Monday, September 06, 2010
The reason for Twitter
Jun 4, 11:00 AM by HM Copywriter
When everyone working adults discover Twitter, their initial reaction is invariably, “What’s the point?” Which is the set up to any number of wry and/or rude remarks. But no longer.
It’s now clear that Twitter exists to generate always brief, sometimes glib and occasionally profound remarks. That infinite quantity of pith is screened (not unlike a baleen whale) and converted into… tee shirts
It seems to me that this is proof of the “infinite monkeys” theory. Stand on the beach long enough and eventually, something more substantial washes ashore. So instead of the minutia of your life being lost in the impermanent ether, it can be silkscreened onto a tee shirt, worn for a weekend and then tossed in the back of the closet.
A parting thought from Conan O’Brien, “Conan O’Brien:
“In the year 3000, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook will merge to become one mega social networking site called YouTwitFace.”
—Chia
Starbucks—and the instant coffee disaster
Mar 19, 04:56 PM by HM Copywriter
Dear Reader:
I don’t know why you go to Starbucks, but I know why I do. Good coffee and that heart felt feeling that I’m better than everyone else. Yep, I said it. Send the elephant packing, Cindi’s on a soapbox.
On the up-and-up, I’m not a big S-Bucks fan. I was raised in the hood (Bay City, MI—Holla) and there, Speedway (Super America) was revered as gourmet. Wicker baskets brimming with exotic flavors such as Ireesh Cream and Vanilla Tof-fay lined the counters. Adding just the right touch of class to an otherwise unsofis-toe-cated expereeence.
Still, when I heard that Starbucks had succumbed to the pressures of the economy, I was like … whaaaa? I have some pretty snobby friends. “Pseudo snob” that is. Living in a fantasy world of wealth and quasi superiorism. Let’s face it, they need the Starbuckien illusion to get through.
You see, in the wannabe world there are four fantasy pillars:
Target
Late model BMW’s
Sushi (but not from any place you’ve ever been)
... and Starbucks
That’s it. That’s all they have. And now you want to take it away? If SBs starts bundling value scones with limited time lattes, everyone will come. (gasp!) Like the Star Bellied Sneeches who lived on the beaches, how will we possibly tell who’s better?
Adding insult to injury, CEO Howard Schultz has also approved the experimental testing of “Instant Starbucks” in Seattle? Instant Starbucks? WT? Can you say brand identity crisis? Just because everyone else signed up for truck driving school, that doesn’t mean you have to break out the Carhardts.
You’re different. You’re that brooding boy in the courtyard, smoking cigarettes and reading Kerouac from the back of a vintage motorcycle. (faint) No one knows where you came from, but you make them feel tingly all over. Hey even if you’re a shallow, illiterate poser can we at least keep the goose pimples? Please?
All I’m saying is that this world needs its Starbucks just the way it is. Hard to order, overpriced coffee, slews of wannabe writers plunking away on their Powerbooks with no intention of ordering a second cup, and snotty baristas who purposely spell your name wrong. Without this unwavering illusion the underpaid, over-educated world will surely crumble.
Thank you. Come again.
Cindi Walther : HM Copywriter
Who is Generation Y?
Jun 4, 03:12 PM by Jon C
AdAge’s, Kenneth Gronbach, recently characterized Gen Y as “anyone born from 1985 to the present … More than 90 million strong, they’ve surpassed boomers in size. They are consuming at 500% of the rate of their boomer parents in adjusted dollars, age for age, when you take into account their unprecedented influence on family purchases.”
BrandNoise recently countered Gronbach, stating: “Generations are shaped by economic and cultural forces that unify us in fundamental ways. The code of each generation is shaped by that zeitgeist—the glue. A span of over 20 years is simply too long to sustain a unifying code.”
BrandNoise then goes on to say that Gen Y ends in 2001 as a result of 9/11 and that the post 9/11 generation is being “shaped by forces like political and cultural anxiety.” A point I very much agree with.
Link
http://brandnoise.typepad.com/brand_noise/2008/06/question-about.html
The World's Fastest Indian.
Mar 15, 11:05 AM by HM Staff
Ever thought of going 180mph on a slightly modified vintage bike designed to go 55mph? I know I rarely think of anything else. This movie is a sparse excerpt of Burt Munro’s quest to do just that, with his 1920 Indian Scout. Check out the trailer here.
Below are some links related to the REAL story of the
legendary Kiwi, Burt Munro.
Indian Motorcycles
Motocycle Hall of Fame
Links to other postings -