This is a really touching advertisement called "Funeral" created by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. It really shows the importance of family, especially in times of sadness of a loved one lost...or I should say, the celebration, of a beautiful life once lived. This one really hits home.
I miss you dad...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Mow the Lawn
"It feels great to trim the hedges!" This is OBVIOUSLY a commercial about gardening ;). Too racy for my blog? hmmm, decisions decisions. Well, laugh and enjoy!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
public sector
Just a quick note, nothing inspires me more to get out and get a job in advertising than after working long weekends in the public sector...whew, 21 hours on my feet doing customer service at Gamestop? Ugh, it's time's like these where I know that's not what I want to do with my life. Nothing against those who do or enjoy it, because if it weren't for them, where would we shop? (and for that matter, what would I advertise for?) But, alas it's not for me. However, the discounts are nice. I know, i'm a nerd, ohwell.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Person from San Francisco
Google's range in services is riduculously amazing. For everyone with a site, or a blog, or anything online of your own, Google offers a service called Google Analytics. It gives you a short code to drop into the html of your page and is able to track data from people visiting it. It's really cool. Apparently someone from San Francisco visited my blog. This is in fact very interesting. Who could you be person from San Francisco? If you should visit me again, I'd love it if you sent me a comment or an email, as well as your thoughts on my thoughts thus far. This challenge goes out to you person. To quote Alice from Alice in Wonderland, "curiouser and curiouser." Every day I have the blog up, things become more exciting.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Thanks again, Seth.
So I'm new to the whole blog thing. Well, in a sense, I mean, like all my friends I had a LiveJournal account where I would bitch and moan about my teenage angst. Woe is me I know. But, I've evolved, and am trying to learn the in's and out's of this world. I never realized it's complexities until now. So I'm trying to find ways to drive traffic, and big surprise, I googled it (Man, I can only hope to advertise something so well it becomes a verb).
Well, ofcourse I ran into "Seth's Blog." I've been running into him a lot lately during this entire learning experience. For those of you who don't know, Seth Goodin is a world renowned author and a definitive leader in marketing. I've only recently discovered him and am learning quite a bit from his blogs. Well, upon searching, I found an article entitled "How to get traffic for your blog." It's full of ways to improve your blog and drive higher readership. So all you new bloggers out there, have a look and hopefully this helps.
How to get traffic for your blog
My friend Fred, a talented blogger, asked me for advice the other day. Here's a partial answer, with a few apologies to Swift: (and when you're done with this list, feel free to read my post about shark attacks).
1. Use lists.
2. Be topical... write posts that need to be read right now.
3. Learn enough to become the expert in your field.
4. Break news.
5. Be timeless... write posts that will be readable in a year.
6. Be among the first with a great blog on your topic, then encourage others to blog on the same topic.
7. Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.
8. Announce news.
9. Write short, pithy posts.
10. Encourage your readers to help you manipulate the technorati top blog list.
11. Don't write about your cat, your boyfriend or your kids.
12. Write long, definitive posts.
13. Write about your kids.
14. Be snarky. Write nearly libelous things about fellow bloggers, daring them to respond (with links back to you) on their blog.
15. Be sycophantic. Share linklove and expect some back.
16. Include polls, meters and other eye candy.
17. Tag your posts. Use del.ico.us.
18. Coin a term or two.
19. Do email interviews with the well-known.
20. Answer your email.
21. Use photos. Salacious ones are best.
22. Be anonymous.
23. Encourage your readers to digg your posts. (and to use furl and reddit). Do it with every post.
24. Post your photos on flickr.
25. Encourage your readers to subscribe by RSS.
26. Start at the beginning and take your readers through a months-long education.
27. Include comments so your blog becomes a virtual water cooler that feeds itself.
28. Assume that every day is the beginning, because you always have new readers.
29. Highlight your best posts on your Squidoo lens.
30. Point to useful but little-known resources.
31. Write about stuff that appeals to the majority of current blog readers--like gadgets and web 2.0.
32. Write about Google.
33. Have relevant ads that are even better than your content.
34. Don't include comments, people will cross post their responses.
35. Write posts that each include dozens of trackbacks to dozens of blog posts so that people will notice you.
36. Run no ads.
37. Keep tweaking your template to make it include every conceivable bell or whistle.
38. Write about blogging.
39. Digest the good ideas of other people, all day, every day.
40. Invent a whole new kind of art or interaction.
41. Post on weekdays, because there are more readers.
42. Write about a never-ending parade of different topics so you don't bore your readers.
43. Post on weekends, because there are fewer new posts.
44. Don't interrupt your writing with a lot of links.
45. Dress your blog (fonts and design) as well as you would dress yourself for a meeting with a stranger.
46. Edit yourself. Ruthlessly.
47. Don't promote yourself and your business or your books or your projects at the expense of the reader's attention.
48. Be patient.
49. Give credit to those that inspired, it makes your writing more useful.
50. Ping technorati. Or have someone smarter than me tell you how to do it automatically.
51. Write about only one thing, in ever-deepening detail, so you become definitive.
52. Write in English.
53. Better, write in Chinese.
54. Write about obscure stuff that appeals to an obsessed minority.
55. Don't be boring.
56. Write stuff that people want to read and share.
Well, ofcourse I ran into "Seth's Blog." I've been running into him a lot lately during this entire learning experience. For those of you who don't know, Seth Goodin is a world renowned author and a definitive leader in marketing. I've only recently discovered him and am learning quite a bit from his blogs. Well, upon searching, I found an article entitled "How to get traffic for your blog." It's full of ways to improve your blog and drive higher readership. So all you new bloggers out there, have a look and hopefully this helps.
How to get traffic for your blog
My friend Fred, a talented blogger, asked me for advice the other day. Here's a partial answer, with a few apologies to Swift: (and when you're done with this list, feel free to read my post about shark attacks).
1. Use lists.
2. Be topical... write posts that need to be read right now.
3. Learn enough to become the expert in your field.
4. Break news.
5. Be timeless... write posts that will be readable in a year.
6. Be among the first with a great blog on your topic, then encourage others to blog on the same topic.
7. Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.
8. Announce news.
9. Write short, pithy posts.
10. Encourage your readers to help you manipulate the technorati top blog list.
11. Don't write about your cat, your boyfriend or your kids.
12. Write long, definitive posts.
13. Write about your kids.
14. Be snarky. Write nearly libelous things about fellow bloggers, daring them to respond (with links back to you) on their blog.
15. Be sycophantic. Share linklove and expect some back.
16. Include polls, meters and other eye candy.
17. Tag your posts. Use del.ico.us.
18. Coin a term or two.
19. Do email interviews with the well-known.
20. Answer your email.
21. Use photos. Salacious ones are best.
22. Be anonymous.
23. Encourage your readers to digg your posts. (and to use furl and reddit). Do it with every post.
24. Post your photos on flickr.
25. Encourage your readers to subscribe by RSS.
26. Start at the beginning and take your readers through a months-long education.
27. Include comments so your blog becomes a virtual water cooler that feeds itself.
28. Assume that every day is the beginning, because you always have new readers.
29. Highlight your best posts on your Squidoo lens.
30. Point to useful but little-known resources.
31. Write about stuff that appeals to the majority of current blog readers--like gadgets and web 2.0.
32. Write about Google.
33. Have relevant ads that are even better than your content.
34. Don't include comments, people will cross post their responses.
35. Write posts that each include dozens of trackbacks to dozens of blog posts so that people will notice you.
36. Run no ads.
37. Keep tweaking your template to make it include every conceivable bell or whistle.
38. Write about blogging.
39. Digest the good ideas of other people, all day, every day.
40. Invent a whole new kind of art or interaction.
41. Post on weekdays, because there are more readers.
42. Write about a never-ending parade of different topics so you don't bore your readers.
43. Post on weekends, because there are fewer new posts.
44. Don't interrupt your writing with a lot of links.
45. Dress your blog (fonts and design) as well as you would dress yourself for a meeting with a stranger.
46. Edit yourself. Ruthlessly.
47. Don't promote yourself and your business or your books or your projects at the expense of the reader's attention.
48. Be patient.
49. Give credit to those that inspired, it makes your writing more useful.
50. Ping technorati. Or have someone smarter than me tell you how to do it automatically.
51. Write about only one thing, in ever-deepening detail, so you become definitive.
52. Write in English.
53. Better, write in Chinese.
54. Write about obscure stuff that appeals to an obsessed minority.
55. Don't be boring.
56. Write stuff that people want to read and share.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Sell Sell Sell!
Today in our case studies class, two alums came to speak to us in class. Again, the topic of branding ourselves came up. If you can't sell yourself, what makes companies think you can sell their product? It's time to look deep into yourself and find out what sets you apart from everyone else. So what if you're hard working, or creative, or even driven? So are the other hundred applicants. What really makes you tick? What is the strange unique force that drives you to be you? I know it's not easy, I'm still trying to figure out the answer. I know I'm not the greatest at self-inflection that's for sure. However, it is this discovery that will pay off in the end and help you get a job.
As it turns out, it's really inexpensive to find fun interesting ways to sell yourself. One website for cd covers and cases is 5inch.com. I also found an awesome site called Nexcard that lets you design your own business cards for relatively cheap. The style I want will be about $75 for 200 cards. I'm working on the design, but it's proving harder than I thought. Here's what I have so far:
As it turns out, it's really inexpensive to find fun interesting ways to sell yourself. One website for cd covers and cases is 5inch.com. I also found an awesome site called Nexcard that lets you design your own business cards for relatively cheap. The style I want will be about $75 for 200 cards. I'm working on the design, but it's proving harder than I thought. Here's what I have so far:
A glimmer of hope
Well, good news to be had. One of my friends flew out to Florida to interview at Zimmerman, and he was able to get the job. That means there's a glimmer of hope for the rest of us in this robust, beautiful economic crisis we're in right now. Ohwell, I still have some time to worry about it (not that 3 months is a lot.) However, the hope still remains. I'm fearful that we will become "the forgotten class." All the reports say the economy isn't going to turn up until 2010, that puts us 2009 graduates at a disadvantage. Everyone now seems to be looking for people with 5 years agency experience, and when 2010 rolls around, agencies may be looking to the newest college graduates. I don't want to become lost in the shuffle, so it is important to work hard and differentiate yourself. That's what I'm doing, and hopefully good things will come to fruition.
As for a happier post, I stumbled upon an article entitled "9 reasons Japanese interactive work is awesome."
I love the Japanese and the Japanese culture. It's so interesting and fun. From the colors to the cartoons to the people, it's a beautiful country throughout. One part in the article really got me thinking, and that was number 2, The work isn’t driven by TV advertising. In our culture, almost every advertising campaign is centered around what the commercial spot will be (if there is a budget for it). Of all the other mediums out there, why are we locked into this process? With emerging digital media and other interactive venues, I'm hoping to see major changes in the way advertisers communicate.
At the bottom are some examples of new Japanese interactive media executions, and the one that stood out most to me was the usage of QR, or quick response codes, with the Darktemptations Chocohunter Axe campaign. While QR has started to make its way to the states, not many phones yet support them. However, overseas, it's been around for over 7 years! There are so many things that you can do with it, it's amazing. I can't wait until it hits big here and more phones support it.
As for a happier post, I stumbled upon an article entitled "9 reasons Japanese interactive work is awesome."
I love the Japanese and the Japanese culture. It's so interesting and fun. From the colors to the cartoons to the people, it's a beautiful country throughout. One part in the article really got me thinking, and that was number 2, The work isn’t driven by TV advertising. In our culture, almost every advertising campaign is centered around what the commercial spot will be (if there is a budget for it). Of all the other mediums out there, why are we locked into this process? With emerging digital media and other interactive venues, I'm hoping to see major changes in the way advertisers communicate.
At the bottom are some examples of new Japanese interactive media executions, and the one that stood out most to me was the usage of QR, or quick response codes, with the Darktemptations Chocohunter Axe campaign. While QR has started to make its way to the states, not many phones yet support them. However, overseas, it's been around for over 7 years! There are so many things that you can do with it, it's amazing. I can't wait until it hits big here and more phones support it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
