share well with strangers… August 14, 2007

I’m the kind of person who smiles at strangers and starts up conversations with them. I like people who hold doors, smile back, and make friendly conversation. But, there’s not enough of that. There’s not enough of community love. I’m not saying that we should all hold hands and sing Kumbaya–but just be warm, decent, helpful humans to one another. So when I first heard about Dutch Umbrella I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.

If you haven’t heard about Dutch Umbrella (new to Philadelphia)…then please check it out. It’s worth the look.
Here’s a brief overview:

Dutch Umbrella (duch um-brel’e)

1. A system for the free public use of umbrellas comprised of pick-up and drop-off locations within a defined urban area.

2. A community supported effort to encourage citywide sharing, enabling the convenience of any-time umbrellas.

Local stores, restaurants, and other businesses in Philadelphia can sign up to be a Dutch umbrella location. What do they get out of it other than good karma and PR? They get mobile advertising—by having their logo printed on umbrellas.

I’m all for the logos on the umbrellas because it’s putting advertising to good use. It’s supporting community togetherness and doing what advertising should do, build their brand through positive acts.

So the next time it rains, I might actually be smiling under my Dutch Umbrella, waiting to pass it along to the next person ducking for cover.

diet apple…really? August 10, 2007

I love apple. I love their products, software, commercials and even their stores. I thought I loved everything about them…until I saw this ad online. I was shocked when I read the line “You can’t be too thin” to promote the new iMac.

In this day and age–with women’s body images constantly in the spotlight, having a highly respected company say, “you can’t be too thin” is a bad move. This company has an intelligent and witty voice that has just been tainted by this line. They didn’t need to go there.

I understand–they’re making a pun about the computer. However, apple is an influential company that is too progressive to say something like that. I would expect that from a PC (ok I needed some levity within my rant).

I guess I may seem to be overreacting since I am so close to writing–specifically for advertising. I guess I just expected them not to go there. And maybe it’s the fact that they said “you can’t be to thin,” creating an unattainable goal.

Now I’m not going to convert to PC–I still love my Mac—I was just surprised. I expect more of you apple. Just don’t send another bruised headline my way (okay I needed another pun).

what college doens’t look like… August 4, 2007

It’s that time of year again…when home stores try to sell college kids unnecessary crap for their tiny dorm rooms. I know first hand what it’s like to walk into a big store and feel a strange urge to buy a desk lamp with a pencil holder and sharpener built-in, how about an extra closet (sure there’s room), maybe an illegal lava lamp to start a fire, a futon (for where? The ceiling?), maybe an iron with a steamer built in, how about a fancy vacuum (because the room is that big), maybe a massaging desk chair, a robot, maybe they’ve started to sell assistants, and dorm room maids..etc…etc…

And to top it all off, they show you sample dorm rooms with all of their stuff in it-extra large, oversized, unrealistic dorm rooms. Now, I understand they are trying to sell enough stuff to fill an entire dorm, let alone a room…fine—try to sell it all….but…..no need to show photos on the site and in the store of unrealistic sized dorms with cathedral windows and shiny, happy, singing people with guitars.

Maybe I’m angry at materialism…or maybe it’s my disappointment when people set up false expectations. Or maybe it’s my fear of seeing the annual Staples back to school commercial with the dad dancing around the store with a shopping cart (dagger to my heart when I was a kid eating a popsicle stick in front of the TV).

Breathe in…I’m done with my rant….

But in order to add something positive to this post…how about a helpful link to know what you really need: http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/college_dorm_room_necessities