Thursday, October 30, 2008

Rocks + Leafs + Pumpkins = Sustainability





Who thought advertising would involve writing U of O's green achievements on leafs and making pumpkins banners?

Monday, October 27, 2008

My Manifesto

We had to write our manifestos for class. It felt a lot like writing my bio for a social media application.

I watch. I listen. I’m a cultural filter, a spy, a thinker, a judger, a chart maker and a juggler. I am a writer.

Not a tag line machine or a poet, but a writer. I believe in the power of an idea to motivate and inspire.

I don’t’ want to sell things. I want to make things. I want to cut, paste and scribble. I want to live on a beach with white sand and make YouTube videos. I want this to work.

I find joy in the mundane. The perfect drinking fountain and the first dip out of the peanut butter jar make me happy. I know it’s not normal to be “normal.” I embrace the quirks that make life a story worth telling.

Friday, October 24, 2008

One week in 30 seconds, as told by Facebook

Facebook does a nice job of cataloging our life adventures for us. You'd be surprised how much can happen in a week.

My sink is jankey. It sprays when I don't want it to.

Is Jankey a word?

It’s hasn’t made it’s way into Webster’s, but it’s pretty active in my vocabulary, not to mention it has multiple entries on urbandictionary.com.

What does it take for a slang term to graduate to an official word? Language is relative, so if we all settle on the jankey’s meaning, can’t it count as a word?

Funny how language evolves.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Two insights from 15 minutes with Richard Ward

I stumbled into the last 15 minutes of 22 squared's Richard Ward presentation, and this is what I learned.

1. He can tell within two minutes of an interview if you're a keeper. Agencies are looking for passionate people, not linear people with a laundry list of accomplishments. Be intellectually curious.

2. Fix brands from the inside first. Putting lipstick on a pig doesn't fool anyone.

So what do you think of facial hair?

I asked Allen Hall Advertising to tell me what they thought about facial hair for my folklore paper about facial hair and male masculinity. This is what they said.

I didn't expect so many people to associated facial hair with Santa Clause.














Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Good Morning Richard Ward

Richard Ward of 22sqaured is visiting our concept and idea development class tomorrow. I tried to share my thoughts on creative process in five minutes; this is what I ended up with.

Watch it bigger on YouTube.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Rachel Hom is amazing


Rachel drew my face on a rock, now how about that?

Monday, October 13, 2008

Sometimes it's good to know what you're doing before you do it

I thought I was making a presentation about what I learned this summer, then I checked my email and discovered I was making a presentation about bringing finding inspiration in daily life.

Then I realized, I didn't learn a whole lot about inspiration this summer. However, I did learn a few other things that won't fit in the creativity presentation.

1. Be Brave- We are young and fearless. We need to use it. Don't be scared to share, ask questions and break molds. The only good thing that comes out of a mold is a bunt cake, and bunt cakes lead to childhood obesity.

2. It's a small world- Everyone knows everyone else. Don't burn bridges. Be nice to strangers, but don't take their candy.

3. We are digital- People are freaked out about digital stuff. What our professors don't realize is that we (young minds) ARE digital. We were born bilingual and need to use it to our advantage.
4. Be transparent- Do stuff then share it. Sharing grows and strengthens work. 5. Get a life- I'm still working on this one. But you need a life to do anything worth while. How can you write if you have nothing to talk about?

What I learned from this: Don't start working on things until you know exactly what you're supposed to be doing.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Why I’ll never be a good networker


1. I don’t like salad or sandwiches- Try making conversation about why you aren’t gulping down your free lunch or fake an allergy

2. I don’t follow football- It’s all a duck wants to talk about

3. I don’t have kids or a dog- People love to bond over the things they take care of

Saturday, October 11, 2008

3 Things I have in common with Scott Bedbury

1. He can’t sleep on airplanes
2. He hates the word advertising
3. He wants to change the world



Scott Bedbury, the man behind Nike and Starbucks branding took some time to chat with some J-school kids and reminded us why we are in advertising.

Admitting you’re an “ad” major is always difficult. Advertising has a dirty stigma, but it doesn’t have to be all Kiefer Kia princess commercials. According to Scott, a brand’s goal is to change public opinion and what some people don’t realize is that an “ad” can’t always do that. More often, it’s fixing the problems within a company, so it has something meaningful to sell. Scott says it’s about asking employees to close their eyes and imagine what the company would be like at its best, then finding a way to make it happen. You can’t put a bonnet on a dog and sell it as a hot a date.

Instead it’s about creating a brand that people want to be part of. For Starbuck, it was creating a “third” place for people escape. This included axing the butt hurting bar stools and introducing cushions.

We want to support companies we respect. That said, successful brands of the future will have to do more than make shiny toys, they will have to carry the torch for corporate responsibility.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Dear Mom,

Thank you for the Jr. Mullet cut and being my most loyal blog reader.

Sincerely,

Your only child

P.S. Isn't it funny how time changes our perspective on what is good and bad?

Everything I know about sleep



I've been sleeping off and on for 21 years. This is what it's taught me.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

I'm blogging for the SOJC


As if you couldn't get enough of my rants, I'm blogging for the J-School too.

I don't normally wear flowers in my hair, but somehow ended up with one behind my ear for the blogger photo shoot.

If you want a job, read my first post about the buzz behind "being interesting."

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Start thinking/dreaming/storming





Most people don't understand what I do all day at school; this is it. It's ok if it doesn't make sense to you.