Category Archives: current events

December 1, 2008 · 9:06 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Black Friday Uglies

Tblack-shopping-bago say I am not a shopper is an understatement. I loathe the act of shopping. Don’t get me wrong, it is not that I don’t like stuff, I just hate the act of obtaining it. All that hunting and gathering, clothes on clothes off thing. Wait, you guys don’t take your clothes on and off in Best Buy? Oh crap, no wonder young mothers are always covering their children’s eyes.

Enter Black Friday. This is the most inane thing to me. Out go the masses at ungodly hours to consume. Never have so many tried to save money by spending it. I don’t get this. I understand the bargain aspect, no one loves a bargain better than me (oh, except my mom – the queen of Loehmann’s). But what I cannot grasp is the concept of standing in rabid crowds to attain them.

This year Black Friday truly earned its name. In case you have been living under a rock for the past few days, a Walmart worker lost his life by being trampled to death by a crowd entering the store. (My condolences to the family of Mr. Damour) When I first heard this it did not quite register. The more the media covered this story the more horrible the reality became. This was close to home. And I don’t mean I am a Walmart worker, but this happened at one of my childhood malls. Tonight I heard a report that this man was 6’5″ and 270 lbs! Imagine how crazed this crowd had become to have knocked down and then run over a man of this size! How did no one see him and help him up? Was the desire to consume so primal, so egocentric that multiple people could actually trample another human being and not notice? I cannot fathom this.

When I hear things like this I wonder what future civilizations will think when they read about it. Will we be viewed as a barbaric culture with no self control? Will there be confusion as to why at a time when people are losing homes, jobs and net worth they would choose to flock in droves to consume? Oh wait, we don’t need a future generation’s perspective to see how insane this is. Do we? Please tell me we do not. 

What is the solution? Do we blame Walmart for not having crowd control systems thought out. Or are they the unfortunate victims here too? It was the (un)luck of the draw that it happened at a Walmart. Could have happened at any big box store or mall anywhere in the country. Should we blame the Nassau County Police for not seeing there was a major issue here. They were called to the scene for unruly behavior before the doors opened. Did they not see the potential danger? When does it stop?

Here is my suggestion for all the retailers out there who have fed the fire of this frenzy for so many years. You created this monster, now be responsible and learn how to tame it. I don’t suggest that retailers stop trying to get their take this time of year. Hey, some of my best friends are retailers. But I do propose that every outlet that invites these huge crowds take precautionary action and put systems in place to avoid repeating a disaster like this again. Operate under the assumption that there are way more potential victims out there than offenders. 

And protect them for G-d sake!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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November 19, 2008 · 12:14 am

Spam… A LOT

15spam600

Allen Brisson-Smith for The New York Times

Am I living in a time warp traveling at light speed back to my childhood? Could Spam actually be back on the top of the food charts? What next, Velveeta – the spam of cheeses? Vienna sausages?

Believe it or not, Spam made it to the cover of Saturday’s NYT business section. Andrew Martin wrote a comprehensive article about Spam sales in the down economy that gave me way more information than I ever cared to know about the grisly little cake of gelatinous gooey meat product. There were however some great factoids I have to share here:

1. They market Spam with the tagline “Crazy Tasty”. I LOVE that. I wonder how long they have used that.

2. Austin, MN advertises itself as Spamtown and has 13 restaurant with Spam on the menu. (Note to self: do not take Gary here, there will be no egg white omelettes, bagels with a schmeer or Earl Grey tea with honey) 

3. There is a Spam Museum where you can buy Spam ties (Rik, you need this account) as well as many other wonderful Spam gift items. The tagline is “Sure Beats an Art Museum”. I swear. I am crying from this. You should see me here in the command center, hysterical laughing. I am so easily amused. I MUST visit this place. Gary’s 50th was a trip to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Same guests, please pack your bags in September, my 50th is going to be in Austin, MN.

4. Because it is vacuum sealed, Spam can last for years. They say it is “like meat with a pause button”. Ew, I am sorry, that is just not right.

5. On a recent day 149,950 cans of Spam were made on the day shift. That’s a hell of a lot of Spam. Perhaps we should start watching Hormel’s stock.

Some other products with soaring sales are Velveeta (I read that after I wrote the first paragraph, I must be a trend forecaster), pancake mixes, boxed mac and cheese, instant potatoes, Jell-O and Kool-aid. Wait, did someone just open my mom’s pantry cabinet of 1968? Are canned string beans on this list too? Do they still make Fizzies? I friggin’ loved root beer Fizzies. Anyone? Fizzies? Was it just me?

So, what? We throw out all that we have learned about healthy eating and go back to high fat and preservative foods to save money? Hmmm… cyclical. What’s old is new again.

Spam is the new fois gras. Honestly, they look the same to me.

Since this post has made me nostalgic for my childhood days, I will leave you with one of my favorite Monty Python skits. Jeanne, this one’s for you babe. (email subscribers, click over the blog to watch this, it will make you laugh)

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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November 16, 2008 · 9:12 pm

Moms Say No Mo(trin) & International Baby Wearing Week

nomotrin

Oh boy, is someone’s marketing ass on the line first thing tomorrow AM! Or maybe not… read on.

It will surely be interesting to see how this one pans out once it hits mainstream media. Please don’t misconstrue this as a post showing my distaste for Motrin. This is more a fascinating case study to me than wishing any ill will to the brand. I have already heard the term ‘motrined’ used as a description for what happened.

For my non-Twittering readers, this will make your head spin around like Linda Blair and ask, ‘is there this huge underworld of information that I don’t know about going on behind my back?’

Um! Well yes, as a matter of fact there is. Wake up people.

If you are not a product manager or marketing/advertising/PR person then this is probably nothing you need to worry about. Unless of course all your friends are twittering behind your back which is unlikely but maybe you ought to sign up and check just in case.

I posted about Twitter during the election. For those who are tweeters, go get a cup of coffee while i give a quick primer here. Twitter is like instant messaging with the world where you ‘follow’ someone the same way you would ‘friend’ them on Facebook. You can also search topics and follow what others are saying about things that interest you. The most tweeted about things rise to the top of the topic trend. If you market a brand you should surely be monitoring Twitter, if not finding ways to use it constructively.  If you want more info go here. (I am pretty sure my mom just had to go lie down from this, sorry mom ; )

Now, on with the story. Once upon a time, Motrin created an ad with the intent to reach young moms.  This generation of moms is the most target marketed group in history. They are empowered. They use Twitter. They blog. They write reviews. They drive sales. They are honest, loyal consumers who love to share and hopefully their spirit of community will build brand loyalty.

Unless of course you create an ad that is perceived as condescending and insulting to them. Then they will basically cut your balls off. You can see the ad on marketingpilgrim.com. Andy Beal’s fantastic post gives a stunning overview from a marketing perspective with damage control suggestions.

Could there have been a mom on this account? Referring to a baby as a fashion accessory and saying things like ‘supposedly it’s a real bonding experience’ to wear them in a carrier could not come out of the mouth of a young mother.

Now, let me state that I don’t find this ad so horribly offensive as I find it horribly lame. (then again my youngest is 16 and he could carry me by now – great visual for those who know him).

Here’s the thing; if you are trying to market to young moms, how about a little research. You don’t even need traditional focus groups anymore, you can use the tools that were the demise of this campaign.

Seeing that within 24 hours there were 244,000 hits of outrage and commentary when I searched Google, 232 hits on Technorati, #motrinmoms and #motrin were the top trending topics on Twitter and there is already a Motrin Moms Facebook page, I would say that it would not have taken too much research to find out this ad would piss people off. Hey, this was the Joe the Plumber of the week.

I know this is getting long but bear with me. For I have just read a tweet from Jessica Smith of Jessica Knows informing us that is International Baby Wearing Week. (I kid you not). Could the Motrin team have known this and timed the ad? I am thinking not. If they did, wouldn’t they have jumped on this social media shitstorm in a heartbeat with some damage control? Although Mashable seems to think it was timed.

So, Mr./Ms. Motrin brand manager and your advertising team, shame on you for playing golf or going to the movies or whatever it was that you were doing on Sunday. Not so much for running the ad and thinking you were smart to time it with International Baby Wearing week, 20/20 hindsight is a beautiful thing. It is the non-reaction in realtime that is distressing. Did you (especially your agency) not have any alerts set for mentions of your brand? Especially if you were doing this timing thing. Isn’t this the job of an agency in 2008?  C’mon folks! I am sure at least the agency guys have iphones or crackberries buzzing away in their pockets all day long to make them feel connected.

Could it be that it wasn’t that the ball dropped on this, but they didn’t even know there was a ball? Good news is that these things tend to spread like wildfire and fade out just as soon as the next thing hits. It will be interesting to see if there are any long-term repercussions.

I don’t know about you but I have a headache from all this. I think I will go take a …

(quick update as of 9:30PM Sunday the Motrin site was just taken down, looks like someone woke up and is on the damage control. Can’t wait to see what the morning brings)

(11PM update (no I don’t sleep much) McNeil’s Consumer Healthcare VP of Marketing, Kathy Widmer sent this email to a mom blogger in response to her feedback on the Motrin site. Hope they get a more comprehensive response up on their site by the AM. And just a tip, if social media bites you in the butt, use it to make some lemonade).

11AM monday update: Mainstream media picks this up here 

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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November 15, 2008 · 11:41 pm

Cheerleaders are the New Terrorists

cheerleaders

I have known a rabid cheerleader or two in my day (you know who you are, I am sure I don’t have to single you out), so these news stories should not come as a shock to me. For some reason they have struck a nerve.

First, there is the story of Caitlin Davis who was thrown off the New England Patriots cheerleading squad after Deadspin uncovered that she had posted pictures on her Facebook page of herself drawing penises and swastikas on her passed out friend. Niiiiiice. Love the Facebook piece. Has no one gotten the fact that this is stupid yet? This is like the salvia smoking YouTube idiots.

Best part? In an interview she told the Sun Chronicle one of the motivating factors to becoming a Pats cheerleader was the thrill of doing community appearances:

“That’s what I did with my church youth group.” 

Um, right honey, we are all buying the cute little church group girl thing now!

Next Story, an El Paso, Texas cheerleading squad from Chapin Sapphire High baked up a lovely batch of cupcakes and brownies laced with rat poison and bleach as a gift for their rival schools’ cheerleaders.

Yum. And the thinking was what? If the other girls puked up the chocolate frosting the bleach would lift the stain out? How considerate.

Apparently these rival teams are known for ‘little pranks’ before games. Correct me if I am wrong here, but since when was POISONING a ‘little prank’.

Here is the scary part. The punishment for these psycho pom pom bee-otches was a 3 day suspension.

To quote FanIQ “Well that seems fair. If I poisoned someone’s food I’d get 15 to life for attempted murder while these girls get three days off of school. Just more proof that cheerleaders can get away with anything, well, as long as it doesn’t involve drawing swastikas on anyone’s face. But trying to kill someone else, that’s totally cool.”

The moral of this story? You never know what those cheerleaders are packin’ in their pom poms.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

 

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October 20, 2008 · 9:24 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Let the Daughters Speak Out

I first saw this video on PunditMom, a fellow blogger at 50-Something Moms blog. (I simply love her daily commentary).

Sorry email subscribers, you probably won’t be able to view this video without going online to the blog, but I urge you to do so. This is very powerful.

Hey, I love a good Sarah Palin Condom or an SNL sketch just like the rest of them, but my fear is that we have all gotten so caught up with Joe the Plumber, hockey moms, mavericks and you betcha’s that we are mired in the satire and don’t stop to really consider the ramifications. I had a friend say the other day that now is not the time to be a one-issue voter. That our country is in such turmoil we need to look outside our personal pet issues and vote for what is best for this country. Thankfully for me, both of those ideas go hand in hand.

If you have a daughter, this one will give you chills. If you are a women, it will make you feel proud of the generation that is speaking out in this piece. Hey, and if you are a (straight) guy, there is a good chance you can ‘get you some’ if you send this to your significant other. (sorry, even Time to Cry Tuesday needs a little levity).

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October 7, 2008 · 11:50 pm

‘That One’ is the new ‘Maverick’

It can’t be easy being a politician these days. The millisecond something comes out of your mouth it is all over the blogs and twitter. It becomes pop culture comedy before the next question is asked.

Seriously though, the lack of respect used in a comment like ‘That one’ had the crowds going wild. Here is the clip on YouTube. WSJ posted this at 10:57. (how did they type and proof so fast?) McCain campaign adviser Charlie Black said he didn’t believe McCain meant any disrespect and that Obama’s campaign was spinning the remark.

Uh, I think not. That was rude. No matter who you are voting for.

So much noise. And me? I am becoming a noise junky. How did I watch the debate? Having the miserable experience great pleasure of trying to bang out a job before the holiday tomorrow I was watching at my desk. Being a new Twitter junkie user I stumbled upon a website called ‘current’ that was hosting what they called a Hack-a-thon of the debate.

In short, they streamed the debate and opened up a tagged twitterstream were participants could have tweets visible across the screen.

Translation for those who don’t know what the hell I am talking about. There was a YouTube style screen and people were kind of instant messaging to a common place and their comments would come up on the bottom of the screen.

Ok, so maybe elbow deep in Photoshop layers on a project with a streaming debate including constant commentary may be a little over the top. Even for me. Did I mention that I kept taking screen shots of my fave comments too? Yes, I have a severe illness.

Here are my two faves:

In case you are reading this on a handheld and can’t see the pics, the first one says: Ironic-the Presidential debate is coming on right after “The Biggest Loser”

The second: Drinking on: change, hope, maverick, reform, economy, bailout, nuclear. did i miss any?

What this means is that they were at a debate party where they do shots whenever those words are mentioned. (one drunk crowd for sure). A milder version of this game was debate bingo. I did see a comment later on that said: One more maverick and I have Bingo.

Yes, the game has surely changed indeed.

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September 20, 2008 · 10:30 pm

Do one thing everyday that scares you

The title of this post is an Eleanor Roosevelt quote.

If you have ever received an email from me you know that I use this in my signature. Sometimes just waking up and answering the crap shoot of personal and professional phone calls of late is something that scares me enough, thanks.

What does all this have to do with my trip to Vegas for Blogworld and New Media Expo you ask? (Or not if you did not know I was here).

I turned 49 this week, twice the age of many at this conference, I might add. Not that age is something that concerns me all that much as I am certainly more current than many of my peers and plastic surgery is not one of my top 10 topics of conversation. Nonetheless, it is both exhausting and exciting to be in the midst of such a huge shift in communications and content delivery.

Back to the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas issue. Leaving the basement office is not something I do all that often. And Vegas has surely not ever been on the top of my destination lists.

But blogging has changed me. The way I think. The way I think that I want to move forward professionally. And personally. It is like I have been waiting my whole life for this medium. And here I am in a room full of like-minded thinkers. Pretty cool, right?

Being here in the midst of all the early-adopters with their buzzwords and depth of knowledge can be a bit intimidating. It is also extremely invigorating. And to be honest, as much as I thought I did not know about this, in the 5 months that I have been doing it I have learned an awful lot. I fall into the category of late-early-adopters, perfect for me as I am notorious for being 10 minutes late.

How I feel about blogging keeps spilling out of the mouths of all the speakers. It is about passion. It is about relationship and community building. It is about harnessing that enthusiasm and translating it into a business model.

To my peers who keep asking me what a blog is and why they need to read them or have their businesses consider them, here is my takeaway from day one:

1. whether you are paying attention or not, people are talking about your business or product out there, it would be wise to start listening.

2. I have always said that if you are an asshole in real life then you are an asshole in business.

3. This conference is confirming for me that if you are sincere in real life you can translate that into growing your business passionately and whole-heartedly by developing an honest relationship with your customers.

4. For those who are not interested in the business aspect of blogging, if you are passionate about something, it is a way to connect with others who are just as passionate as you are. And certainly if you like to laugh or be amused, then of course you are reading MY blog and others on my blogroll and that is enhancing your life ; )

Now really. What is so scary about that?!

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September 15, 2008 · 10:40 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday

This past weekend we had the good fortune of attending the Bar Mitzvah of the son of dear friends. These particular friends have been living in the theatre of the absurd for the past few months and it was a joy to be with them in celebration instead of misery. (well perhaps both, but that is not what this post is about.)

Their synagogue is one with a very different style of worship. As Reconstructionist Jews they are encouraged to bring a piece of who their family is into the service. This included select non- sectarian readings of the likes of Robert Frost and Langston Hughes. They flatteringly included the lyrics to Better Things from a Time to Cry Tuesday past as well as the lyrics to songs that were dear to them and the ideals of their family.

I am here to post about one such song. Their eldest son, who holds the connection between our two families as we met when he and my daughter were in elementary school together, performed a song that just near broke my heart. He has grown into a really cool young man, one whom I enjoy spending time with and am honored that the feeling is mutual.

The rabbi introduced the song with a preface about the current military situation that our country has found itself in. He spoke about mothers, spouses and children who have suffered losses that get lost in the propaganda and politicization of these wars. This beautiful 19-year-old boy I have known for most of his life, got up with his guitar and sang the Dispatch song, The General.

I sat in this holy space and listened with my whole heart to the words of a young man who was fortunate to be born into a generation that has not known the draft. But with his words and through his heartfelt performance I felt the pain and fear we all hold for the families of the soldiers who so bravely volunteered for the armed services of this country. And I gave thanks that, for now, my 16-year-old son (whose birthday is today making this all the more poignant for me) is safe from the fear of being drafted.

The chorus of this is written from the point of view of a General in battle. It says it all:

I have seen the others
and I have discovered
that this fight is not worth fighting
I have seen their mothers
and I will no other
to follow me where I’m going

Take a shower, shine your shoes
you got no time to lose
you are young men you must be living
go now you are forgiven

May those who defend this country come home safely and may this madness end!

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September 10, 2008 · 9:38 pm

Current Events from Hell

Animals wearing lipstick – pigs and pitbulls. And tonight on David Letterman some great quotes from Obama: “It is a common expression in Illinois. I don’t know what you put lipstick on here in NY.” and this fave: “If That’s What I’d Meant, Palin Would Be the Lipstick, ‘McCain’s Failed Policies’ the Pig.” Gotta love it.

Good ol’ Boys: Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n Roll and Big Oil in the Interior Department.

Hurricanes G, H and I. The sky is just falling.

Big Bang Experiment?!!! Holy crap this one just plain scares me. What if that little pesky gopher from Caddyshack shows up and botches the whole shaBANG?

Is Kim Jong-il alive? Ok, here is a great sound bite from this story. “According to professional Pyongyang watchers, the answer is … probably. Most of the experts believe he is ill, some think seriously, while a maverick few suggest that North Korea’s “Dear Leader” is just playing dead, to mess with our minds.”  You can read the full Guardian article here.

Lucy in the Skys with Salvia? Ok kids, this is your brain. This is your brain on salvia. This is the end of your friggin’ opportunity of ever having a career after you actually smoked this shit on camera and let your ‘friends’ put it on youtube!  Just to give you an idea how MANY of you were that stupid, tonight’s search yielded about 5,600 videos. You all new this was coming…

ARE YOU FRIGGIN’ KIDDING ME?!

Documentation will be the downfall of this generation (no Dave, I am not an old lady, just a keen social observer). Anybody miss the 60’s and 70’s yet? Ahh, a generation that could experiment and mess up to their heart’s content and never worry about being tagged in a photo.

Kind of an odd day in the news, no?

Hmmm… some would say this was a click whore’s move to tag this post with as many top news stories as possible in order to beef up her stats.

Who me? Don’t be silly!

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September 5, 2008 · 5:46 pm

Hair. 40 years later.

I will be shamelessly self-promoting my new photo blog, leaving the zip code, here from now on. You won’t be disappointed, I promise. Let’s see if some of you will take the ‘submit’ challenge.

Last night, thanks to Dr. Jimmy the quintessential NY connection man, I was fortunate to see a performance of Hair in Central Park. (I love that they call it “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”)

A truly magical New York moment. The weather was perfect, the crowd was thrilled to be there and the performers were spectacular. We appreciated it all the more as we had been rained out a few weeks ago. Kind of like getting a cool hair(re)do.

40 years later we are struggling with many of the same issues:

• A senseless war (thank goodness without a draft)

• Generational misunderstandings (if I read one more friggin’ blog post where parents complain about their teenagers I will scream. Get a grip out there for G-d sakes. You sound worse than you thought your parents did.)

• Dissatisfaction with ‘the man’ (whoever he/she is at the moment)

• Young people trying to find themselves. (baby boomers, hippies, punkers, gen x, y and z – no joke, they had to stop naming them because they hit the end of the alphabet. how about gen AA – like theatre seats)

Now here are some interesting observations that ran through my very noisy head during the show:

1. Hippies begat capitalists

2. Better yet, hippies BECAME capitalists!

3. Clothing: for young women – almost the same! Walk into Urban Outfitters, you can see my entire 9th grade wardrobe. Moms, fyi, if you wore it the first time around chances are you should leave it on the racks for your daughters. Go classic, much more becoming.

4. I am pretty sure I must have owned the soundtrack to this show because somehow I knew the words to almost every song, even the obscure ones! (…I met a boy named Frank Mills, on September the 12th right here, in front of the Waverly, but unfortunately, I lost his address…)

5. And last, but not least, I rekindled my undying love for the City of New York, where you can walk into Central Park on a Thursday night at the tail end of the summer and be reminded about how good it is to be alive. (ok, so maybe I drank the NY Cool-aid last night, give me a break. I had a hard week).

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