want Healthy, but Aren't Buying It
Article taken from Advertsing Age 6/20/09
Consumers Say They Want Healthy, but Aren't Buying It
Survey Finds Taste, Cost Prevail in Making Menu Choices
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- A note to food marketers: Consumers who say they want healthy options are unlikely to actually order off the healthy menu.
Many restaurants are bending over backwards to offer lower-calorie options including KFC, which launched a grilled-chicken platform this spring.
"There's definitely a dichotomy between what people say they want and what they actually do when it comes to healthy restaurant eating," Maria Caranfa, a registered dietitian and director at Mintel Menu Insights, said in a statement. "Over eight in 10 adults told us it's very or somewhat important to them to eat healthy, but when it comes to dining out, most people are really looking for taste, texture and experience."
According to Mintel, price was also a deterrent in selecting better-for-you meals. As cash-strapped consumers tighten their belts, they're choosing cheap and tasty comfort food.
Mintel found that only one in five consumers rank a food's health attributes as an important factor when choosing dinner. But 77% of them thought about "taste," and 44% considered "hunger satisfaction." And a particular problem for restaurants: While roughly 75% of those surveyed said they would like to see more healthy options, only 51% order from those selections.
Making the effort
With increasing scrutiny from media, nutritionists and consumer groups, many restaurants appear to be bending over backwards to offer lower-calorie options. Kentucky Fried Chicken launched a grilled-chicken platform this spring. This is the second go-round for the chicken chain, which previously offered rotisserie items but pulled them for lack of demand. Even the most successful healthy food introductions stop short of being truly transformational. McDonald's salad relaunch brought many women back to the category, and its chicken sandwiches have spurred growth, but the Big Mac is still the chain's marquee menu item.
There's also a perceived affordability hurdle with healthy food. Most consumers -- 54% in Mintel's survey -- think of healthier options as being more expensive. "When it comes to healthy menu items, the prices are often higher and less promoted," Ms. Caranfa said.
To be sure, standard fare still dwarfs healthier options. Mintel, which tracks restaurant menus to identify flavor, preparation, and food and pricing trends, found that through March, only 5% of new items carried a nutritional claim, while one in five new items was fried.
But don't discount another sea change as more markets adopt calorie labeling on menus. New York City now posts calorie information, California is following suit, and other regions are considering similar measures. After all, even though consumers may choose a fatty food anyway, Mintel found that over three quarters of American diners want "more transparency on food health."
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Please put out your cigarette butt.
Dad and I went to trusty old Target tonight to pick up a movie and as we walked out of the store, Dad noticed a cigarette butt someone had thrown into the top soil...it was starting a fire!! So of course we walked over and stomped it out and made sure it wasn't burning anymore, but seriously. If you're gonna smoke, I could care less. If you're going to throw your butt on the ground, albeit littering, at least stomp it out! I really start caring when it's things like fires that could potentially put everyone else in danger. THAT is not so cool.
So please, put out your cigarette butt...all the way.
Thank you.
So please, put out your cigarette butt...all the way.
Thank you.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pressure Washing...Advertising?
I stumbled upon a website called gomobile.com about a week ago and discovered pressure wash advertising. Now I had never heard of this before, nor could I find any real examples of this online. But what an amazing idea!!! All it costs is cutting a stencil of your message from metal, and then the time to apply it. What an innovative, CHEAP and ecofriendly way to get your message across or create some buzz.
I love guerrilla advertising.
I love guerrilla advertising.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Rat Whisperer
Two days ago I wrote of the best pasttime ever. That was totally true...until last night.
Best pasttime ever in Bellingham: The Horseshoe Cafe.
It's so great, I don't even know where to start.
First, the Shoe in a nutshell. It's on the corner of Railroad and Holly St. downtown, centrally next to all major bars and shops. This way, at night, when everything else is closed, it's the only place in the area for the drunks, night crawlers, or anyone else to go.
The place looks...well it's nothing fancy. It's called the Horseshoe for goodness sakes...oh, and the bar attached to it is called the Ranch Room. Neither are anything fancy, but they do the trick. The trick: greasy, i-can-feel-my-arteries-clogging food. Especially cheesy fries. They're comparable to the 2,100 calories a plate cheese fries appetizer from The Outback Steakhouse. 1 order with a side of ranch will put you out for a week, but oh are they so good! =)
Anyway, the Shoe is home to all the characters people would never think of. This night's Gold medal goes to:
The Rat Whisperer
That's right, the self-proclaimed Rat Whisperer. Now, how we came onto the topic of him talking to rats, I could not tell you. As some background information...he was a normal bellingham kid...tall, brown hair, glasses, flannel shirt, skinny jeans, All-Stars, just graduated from Western as an English major...
And he starts telling me that he has rats for pets...
Fair enough, I have known people with rats as pets before.
...and that rats are like the dogs of rodents; they are extremely smart and can be trained...
Fair enough, I can believe they're smart.
...and that he's a rat whisperer.
WHOAAAAAA HOLD UP! You're a what?? You talk to rats?
What do you say to that?? "Really? Me 2!" Honestly, I was taken aback. Oh it was great, beautiful even!
Now, whether he actually, seriously is a rat whisperer...i don't know. I left soon after cuz there was just too much to take in at the Shoe. But if I ever see him again, I will be sure to have a rat handy, cuz I really want to fully understand the concept.
Apparently the Shoe man is not the only rat whisperer, though...I just did a "rat whisperer" search in Google...quite a few results actually...have a look for yourself!
Best pasttime ever in Bellingham: The Horseshoe Cafe.
It's so great, I don't even know where to start.
First, the Shoe in a nutshell. It's on the corner of Railroad and Holly St. downtown, centrally next to all major bars and shops. This way, at night, when everything else is closed, it's the only place in the area for the drunks, night crawlers, or anyone else to go.
The place looks...well it's nothing fancy. It's called the Horseshoe for goodness sakes...oh, and the bar attached to it is called the Ranch Room. Neither are anything fancy, but they do the trick. The trick: greasy, i-can-feel-my-arteries-clogging food. Especially cheesy fries. They're comparable to the 2,100 calories a plate cheese fries appetizer from The Outback Steakhouse. 1 order with a side of ranch will put you out for a week, but oh are they so good! =)
Anyway, the Shoe is home to all the characters people would never think of. This night's Gold medal goes to:
The Rat Whisperer
That's right, the self-proclaimed Rat Whisperer. Now, how we came onto the topic of him talking to rats, I could not tell you. As some background information...he was a normal bellingham kid...tall, brown hair, glasses, flannel shirt, skinny jeans, All-Stars, just graduated from Western as an English major...
And he starts telling me that he has rats for pets...
Fair enough, I have known people with rats as pets before.
...and that rats are like the dogs of rodents; they are extremely smart and can be trained...
Fair enough, I can believe they're smart.
...and that he's a rat whisperer.
WHOAAAAAA HOLD UP! You're a what?? You talk to rats?
What do you say to that?? "Really? Me 2!" Honestly, I was taken aback. Oh it was great, beautiful even!
Now, whether he actually, seriously is a rat whisperer...i don't know. I left soon after cuz there was just too much to take in at the Shoe. But if I ever see him again, I will be sure to have a rat handy, cuz I really want to fully understand the concept.
Apparently the Shoe man is not the only rat whisperer, though...I just did a "rat whisperer" search in Google...quite a few results actually...have a look for yourself!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Best Past Time Ever
The best past time ever:
********DRUM ROLL PLEASE************
People watching.
I could sit and watch people all day long, every day. Not to judge, not to make comments, but just to watch. People are so....interesting.
Take the bus for example. Riding the bus can either be your worst nightmare or the most entertaining thing in the world. Every character out there is on the bus. I challenge you one day on your way home from work or simply when you have time to waste, ride the bus for 10 blocks. See how many characters you can find. Here's some to look for...
The one on phone, but thinks if they yells loud enough, the person on the other end of the line and across town could hear him without the phone.
The one sitting in the back of the bus rocking out to headphones so loud the bus driver can clearly identify the song.
The one reading the newspaper at full spread so to take up two seats with their arms.
The one who stayed up all night so finds it okay to sleep on the bus...and the person next to them. (Ever have a sleeper roll their head onto your shoulder when the bus goes over a bump? So awkward. Even more awkward if you have been the sleeper. LOL)
The one that sits next to you and insists on telling you their life story.
The hippie.
The one who gets on the bus and you can immediately tell is actually on something else.
The one everyone keeps staring at because they are so hot/attractive/pretty/handsome, etc. and they know it...they're just pretending to not notice.
The one that makes awkward noises. We don't know what it is, but it's not normal.
The one that can't find money or their bus pass to get onto the bus, delaying it another two minutes.
The kid that stares at you. It's innocent, yes, but they always stare.
The one that brings their entire Thanksgiving dinner on the bus, smelling up the entire vehicle and making you either want to vomit, or run over to their seat and ask for a bite.
The one the world revolves around.
The inappropriate talker.
The one you are forced to cuddle with during rush hour who probably smelled okay at the beginning of the day, but has definitely been for a run since.
And don't forget the actual bus driver that likes to talk too...they usually have interesting stories though. I once rode the bus in Sydney with a bus driver that had been doing it for so long, he gave historical tours as we drove around. He was hilarious!
Sitting outside in a busy area of the city is just as great and has even more personality. There's always the above listed...and then the mother trying to manage her children, those playing music on buckets to make a buck or two (It always amazes me how good it ends up sounding), people running around late for meetings, the business couple that meets for 10 min for lunch and then rushes back to work, the person that drops mustard on their shirt from eating at the hot dog stand, people tripping, girls turning guys' heads and guys turning girls' heads...and then tripping or running into a wall/pole, seeing people get chased by the police is always entertaining...but then everyone's ears perk up and wants to know what's happening...
oh...and tourists. I have been one many of times, so I know I have looked just as hilarious, but tourists. Pictures pictures pictures pictures. Hey look, a Seattle rock, picture! Hey look, a Seattle person, picture!
It all cracks me up.
Thank goodness I am so easily entertained.
********DRUM ROLL PLEASE************
People watching.
I could sit and watch people all day long, every day. Not to judge, not to make comments, but just to watch. People are so....interesting.
Take the bus for example. Riding the bus can either be your worst nightmare or the most entertaining thing in the world. Every character out there is on the bus. I challenge you one day on your way home from work or simply when you have time to waste, ride the bus for 10 blocks. See how many characters you can find. Here's some to look for...
The one on phone, but thinks if they yells loud enough, the person on the other end of the line and across town could hear him without the phone.
The one sitting in the back of the bus rocking out to headphones so loud the bus driver can clearly identify the song.
The one reading the newspaper at full spread so to take up two seats with their arms.
The one who stayed up all night so finds it okay to sleep on the bus...and the person next to them. (Ever have a sleeper roll their head onto your shoulder when the bus goes over a bump? So awkward. Even more awkward if you have been the sleeper. LOL)
The one that sits next to you and insists on telling you their life story.
The hippie.
The one who gets on the bus and you can immediately tell is actually on something else.
The one everyone keeps staring at because they are so hot/attractive/pretty/handsome, etc. and they know it...they're just pretending to not notice.
The one that makes awkward noises. We don't know what it is, but it's not normal.
The one that can't find money or their bus pass to get onto the bus, delaying it another two minutes.
The kid that stares at you. It's innocent, yes, but they always stare.
The one that brings their entire Thanksgiving dinner on the bus, smelling up the entire vehicle and making you either want to vomit, or run over to their seat and ask for a bite.
The one the world revolves around.
The inappropriate talker.
The one you are forced to cuddle with during rush hour who probably smelled okay at the beginning of the day, but has definitely been for a run since.
And don't forget the actual bus driver that likes to talk too...they usually have interesting stories though. I once rode the bus in Sydney with a bus driver that had been doing it for so long, he gave historical tours as we drove around. He was hilarious!
Sitting outside in a busy area of the city is just as great and has even more personality. There's always the above listed...and then the mother trying to manage her children, those playing music on buckets to make a buck or two (It always amazes me how good it ends up sounding), people running around late for meetings, the business couple that meets for 10 min for lunch and then rushes back to work, the person that drops mustard on their shirt from eating at the hot dog stand, people tripping, girls turning guys' heads and guys turning girls' heads...and then tripping or running into a wall/pole, seeing people get chased by the police is always entertaining...but then everyone's ears perk up and wants to know what's happening...
oh...and tourists. I have been one many of times, so I know I have looked just as hilarious, but tourists. Pictures pictures pictures pictures. Hey look, a Seattle rock, picture! Hey look, a Seattle person, picture!
It all cracks me up.
Thank goodness I am so easily entertained.
Wash Your Dog in a Vending Machine
I stumbled across this today on accident...it's a list of the world's 10 weirdest vending machines....including, but not limited to, a vending machine to wash your dog in and another to rent a Rolls Royce...oh, and don't forget the pot-dispenser.
Very interesting...a must read.
http://www.businesspundit.com/the-worlds-10-weirdest-vending-machines/
Very interesting...a must read.
http://www.businesspundit.com/the-worlds-10-weirdest-vending-machines/
Please Bury Your Bugs After you Kill Them. Thanks.
Direct mail is effective...if it doesn't look like the run of the mill insert.
This would definitely catch my attention.
This would definitely catch my attention.
Monday, June 8, 2009
International Advertising
Throughout my travels and research, I always find advertising from countries other than America to be interesting...
Turkey
"Turns birdie into man's best friend."
"If you pay a prostitute, you're financing human trade."
Luxembourg
Turkey
"Turns birdie into man's best friend."
"If you pay a prostitute, you're financing human trade."
Luxembourg
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
2009 Effie Awards
The 2009 Effie Award winners are right here!!!
http://www.effie.org/downloads/2009_winners_list.pdf
Some of my favorites....
Burger King
Canadian Club
McDonalds
Wii Fit-I love this one!
Oreo
(I couldn't find the proper video, so here's a link from the Effie site)
It's really cute!
http://www.effie.org/winners/showcase/2009/3286
Cars.com
This one is great...the winner
This one is just hilarious as well...but didn't win. It'e the David Abernathy commercial.
watch em. love em. obsess over em.
http://www.effie.org/downloads/2009_winners_list.pdf
Some of my favorites....
Burger King
Canadian Club
McDonalds
Wii Fit-I love this one!
Oreo
(I couldn't find the proper video, so here's a link from the Effie site)
It's really cute!
http://www.effie.org/winners/showcase/2009/3286
Cars.com
This one is great...the winner
This one is just hilarious as well...but didn't win. It'e the David Abernathy commercial.
watch em. love em. obsess over em.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
2009 Logo Trends
An interesting article on the newest logo trends in 2009.
http://www.logolounge.com/logotrends/
http://www.logolounge.com/logotrends/
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