Patrick Chewing

Let's talk about Snickers, (Mars). If you read this new AdAge article, Marketing: Mars Consolidates Brand Advertising Creative for 2010.

The most significant change under Mars' new plan is the return of the $30 million U.S. Snickers account to Omnicom Group's BBDO Worldwide from sibling TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York.

TBWA had handled Snickers' creative since 2006, and earned numerous creative awards for work under former top creative Gerry Graf. Its most recent iteration of the campaign, "Snickers Speak," was introduced under the office's new head creative, Mark Figliulo. The theme was a language dubbed "Snacklish," with outdoor executions telling customers to "Get a Degree in Snackomonics" and TV spots featuring rapper Master P and retired basketballer Patrick Ewing.

WHY on God's green earth would you change? The current ad campaign is phenomenal. And don't just believe me, here are some backups:

Let's All Just Agree the Snickers Ad Campaign Is the Best

It's a Snickers Ad By Any Other Name


Can't wait to see how this works out for Mars.

Here is a photo from my weekend in CS. More to come later on that trip.

Without Question

This is what I'd want my wedding dress to model after. Maybe in a more white. But whatever. Crystal Renn is fabulous. Google her.

We've Heard It All Before, And EVERYBODY Knows.

I guess...

I absolutely love this RAC mix of John Legend's Everybody Knows. If one artist consistently sings like he's singing because he loves music, like it's flowing from his heart, that artist is John Legend.





John Legend- Everybody Knows (RAC Mix)

I consider myself to be a decently confident person when it counts. Most of the time. Usually. I'm confident in the things that I know I'm good at-- confident almost to a fault. But in other areas in my life, I'm not always so sure about myself. It's something I'm trying to let go of. I think the need for Ego boosts, encouragement and reassurance can be healthy, not all the time, but sometimes. The expression of those things can be through actions and if it's important, words. It really reassures a human being of -'Hey, I do something that makes a difference'. Maybe you don't change the world, or save one, but maybe you make a difference for one person, two people--whatever. It's validation.


It's kin to that whole idea that if you simply acknowledge someone you pass in the hallway at work or on the streets, you could really make a day. It's the thing advertisers want to elicit through advertising-- that warm feeling that maybe the world isn't such a cold doomed place after all, and that you as the consumer have a position in it. The ideal feeling. It's the kind of feeling when you walk outside during Christmas time-- the warm smell, the cold air, people bundled up and with those they love.

Can you think back and remember moments of complete peace and bliss in your life? Because not having a job or a place to live or being angry with your current situation can best be healed in one of two ways: thinking about those wonderful times in the past or getting up and making new memories create that sentiment. I like both.

I slide off into advertisements I see lately. Hasbro and Mattel with ads about reconnecting with your family in tough financial times and playing games; having a Family Game Night and even food commercials that feature families spending more time together. What is it about situations like this that bring everyone back down to earth and simplicity? Especially in the past decade when money is ever important?

At Tech, we used to have game nights, they were some of the best nights. I remember specifically the Winter two years ago-- the time it snowed from Friday afternoon to Sunday night every weekend for like four weeks. Weekends stuck in the dorms, when we were forced to entertain ourselves with everything from video games, board games, to snowballs. We weren't happy to be stuck inside with no way to go anywhere, but we had FUN.



I've just remembered how last year, an external hard drive containing photos documenting all of these things, crashed. And the full fledged photographer in me sheds a serious tear. Someday I will have gathered the exorbitant amount of money needed to recover these files.

Anyway. I'm off to CS this weekend to enjoy the company of friends.
And in final news: This weekend is the Tech vs UT game... the daunting day approacheth...



He's ready, are you?

A Little Labor Day, before THE storm.

I Take For Granted That You Just Don't Care

Hello It's Me- Todd Rundgren

A fantastic song. But look how oddly this dude is dressed in this performance.



I was thinking about Newspaper supposedly being a dying medium. I prefer to think of it as an evolving one, much like the telephone or radio over time when T.V. took the throne. Radio. What started out as small as communication between ships grew into nightly entertainment for families all over to something we use as a soundtrack to our driving adventures. And now there is XM and even online adventures like AccuRadio (whether you consider it radio or not) they call themselves 'The Next Generation of Radio'.

Here's where I started wondering about Newspaper evolution. A quick Google search of this exact term brings tons of information and opinions to me.
John Katz, media critic, former EP of CBS Evening News;

"The newspaper needs to reinvent itself. . . . The object is not to replace, or put into a different format, but to gain a toehold in cyberspace and even absorb some of its values."

Why not give the complete experience to a reader, seeing as you have that ability. What's a scoop anymore when people are twittering events faster than anyone could report them. If a newspaper goes into Twitter, they should think of as a one on one communication tool, people may be seeing a tweet in mass, but they are all not sitting together looking at one screen. Don't just shoot off headlines, how typical! If I wanted that I'd keep your site up.

I went to a conference call when I was at the agency with this man: Peter Shankman and he talked about the best way to market yourself on twitter. Make it exciting, draw the follower in, give them a reason to click through your link and read the story. Your story.

Let me touch on another mistake I think has been made. Trusted news sources, selling out their entire being to have the latest updates for you on celebrity sightings and whereabouts! Quickest way to turn a lot of potential readers off and send them to a competitor. Leave that shit to whoremongers like Perez Hilton. Even I scroll through his site or link to some news he's posted once in a while. But that's his job!

Then I got to thinking, do newspapers pay people to be bloggers of news for them? I mean, of course they do. But do they do it in such a way that it might be considered seamless to the online readers' eyes? Is that considered ethical? Isn't half the appeal of bloggers and their opinion the fact that it is their opinion and not something they were paid generously to blog about?

It's a lot to think about, and I have barely scratched the surface. I may come back to this subject as I gather more information.

In other news, my favorite music branding blog Songs For Soap has not updated in almost 2 months! What the hell. It's an AdAge blog. Someone get on that. Hell I don't have a job, let me do it.

As for that, I've been out of school for 4 months now and still can't find a job. Not for lack of trying. I really really really wanted to work for the agency I interned at, but alas, that is not possible at this time or this economy.

Sometimes I feel like I have all of these plans and all of these things I want to do with my life, my future, but I can't begin to do them until I have some sort of job to get income going. So I'm just a girl dreaming about her future, stuck in her present. Now it's time for me to stop bitching and apply for more jobs.

Eyes Seal Shut in a Slumber

My absolute song of the moment :
New Drink for the Old Drunk- Crooked Fingers.

If you haven't heard it, get to listening.




I've always been better with print words. text. If I really sit down and think about something I want to write, it's fairly easy for me to write it well.

This is why I love advertising. Beauty and simplicity in words: I'm good with them. But then when I talk... it's harder. That's what a good ad does. It conveys a certain beauty through it simplicity. Don't try to con someone with a typical sell. You can't do it. The customer knows when you are lying. So use the truth and convey it in a way to draw the response that benefits the brand.

Find the simple story in the product and present it in an articulate, intelligent, and
persuasive way.
-Bill Bernbach, DDB

Simplicity is all. Simple logic, simple arguments, simple visual images. It you can’t
reduce your argument to a few crisp words and phrases, there’s something wrong with
your argument. There is nothing long-winded about ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.’
-Maurice Saatchi, Saatchi & Saatchi

I took this strengths quest thing for free from Texas Tech, and one of the big things was 'You should think about writing a novel'. Gross. But kind of a cool thought.

Shimmery Summery

For most people I know, Summer 2009 has ended. Some have started fall classes at various universities, and a select few are off to start their new jobs. Select few. One to be exact.

But real summer isn't over yet, it's still lovely outside, everyone should enjoy it!

Most recently, I finished my internship at the ad agency uptown. Overall I want to say it was a good experience... really just more of a necessary one. My internship was in account services, and in this position, I figured out that I loathe account services. Kudos to anyone that has the ability to handle a client with precision and grace, because I would kill the first stupid ass client that crossed me the wrong way. So it was a learning experience for me! When I first graduated I really was unsure of the direction I wanted to take in the industry. I knew I was creative, I knew I WANTED to be in creative but I really didn't think I had the skill necessary to dive right into it out of college. I should have been a graphic design major or at least minor. But you know! Have the degree now...

I digress. After being at the agency, I realized there are a multitude of different positions in creative, and not all of them require immediate expert level experience.

Whenever someone asks me where I want to end up in advertising, I tell them my interest in music branding and that I want to be an art buyer. But not until last night, when I submersed myself in everything advertising did I see just how much I want to be an art buyer. So now I have a pin pointed goal!

So, the job search continues...

I found an interesting article on AdAge today about women in creative. Creativity Knows No Gender, but Agency Creative Departments Sure Do :

Despite all that, women have succeeded in becoming creative directors in advertising agencies. And research has sifted out the traits they share: great creative talent, a competitive nature, resilience and an outgoing personality. They are politically astute, primarily focused on career and/or childless.

Well that puts a damper on things... I know I say I hate children, but I always think I might have some one day...

Ew. ha.

Let's talk about that game DJ Hero. It's like Guitar Hero right, only you use a turn table to scratch through mixes done by legendary DJs, I assume there is a free style mode too? Check it out here:

and a video:



My point about mentioning this?

B and C TOTALLY had this idea first! Over a year ago, they had this idea for a hip hop rap type version of guitar hero, only they wanted to call it Urban Legend. B says playing DJ Hero would make me a traitor. I want to look at it this way, really this game is more of a DJing game, and less of a rapping game. So they still have a chance! But let's face it, their idea of the game will be created eventually.


Lately, despite the job situation, I've been so... effervescent. Bubbling over with joy. I don't know why. You know, things in life really go much better when I am just able to let go and take everything a little less seriously. If i don't over analyze or jump to conclusions, things go my way. I am so much happier too. Just going with the flow for a little while. I am trying to continue thinking this way, every once in a while I lose it, but so far so good!

I leave you with a photo, OF THE ANGRIEST MAN IN THE WORLD!!!!