I'm currently studying for my exams next week. While I'm attempting to cram a couple months worth of information in my head, I'm listening to a handful of bands that all coincidentally have the names of animals. I'll link you to a YouTube video of them for you to check out while YOU procrastinate your studying!
CARIBOU
GRIZZLY BEAR
FLEET FOXES
And the newest addition to my animal list: BOWERBIRDS
You could say that these bands are my ANIMAL COLLECTIVE.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Milk: Now able to stick to ceilings
***This post is about ad. If you want to skip the long, poorly written intro, please skip ahead to colourful picture. Thank you.***
On my morning commute to school this morning, I sat down at the back of the bus on those double seaters that face each other. Sitting across from me was a red-haired gentleman listening to his iPod. Not a very interesting sight to say the least but please, let me finish. He was also bobbing his head. Still nothing? Fine. In his possession were drum sticks that he was waving wildly about. I gazed at him mesmerized by this spectacle. He raised his arm high up in the air and whipped it back down at the invisible snare drum in front of him. Right as the wood of the stick made contact with the skin of the perfectly transparent drum, he looked at me. Eye contact was made and the verdict was that I was the one who was inappropriately staring. I snapped my head to the back of the bus, trying to play it like I was never looking at him.
Looking straight back at me was an older fellow with long white hair and a beard to match in both appearance and length. His stare was friendly but intense. He was invading my soul. I smiled and slowly turned my head to the front of the bus.
The back of someone's head was right in my face. Ugh. I looked down. My feet and the dirty floor of the bus. Great.
This is when I looked up and saw this:
I always look at the various ads and poetry posted on the space right above the windows but this was the first time I've ever seen an ad placed directly on the ceiling of the bus. Way to take advantage of blank space! I don't know how many buses they have done this on and how much more it costs to do this but it is a great idea! It differentiates itself from all the other ads on the bus and it certainly catches your attention.
The bus is basically an advertisement on wheels. On the inside, there are ads on the wall and now on the ceilings for commuters to read during their ride. The sides and back of the bus are also available for rent for businesses to advertise on so other drivers and people walking on the street can see them. It's also not unheard of for people to put ads on TOP of a bus. Abbott Mead Vickers slapped on message on the top of a bus and drove though London's financial district. The message was from a business magazine called The Economist and said, "Hello to all our readers in high office". Another was "Look before you leap". Clever eh?
If people in creative keep finding new places to put ads in old place, the next time we step on a bus, we'll see a logo tattooed on the driver's forehead.
(I know, I know. I totally took the Abbott Mead Vickers example from Whipple. But hey, at least I'm reading the darned thing!)
On my morning commute to school this morning, I sat down at the back of the bus on those double seaters that face each other. Sitting across from me was a red-haired gentleman listening to his iPod. Not a very interesting sight to say the least but please, let me finish. He was also bobbing his head. Still nothing? Fine. In his possession were drum sticks that he was waving wildly about. I gazed at him mesmerized by this spectacle. He raised his arm high up in the air and whipped it back down at the invisible snare drum in front of him. Right as the wood of the stick made contact with the skin of the perfectly transparent drum, he looked at me. Eye contact was made and the verdict was that I was the one who was inappropriately staring. I snapped my head to the back of the bus, trying to play it like I was never looking at him.
Looking straight back at me was an older fellow with long white hair and a beard to match in both appearance and length. His stare was friendly but intense. He was invading my soul. I smiled and slowly turned my head to the front of the bus.
The back of someone's head was right in my face. Ugh. I looked down. My feet and the dirty floor of the bus. Great.
This is when I looked up and saw this:
I always look at the various ads and poetry posted on the space right above the windows but this was the first time I've ever seen an ad placed directly on the ceiling of the bus. Way to take advantage of blank space! I don't know how many buses they have done this on and how much more it costs to do this but it is a great idea! It differentiates itself from all the other ads on the bus and it certainly catches your attention.
The bus is basically an advertisement on wheels. On the inside, there are ads on the wall and now on the ceilings for commuters to read during their ride. The sides and back of the bus are also available for rent for businesses to advertise on so other drivers and people walking on the street can see them. It's also not unheard of for people to put ads on TOP of a bus. Abbott Mead Vickers slapped on message on the top of a bus and drove though London's financial district. The message was from a business magazine called The Economist and said, "Hello to all our readers in high office". Another was "Look before you leap". Clever eh?
If people in creative keep finding new places to put ads in old place, the next time we step on a bus, we'll see a logo tattooed on the driver's forehead.
(I know, I know. I totally took the Abbott Mead Vickers example from Whipple. But hey, at least I'm reading the darned thing!)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Twitta
I started using Twitter in the summer so I could tell my friends how bored at work I was. I went on a trip to Vancouver and posted links to pictures and updated friends and family of all the things I did there. Now I must tweet about relevant topics and not just narcissistic blabber. We'll see how this goes.
I don't think Twitter is THAT useful for non-professionals. I mean, you can let people know what you think is cool by linking them to something or update them on your daily doings but most people won't care. Twitter is more effective for organizations that have importnat information they need to get out to people who deal with them directly or indirectly.
Basically what I'm saying is, I'm a non-professional, my tweets won't blow minds or give deep insight. I don't have any substantial information you will benefit from but if you wanna hear about some oddities I see throughout the day or hear about some new music I like, check my Twitter page out and...
FOLLOW ME!
I don't think Twitter is THAT useful for non-professionals. I mean, you can let people know what you think is cool by linking them to something or update them on your daily doings but most people won't care. Twitter is more effective for organizations that have importnat information they need to get out to people who deal with them directly or indirectly.
Basically what I'm saying is, I'm a non-professional, my tweets won't blow minds or give deep insight. I don't have any substantial information you will benefit from but if you wanna hear about some oddities I see throughout the day or hear about some new music I like, check my Twitter page out and...
FOLLOW ME!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Friends n' Fashion
Hello all,
I'd like to move away from my ad/PR oriented topics (I think...) for a second and share some interesting blogs that I like to follow.
I don't know much about fashion at all. The extent of my fashionable knowledge is that you shouldn't wear white before Labour Day. Or is it after...
Two of my good friends have really interesting fashion-oriented blogs.
EXHIBIT 1:
PULL TEETH is Andrew.
He's probably the best and "hippest" dressed guy I know. He's very knowledgeable on things a la mode and knows how trends move. He also really likes lady Gaga. What I find fascinating about his blogs is that he'll get inspiration from an outfit from a magazine or whatever other source, and then actually create it in a DIY style:
I mean, inspiration from anywhere, even other centuries:
It's also cool to see what he can do with a bag of studs:
EXHIBIT 2:
KEEP YOUR GUNS AT HOME is Stefanie.
Her blog touches on a variety of subjects from fashion to music, to baby wigs and, of course, Lady Gaga. She is currently attending LaSalle College in Vancouver and doing something along the lines of fashion design (Sorry Steffy, correct me if I'm wrong!). She worked at Nygard in the summer and actually did some design work on the clothing there. This girl isn't behind the till, she's the one designing the clothes!
Some pieces from her illustration class:
She also partakes in the DIY projects as she took a pair of old shoes and re-vamped them with life:
I have no insight on the world of fashion but I find it very interesting to see the work of people who are immersed in it. By no means will I be making things to wear on my body in the near future, so please, check these out instead!
I'd like to move away from my ad/PR oriented topics (I think...) for a second and share some interesting blogs that I like to follow.
I don't know much about fashion at all. The extent of my fashionable knowledge is that you shouldn't wear white before Labour Day. Or is it after...
Two of my good friends have really interesting fashion-oriented blogs.
EXHIBIT 1:
PULL TEETH is Andrew.
He's probably the best and "hippest" dressed guy I know. He's very knowledgeable on things a la mode and knows how trends move. He also really likes lady Gaga. What I find fascinating about his blogs is that he'll get inspiration from an outfit from a magazine or whatever other source, and then actually create it in a DIY style:
I mean, inspiration from anywhere, even other centuries:
It's also cool to see what he can do with a bag of studs:
EXHIBIT 2:
KEEP YOUR GUNS AT HOME is Stefanie.
Her blog touches on a variety of subjects from fashion to music, to baby wigs and, of course, Lady Gaga. She is currently attending LaSalle College in Vancouver and doing something along the lines of fashion design (Sorry Steffy, correct me if I'm wrong!). She worked at Nygard in the summer and actually did some design work on the clothing there. This girl isn't behind the till, she's the one designing the clothes!
Some pieces from her illustration class:
She also partakes in the DIY projects as she took a pair of old shoes and re-vamped them with life:
I have no insight on the world of fashion but I find it very interesting to see the work of people who are immersed in it. By no means will I be making things to wear on my body in the near future, so please, check these out instead!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Real Men Don't Cry...
...but if you can make them, that's good TV!
One of my favorite ad campaigns is the Kleenex 'Let It Out' campaign from a couple years back.
As you can see, they set up a couch, have a facilitator start a conversation with a random person on the street and hope they will open up and 'let it out'. If people do in fact 'let it out', then a box of Kleenex is conveniently and readily available for their use on the table in front of them.
This is a great strategy that Kleenex went for. In regards to facial tissue, most companies' ads punch the message that it's soft for your nose and kills 99.9% of bacteria. This campaign capitalizes on the other use of facial tissues: people use Kleenex to wipe tears.
Oh the sweet sweet taste of tears upon thine lips. And if beeth not on thine lips then letest the tears of yonder eyes soak into the soft pillowy comfort of Kleenex brand tissues.
It's a new and interesting way to go about marketing this product. They can tug on heart strings this way and not have to try and make blowing your nose alluring.
Now, I don't know if these encounters are real or not but I sure hope they are! The idea of people who don't know each other being able to meet, start talking and connect on such a deep level really makes me have optimism in humanity. The reactions and emotions we see throughout the commercial seem genuine and sincere. They provide the website at the end of the commercial for you to visit and see some of the stories people told. The website is no longer active and just redirects to another Kleenex site.
I visited this website and to my disappointment, it was not organized well nor executed effectively. I was expecting to click on a link and watch someone tell a story that might move me. What was waiting for me was a website that was hard to navigate around and stories that were told by paraphrased bullet points and short video clips. I wish the website would have been better! The ad interested me and made me go investigate their campaign only to be let down with dry eyes in the end.
All in all, this was an interesting and innovative idea from Kleenex. It's just too bad they didn't follow through with the website! (If you visited the website and found it to be easy and effective, let me know. Maybe I'm just dumb.)
____________________________________________________
On a related note, Greenpeace "infiltrated" Kleenex's campaign to send out a message. Basically they are protesting Kleenex's use of 'old growth forests' and 'virgin wood fibre from boreal forests in northern Canada'. I don't know if this is true, though I'm sure it is to a certain extent, nor do I know much about this subject but I always find activist-type groups who do these stunts very immature.
They have no other means of getting their message effectively out there so they have to sabotage other's work. What they did was plant people to tell a fake story but then suddenly start protesting on camera about the issue at hand. It's completely disrespectful and childish. If you have a message to say, say it. Display facts and statistics to back up your message. If someone rebuts, rebut back. Don't resort to little stunts like these. If you convey your message clearly, concisely and with supporting evidence, people will be on your side. I get it though. They're trying to protect the environment. But sometimes conceited actions outshine the good-hearted intentions you have.
This remind me about the recent publicity stunt that the Yes Men pulled a couple weeks ago at the Nation Press Club in Washington, posing as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. You can read more about that on Melanie Lee Lockhart's blog.
Anyways, here's their little video of their escapade:
Immature? Justified? You decide!
See you soon!
One of my favorite ad campaigns is the Kleenex 'Let It Out' campaign from a couple years back.
As you can see, they set up a couch, have a facilitator start a conversation with a random person on the street and hope they will open up and 'let it out'. If people do in fact 'let it out', then a box of Kleenex is conveniently and readily available for their use on the table in front of them.
This is a great strategy that Kleenex went for. In regards to facial tissue, most companies' ads punch the message that it's soft for your nose and kills 99.9% of bacteria. This campaign capitalizes on the other use of facial tissues: people use Kleenex to wipe tears.
Oh the sweet sweet taste of tears upon thine lips. And if beeth not on thine lips then letest the tears of yonder eyes soak into the soft pillowy comfort of Kleenex brand tissues.
It's a new and interesting way to go about marketing this product. They can tug on heart strings this way and not have to try and make blowing your nose alluring.
Now, I don't know if these encounters are real or not but I sure hope they are! The idea of people who don't know each other being able to meet, start talking and connect on such a deep level really makes me have optimism in humanity. The reactions and emotions we see throughout the commercial seem genuine and sincere. They provide the website at the end of the commercial for you to visit and see some of the stories people told. The website is no longer active and just redirects to another Kleenex site.
I visited this website and to my disappointment, it was not organized well nor executed effectively. I was expecting to click on a link and watch someone tell a story that might move me. What was waiting for me was a website that was hard to navigate around and stories that were told by paraphrased bullet points and short video clips. I wish the website would have been better! The ad interested me and made me go investigate their campaign only to be let down with dry eyes in the end.
All in all, this was an interesting and innovative idea from Kleenex. It's just too bad they didn't follow through with the website! (If you visited the website and found it to be easy and effective, let me know. Maybe I'm just dumb.)
____________________________________________________
On a related note, Greenpeace "infiltrated" Kleenex's campaign to send out a message. Basically they are protesting Kleenex's use of 'old growth forests' and 'virgin wood fibre from boreal forests in northern Canada'. I don't know if this is true, though I'm sure it is to a certain extent, nor do I know much about this subject but I always find activist-type groups who do these stunts very immature.
They have no other means of getting their message effectively out there so they have to sabotage other's work. What they did was plant people to tell a fake story but then suddenly start protesting on camera about the issue at hand. It's completely disrespectful and childish. If you have a message to say, say it. Display facts and statistics to back up your message. If someone rebuts, rebut back. Don't resort to little stunts like these. If you convey your message clearly, concisely and with supporting evidence, people will be on your side. I get it though. They're trying to protect the environment. But sometimes conceited actions outshine the good-hearted intentions you have.
This remind me about the recent publicity stunt that the Yes Men pulled a couple weeks ago at the Nation Press Club in Washington, posing as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. You can read more about that on Melanie Lee Lockhart's blog.
Anyways, here's their little video of their escapade:
Immature? Justified? You decide!
See you soon!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The FOO.
Last night, Oct. 30/09, the Foo Fighters played a live show from Studio 606 streaming live on Facebook.
IT WAS AWWWWWWESOME! CHICKA-YE-YE-CHICKA-POW-WOO!
I've loved 'the Foo' since I was a kid and they're one of the bands I have stuck by through and through. It's cool to have seen them progress through the years and go through all the musical changes. One thing that has remained constant is Dave Grohl's awesome power of rocking and being a great guy.
They've been around for 14 years or so now and they're finally releasing a greatest hits compilation on Nov. 3/09.
This was a GREAT move on the Foo's part and Facebook's! First off, everyone around the world got a free 2 1/2 hour concert from the comfort of their own home. I was in my kitchen in my underwear eating popcorn and rocking out. You just can't do that at the MTS Centre. They played songs from their entire repertoire which meant long time fans got to hear the oldies. The event was very intimate and unplanned so you got to hear a lot of funny banter from the band and that made it much more than a concert.
People could also update their Facebook statuses which would then show up onscreen for everyone who was watching could see. The band would also see this and be able to take requests and answer questions. The interaction between band and viewers made the experience that much better.
Seeing the band in a relaxed atmosphere, joking around with each other and the viewers, playing songs from their entire discography, and interacting with us while a thousand miles away shows people that their a great band and great people. Who wouldn't wanna buy a CD from someone that shows us that? On top of that, they also played a couple new songs!
It puts the band in a good light and makes us want to go buy the CD. And who knows, maybe someone came across it and was turned into a fan. Who knows!
You can watch it replay here:
PREPARE TO ROCK!
This is good on Facebook's part because they are offering users extra services and show they want to give people more than just the social networking. People will stick around with FB to see if they're going to put more events like these on and if they keep doing it, people will. While watching, I think I saw the amount of viewers peak at 20,000. One broadcast brought in 20,000 people in at once. This doesn't include the people that are just on FB chatting etc. FB is also playing the replay for people who missed it to catch it again. Or for people like me who are watching it again.
U2 played a live concert on YouTube not too long ago. The Foo are obviously borrowing that idea because it was so successful. But, I think online concerts to promote CD's or tours will become a lot popular in the near future! It's reach is worldwide and easily accessible.
I'm sorry, this post is all over the place. I keep going back to my other window to watch it. I think I'm just going to leave it here. You get the point though, right?
1) Foo Fighters promoting their new Greatest Hits album by providing free concert for everyone in the world to see. Awesome.
2) Performance is live and intimate. You don't only get to see the great music but the great personalities of Dave, Taylor, Chris and Nate.
3) Everything is low key and relaxed. it's not a big production. It's not that difficult to put it on.
4) FB gets props for providing this to everyone.
5) People will look forward for FB doing more.
6) People buy their new album and people go on FB more.
7) This paves the way for more things like this!
Anyways, off to go watch the rest of it. I suggest you do too! Let's see if events like these happen more!
IT WAS AWWWWWWESOME! CHICKA-YE-YE-CHICKA-POW-WOO!
I've loved 'the Foo' since I was a kid and they're one of the bands I have stuck by through and through. It's cool to have seen them progress through the years and go through all the musical changes. One thing that has remained constant is Dave Grohl's awesome power of rocking and being a great guy.
They've been around for 14 years or so now and they're finally releasing a greatest hits compilation on Nov. 3/09.
This was a GREAT move on the Foo's part and Facebook's! First off, everyone around the world got a free 2 1/2 hour concert from the comfort of their own home. I was in my kitchen in my underwear eating popcorn and rocking out. You just can't do that at the MTS Centre. They played songs from their entire repertoire which meant long time fans got to hear the oldies. The event was very intimate and unplanned so you got to hear a lot of funny banter from the band and that made it much more than a concert.
People could also update their Facebook statuses which would then show up onscreen for everyone who was watching could see. The band would also see this and be able to take requests and answer questions. The interaction between band and viewers made the experience that much better.
Seeing the band in a relaxed atmosphere, joking around with each other and the viewers, playing songs from their entire discography, and interacting with us while a thousand miles away shows people that their a great band and great people. Who wouldn't wanna buy a CD from someone that shows us that? On top of that, they also played a couple new songs!
It puts the band in a good light and makes us want to go buy the CD. And who knows, maybe someone came across it and was turned into a fan. Who knows!
You can watch it replay here:
PREPARE TO ROCK!
This is good on Facebook's part because they are offering users extra services and show they want to give people more than just the social networking. People will stick around with FB to see if they're going to put more events like these on and if they keep doing it, people will. While watching, I think I saw the amount of viewers peak at 20,000. One broadcast brought in 20,000 people in at once. This doesn't include the people that are just on FB chatting etc. FB is also playing the replay for people who missed it to catch it again. Or for people like me who are watching it again.
U2 played a live concert on YouTube not too long ago. The Foo are obviously borrowing that idea because it was so successful. But, I think online concerts to promote CD's or tours will become a lot popular in the near future! It's reach is worldwide and easily accessible.
I'm sorry, this post is all over the place. I keep going back to my other window to watch it. I think I'm just going to leave it here. You get the point though, right?
1) Foo Fighters promoting their new Greatest Hits album by providing free concert for everyone in the world to see. Awesome.
2) Performance is live and intimate. You don't only get to see the great music but the great personalities of Dave, Taylor, Chris and Nate.
3) Everything is low key and relaxed. it's not a big production. It's not that difficult to put it on.
4) FB gets props for providing this to everyone.
5) People will look forward for FB doing more.
6) People buy their new album and people go on FB more.
7) This paves the way for more things like this!
Anyways, off to go watch the rest of it. I suggest you do too! Let's see if events like these happen more!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
BLGW + SNL = 4EVA?
This past Saturday I was watching Saturday Night Live and the first thing that caught my eye was that The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) was doing the opening skit instead of Gerard Butler, who was supposed to be hosting. That usually doesn't happen, it's either the host does it or just the SNL cast. But, I guess the issues they wanted to address fit the skit. Anyways, they did "'The Rock' Obama" sketch:
First off, I think Fred Armisen does a great Barack Obama impersonation. He has most of Obama's mannerisms down and his speech characteristics are pretty much on. The Rock on the other hand, is more like Tarzan than The Hulk. But I digress.
The thing I was planning on talking about is how, when it went to the first commercial break, a big graphic came up on screen and the announcer said that Bud Light Golden Wheat was proud to give up some of it's ad time to bring you some special behind the scenes SNL moments.
Anheuser-Busch is extending it's brand line with a new kind of beer. Check out the press release HERE if you want the details on the product. It's basically Bud Light's answer to Alexander Keith's Premium White and Rickard's Original White Ale.
This is the first time in SNL's history that a single advertiser has bought out all the national ad time on the show. With this, Bud Light Golden Wheat (BLGW) had a segment called "Backstage with BLGW". It showed some clips from past SNL dress rehearsals and bloopers as well. They also sponsored a sweepstakes to fly you and a guest down to watch SNL live and on top of that, during the ad breaks, they aired highlights of SNL 'viewing parties' held in a couple big cities across the states sponsored by BLGW. This was a huge move on A-B to promote the new line in their brand. If you look back to last year and their successful launches of Bud Light Lime and Bud Light Chelada, they're probably hoping for the same thing.
I think they were smart to choose SNL instead of some prime time spot. SNL's audience is the exact demographic they're trying to reach; the audience being the legal younger aged men and woman, staying in drinking a couple beers with friends because it's way cheaper than going out. Also, it makes it seem like they want to connect with the content of the show and not just sell you the product. In reality, when they said, "We're giving up some of our air time to present you with...", they really did give up some of the ad time, you just don't know that they have all of it. Also, during the 'given up ad time' they had their logo plastered at the beginning, during, and at the end of the SNL moments. Even though a commercial wasn't playing, their presence was still there.
The viewing parties seemed kind of redundant but they were shown to show viewers regular people getting together to watch SNL, drinking the new product and having fun. BLGW also had regular ads aired alongside with this 18 second epic which they aired about a million times:
Though I didn't think the ads were that persuasive or great, nor did I really wanna thank BLGW for sharing those SNL moments with me, by the end of the show, I knew what the product was and I had the image of it being poured into a glass seared into my mind.
I'm sure there has been other examples of marketers buying out ad time from TV programs but this is the first clear example I've seen of it. If you know of any other companies that have done this or you think it's a dumb concept and it doesn't work, let me know, I'd like to hear what you have to say!
First off, I think Fred Armisen does a great Barack Obama impersonation. He has most of Obama's mannerisms down and his speech characteristics are pretty much on. The Rock on the other hand, is more like Tarzan than The Hulk. But I digress.
The thing I was planning on talking about is how, when it went to the first commercial break, a big graphic came up on screen and the announcer said that Bud Light Golden Wheat was proud to give up some of it's ad time to bring you some special behind the scenes SNL moments.
Anheuser-Busch is extending it's brand line with a new kind of beer. Check out the press release HERE if you want the details on the product. It's basically Bud Light's answer to Alexander Keith's Premium White and Rickard's Original White Ale.
This is the first time in SNL's history that a single advertiser has bought out all the national ad time on the show. With this, Bud Light Golden Wheat (BLGW) had a segment called "Backstage with BLGW". It showed some clips from past SNL dress rehearsals and bloopers as well. They also sponsored a sweepstakes to fly you and a guest down to watch SNL live and on top of that, during the ad breaks, they aired highlights of SNL 'viewing parties' held in a couple big cities across the states sponsored by BLGW. This was a huge move on A-B to promote the new line in their brand. If you look back to last year and their successful launches of Bud Light Lime and Bud Light Chelada, they're probably hoping for the same thing.
I think they were smart to choose SNL instead of some prime time spot. SNL's audience is the exact demographic they're trying to reach; the audience being the legal younger aged men and woman, staying in drinking a couple beers with friends because it's way cheaper than going out. Also, it makes it seem like they want to connect with the content of the show and not just sell you the product. In reality, when they said, "We're giving up some of our air time to present you with...", they really did give up some of the ad time, you just don't know that they have all of it. Also, during the 'given up ad time' they had their logo plastered at the beginning, during, and at the end of the SNL moments. Even though a commercial wasn't playing, their presence was still there.
The viewing parties seemed kind of redundant but they were shown to show viewers regular people getting together to watch SNL, drinking the new product and having fun. BLGW also had regular ads aired alongside with this 18 second epic which they aired about a million times:
Though I didn't think the ads were that persuasive or great, nor did I really wanna thank BLGW for sharing those SNL moments with me, by the end of the show, I knew what the product was and I had the image of it being poured into a glass seared into my mind.
I'm sure there has been other examples of marketers buying out ad time from TV programs but this is the first clear example I've seen of it. If you know of any other companies that have done this or you think it's a dumb concept and it doesn't work, let me know, I'd like to hear what you have to say!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
BUYER BEWARE - Ignorance means kiss your money goodbye
For my buyer beware project, my group did electronic device return policies. It's a bit of a dry subject but it's a subject everyone can relate to. I won't keep you here for long. I've had enough of this topic and want to purge myself of this completely. So, let's get started...
UGH.
Breathe.
Our group (Lennie, Karleigh, Steve) decided to look at local electronic retailers. We picked Best Buy, Future Shop, Visions Electronics, and Advance Electronics. BB is a big name corporation whose stores can be found all across Canada and the US. (BB Canada and the US BB have completely different policies). FS is owned by BB and is one of Canada's largest consumer electronic retailers. Visions is a national company with a handful of independently owned stores across Canada and Advance is a locally owned store with only one location in Winnipeg. I'm not going to get into each specific store's policy. If you're really interested, here's a link to each of their respective policies:
Best Buy Canada: HERE
Future Shop: HERE
Visions Electronics: HERE
Advance Electronics: HERE
Always, always, always read your receipt and ask what the return policy is. Make sure you know how many days you have for a full refund and how many days for exchange. Don't depend on the kindness of others when dealing with money. This is probably the most important rule. Don't come in on day 32 of a 30 day return policy and ask them to cut you some slack. It's clearly posted everywhere and you should have asked and taken the responsibility to find out. It's like CreComm. No if, ands or buts!
There are some items you need to know about, folks. Opened computer and video game software, CDs, DVDs cannot be refunded or exchanged for something else. This is due to federal copyright laws. It helps crack down on those kids who burn the files and sell illegal copies to their school chums!
When returning something, make sure you have all the original packaging, manuals, cables, accessories and little black twist ties (not actually, but better safe than sorry). Most stores will charge a restocking fee. This enables the store to retain some money from the sale if someone is returning a product that has been opened or is missing components, which depreciates the value of the item. Each store has a different restocking fee for certain situations which you can find on the links I provided. The prices are subject to change on the basis of the quality of the returned product. So, lets say something costed $1000 and when you returned it, they informed you that there's a 15% restocking fee. You've just lost $150, my friend. My sympathies to you. Make sure you find out your store's policy of restocking fees!
Here's an example where someone ran into problems with restocking fees:
HORROR STORY
From: www.complaintsboard.com
Basically, a customer bought a defective laptop and tried returning it within a couple days. Best Buy exchanged it for the same laptop. The new laptop was also defective. The customer tried returning it but Best buy said they would have to charge a 15% restocking fee ($112.50) or exchange it for the same laptop. The customer obviously did not want the laptop for it had been defective twice in a row. In the end, the customer was left with nothing and lost money. LESSON LEARNED.
Companies such as Best Buy, Future Shop and Visions Electronics have an online store where you can purchase items. You simply create an account, fill out your shipping information and supply them with your credit card number. As easy as it is to purchase items online, the returning process is more complicated. You have one of two options. Firstly, you can ship the product back to the company. To do this, you have to go through this whole hubbub about getting a return merchandise authorization number which is only valid for 14 days, then you have to ship it back yourself at your own cost and sell your soul and jump through a hoop. It's very time consuming and plain complicated.
The easier way to return a product you purchased online is to return it to the store. You must have the electronic invoice or purchase receipt that you received when you got the product in the mail. Without this, you have no proof of purchase and customer service representatives can’t even look at your product. All companies’ state that every online product purchased comes straight from the manufacturer so ever product is brand new. If the store deems that the product is in the same condition that it was mailed out in, then they will exchange the product for you (if they have it in stock) or refund your money. If there are missing parts, then you will be charged a restocking fee.
Some stores have “web-only” products. These products come in limited supply because there is a special manufacturer’s deal on them. It also means that the products will not be sold in the stores. Under these circumstances, the web-only products can not be returned to a store for exchange.
Lastly, some stores repackage returned items. They SHOULD be clearly labelled as a repackaged item. Because of this, stores like BB and FS take off a nice 10% of the price. Smaller stores like Visions and Advance also sell repacks but don't have a set price. So, the salespersons will try to sell you the highest the can above cost. It's at their own discretion and since they want to make high commission, they'll try and sell it as close to the original price as possible. In other words, if you're shopping at Visions or Advance, try and haggle a bit with the salesperson! You might get a better deal than you thought you would. Really, just generally make sure any product you buy is new, unopened as has everything in it! An example in a survey we took told us about how someone bought a "new" camera only to find that when they opened it, they found a work order slip that said it had been defective and fixed then put back on shelf!
I think these are the most important points to consider when you are purchasing anything from these stores in Canada. Just be smart, be aware, ask questions, make sure and think hard before making a final purchase decision!
My group made a video demonstrating how a smart customer and a dumb customer returns things. Here it is:
(It's more for the entertainment value. Just consider that.)
Okay, I'm done.
See you!
UGH.
Breathe.
Our group (Lennie, Karleigh, Steve) decided to look at local electronic retailers. We picked Best Buy, Future Shop, Visions Electronics, and Advance Electronics. BB is a big name corporation whose stores can be found all across Canada and the US. (BB Canada and the US BB have completely different policies). FS is owned by BB and is one of Canada's largest consumer electronic retailers. Visions is a national company with a handful of independently owned stores across Canada and Advance is a locally owned store with only one location in Winnipeg. I'm not going to get into each specific store's policy. If you're really interested, here's a link to each of their respective policies:
Best Buy Canada: HERE
Future Shop: HERE
Visions Electronics: HERE
Advance Electronics: HERE
Always, always, always read your receipt and ask what the return policy is. Make sure you know how many days you have for a full refund and how many days for exchange. Don't depend on the kindness of others when dealing with money. This is probably the most important rule. Don't come in on day 32 of a 30 day return policy and ask them to cut you some slack. It's clearly posted everywhere and you should have asked and taken the responsibility to find out. It's like CreComm. No if, ands or buts!
There are some items you need to know about, folks. Opened computer and video game software, CDs, DVDs cannot be refunded or exchanged for something else. This is due to federal copyright laws. It helps crack down on those kids who burn the files and sell illegal copies to their school chums!
When returning something, make sure you have all the original packaging, manuals, cables, accessories and little black twist ties (not actually, but better safe than sorry). Most stores will charge a restocking fee. This enables the store to retain some money from the sale if someone is returning a product that has been opened or is missing components, which depreciates the value of the item. Each store has a different restocking fee for certain situations which you can find on the links I provided. The prices are subject to change on the basis of the quality of the returned product. So, lets say something costed $1000 and when you returned it, they informed you that there's a 15% restocking fee. You've just lost $150, my friend. My sympathies to you. Make sure you find out your store's policy of restocking fees!
Here's an example where someone ran into problems with restocking fees:
HORROR STORY
From: www.complaintsboard.com
Basically, a customer bought a defective laptop and tried returning it within a couple days. Best Buy exchanged it for the same laptop. The new laptop was also defective. The customer tried returning it but Best buy said they would have to charge a 15% restocking fee ($112.50) or exchange it for the same laptop. The customer obviously did not want the laptop for it had been defective twice in a row. In the end, the customer was left with nothing and lost money. LESSON LEARNED.
Companies such as Best Buy, Future Shop and Visions Electronics have an online store where you can purchase items. You simply create an account, fill out your shipping information and supply them with your credit card number. As easy as it is to purchase items online, the returning process is more complicated. You have one of two options. Firstly, you can ship the product back to the company. To do this, you have to go through this whole hubbub about getting a return merchandise authorization number which is only valid for 14 days, then you have to ship it back yourself at your own cost and sell your soul and jump through a hoop. It's very time consuming and plain complicated.
The easier way to return a product you purchased online is to return it to the store. You must have the electronic invoice or purchase receipt that you received when you got the product in the mail. Without this, you have no proof of purchase and customer service representatives can’t even look at your product. All companies’ state that every online product purchased comes straight from the manufacturer so ever product is brand new. If the store deems that the product is in the same condition that it was mailed out in, then they will exchange the product for you (if they have it in stock) or refund your money. If there are missing parts, then you will be charged a restocking fee.
Some stores have “web-only” products. These products come in limited supply because there is a special manufacturer’s deal on them. It also means that the products will not be sold in the stores. Under these circumstances, the web-only products can not be returned to a store for exchange.
Lastly, some stores repackage returned items. They SHOULD be clearly labelled as a repackaged item. Because of this, stores like BB and FS take off a nice 10% of the price. Smaller stores like Visions and Advance also sell repacks but don't have a set price. So, the salespersons will try to sell you the highest the can above cost. It's at their own discretion and since they want to make high commission, they'll try and sell it as close to the original price as possible. In other words, if you're shopping at Visions or Advance, try and haggle a bit with the salesperson! You might get a better deal than you thought you would. Really, just generally make sure any product you buy is new, unopened as has everything in it! An example in a survey we took told us about how someone bought a "new" camera only to find that when they opened it, they found a work order slip that said it had been defective and fixed then put back on shelf!
I think these are the most important points to consider when you are purchasing anything from these stores in Canada. Just be smart, be aware, ask questions, make sure and think hard before making a final purchase decision!
My group made a video demonstrating how a smart customer and a dumb customer returns things. Here it is:
(It's more for the entertainment value. Just consider that.)
Okay, I'm done.
See you!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Buyer Beware...UGH
So, my Thanksgiving dinner was tonight. I ate till I was on the last notch of my belt. Unfortunately, I had to tighten that belt up again so I could rush off to school without my pants falling off.
Instead of napping the turkey and mashed potatoes off, I am now at school with my buyer beware group. Lennie, Karleigh, Steve and I are working hard, trying to get our project done.
I've learned a lot from this experience. I've learnt...wait a second. What is the difference between 'learned' and 'learnt'? We haven't gotten to that chapter yet in Writer's Craft. I'll have to ask Dr. Petty about that! Anyways, I've learnt/ed that scheduling group time to work takes a lot of time and effort. This being a holiday weekend, everyone has conflicting schedules. When someone has free time, someone else has to work or has their family dinner. It was tough and the only time we could find was late at night! Oh well, another skill we'll acquire through CreComm!
Anyways, we took a little break to record this for you!
Enjoy!!!
Instead of napping the turkey and mashed potatoes off, I am now at school with my buyer beware group. Lennie, Karleigh, Steve and I are working hard, trying to get our project done.
I've learned a lot from this experience. I've learnt...wait a second. What is the difference between 'learned' and 'learnt'? We haven't gotten to that chapter yet in Writer's Craft. I'll have to ask Dr. Petty about that! Anyways, I've learnt/ed that scheduling group time to work takes a lot of time and effort. This being a holiday weekend, everyone has conflicting schedules. When someone has free time, someone else has to work or has their family dinner. It was tough and the only time we could find was late at night! Oh well, another skill we'll acquire through CreComm!
Anyways, we took a little break to record this for you!
Enjoy!!!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Marker Social Aftermath
Last Saturday was the Marker Social put on by the CCMA 2010 committee. Big thanks to Daria Lysenko and Kamila Konieczny for coordinating this fine event!
I have to say that it was a blast. There was a great turn out and everyone had fun. By the end of the night everyone's pure white shirts they came with had been tainted with markers, crudely drawn pictures and/or objectionable phrases. I met lots of people Saturday night and I hope that they'll remember me Monday!
Here is my after-social windup:
The back of our section's group shirt. Alpha Prime One came and conquered.
I'd like to mention this beautiful transformation of the white space in the letter 'O' of the word 'One' in the name 'Alpha Prime One'.
"Everybody Hates Mike Choi" was a popular phrase to be written that night. I hope this is a reference to a skit we had to do in Writer's Craft and not just the general dislike of me.
Shirts were also used as forms of amusement. Now, I don't know who played tic tac toe on my shirt but it seems as though X won. Good job. Next time, O!
What's a graffiti'd shirt without a Beatles reference?! Koo Koo Kachew to you too!
In fact, what's a graffiti'd shirt without an offbeat Beatles reference?
Plenty of animals were drawn. Here are a few. Here is a panda.
Here is a ssssssssssssssssssnake.
A beautiful butterfly.
R.I.P. Mr. Chicken ~ 2007-2009
PEOPLE'S CHOICE ANIMAL!!!
This lovely colourful caterpillar takes the cake! I swear, the girl spent 10 minutes drawing this. She also had a pencil case filled with a rainbow of markers! It was well worth the wait! She also lent me her green marker. Thank you again! My night would have been nothing without your marker!
In conclusion, it was a grand time! I implore you to come next year if you couldn't make it down this! I know, I know. Gogol was probably fantastic but I don't regret my decision!
I have to say that it was a blast. There was a great turn out and everyone had fun. By the end of the night everyone's pure white shirts they came with had been tainted with markers, crudely drawn pictures and/or objectionable phrases. I met lots of people Saturday night and I hope that they'll remember me Monday!
Here is my after-social windup:
The back of our section's group shirt. Alpha Prime One came and conquered.
I'd like to mention this beautiful transformation of the white space in the letter 'O' of the word 'One' in the name 'Alpha Prime One'.
"Everybody Hates Mike Choi" was a popular phrase to be written that night. I hope this is a reference to a skit we had to do in Writer's Craft and not just the general dislike of me.
Shirts were also used as forms of amusement. Now, I don't know who played tic tac toe on my shirt but it seems as though X won. Good job. Next time, O!
What's a graffiti'd shirt without a Beatles reference?! Koo Koo Kachew to you too!
In fact, what's a graffiti'd shirt without an offbeat Beatles reference?
Plenty of animals were drawn. Here are a few. Here is a panda.
Here is a ssssssssssssssssssnake.
A beautiful butterfly.
R.I.P. Mr. Chicken ~ 2007-2009
PEOPLE'S CHOICE ANIMAL!!!
This lovely colourful caterpillar takes the cake! I swear, the girl spent 10 minutes drawing this. She also had a pencil case filled with a rainbow of markers! It was well worth the wait! She also lent me her green marker. Thank you again! My night would have been nothing without your marker!
In conclusion, it was a grand time! I implore you to come next year if you couldn't make it down this! I know, I know. Gogol was probably fantastic but I don't regret my decision!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Finally! Some Music!
So, with my blog name being 'Sounds on Shuffle', I figured that I should have some musical content. This is my latest musical endeavour. Going for the folky I-don't-care-I-can't-sing-well vibe with high energy and spirits!
We are also looking for an upright bass to add to the ensemble and/or a charming young girl to play tambourine and who can actually sing. In fact, a hybrid of both of those would be ideal!
Anyways, I don't post this to show off my 'talent'. There really isn't any. But, I post these to show you a glimpse of my musical personality! I play all different genres of music/things resembling music so hopefully you'll be getting something different from time to time! Perhaps it'll be like hearing Sounds on Shuffle.
Enjoy!
We are also looking for an upright bass to add to the ensemble and/or a charming young girl to play tambourine and who can actually sing. In fact, a hybrid of both of those would be ideal!
Anyways, I don't post this to show off my 'talent'. There really isn't any. But, I post these to show you a glimpse of my musical personality! I play all different genres of music/things resembling music so hopefully you'll be getting something different from time to time! Perhaps it'll be like hearing Sounds on Shuffle.
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
OBAMA 2
Looks like Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal Party leader, has taken a lesson from Barack Obama. Ignatieff is now using Facebook to promote himself. He also has a YouTube channel where you can watch him wrestle a duck and a twitter where you can follow his tweets.
Obama has paved the way of campaigning by means of Web 2.0 and social media. But, I think if/when every politician starts using it, then it just becomes another cold tool used for campaign. The warm and special bubbly feeling that we first got when we saw Obama accept our friend request, will turn into a cold, dark numbness. There won’t be anything special about it anymore because the politician won’t have any part of it. It will be their campaign team doing all the updating and personalization. Where’s the heart? Where’s the connection with the people? Gone. Gone. Gone like the mother sea turtle after she lays her eggs on the beach.
Until I see a politician playing Barn Buddy and doing those survey things on Facebook, I will not support them on the basis that they have a FB, YT or T.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
H1NFUN
The #18 Corydon bus was unusually packed today. Every seat was taken and the standing room was getting sparse. As the bus filled up, I was pushed to the far back. I find it harder to keep my balance at the rear than up at the front for some reason, but I digress. As I held onto the bar overhead and rubbed up against, unintentionally, a man in a business suit, I instantly knew I was catching something. Not from the man-to-man bodily contact but from being in such a small confined space with so many people.
Winnipeg Transit, says it carries about 20% of Winnipeg’s work force to and from work. According to Winnipeg’s official website, the population of Winnipeg in 2008 was 666 600 people. So, 20% of that is 133 320 people. I don’t know what the statistic is for how many of those people are in the work force but if you factor in all the students and people without cars that use the bus as well, it’s probably a fair chunk of that.
The H1N1 flu is typically spread same way all seasonal flus are, through means of airborne germs and touching surfaces with the virus on it. People were definitely coughing and sneezing all around me. Also, the bar I was grasping onto was probably grasped by a many hands before my own. I’m not a germaphobe at all but I was a little freaked out.
This Winnipeg Free Press article talks about how the city has a plan if there is an outbreak of the flu. They’re even overcompensating and planning for 30% of the city workforce being infected when the initial thought was that 10-20% would be. They plan to move people around to different departments to cover for people who catch the flu. Police investigators will be put into patrol cars, fire-safety educators will be put in fire halls and a monkey with one arm will replace Mike Kelly if he happens to fall ill.
Along with the people who actually catch H1N1, the percentage of the work force that is unable to work is expected to be higher because people might have to stay at home to take care of a family member with the flu.
The H1N1 outbreak is supposed to get fierce this fall but I guess there’s not that much we can do about it. I’ll wash my hands frequently, cough/sneeze in the cuff of my arm, excommunicate people that are sick from my life (sorry grandma!) and try not to rub up against anymore suits.
Winnipeg Transit, says it carries about 20% of Winnipeg’s work force to and from work. According to Winnipeg’s official website, the population of Winnipeg in 2008 was 666 600 people. So, 20% of that is 133 320 people. I don’t know what the statistic is for how many of those people are in the work force but if you factor in all the students and people without cars that use the bus as well, it’s probably a fair chunk of that.
The H1N1 flu is typically spread same way all seasonal flus are, through means of airborne germs and touching surfaces with the virus on it. People were definitely coughing and sneezing all around me. Also, the bar I was grasping onto was probably grasped by a many hands before my own. I’m not a germaphobe at all but I was a little freaked out.
This Winnipeg Free Press article talks about how the city has a plan if there is an outbreak of the flu. They’re even overcompensating and planning for 30% of the city workforce being infected when the initial thought was that 10-20% would be. They plan to move people around to different departments to cover for people who catch the flu. Police investigators will be put into patrol cars, fire-safety educators will be put in fire halls and a monkey with one arm will replace Mike Kelly if he happens to fall ill.
Along with the people who actually catch H1N1, the percentage of the work force that is unable to work is expected to be higher because people might have to stay at home to take care of a family member with the flu.
The H1N1 outbreak is supposed to get fierce this fall but I guess there’s not that much we can do about it. I’ll wash my hands frequently, cough/sneeze in the cuff of my arm, excommunicate people that are sick from my life (sorry grandma!) and try not to rub up against anymore suits.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I can't believe I'm doing this...
...but this act of immaturity can’t go un-blogged about. Really, Kanye? You’re 32 years old. Please act like it. You went onstage and humiliated and embarrassed a 19 year old girl in front of millions of viewers. Why? Just because you wanted people to hear your opinion. I’m sure Beyonce didn’t even agree with you.
Does he have a publicist? Well, if he did, he probably doesn’t anymore after tonight. Either they quit or died from a brain aneurism. Kanye “apologized” on his blog shortly after the fiasco. (The link may or may not be working right now considering the mass hoard of people wanting to see if Kanye sounds as dumb as they think he is. Speaking of which, the server probably died of a bandwidth aneurism). Kanye has the audacity to say sorry for what he did while still raising himself up onto a pedestal. If his idea of damage control is blogging the word “sorry” multiple times in caps lock then has a lot of to learn. He’s simply just thrown out a piece of litter after a tornado has struck a home. But hey, this is nothing new right? This will be in the headlines and people will be talking about him. Is this good bad press for him?
On the other end, this was a great opportunity for Beyonce. Not only did she get to win an award but she got a great moment to show a display of selflessness and give TS a chance to shine. Even if she doesn’t care about TS, she still looks like Mother Teresa. I think in the media world, being comparable to Mother Teresa is a positive. Let’s hope this wasn’t planned or something though! During Kanye’s little dittle, she did looked genuinely stunned so I believe her!
My jaw dropped and my heart sang for little TS. I hope she can get over this ordeal quick and easy! She has the support of everyone in the world right now so she should be fine. On a side note, I respect TS as a musician because her story is quite amazing. Being a kid who really didn’t have friends in high school to a famous pop/country star is a very cliché but it is very cool it happened for her. Can’t say I enjoy her music too much though. I know how to play one of her songs because when I was volunteering at a music program at an inner-city school last year, my kids made me teach them.
So, just to sum things up, Kanye should stop playing around with auto-tune and ought to tune up his act. (Nice one Mike). Beyonce is in a great place and good on her for sharing her moment with TS. (I also have a mini crush on her now). And, TS should go to the “Mike Myer’s Rehabilitation Centre for People Who’ve had to be Embarrassed By Kanye West on Live National Television”.
P.S.: I’ll try not to do anymore pop culture blogs anymore!
Does he have a publicist? Well, if he did, he probably doesn’t anymore after tonight. Either they quit or died from a brain aneurism. Kanye “apologized” on his blog shortly after the fiasco. (The link may or may not be working right now considering the mass hoard of people wanting to see if Kanye sounds as dumb as they think he is. Speaking of which, the server probably died of a bandwidth aneurism). Kanye has the audacity to say sorry for what he did while still raising himself up onto a pedestal. If his idea of damage control is blogging the word “sorry” multiple times in caps lock then has a lot of to learn. He’s simply just thrown out a piece of litter after a tornado has struck a home. But hey, this is nothing new right? This will be in the headlines and people will be talking about him. Is this good bad press for him?
On the other end, this was a great opportunity for Beyonce. Not only did she get to win an award but she got a great moment to show a display of selflessness and give TS a chance to shine. Even if she doesn’t care about TS, she still looks like Mother Teresa. I think in the media world, being comparable to Mother Teresa is a positive. Let’s hope this wasn’t planned or something though! During Kanye’s little dittle, she did looked genuinely stunned so I believe her!
My jaw dropped and my heart sang for little TS. I hope she can get over this ordeal quick and easy! She has the support of everyone in the world right now so she should be fine. On a side note, I respect TS as a musician because her story is quite amazing. Being a kid who really didn’t have friends in high school to a famous pop/country star is a very cliché but it is very cool it happened for her. Can’t say I enjoy her music too much though. I know how to play one of her songs because when I was volunteering at a music program at an inner-city school last year, my kids made me teach them.
So, just to sum things up, Kanye should stop playing around with auto-tune and ought to tune up his act. (Nice one Mike). Beyonce is in a great place and good on her for sharing her moment with TS. (I also have a mini crush on her now). And, TS should go to the “Mike Myer’s Rehabilitation Centre for People Who’ve had to be Embarrassed By Kanye West on Live National Television”.
P.S.: I’ll try not to do anymore pop culture blogs anymore!
I was cutting up onions and I'm uh, allergic to this song!
Apparently I can’t come up with my own ideas to blog about. Maybe everyone else just has good ideas to talk about and their post has effectively made me think and ponder about the subject!
My guilty pleasure is reading the GUILTY PLEASURES AND A GIRLS OPINION. She last post was about a certain event she occasionally experiences when listening to music. She describes getting goose bumps and a feeling of “serenity and peace”.
I’m sure most people have experienced this sensation in one way or another so no need to feel ‘crazy’. For me myself, state is reached during music as well. This is probably because music is something that I can understand and open myself to completely. It can probably be reached visually to an artist or painter when they see a beautiful work or just the beauty of nature. I’m not trying to say that visual people always 100% reach it visually or musicians always get there listening to music, it’s different for everyone. It always seems to happen for me when I’m listening to an instrumental break of a song.
The one I most vividly remember is when I was listening to Jimi Hendrix’s “Moon, Turn the Tides…Gently Gently Away” in my car, the volume cranked. It was spring and the windows were rolled up. This is an important detail. I was stopped at a red light as the 9 minute epic was just picking up. I’d say probably around the two minute mark for those of you who might go take a listen afterwards. When Mitch Mitchell starts hammering on the bell of the ride and guitar starts swelling from your left to right and back again, this is when it happened. Because the volume was loud and the windows were up, the sound consumed my car and I was sitting in the middle of it. The swells from the speaker to speaker hit me so much hard. I’m not sure what this is called, maybe the ‘music geek’ can tell me what this technique is called? But, just something about the chaos of it all but the intricacies of each individual part just overwhelmed me with emotion. The intense lead drumming and Noel Redding’s speedy bass runs really contributed to the moment. When Jimi comes in with vocals, this is when the feeling came down.
Physically during this process, my heart rate increased. I could sense my breath becoming shorter and quicker. A rush of emotion went through my body. From my stomach to head I believe. It was a simple yet complex emotion. I think the best way to describe it was many simple emotions erupting at once. It was a hot emotion, almost like when you get so flustered and mad you don’t know what you’re going to do. But there was a calm serenity through it all. That’s when it happened, my eyes started watering and when I realized this, I caught myself and calmed myself down a bit. I was a little disoriented after the little ordeal. I remember the light turning green and I had to drive cautiously because I couldn’t see clearly and my mind felt hazy.
I think it’s really an amazing thing when people can open themselves up to something and let it take over your mind and body, even if it’s for a couple seconds. I find this phenomenon to be some sort of divinity with some sort of higher power, whether it is with nature, a collective consciousness of human emotion or unicorns.
I’d like to hear any stories of personal experiences if you have any!
Boy, now that I step back and see what I just wrote, I do kind of sound crazy.
My guilty pleasure is reading the GUILTY PLEASURES AND A GIRLS OPINION. She last post was about a certain event she occasionally experiences when listening to music. She describes getting goose bumps and a feeling of “serenity and peace”.
I’m sure most people have experienced this sensation in one way or another so no need to feel ‘crazy’. For me myself, state is reached during music as well. This is probably because music is something that I can understand and open myself to completely. It can probably be reached visually to an artist or painter when they see a beautiful work or just the beauty of nature. I’m not trying to say that visual people always 100% reach it visually or musicians always get there listening to music, it’s different for everyone. It always seems to happen for me when I’m listening to an instrumental break of a song.
The one I most vividly remember is when I was listening to Jimi Hendrix’s “Moon, Turn the Tides…Gently Gently Away” in my car, the volume cranked. It was spring and the windows were rolled up. This is an important detail. I was stopped at a red light as the 9 minute epic was just picking up. I’d say probably around the two minute mark for those of you who might go take a listen afterwards. When Mitch Mitchell starts hammering on the bell of the ride and guitar starts swelling from your left to right and back again, this is when it happened. Because the volume was loud and the windows were up, the sound consumed my car and I was sitting in the middle of it. The swells from the speaker to speaker hit me so much hard. I’m not sure what this is called, maybe the ‘music geek’ can tell me what this technique is called? But, just something about the chaos of it all but the intricacies of each individual part just overwhelmed me with emotion. The intense lead drumming and Noel Redding’s speedy bass runs really contributed to the moment. When Jimi comes in with vocals, this is when the feeling came down.
Physically during this process, my heart rate increased. I could sense my breath becoming shorter and quicker. A rush of emotion went through my body. From my stomach to head I believe. It was a simple yet complex emotion. I think the best way to describe it was many simple emotions erupting at once. It was a hot emotion, almost like when you get so flustered and mad you don’t know what you’re going to do. But there was a calm serenity through it all. That’s when it happened, my eyes started watering and when I realized this, I caught myself and calmed myself down a bit. I was a little disoriented after the little ordeal. I remember the light turning green and I had to drive cautiously because I couldn’t see clearly and my mind felt hazy.
I think it’s really an amazing thing when people can open themselves up to something and let it take over your mind and body, even if it’s for a couple seconds. I find this phenomenon to be some sort of divinity with some sort of higher power, whether it is with nature, a collective consciousness of human emotion or unicorns.
I’d like to hear any stories of personal experiences if you have any!
Boy, now that I step back and see what I just wrote, I do kind of sound crazy.
Friday, September 11, 2009
AHHHH-cah-pell-ah
As you can see, I’m practicing spelling phonetically for those radio quizzes.
I saw a video on THE DAILY HOPE last night, which was of a group singing an a cappella rendition of Ben E. King’s ‘Stand by Me’. The thing that caught my attention wasn’t the video itself, but of respect that a couple readers had for this performance style.
Being a “singer” myself, I’ve always had an admiration for the stripped down bare vocals of a group or artist that could pull off a song without any instrumental accompaniment. I believe this is when a performer is most vulnerable because there’s nothing to hide behind. If you stop singing, silence is the only thing that’s left. There’s no guitar riff or drum beat to take the wheel for you while you catch your breath. The silence is a part of your performance. It’s actually quite a crucial part of it. It’s the moment where you either have everyone waiting for your next note or it’s the moment that everyone hopes is the ending. In group performances, harmonies are usually sung to create layers and substance. Now with harmonies, you don’t have to be a great singer but you do have to be spot on with your notes for it to work.
Here’s an example. This is an a cappella version on Bon Iver’s song, 'For Emma':
In exchange for the guitar, “doo-woppy” vocals and harmonies are sung underneath Justin Vernon’s tranquil falsetto. I also quite enjoy Sean Carey’s soulful third verse. Specifically, I feel the most soulful moments of his brief solo are the hard ‘R’ he pronounces on the word ‘lover’ and the sliding in the note of the word ‘along’.
Using your ears, you can hear that they’re all quite talented musicians but using your eyes, you can see that they are devoting themselves to their note and committing to each other to create the beautiful sounds we hear. If you interested in checking out some more Bon Iver, I suggest looking at more of their Blogotheque performances first. You should really just check out all of Blogotheque’s take away shows because they have many talented artists performing. They usually take place in random locations in European cities, filmed in an artsy style. Bon Iver’s debut album,’ For Emma, Forever Ago’, has all the sultry harmonies but they are all sung by Justin Vernon. The story behind this album is quite interesting which I might bring up in a later post.
I don’t think I’m going out tonight considering I work at nine in the morning and have to get interviews for an article I’m writing for the Projector right after. Perhaps I’ll fool around with some melodies and share some with you!
I saw a video on THE DAILY HOPE last night, which was of a group singing an a cappella rendition of Ben E. King’s ‘Stand by Me’. The thing that caught my attention wasn’t the video itself, but of respect that a couple readers had for this performance style.
Being a “singer” myself, I’ve always had an admiration for the stripped down bare vocals of a group or artist that could pull off a song without any instrumental accompaniment. I believe this is when a performer is most vulnerable because there’s nothing to hide behind. If you stop singing, silence is the only thing that’s left. There’s no guitar riff or drum beat to take the wheel for you while you catch your breath. The silence is a part of your performance. It’s actually quite a crucial part of it. It’s the moment where you either have everyone waiting for your next note or it’s the moment that everyone hopes is the ending. In group performances, harmonies are usually sung to create layers and substance. Now with harmonies, you don’t have to be a great singer but you do have to be spot on with your notes for it to work.
Here’s an example. This is an a cappella version on Bon Iver’s song, 'For Emma':
In exchange for the guitar, “doo-woppy” vocals and harmonies are sung underneath Justin Vernon’s tranquil falsetto. I also quite enjoy Sean Carey’s soulful third verse. Specifically, I feel the most soulful moments of his brief solo are the hard ‘R’ he pronounces on the word ‘lover’ and the sliding in the note of the word ‘along’.
Using your ears, you can hear that they’re all quite talented musicians but using your eyes, you can see that they are devoting themselves to their note and committing to each other to create the beautiful sounds we hear. If you interested in checking out some more Bon Iver, I suggest looking at more of their Blogotheque performances first. You should really just check out all of Blogotheque’s take away shows because they have many talented artists performing. They usually take place in random locations in European cities, filmed in an artsy style. Bon Iver’s debut album,’ For Emma, Forever Ago’, has all the sultry harmonies but they are all sung by Justin Vernon. The story behind this album is quite interesting which I might bring up in a later post.
I don’t think I’m going out tonight considering I work at nine in the morning and have to get interviews for an article I’m writing for the Projector right after. Perhaps I’ll fool around with some melodies and share some with you!
Just a Disclaimer
I’m still trying to figure out what my blog will be about. We had a couple seasoned bloggers come talk to us in a seminar today. They were saying that it’s better to find a niche rather than blog about a topic that’s too general since it’s been done/being done by more than a handful of other people. I imagine my first couple posts will be all over the place, trying to figure out what the point of this blog will be.
Seeing as music is a topic that has oversaturated the internet with blogs, it makes it tough to see how I can incorporate it in mine. I completely agree with what Graham Hnatiuk of PROGRESSIVE WINNIPEG said about how there will always be someone who knows more about music than you, listens to more music than you and is just better at music than you. So, maybe instead of blogging about the external sources of music that we hear, I’ll write about the creative process that I myself go through internally when creating music. It can’t all be internal though. I’m bound to be inspired by something I find beautiful or different. When that happens, maybe I’ll explain why it affects me that way and what ways I try and come up with to achieve that effect in my own projects.
Plus, seeing as I can already feel CreComm taking over my life, this just might be the excuse I need to put down the paper and pencil and pick up my guitar and hum a couple melodies.
Seeing as music is a topic that has oversaturated the internet with blogs, it makes it tough to see how I can incorporate it in mine. I completely agree with what Graham Hnatiuk of PROGRESSIVE WINNIPEG said about how there will always be someone who knows more about music than you, listens to more music than you and is just better at music than you. So, maybe instead of blogging about the external sources of music that we hear, I’ll write about the creative process that I myself go through internally when creating music. It can’t all be internal though. I’m bound to be inspired by something I find beautiful or different. When that happens, maybe I’ll explain why it affects me that way and what ways I try and come up with to achieve that effect in my own projects.
Plus, seeing as I can already feel CreComm taking over my life, this just might be the excuse I need to put down the paper and pencil and pick up my guitar and hum a couple melodies.
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