List Fan-atic!!!

I am a habitual list-maker. I recently had some co-workers call me a "List Whore" because I am constantly making lists. Mostly I spend my time writing daily "To Do" Lists so I don't forget everything (and I have multiple copies since I have a tendency to leave them places); but other lists I have include: "What to accomplish this week", "Things to do before I die", "Things to do this Quarter" (in school - these are both personal and academically related), "Things to do this Year", and my "Books to Read" List. There are a few reasons why I love lists: one - it helps me be less forgetful, two - I try to stay organized as best I can - I'm a logical and linear thinker, the lists help me keep my hectic life in order, three - it's something to do with my hands when I'm bored so I can feel productive, & four - I think it's genetic. Let me explain this last reason; we all naturally pick up habits from people we live with, many people tend to pick up habits from parents or begin to talk in similar ways as their friends and others they spend a lot of time around. Naturally you'd assume that I grew up in a house with parents to contstantly made lists - WRONG! I recently found out that in college my dad was a constant list-maker like myself, but the past 20 years I have been completely unaware of this habit he had because my mom broke him of that habit before they had kids. I found out a few months ago when we were visiting with one of their friends from college and he asked, "Do you still constantly find tiny list scribbles on scrap pieces of paper everywhere?" Because I have been completely unaware of this old habit of his my entire life I have concluded that list-making is a genetic triat.

So why tell you about my list-making habits? Besides the fact that that's the only thing my co-workers immediately associate with me, I have recently had the pleasure of completing a task on one of my most difficult lists - I completed a book I was reading. First off, I love to read, except I never find time while I'm in school, so it's a huge accomplishment when I finish a book while in school. The book I read was The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.


I first saw this book on the best seller list at work (I work in the campus bookstore) and I read the back and was especially intriged. One of my passions is sustainability and attempting to change the world into a better place. Maybe that sounds corny and idealistic, but it is something I am truely passionate about. What drew me to this book is the idea that "little things can make a big difference." This simple line provides me with infinante amounts of hope that someday the world can be a better place, and we don't initally need large masses of people to make a difference; instead it can begin with a common passion of a select few. I actually wrote a review of this book for my Sustainable Business Practices class in which I summarized the main aspects of this book - the 3 rules: (1) The Law of the Few - Connectors, Mavens, & Salesmen, (2) The Stickiness Factor, (3) The Power of Context. Then I analyzed the relevance to the business world and the aspect of sustainability. My analysis was:

"This book was amazing. I loved that it was full of real-world facts and examples that directly related to the ideas being discussed. It provided me with a renewed sense of hope that change is possible – even if there are not masses of people following suit in the beginning, it is possible that I can make a difference in the future. The constant flow of examples provided by Gladwell is extremely informational, however is occasionally overwhelming – especially since it sometimes strays from his initial message, but he is always able to bring it full circle to make sense. This book had a great impact on me both personally and professionally. It provided as a reminder that there is hope, and change is possible; even by a select few. I feel it is sometimes discouraging to feel extremely passionate about new ways to help better our environment because at times it seems that so few people feel the same way. This book provides hope that even if there are only a few people who want to start a trend or make a difference it is possible; just remember the three rules of epidemics. Professionally, this book impacted me because it explained the best means in which to reach the public, ways in which you can influence them. I would recommend that every marketer read this book because it provides new insight on ways that we can effectively influence the publics’ opinion – we don’t need to follow the traditional means of commercials during prime time, but there are other means in which we can be even more influential. This book not only allows you to view the world and trends differently, but forces you to broaden your horizons in respects to thinking – think differently. I would recommend this book to anyone that desires to change the world – it not only gives insight in what is necessary to make an impact, but provides you with hope that you, as an individual, can make a difference."

I'm extremely excited I read this book, but it's too bad that in the last week I've completed one book on my list, yet I've added 5 others to my list. Oh well, it's never bad to continue to expand your mind.

I'm back... with a spark

You would never guess that you could light your cheese grater on fire while attempting to boil water... but it is definitely possible. I was trying to boil water for pasta and I left the room for a few minutes and then I heard a popping sound and thought the water might be boiling, but to my surprise the cheese grater handle was on fire!!! It was on the stove, too close to the flame and caught fire and began to melt against the pot. Luckily I checked on my water when I did, and at least this time the fire was kept small. This was not monumental, but yet another fire story for my house...It looks like my cheese grater grew a tail... haha


On the other hand, I know it's been a couple months since I last posted anything - sorry. My excuses are lame too, basically winter quarter was overwhelming and I got caught up in too much school and work. But now spring has arrived and I'm starting fresh and new.

As a warning to all, I am currently taking a course on Sustainable Business Practices and one of my passions is sustainability. So many posts to follow may follow the theme of sustainability become extremely informative and opinionated - focusing on how humans are destroying our planet and what changes can be made in our daily lives.

Top 5 Commercials

While reading Advertising Age the other day I stumbled across the Creativity's Top 5 Commercials from the first week of 2009. These commercials are from different parts of the world, so it was impossible for me to see them all before watching this video.

Watch the video at:

http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=1442790036&title=6963187001

They began with #5 which was a commercial for Audi. It depicted a drawing of a man moving around the box shaping it into a car. I felt it was creative because it was impossible to tell what the guy was doing for over 30 seconds. Finally it begins to hint that it is being shaped into a car. One issue I had with this commercial was the length of it; it seemed to take too long to reach it's intended point. However, it was created to be shown in the UK, not the US. I liked the fact that it takes thinking and it draws the viewer in because they are unsure of what is actually happening with this box.

Number 4 was Gatorade's new commercial "What's G?" I greatly enjoyed watching this commercial, but I wish I had seen it on TV first. The reason I wish I'd seen it on TV is because they do not tell you what "G" is. Lil' Wayne implies it with the wording, but they never show the product, only the logo at the very end. I feel this is an effective beginning to a new campaign because it makes people think. Those who have seen the new packaging or athletes that know their products may know what this commercial was implying, but I feel there is a decent percentage of the population who was merely confused by what's being advertised. The commercial was classy and simple. Having still footage of the athletes scroll across the page with Lil' Wayne's voice over explaining the traits of athletes that drink Gatorade. The commercial simply ends with the new "G" Gatorade symbol, but no picture or extra copy about the product.

I did not particularly like the commercial in spot #3. Again, it was too long for my taste, seeing I'm use to super short commercials being from the US. Although I thought it was interesting I didn't exactly understand why the man was fighting with himself. Is it suppose to relate to the consumers' struggle on whether or not they should purchase the car? I also felt had too much of an action scene or movie feel for a commercial. I do believe I would have enjoyed the commercial more if the fighting scene resulted in the assembly of the car, but by the end of the commercial I felt lost and confused.

The commercial that made the #2 spot was a trailer for a movie/documentary that comes out in Spring 2009. I found it interesting and it definitely captured my attention. But I did not realize that it was a movie trailer until the end of it. It definitely gave off a different vibe than a typical movie trailer - I almost feel that I would have paid better attention to it if I knew it was a trailer from the beginning because the whole time I was watching it I thought it was a product advertisement, so I was analyzing it more than absorbing the information they were giving us about the film. But I certainly am interested in that film now, and I hope I see more advertisements as the spring approaches.

The #1 commercial for the beginning of 2009 was Virgin Airlines' 25th Anniversary commercial. I thought it was cool how they had the commercial take place back in 1984, which is when the airline began. And I felt the commercial was definitely captivating. However, I feel that in the U.S. there would be a decent percentage of people who found this commercial degrading to women because it greatly focused on the stunning beauty of the stewardesses as they walked through the terminal. One effective attribute when producing a commercial is focusing on sexual appeal without being too obvious, and this commercial definitely succeeded at this. While this was a good commercial, it was not my favorite out of these 5. I definitely enjoyed Gatorade's "What's G?" commercial the best.