318) Do Gooder 6:30 PM

(Screen shot from this morning.)

It may be a little hard to read, but the headline of the banner ad on the right is, "Change your morning for the good'er."

AS IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TROUBLE TEACHING KIDS PROPER GRAMMAR.

In all seriousness, grammatical errors, especially in published copy, have always been a source of annoyance. I went to a private school from K-8 where we spent hours reciting vowel charts and learning the nuances of Mae Carden's teachings. I'll be the first to admit it wasn't the average American education, but I left with the misguided belief that everyone respected the rules of grammar. Wrong.

The banner ad reminded me of an interesting post on OkCupid's OKTrends blog. Say what you will about online dating, but the site does a fantastic job gathering information from its users and making insightful correlations.

This particular post was about the best questions to ask on a first date, without actually asking the direct question. For example, the best way to determine if your date is religious (without directly asking) is to ask, "Do spelling and grammar mistakes annoy you?"

According to stats from user profiles, if your date answers 'no'—i.e. is okay with bad grammar and spelling—the odds of him or her being at least moderately religious is slightly better than 2:1. I won't go in to whether this is a matter of being more tolerant or less educated...

Along the same vein, last summer the blog analyzed the profile text of half a million user profiles, comparing religion and writing-level. For every one of the faith-based belief systems listed, the people who were the least serious wrote at the highest level.


(Click to view larger, I know it's tiny.)

317) Choose Your Own Ad 6:37 PM

When you watch something on Hulu, there are typically two types of ads that you see. 1) Ads that start playing automatically - you have no choice but to watch. 2) One brand will give the viewer two or three version options from which to choose. The idea is to allow the consumer to self-target by selecting the version that's most relevant (ex - Honda for moms, Honda for young adults, or Honda for the silver foxes).

Today I saw a third type of ad for the first time. I was presented with two ads from which to choose, each from a different brand. One was for Geico, the other for Red Lobster (wish I had grabbed a screen shot). I selected Red Lobster, because if I'm going to have to watch an ad, I'd at least like to drool over incredible, albeit completely inaccurate, food footage. (Side note - having worked with quick service seafood restaurant footage in the past, all I can think is, "Biscuit break! Butter dunk! Tilapia fork!" when I watch.) The above ad is just a representation - it's actually Lobster Fest right now, not Fresh Fish.

This choose-your-own-adventure ad approach is interesting. If you have to watch a commercial, it's nice to at the very least dictate which one you'll see. I don't know the details of Hulu media buys, but essentially someone paid for ad space, but the viewer may or may not end up seeing their spot. I wonder if this game of chance comes at a discounted rate.

316) Street Style 3:07 PM

(Image from PSFK.)

In 2005, Scott Schuman began carrying a digital camera with him around New York, taking pictures of people who caught his eye with their style. He posted them to his simple blog, sometimes with small blurbs.

Today, we see the influence of The Sartorialist on the fashion world. From the legions of street-style blogs started, to the wild popularity of sites like Lookbook.nu and Chictopia, consumer style has become just as celebrated as manicured fashion photography. The attainability, creative crowdsourcing of fashion ideas, and identification with others seen in these photos go a long way.

We even see brands getting in on the consumer-as-stylist approach. Recently launched Uniqlooks and Gap's 1969 Stream let consumers show off their own interpretations and use of brands' pieces.

Of course, this isn't all the Sartorialist's doing. It's a parallel off shoot (is that an oxymoron?) of the democratization of fashion as a whole. As PSFK succinctly puts it, "We can’t help but wonder if the democratization of fashion also involves the ‘Sartorialization’ of fashion retail photography?" That a blog of humble beginnings can now be used as a noun speaks to the power personal initiatives can have.

(A mediocre post after a long day at the office. Self-aware apologies.)

315) Are We All Pervs? 5:44 PM

Ah, the cryptic cell phone post. I wrote yesterday's blurb of an entry while standing in line for an open Absolut bar at the LES Film Festival after party. Hence, brevity.

I've been thinking about open platforms lately. That is, free public communication platforms that allow us to connect with people we don't necessarily know. We all have this innate desire to connect with others (survival tactic), as evidenced by the respective swells in popularity of chat rooms, and Chatroulette upon inception.

Originally, people thought, "Cool! I can meet and talk with someone I don't know." That may sound lame, but in its rosiest and purest form, the idea of getting to know a random someone who might live a totally different life in a different part of the country/world, who could be a potential friend or more than friend is pretty cool. The aspect of serendipity and chance lends some lofty sense of fate, while the exposure to someone outside our world broadens our views.

But inevitably, these open platforms quickly devolve into hubs for child predators, cybersex (does anyone use this term anymore? Sounds so old school), hook up arrangements, and flashes of penis. Which begs the question - are we all just perverts?

Of course, the quick answer is no. But for some reason, these open forums become overwhelmed by pervs, which taints the experience for everyone else. Seemingly, they are the one group that takes the most advantage of these platforms for their purposes.

Here's the challenge. How do we create an open communication platform that doesn't become a pervert's playground? Maybe perverts is too strong a word, but one that doesn't become renowned for its sexual utilization?


(A too funny example. You MUST read the rest of this here.)

314) Meet Up Meaning 7:20 PM

In this day and age - especially this twenty-something age - it can be a little tricky distinguishing a networking meeting with a more social get together. Especially initially.

Liking the latter.

(Yup, cell post.)

313) Copycat Campaign 6:51 PM

(From the Pass on Gas Initiative.)

Question: Do people think that because "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" was hailed in the ad world, and because Apple is such a powerhouse of a company, that using the same basic format - personifying technology in actual people - will lead to success? Are they hoping for some sort of halo effect of brand affinity? Like, hm, this looks like that Apple ad I like, so by association, I like this too.

The original campaign has been discontinued for awhile now, but it lives on through the copycats.

312) Verve and Vigor 8:34 PM

Today Pantone announced their 2011 Color of the Year. As you may recall, Turquoise, the cool color of escapism and vacation waters, took home the title last year.


(Image from Pantone.)

This year, it's Honeysuckle. I always thought Honeysuckle would be a warm honey-yellow color, but apparently it's this reddish pink hue.

However you feel about the color itself (don't like it), Pantone's reasoning for its selection is interesting:

"Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life."

So instead of using escapism to deal with all the bad in 2010, in 2011 we're ready to turn and face conflict and tough times head on. That a color can encapsulate and reflect a proposed cultural shift in attitude is just tops.