Schadenfreude

scha·den·freu·de   [shahd-n-froi-duh] –noun: satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

This word, of German descent, is basically why people watch YouTube videos- well certain videos involving EPIC falls, “eating shit”, or dressing like a clown and banging your head on a TV while rocking out to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”. We all love a good laugh at someone elses misfortune. Why else would videos like “Scarlet Takes a Tumble” have close to 12 million views?! It’s just too funny not to watch.




Just a few days ago my friend sent me this video. (click the word video to watch...wasn't able to embed). Needless to say, I was laughing so hard I thought my stomach was going to break. I couldn’t contain my laughter and kept watching it on repeat, over and over and over and over. And, it NEVER got old. Why on earth do people post these videos? They must know people just mock them endlessly. I then sent the video to my friends, who also couldn’t contain their laughter. It’s only 38 seconds, but 38 seconds of pure anticipation and laughter.

Twitter: Branding or Vanity?

When Twitter was first introduced, I was very confused. What’s the point of constant status updates? I understood the idea because Facebook has status updates, but a website completely devoted to status updates just didn’t make sense. I’ve always been an early adopter, and love trying new technology. However, I was very hesitant about Twitter.

Then one day last spring, I decided to give it a try. I made my account, and started to, um, “tweet"? Well, it’s been almost a year, and I have less than 30 tweets. I just don’t see the point to have people constantly know what I’m doing.

On the other hand, I think it’s a great way for brands and companies to reach their customers. For example, my friend last summer worked with a local pizza company to promote their products on twitter. He was their social media intern, and would make customers aware of discounts and different promotions. Another example of great twitter branding would be Sprinkles Cupcakes. A few times a week they post a secret tweet that gives you a secret phrase to whisper at any store for a free cupcake. Now who doesn’t love free cupcakes?! These two companies are utilizing Twitter in great ways and expanding their brands, and it makes sense. However, people who constantly tweet about their lives seems a little vain…if I’m interested in something about you, I’ll let you know.

Superbowl + Intertextuality

This past superbowl had OK ads, but there was one that stood out to me…not because I thought it was particularly good, but because it was laced with intertextuality.

Every year, Wieden+Kennedy out of Portland, OR, puts out an ad for Coca-Cola. The past few years they’ve done a great job with ads like “It’s Mine”, and “Happiness Factory”. With these ads generating great buzz in previous years, the bar was set pretty high for this year’s game.

Well, W+K definitely dropped the ball. They produced several ads for this year’s game, but the one that involved vertical intertextuality or, how connections between old and new cultural texts across multiple genres create meaning. W+K’s coke ad this year was directly modeled after “The Simpsons”. Had you not known who The Simpson’s are, you wouldn’t quite understand the ad. With that being said, to me, The Simpson’s are a completely tired concept and show. It’s been around for at least one hundred years- well okay that’s a little exaggerative, but still, way tooooo long.

I’m ashamed of you Wieden + Kennedy, you’ve done such great things in the past and your ad completely blew this year. Oh well, maybe next year.

Is Romance Dead?

Just the other day my roommate received a Facebook message from a guy she had met once or twice. He started the message off pretty standard, “hi, how are you?” etc. Then, he proceeded to ask her on a date. While this kind of thing isn’t at all shocking these days…it got me to thinking about romance- or lack there of in our digital world. Not only are majority of guys/girls asked out via texting, facebook etc, but also, people are increasingly ending relationships through a digital medium. Not okay.

Back in the day- well before computers and cell phones, so not too far back…people had to actually call someone to make a date. And if you go even further back, you would have to write letters, or happen to bump into them. Don’t get me wrong, technology is great, but I would have loved to live in the days where you wouldn’t receive a digital invitation for a date. Nowadays we seem to text more than we call people, and are constantly glued to our phones. And the worst part is, it’s almost awkward when someone you went on a date with actually does call you because we almost never talk on the phone these days.

Guys who might be reading this, girls love technology just as much as you do, but it might be nice to actually pick up a phone and ask a girl out instead of texting or Facebooking her…just a thought. Oh, and roses and chocolates are always welcome.

World Currencies

I think one of the best ways a country can show its creativity is with its currency. This past semester I was fortunate enough to travel across Europe, and with each country I visited (that was not on the euro) I was always anticipating what the currency would look like.

Hands down, the coolest currency I got to use was the Swiss Franc. The money was so intricately designed, and was adorned in bright, neon colors. While it looked like play money, it was just so beautiful to look at and use. On the down side, it didn’t feel real, and I would find myself spending a lot of it. Like most European countries, they had several different values for their coins- which I found to be annoying. Suddenly, my wallet would be so heavy and I would have ten dollars just in coins!

Sadly for the Euro, it was my least favorite currency. I don’t think the banks of Europe did a good job in designing their bills, and certainly did not have a good engineer on staff when they made the sizing. All the bills are different sizes making it difficult for wallets (but easier for visually impaired people). They also use coins way more than us American’s do- one reason I was happy to come home.

Ultimately I miss the days when all countries had different currencies. I know that the Euro unified Europe and made traveling between countries more fluid, but I miss the excitement of seeing what each currency looked like.

Guess I’ll have to venture to Asia where each country has its own currency.

When Is Technology Too Much?

If you ask the typical college student, or anyone for that matter, what technology they use on a daily basis you’ll probably get the following: cell phone, computer, iPod, TV, GPS etc. To me, these are all standard pieces of technology that advance our lives forward. However, with the new introduction of the iPad, and the previous release of the Amazon Kindle, I think technology is going a little too far.

Nothing quite satisfies me like opening a good book. The smell of the pages sets my nose on fire, and I can’t wait to turn each crisp, new page. So tell me, why would I want to settle into bed with a cup of warm tea, just to turn on a kindle or an iPad? While the idea of these devices sounds amazing, I think that some things like a good book need to stay the way they are.

With this world changing so fast, I think we could all benefit from taking a break from exposing ourselves to new technology, and keep and enjoy the old.

Quick Creativity

Like many advertising students, I have been completely wrapped up in applying for summer internships. I’ve worked in retail the past three summers, and while I love it (and enjoy my employee discount), I’ve decided to give shoes and handbags a rest, and think about my future. While I haven’t fully decided what part of the advertising industry I’d like to work in, I think that this summer is the perfect time to gain hands on experience in all fields.

With that being said, I looked to Leo Burnett- a top ad agency located in my hometown of Chicago. When I went on their website and began applying, I thought it was just going to be the standard, “submit your résumé and cover letter” deal. Well, it was, until the end when I had to complete an assessment. While this wasn’t the ideal time for me to answer questions, as I had class in about 15 minutes, I couldn’t save the application and complete it later- I had to think fast! The first question was very intimidating and required creative thought at its best. “Make up a culturally relevant word, define it, and use it in a sentence”. WHAT?! I couldn’t possibly be this creative. Well, out of nowhere like some divine intervention I started typing and came up with “socioadd”. A socioadd is someone who is addicted to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN. Okay, question one down, I think I nailed it…lets see what question two had in store. “What is your favorite place in the world, and name three things that no one would know about it”. On the surface this was easy- Paris! I’d just spent four months there, and knew I could write about it. However, to me, Paris seemed a tad generic. So, I reached in the back of my creative brain and said Interlaken, Switzerland. I then continued to write the following- something I think the HR people will get a good kick out of.

“My favorite place in the world is Interlaken, Switzerland. On the surface it is an outdoor lover's paradise. The picturesque Alps are the backdrop, but if you look a little closer you will find a tiny white house at the peak of the mountain where adventurous para-glider's take flight. You will also notice a beautiful old railroad track and station nestled deep in the Gruenwald hiking trails. Finally, you will be surprised to find that a Big Mac at McDonald's will cost you $12.”

Not bad, eh? So, I guess the point of this blog is to prove that creative thought is always useful, especially when applying for internships. I’m kind of happy I had to think on my feet for those questions, as it was good practice for my future in advertising.

Counting Body Weight in Stones

Just the other day I found myself flipping channels aimlessly, and stumbled across Oprah. I used to often watch Oprah in high school, but since coming to college, I’ve not had the time. Oprah’s guest of honor was Kirstie Alley- famous actress and weight-loss spokeswoman. After hearing her talk about her constant struggle with weight, and how she’s tried for years to keep the pounds off, they started discussing her new reality show.

Long story short, each morning with her assistants, Kirstie weighs herself. Being the comedian that she is, she never wants to know her weight, but instead wants to know how many “stones” she has to lose. She counts one stone as 14 pounds. After laughing and thinking she was hilarious, I started thinking how it was a great idea. Often times people who are trying to lose weight are overwhelmed by the number of pounds they want to lose, be it 20 or 200. I think we can all take some advice from Kirstie and count our weight in stones. Humans are mental people, and saying, “I need to lose 3 stones” versus, “I need to lose 42 pounds”, just sounds better and more do-able.