Swine Flu Anyone - April 30, 2009

In case you are trying to find a person infected with Swine Flu, I found a site that conveniently allows you to find areas of the world that have the densest population of sick people.
It's amazing to see how all the latest technologies out there quickly managed to help inform people about the Swine Flu. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Obama administration embraces these technologies to create a more official and structured protocol as to how to remain in contact with Americans about pressing issues.

World's Best Business Card? - April 21, 2009

I might be a little late to the punch on this, but I've been seeing this video pop-up in a few places. I'm not sure if it's a joke, or this guy is doing some sort of odd viral marketing for his business. Regardless, it's amazing that it took him 25 years to design a terrible looking business card.

10 Reasons Big Rigs Rock - April 15, 2009

Like many Americans, I too have spent countless hours driving the highways of our country. It's amazing to see how many truckers are out there. No matter where you go, eighteen-wheelers are always around. It's easy to dismiss them as creepy dudes with no lives, but I actually find them quite fascinating. There are about 15.5 million trucks operating in the U.S., and of this figure 1.9 million are tractor trailers, "big rigs". There are about 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S, and one in nine are independent, a majority of which are owner operators.

So, here's my personal list of the top ten reasons big rigs rock!

1. Your bed is never more than one step away from where you work
2. You get to see the country and get paid for it (average of 30 cents a mile)
3. Trucker stations have the best novelty gifts - french tickler anyone?
4. Air horn - need I say more
5. The potential to drive to Mexico with expensive cargo and sell it then retire
6. Ability to grow a gnarly beard and not hear your employer complain about it
7. Possibility of being featured on a Discovery TV show
8. Buying custom mud flaps with your initials on them
9. Spitting rocks onto annoying rich people driving extravagantly expensive cars
10. You'll be perfectly safe in pretty much any accident

Totally random interesting side note: In 1896 there were only four cars registered in all the United States. Two of them collided with each other in St. Louis.

On another truck related side note: The world’s most solitary tree is located at an oasis in the Tenere Desert in Central Africa. There’s not one other standing tree within 31 miles. In 1960, it was smashed into by a truck.

7 to Heaven - April 14, 2009

I'm currently taking an advanced advertising class at a local college to help sharpen up my ad-man skills. It's been an interesting class, and last night we had to do a down and dirty branding exercise.

The assignment: Name and package a new product that Red Bull is producing.

The what: Red Bull is coming out with a warm tea that makes you sleepy, sleepy, sleepy

Timeline: 15 minutes (WTF mate, that's not enough time, but alas it was)

In a semi-state of panic, our team was able to figure out the following.

- Red Bull's brand is all about instant gratification for the person who wants it now. So, how can we leverage that? We decided to take that same on-demand, instantaneous brand equity behind Red Bull and apply it to this warm tea.
- The name had to reflect what the Red Bull brand was all about, and at the same time give the consumer an indication about what the product was going to do for them
- The packaging needed to tap into the consumer's deep-seeded associations of things that remind them of sleep and getting ready for bed
- The target audience had to be sleep deprived, stressed-out, I want it now-type individuals. Sure they could be moms, but mostly we were shooting for the younger demographic
- The communication for this product would take place in urban areas where our primary targets most likely live

So what did we come up with?

The product name = 7 to Heaven

The packaging = A coffee cup style mug. The handle lifts up to crack the chemical pouch that instantly heats the tea.

Bad, Bad, Bad (Fake) Hair - April 7, 2009

I feel like balding has become more acceptable in today's society. Sure, there are still terrible hair-in-a-can infomercials that run on TV, but for the most part, men have given up on actually getting a full head of hair back. It's not about regrowing what you lost, it's about keeping what you have. Not a bad thing, but you have to make sure you catch it early enough before it's too late.

What happens if you do miss the boat? One day you wake up and look in the mirror and realize it's all gone? Besides having a rude awakening, most men roll with it. Some shave their head, some just kinda leave it as is, and some might try to style it as best as they can. Then, there's the very, very few who decide they need to get a toupee. They completely ignore how ridiculous they look, and they never look good, yet they decide to get one anyways.

Last week when I was on the BART, I came across this dude. Woahhhhhhh buddy! This is perhaps the worst of all attempts to dupe the world into thinking you actually still have hair. Notice the major discoloration between the top of his hair and the side of his hair. Completely different colors! Then there's the whole fact it's like 10x as long and 10x as poofy then hair should be! Did he really think he could get away with this? Incredible. Embrace the baldness dude! The crazy part was that he was actually trying to have a business conversation with a guy across from him, and I have no idea why anyone would trust a man who would dare go into public wearing a fake hair piece like this.

I hope I'm not being mean, but it's important to spread the word that toupees are not cool, nor will they ever be.