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Category: Advertising

Who Can Take a Sunrise, Sprinkle it with Dew – Cover it with Choc’late and a Miracle or Two

The candy man can, or the candy woman. I was in my glory a few weeks ago when I spent 2 1/2 delectable days at the Sweets and Snacks Expo at McCormick Place. It was a smorgasbord of colors, tastes, and treats that could have easily caused a 5-pound weight gain. I managed to avoid this malady due to all the walking at the convention as well as back and forth to the train station. As a lifelong candy addict, this amazing expo sent me into a sweet-tooth stratosphere. I was delighted to find tried and true candy favorites, discover wonderful new companies, and meet passionate candymakers that rivaled Willy Wonka with their unbridled enthusiasm. One of the secrets I uncovered is that the behemoth companies such as Wrigley (part of Mars since 2008), Kraft, Mars, Nutella, Ferrara Pan, and Hershey’s were incredibly stingy in giving away product samples. Wrigley was giving away diminutive packets of gum that were new on the market – kind of cool, but with just 6 pieces of gum, a rip-off at the suggested retail price of 69 cents. Necco was an exception to this rule and had full-size rolls for the taking. Many of the smaller companies were very generous and gave away full-size products if you asked nicely.

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When a Deal is Not a Deal – Buyer Beware

I am a sucker for a good deal – I use the word sucker because time and time again I think I am scoring a bargain when in reality I’m buying stuff I don’t need. I am a member of Groupon, Restaurant.com, DoubleTake Deals, Saveology, LivingSocial … and up until a few days ago – KGB Deals. I have dabbled on member-only shopping sites such as Beyond the Rack, Open Sky, NoMoreRack, and HauteLook to name a few, but dropped this habit when I lost my full-time job last June. In addition, these sites are frustrating because they tend to sell out in the first 45 seconds of the sale and rarely have my size. If you take a peek in my wallet you will find preferred cards from stores like Jewel-Osco, CVS Pharmacy, Dominick’s, etc. And I am a proud longstanding member of MyPoints, which is one of the best programs on the Internet. Internet Deal Sites Let’s start with my recent experience with KGB Deals. I bought a KGB Deals voucher for $10.50 for a $35.00 no-chip manicure at Salon 62. I started calling the salon in April to make an appointment since my voucher was going to expire on May 12. No answer during business hours for weeks on end, which I found odd. I left a message on their answering machine and nobody called me back. I decided to drive over there one day, again during business hours, only to find it dark with undelivered mail slips on the door. So I reported this to KGB Deals and they waited until May 11 to get back to me. Apparently there was some family emergency that shut down the business. When I called, Anna was rather snarky and wouldn’t bend on extending the life of the voucher. I was left with no choice but to change…

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My Doctor Has Me on an Annoying TV Prescription Med…

…No, It’s not for “ED”… I’ve had asthma for most of my life, since my early teens. For at least the last couple of decades I managed it with what they call “rescue inhalers,” primarily albuterol. Generally the asthma only flares up from exposure to certain airborne irritants, snow shoveling and sometimes when I play tennis or volleyball. I’ve done quite well on the albuterol. In recent years there has been a shift concerning asthma treatment. Most doctors advocate treating it with long-term steroid type inhalers to prevent, rather than treat, asthma episodes. About 8 years ago one doctor I was seeing wanted me to try one of the newer medications. I can’t remember the first one I tried, but it did not do anything for me. He then put me on Advair, with its cute, round purple inhaler. I wasn’t on it long before I developed a mouth infection as some steroid treatments are notoriously for. After that I stuck with my albuterol. Last week that prescription ran out and when I tried to get it refilled, the doctor’s office required that I go in for a checkup first.

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The Alluring Mystique of Talismans and Good Luck Charms

Amulet: an object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner. Talisman: an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune. Fetish: an object regarded with awe as being the embodiment or habitation of a potent spirit or as having magical potency. I have always been fascinated by talismans and good luck charms, but strictly from a visual standpoint. It is hard to believe that anyone would put so much stock in a trinket or charm, but throughout history this has been the case. My obsession with these symbols began as a young child when I bought my first rabbit’s foot. I was entranced with the dyed pink, turquoise, purple, and yellow varieties and the little claws poking out of the fur, as well as the attached solid brass key fob and chain. It is believed that this good luck charm harkens back to 600 B.C. among Celtic people. While I find the origins of this good luck amulet fascinating, as a child I simply liked the way the rabbit’s foot looked. When I was painting figuratively back in the early 1980s, I adorned several of my subjects with a trompe l’oeil rabbit’s foot, attempting to blend a Renaissance look with contemporary punk in my portraits.

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My Past and Occasional Present Pursuit of the Perfect Hot Dog

I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener that is what I’d really like to be ’cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener everyone would be in love with me   Oh, I’m glad I’m not an Oscar Mayer wiener that is what I’d never want to be ’cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener everyone would take a bite of me   Truthfully, I never wanted to be an Oscar Mayer Wiener – I am a Vienna Beef kind of gal, through and through, followed by Hebrew National. When I was a teenager, my dad and I decided that we would become hot dog connoisseurs and pursue the perfect dog. Growing up in Chicago – the hot dog capital of America, this seemed like a logical and glorious quest. Zagat and the Internet did not yet exist for suggestions, but hot dog dives were abundant and we stumbled upon several prime examples within just 2 miles of our house. And on occasion there was a review in the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Reader and we tried those establishments. Quite a few of these “Ma and Pa” places still exist, but many are long defunct.

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My Easter Weekend Ode to Rabbits, Bunnies and Symbolism

When personified, there is something about rabbits and bunnies that can be downright creepy … eliciting a similar reaction as clowns do. This morning on ABC7 Chicago News, a viewer shared a shot of her baby crying hysterically on the lap of a human dressed as the Easter Bunny. I cannot say I blame this child – the costumed creature was downright scary. Stuffed bunny rabbits are very cute and Jeff’s daughter, who is now 24 and married, was in love with these until the age of 13 or 14. And dwarf rabbits apparently make wonderful pets, as evidenced by my older sister turning to mush when her little bunny Shana is nearby – my serious, scholarly sister with the PhD! Rabbits have been used effectively and annoyingly in advertising, by film directors and artists, in cartoons, and of course – as a lighthearted symbol of the Easter holiday.

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My Foray into the Awesome World of Natural Foods – Part One

I accompanied my daughter to the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim last week and was blown away by the enormous array of products, people, tastes and sounds. By day 3 I was operating on sensory overload and couldn’t coherently digest much more, literally or metaphorically. I have been to food shows before – the National Restaurant Show in 2011 (and will go again this year) as well as the KeHE Specialty Food Show Chicago 2011. But this convention was by far the most remarkable, mind-blowing experience on earth – it is a must for anyone involved in any aspect of the natural foods and products business. The world of natural products is a far cry from the stressful, politically fraught, backstabbing work environment in which I toiled from 2004-2011. I met some of the nicest folks at this show and whether any of these encounters translate to business deals in PR or brokering is secondary. My daughter already has an impressive clientele list for whom she does demos and independent sales – and boy was I impressed with her networking skills. 

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Stupid Holiday Car Commercials, Part 3

I could hardly believe it. This morning when I turned on the TV the very first thing on was that stupid, annoying Audi commercial. I thought it had been retired, but there it was again. Only this time it had been shortened even further. Omitted was the brief scene where the son looks out the window sadly as his parents steal his car, as well as a few seconds showing his dad hanging the stocking with his name on it.

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Stupid Holiday Car Commercials, Part 2

First of all, it’s going on 3 days since I’ve seen that HORRIBLE Audi car commercial which seemed to play endlessly no matter what channel I watched. I have a new most hated tv commercial, and once again it’s for a car company:

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Stupid Holiday Car Commercials, Part 1

Luxury car commercials on TV seem to pop up a lot in two venues: tennis tournaments and the month-long buildup to Christmas. Tennis tournament ads I can understand. Most of those commercials cater to the affluent. Luxury items such as Rolex watches, Jaguar autos and high-end financial planning entities dominate there. Sure, there are a lot of commercials for non-luxury cars aired during Christmas season as well. The ads that baffle me the most are the ones where a car is given as a Christmas present with a big bow on the top of it. I mean, how often does this really happen? Especially in this age of increasing austerity. And where in the heck do they get those big bows? But the commercials for the luxury cars are the most baffling. Seriously, how many people in the demographic of any given TV show (NCIS in this case, where I saw this ad last night) can afford a car that probably costs more than $50,000. They also seem to defy logic, but perhaps the pampered rich who can afford those cars do act in ways the rest of us cannot imagine.

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