the six reasons happiness is simple

I first saw this Lay's Potato Chips commercial while catching up on an episode of Lost (or maybe it was Private Practice--I can't remember) on abc.com. I feel like advertisers and media are still trying to get a grip on how best to utilize online video commercial time/space, but I have to say I feel like this Lay's commercial hits the ball (or exploding potato, as the case may be) out of the park.

There are six things I love about the Fireworks video that have left me thinking about it for days:

Editing: I saw a video about how online video has changed the way music vid directors think about filming. Because the screen is smaller on the computer than on TV, and because users are often divided between multiple tasks, the canvas is simplified to fit only the most essential portrait/action in each scene. Editing must be fast and furious, with cuts from one shot to the next happening almost constantly in order to keep the viewer engaged--I don't think there's a single shot in the entire Lay's video that lasts for more than three seconds.

Music: This song is gorgeous, and I've caught myself humming it on more than one occassion. Lovely tone, complimentary lyrics, and a beautiful ease that brings out the simple happiness shared by people in the video.

Color: I love the blue skies, the bright tupperware, the green grass and white goose--and of course, the golden chips. :)

Repetition: Lay's chose to show the same video for all four commercial breaks during my show, rather than build the breaks out into some sort of "plot." Which I thought was good, because the video itself is quite intricate and most of the time when advertisers try to go the plot route, it ends up being pretty lame because they are trying to compete with the coolness of my show and they are just not going to win. However, I have now gone to the Lay's website to watch Fireworks, voluntary, like five times.

Message: Aside from the fact that potato chip fireworks are just cool, I love how the potatoes shooting straight from the earth reinforces their message that Lay's chips are simple and natural (the site flaunts that the chips are made "with just three ingredients": potatoes, sunflower oil and a pinch of salt).

Tone: I think what strikes me most about the video is what a poignant response it is to not only the current technological environment that is forcing advertisers to adapt, but to our current social environment. I watch it and I think I want to be there. In that place, at that time, with those people, experiencing that moment--a moment so untouched by Wall Street, by politics and the worries that now consume our lives.

I want to believe that happiness is that simple--and for a minute, an exploding sky of golden potato chips makes me think there's at least a chance that, somewhere, it might be true.

mastery versus practice

I've had a business card for Cora McMullian, owner of Body Wisdom spa in Tallahassee and licensed massage therapist extraordinaire, sitting on my desk since December with a sticky note that reads: GET A MASSAGE!!! 

Normally, I look at it between emails and projects and conference calls and think to my sticky note, "Yes, that would be nice," before moving on to the next thing on my to-do list. 

Friday, however, was different. Between spurts of chaos, the card caught my eye and the sticky note seemed to SCREAM at me--and today, my body screamed back, "OKAY!!! I WILL!"

I've only gotten a couple of massages before, and never stuck with anyone because the pressure wasn't right, or the Enya soundtrack was too nauseating, or the ceiling was growing mold. I knew as soon as I walked into Body Wisdom that this time was going to be different. I walked in to wooden floors; warm, open space and comfortable decor that immediately invited me to relax. 

Body Wisdom is the perfect temperature of calm without being too posh or new-agey--or too expensive. Cora makes you instantly comfortable with her personable demeanor and her obvious attention to detail--fresh citrus water, lavender-scented face cloths, and a style that seems more like well-choreographed art that happens to be taking place on your body than just a "massage." 

I left beaming, but not before setting up another appointment for next month. And while part of the whole point of going in the first place was to get my mind off work, Cora really made me think about how important it is to take your business to the next level by not simply practicing a profession, but mastering the art of sharing it with others. 

Body Wisdom is located at 820 East Park Avenue, Building C. Cora, or any of the wonderful massage therapists she employs, can be reached at 850.224.2639.

moon pie

Today I started a course in graphic design. In the first class, we made this cute little patchwork piece in Photoshop. I learned how layers work, and how to manipulate them a little bit. I learned a few keyboard shortcuts and how to mess with shapes. 

To anybody who already knows Photoshop, I'm sure this is entirely amateur. But for me, I walked into the class feeling like Photoshop was a foreign country, and left confident that I could successfuly maneuver within its landscape (even if only on a small scale). 

What made it so valuable was not finding out the hex values for black and white, or learning how to merge two layers. It was being able, in the very first class, to experience success. 

Lesson: If you want someone to reach for the stars, it doesn't hurt to start with a big ol' piece of moon pie. 

carry the torch

A coworker today pointed me to the inaugural post on the new White House blog--and it became very clear to me that the answer to the question of what's next as the news media loses influence is very simple: You.

Imagine if you devoted your website to becoming the number one source of information in your field. The media will start to go there first. Your consumers will start to go there first--not just for information about you, but about anything related to your industry.

Of course we still need the checks and balances reporters and people with other viewpoints provide--but if you are credible enough, transparent enough and engaging enough, it certainly can't hurt to be the one carrying the torch.

getting back in the saddle

It's been quite a little while since I've posted anything, and what better way to get back up and running than to run across this fabulous little post! Looks like the persistent bird gets the worm on the internet--I admit, sometimes I do wonder if all this blogging business is worth the fuss--and here I got pats on the back for a comment on another blog, my own blog AND my super-awesome external links (see right). Hooray! 

Thanks to all for reading. :)

lessons from an innovator

PRSA recently printed an excerpt from this discussion with Obama's communications director Dan Pfieffer on lessons learned from a campaign that boldly went where no one has gone before. Here are the takeaways:

• No matter what, stay focused on your goal. The campaigns that let themselves get distracted by the drama of the day... well, they lost. Note: Some dramas, like the financial crisis, are long-term issues that you must consider. But even this should not take your eyes off the ultimate goal.

• Know your target audience. Wait--love your target audience. Your success is in their hands, which means your job is to build and sustain a relationship with your community of stakeholders. 

I found this comment from Pfieffer particularly revealing of their understanding of these principles:

“Because the punditry largely lives near Washington, D.C. and New York City and rarely leaves those two places, they never had a sense of what was actually happening on the ground for Barack Obama, either in the primary or the general [election], and this is an election that takes place in states and is decided by voters and what voters were doing and thinking in a given moment was rarely factored in by the punditry."

The Obama campaign charted a new, refreshingly democratic, course in campaign strategy. How will you follow suit?

your tagline is not open for negotiation

While standing in line yesterday to vote early, my boyfriend pointed out an article on Google in this month's WIRED: 

"When Josh McHugh profiled the young corporation in January 2003, it had one clear and concise rule: 'Don't be evil.' ... CEO Eric Schmidt recently 'clarified' that policy, saying it was simply meant as a conversation starter. ..."

I'm sorry, what?? Maybe Schmidt ought to try "Don't be stupid" on for size. 

Even if your tagline is tamer than the infamous internet giant's, it should reflect your company through and through. A tagline is two things: short and to the point. Meandering on meaning, especially if it leads you to quarreling with exactly what you meant by "evil," is not good.

Schmidt was right about one thing; taglines should start conversations--but they should be ones you can follow through on.