My family's Thanksgiving dinner tonight was a lovely gathering. As usual, the extended family in town came together at my aunt and uncle's house for a different every time yet still familiar traditional-ish holiday meal. My assigned contribution to the pot luck was hors d'oeuvres and among the items I brought were two kinds of deviled eggs I made: Buffalo Chicken and Kimchi Bacon. Both platters were devoured almost instantly with the (to my surprise) the kimchi bacon eggs being the favorite. Although the flavors were updated, deviled eggs are still a kind of old school party appetizer. I was excited that something I made was so enjoyed.
The other old school surprise of the evening was the hours the teen children spent completely absorbed by two games - not video games, board games - Trouble and Connect 4. It was so cool to watch the kids sitting around the table, their hands in motion while they laughed and talked. Not that this same description couldn't apply to video games but, still, it was nice to see a different side of the kids and watch them having fun, enjoying each others company the retro way.
However you spent the day today, I hope it was as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. And please share any stories you have of fun flashbacks to the past!
If you've seen my last three posts you might have noticed that I've been a little cranky this week. But this morning I woke up feeling a bit more chipper. It was lovely. And that set the mood for the day.
I had a hard time deciding what to make for for my assigned Thanksgiving appetizers and so I had to venture forth to the grocery store this afternoon, the busy day before the holiday. I hit five stores to gather all my ingredients and filled my car's tank in preparation for the driving I'll be doing tomorrow. And it was surprisingly smooth and easy. Plus, along the way, I saw a beautiful sunset.
This reminds me that it's worth setting an intention in the morning that the day will be swell. Because today was proof that it works.
If you use the term "marketing ploy" around me I will roll my eyes at you. Hard. And if I am reading it I might also suck my teeth. Allow me to explain.
Marketing is marketing. Lying is lying. There isn't some kind of marketing that tells you the truth and is just "marketing" and some other kind of marketing that deceives you and is a "marketing ploy."
Marketing is communication designed to get you to buy something, think about something, try something, feel something, do something, take some kind of action. Marketing that is designed to get you to spend money is not a trick. Businesses exist to make money. And there isn't some set level at which the people who run a business go, "OK, we're good. No need to let anybody know what we are selling anymore because we don't need to make more money." It is not an act of trying to fool you when a company says "Hey, you! These are the things we are selling and this is the price we are selling them for. Please come buy them."
If you have money, wealth, an income, possessions, a place to live, internet access to read this - any thing - marketing has been involved at some point. You might think you hate marketing but you don't. What you hate is cynicism, dishonesty and theft. Because marketing involves humans, and some humans are motivated by greed and fear, some marketing lies to you.
All holidays, national days of this, celebrations of that are made up. Thanksgiving is not sacred. Black Friday is not holy. Shop. Don't Shop. But no advertisement is making you do it. Why it is a surprise that the idea of "Black Friday" was made up in order to get you to spend more money is a mystery to me. If you choose to shop when you don't want to for fear of missing out on a bargain is kind of on you, don't you think? The stores are telling you what they will have on sale (or that they will have a sale) and here are the hours. Whether or not you go is your choice.
Do you call it a marketing ploy when your minister tells you that attending services weekly will help guide you towards entrance to the afterlife, when a charity fundraiser tells you that if you donate to their cause people or animals might not die or suffer or when a head hunter tells you that if you rewrite your resume and wear a new suit you'll increase your chances of landing the job? No, of course not. Yet all this is marketing for something offered as a solution to your problem that also happens to either directly or indirectly support that person's income.
As a marketer, I think using fear as motivation is sad. The best marketing reaches the interested target market and simply lets their audience know either for the first time, or as a reminder once forgotten, that the "seller" has something cool, awesome, well crafted, beautiful, useful... that solves a problem for the "buyer." As a marketer, I prefer to communicate the positives of what I have to offer rather than tell you about the negatives of a competitor or to try to make you afraid of what will happen if you don't buy. However it is framed, positive or negative, if in the course of communication marketers lie to you that is wrong and there are rules, regulations and laws designed to discourage and punish such behavior. But when marketers lie to you, it is not a special form of marketing, it is just lying.
What do you think about "marketing ploy?" I welcome discussion and passionate defenders. Jump in the comments to make the case.
*Note: I didn't address the question of more retail workers having to work on Thanksgiving Day or the difficulties of working Black Friday. That's a separate discussion. I despise the term "marketing ploy" year round but since I'm seeing it flying to describe Black Friday this week I'm using that as a frame for discussing it.
Several topics are making the rounds with my friends. Two are subject to thoughtful debate and the third is subject to no debate whatsoever. Everyone seems to agree except, erm me who is uncomfortable with what appears to be universally loved.
1. GoldieBlox vs The Beastie Boys.
There's a company from Oakland who made a video to promote the company's toys which aim to encourage girls' interest in engineering. And to help the company sell product, increase the interest in investors and make money. I like that their from Oakland. Others like the message they are sending to girls. Some folks think that they are building up girl-science-power by dissing girls who love pink and princesses (rather than just attacking a culture that can often present that as the only option for girls to love and embrace). Another subset of observers find that the toys aren't of great quality while GoldieBlox defenders argue that they are still in a beta or proof-of-concept stage and that quality and options will improve and increase as awareness and funding grows.
In the video this company made they used an old Beastie Boys song - "Girls" - and altered the admittedly sexist lyrics to be a call to girl-science-power arms. The video went viral and, if I understand the chain of events correctly, The Beastie Boys caught wind of it and sent a letter to GoldieBlox asking about their use of the band's music. GoldieBlox, fearing a potential copyright lawsuit from The Beastie Boys, asked a court to rule that their video constituted parody and fair use (Bearing in mind that I am not a lawyer, my understanding is this is different from how most of the internet is characterizing the legal action. In other words GoldieBlox is not suing The Beastie Boys). The Beastie Boys responded with an open letter (in which they accuse GoldieBlox of suing them which would explain why everyone believes they are being sued) to GoldieBlox saying basically WTF?
As a result I've seen people all over the internet getting whiplash going from GoldieBlox rocks to how dare they desecrate the wishes of the now-dead MCA expressed in his will not to have his music used in commercials.
2. Shopping on Thanksgiving
There's a meme spreading that seems to have picked up some momentum this year. With more and more stores opening on Thanksgiving day, some folks are protesting and pledging not to shop in stores that open on the holiday. Too much consumerism they say. Nobody needs to spend Thanksgiving to buy more stuff, especially at not the best prices. Plus retailers should pay workers a decent wage so they aren't so desperate for the extra pay. Why should people be forced to work/tempted to shop on a day meant to be spent with family giving thanks. How long this boycott lasts I'm not sure and which stores it applies to is similarly unclear. It's easy enough to pledge to promise to stay out of Walmart if you avoid it already but do you pass up Target only on Thursday? Friday, too? The month of December? Forever?
Others argue that many of those workers appreciate the opportunity to pick up an extra shift, especially if it pays overtime or a higher holiday rate. There are those who can't or don't want to spend the day with their family or they don't celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas for cultural, religious or political reasons. Some want the opportunity to stretch their thin dollars and save money. A few people just enjoy holiday shopping madness in a group and a crowd. Bottom line for this crowd is don't judge other people's choices.
3. Kanye West made a video for a song called "Bound 2." Opinion on this video is universal. It is bad. Bad to the point of unwatchable. I couldn't watch the whole thing and enjoyed various snarky deconstructions I read.
Today, Seth Rogan and James Franco released a parody version (that I suspect would easily hold up under any legal scrutiny) that, from what I've seen, is universally agreed to be The. Greatest. Thing. Ever. (or at least until tomorrow's greatest thing ever)
If you've somehow missed it, here, watch for yourself and decide:
Hilarious, right?
Apparently I am humor deficient because I don't find this funny at all. The original video was already a parody of itself. To the point that there is little left to make fun of. The intended humor in this seems to be 1. "ha-ha this video is so dumb!" Well, that was self-evident in the original. And, 2. "ha-ha, two dudes kissing and the one playing Kim is chubby and hairy!" The idea that I'm supposed to laugh at the idea of two men kissing and that the Seth Rogan body shaming is OK because he initiated and is in on the joke is what made me most uncomfortable. (The simulated motorcycle sex - is just silly and laughable no matter who's play acting). Also, watching James Franco earnestly lip-syncing the N-word was cringe-worthy (not that it's particularly funny coming out of Kanye's mouth).
Consider this: what if the parody video was renowned hottie, Idris Elba in the role of James Franco and current wearer of the People Magazine sexiest man alive crown, Adam Levine shirtless in Seth Rogan's role, more eagerly kissing Idris than Kim did her real-life fiance and father of her child, Kanye? If those two men don't float your boat then substitute two talented men you find sexy and attractive cooing to each other, making out and implying they are having sex. While pretending to ride a motorcycle, singing, interjecting "uh-huh, honey" against a stock photo back drop of mountains. Would the humor of the terrible outweigh the potentially very real heat generated by strong, committed acting? How about a thin, conventionally attractive woman playing the Kim role? What if it were two women? I could go on...
You could make an argument that the alternate castings I proposed would no longer be parody. Then it would be creating a new piece of art that would provoke thought and encourage a new appreciation. Sort of like the emo covers of Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time." And you'd likely convince me. I would love for readers who think I'm over thinking and being overly PC to enlighten me. I am very open to being wrong on this one. All I know is that after seeing it linked by half a dozen friends this morning I was prepared to laugh and was sad when I didn't. Help me see the light!
I find myself exceptionally cranky today. There is nothing that compels me to write about it. The TV shows I watch seem tedious in their repetition tonight. {Very mild spoilers you could easily guess because you've seen them all before to follow for The Good Wife, The Walking Dead and Homeland, Scandal and Masters of Sex}...
In college I had an internship at a music publishing company. I remember around that time being very interested in becoming a director of music videos and used my theater and film classes to explore ideas of telling dramatic stories set to music.
Music videos, however entertaining and engaging they might be, are commercials. As a result, they are often boring, pedestrian and filled with cliches and overused tropes and imagery. However, despite their primary purpose of selling you on a recording, they can be exciting, engaging and fun.
Lately there's been a mini-boom in music video creativity that I'm really loving. My interest in directing music videos waned but as a viewer I very much appreciate the talent the has gone into a few high-profile videos of late.
1. Bob Dylan:
A clip from D.A. Pennebaker's 1967 documentary, Dont Look Back, served as an innovative music video for Dylan's, "Subterranean Homesick Blues." The approach of flipping through the lyrics written out on cards has been copied in countless modern music videos.
Well Dylan is back with a fun interactive video for "Like A Rolling Stone." While watching you can flip through different channels showing different TV shows (some real, some parody) where the hosts and participants lip sync to the song while in the character of the show. For example, Drew Carey hosting The Price is Right or The Property Brothers on a buy and remodel challenge. And if that gets you excited for more Dylan as designed Wired lets us know that you can purchase, "The Complete Album Collection Volume 1, a new 47(!)-CD box set that arrives juuuust in time for the holidays. If giant boxes of compact discs aren’t your thing, the collection is 'also available as a limited-edition harmonica-shaped USB stick containing all the music, in both MP3 and FLAC lossless formats.' (Of course it’s harmonica-shaped.)"
2. Jay Z:
Having dabbled a bit in performance art, I'm fascinated by Jay Z's version of Marina Abramović's work (with permission) in his video for "Picasso Baby." Jay Z filmed for six hours at a New York City art gallery with numerous celebrities and art world luminaries appearing alongside him and the fans and curious onlookers who were lucky enough to gain entry to the show.
3. Pharrell Williams:
Pharrell teamed up with a directing duo that goes by the name We Are From L.A. to produce an interactive video with several celebrity cameos and lots of "regular people" dancing to his song "Happy" from the movie Despicable Me 2. The thing that makes this really different is that the video is 24 hours long. Given how infectious and fun the song is and how joyful the dancing in the video is, you could actually watch all 24 hours. However, there are controls that you can use to find and share specific points in the video so no all nighters are required. Plus there's a four minute version you can watch, as well.
What's your favorite creative music video? Have you ever bought a recording because of the music video?
I read a lot - books, articles and blog posts. Often this reading sparks ideas for things I want to either learn more about or where I might want to take action.
Today I read an article that I'm tucking away for consideration for my 2014 year-long project idea I wrote about yesterday.
Srinivas Rao wrote "How Writing 1000 Words a Day Changed My Life." He lays out the case for how writing to a specific word goal, regardless of what you write, can focus and improve your writing tremendously.
The idea of writing a certain amount every morning without judging the quality of the writing is not new. And having a daily word count is central to one of the other November daily writing challenges, NaNoWriMo which has a 50,000 word goal. However, Rao presented the concept in a way that clicked with me and his artcle will be going into Evernote for inspiration as I develop my 2014 challenge plan.
Denise's undying love for Evernote is the key reason why I started to use the service and continue to challenge myself to better learn how to navigate and use it. Her post today reminds me to continue and better use of tools will likely be part of the challenge next year.
LinkedIn asked a group of their key influencers to write about books that changed them. I discovered this series after reading Charlene Li's post about The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris. I listened to the audio version of The Four Hour Workweek several years ago and it did not inspire me. However, I know Charlene and admire her immensely. I met her during the early days of BlogHer and have watched as she has grown her company Altimiter ever since she told me about the name and idea at the second TechCrunch 50 conference. Reading about how Charlene found The Four Hour Workweek helpful and the role it played in her life gave me insight into how Ferris' book could be useful in a way I did not get from my listen. I'm adding a reading of this book onto my list.
Is there a book or article you've read that inspired you to take action or changed your life?
This NaBloPoMo thing has created a monster. A monster of potentially delusional ambition. I've long had a crazy desire to do a year-long project. I can't explain why this type of project appeals to me, especially when my multitude of interests means that sustaining a this kind of laser focus generally isn't my cup of tea.
Getting to my groove with daily posting this month has that little voice in the back of my head chattering. Then Denise pointed me to a blog post with tips and ideas for how to prepare for a 365 project in 2014. And now the wheels are turning.
Where do you want to go with your creativity? I think it’s important to pick one area to focus on. Is it art to hang on the walls you want to create every day? Or is it craft projects, photography, journaling, writing, or something else? It’s a good idea to pick something you already know, something you most likely are already doing and know you enjoy a whole lot! Don’t try a 365 project with something that is new to you, or that someone else suggests you should try. 365 days are a lot of days, so to keep it fun it should be something special that comes rather easy to you.
While this is excellent advice from iHannah I'm leaning towards using such a challenge as an opportunity to learn something new and reinvention. I've toyed around with the idea of doing a series of 30 day challenges and so what is taking shape in my mind's eye is doing 12 monthly challenges instead of one year-long daily challenge. This way I can indulge my desire to study and practice lots of different things and still challenge myself to complete a full year of practice.
After finishing this month of blogging I'm going to do a month of daily photos next month to keep the ball rolling. I'll also play around with this idea for 2014 and see what rules and parameters I come up with. I'll keep you posted!
Have you ever done a year-long or 365 challenge? How was it? What did you gain from the experience and what tips would you share?
There is debate about recent reductions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, and further proposed cuts. Politicians and activists, on both sides of the issue, often take what's know as The Food Stamp Challenge where they live for a week spending only the average SNAP benefit amount on their food.
I also have done this challenge in the past to help raise awareness for the efforts of the San Francisco food bank. Although I did not need any eye opening to support the efforts of food banks - they've always been at the top of my list of charitable organizations I give to - the experience nonetheless educated me a bit further to the challenges people who rely on SNAP benefits face.
Still, there are a whole host of challenges that I and the politicians, activists and celebrities who sacrifice a bit for a week will never truly know or experience. This brilliant post, "Why I Won't Do The Food Stamp Challenge" by Sharon Astyk at ScienceBlogs explains this well.
How well will you do in school or at work with a week of living on two slices of bread a day with peanut butter – all that is left of the food stamp budget? Or the days when it is bread with ketchup packets lifted from McDonalds on it? How will you do lying in your bed smelling food from other people’s use of the communal kitchen and crying because there’s nothing to eat? How will you feel when after three hours in the cold in line at the food pantry you come away with nothing, because there was only food for the first 200 people, and you were number 239? How will you feel when you have to choose between letting your kids go dirty to school and letting them go hungry?
One of the considerations Astyk points out is that among the many things we take for granted buying at the grocery store are feminine hygiene products and that you cannot purchase these products with food stamps.
I went to a Catholic high school. We had to take classes in Religion every semester. In one class where we covered social justice issues our teacher listed the items that went into the calculation for welfare benefits. Included was an allowance for two sanitary napkins for a woman per month. The majority of women would be unable to go to work for the duration of their monthly periods if they had to make do with only two sanitary napkins per month.
That statistic shocked me and that's how poverty, hunger and homelessness became primary issues where I focus my support and giving efforts. I encourage you to read Sharon Astyk's post and consider supporting your localfood bank with your money or your time and writing your representatives to urge them to not cut desperately needed SNAP benefits.
Have you ever done a Food Stamp Challenge? What did it teach you?
The facts about lung cancer are frightening. The misinformation about lung cancer is frustrating. Because of the stigma that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease” it’s the least funded of all the cancers (based on research dollars per death). I personally find the idea of judging people on their lifestyle before deciding whether or not finding a cure for their cancer or disease is worthy troubling. I've known enough people who've developed many different types of cancer and none of them deserved it. We do it too much with lung cancer. Smoking leads to lung cancer. So does pollution. In 8-year-old girls. So when we say Stand Up To Cancer and Fuck Cancer we better mean lung cancer, too. The attached “Facts About Lung Cancer” (pdf) provides valuable information about this brutal disease.
Here are some additional key facts:
Lung cancer is the 2nd leading cause of all deaths in the US.
Lung cancer accounts for 27% of all cancer deaths, more than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.
Lung cancer is kills more women than any other cancer – nearly 200 women each day. Most die within a year of diagnosis.
The 5-year survival rate of lung cancer is 15.9%. Breast cancer has advanced to 98.6% and prostate cancer to 99.2%.
My friend, Susan is raising awareness about Lung Cancer and for a campaign to help her dear friend, Valerie. I don't know Valerie but Susan has excellent taste in friends and she speaks incredibly highly of Valerie. Also, the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation has come across my radar several times recently, from different sources and they seem to be a terrific organization doing good work.
As we saw last week with the Bat Kid Make-A-Wish event, doing good can be incredibly moving and a lot of fun. The Purple Toes campaign to support Valerie is that kind of campaign. Make a $25 donation and you get cute purple polish for the perfect pedicure!
Here is a message from Susan about the Purple Toes campaign:
Help me raise money and awareness about the leading cancer killer by donating $25 (or more!) to the Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF). In return, we’ll send you a complimentary bottle of OPI’s Purple with a Purpose nail polish. Visit purpletoes.org to participate!
Finding a cure for Lung Cancer became a passion when just a few months ago, my dear friend Valerie Brosdal was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer. Many of you know Valerie, and for those of you who don’t, she’s an amazing person. Valerie has always lived a healthy life style so it came as a devastating shock to her, her husband Ralph, family and friends when she was diagnosed this past August.
The idea for the “Purple Toes Campaign – Smiles for Valerie” came from a simple gesture by Ralph for Valerie. At a pedicure soon after diagnosis, Ralph decided he would paint his toes in the same color as Valerie – purple (her favorite). He invited friends to do the same and with each picture submitted he would donate to ALCF. Women, men, kids, pets all got painted our toes purple. Ralph is creating a living Purple Toes Mural with all the pictures people submit: Check it out at Purple Toes Living Mural.
Have any questions? Feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to put you in touch with Susan directly.
Thanks for your help in supporting Valerie and finding a cure for lung cancer!
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