penny for a thought | Patrick on every & anything

Ok, so, unlike my previous post, this video isn’t for everyone, but I’m confident the majority of my readers will appreciate this re-mix of a classic Richard Simmons exercise video. Credit goes to a Portland-based creative who writes for a Portland-based juggernaut in the ad game.

There’s never a shortage of random videos–online–intended to make one laugh. Everyone has their own opinion of what’s funny or not, but here’s one I think anyone can appreciate. It’s a non-offensive, :30 TV ad a Portland, OR ad agency did for the Oregon Aquarium… Brilliant!

Last week’s hot topic in viral media was a video of Kobe Bryant jumping a speeding sports car. Considering a vehicle would have to be traveling upwards of 150 MPH, I venture to guess magic (perhaps Harry Potter) was involved during this video’s production; but spectacular nonetheless. It’s viral for several reasons: a.) The video has received more than 3.5 million views on YouTube alone, b.) It’s all the rage in the mainstream media, and c.) The original video has spawned a number of “re-edits,” some morbidly funny. Check them out, starting with the original.

In my opinion, you’re never too old to laugh at a good sex joke. That said, there’s nothing funny about (STIs) sexually transmitted infections (not that I’d know, honestly!) But they are fun to make fun of, especially for the sake of education. That’s the approach Planned Parenthood is taking with TakeCareDownThere.org, an action-based website intended to educate, inform and bust your spleen laughing. It accomplishes all three and then some by allowing medically challenged individuals in Portland, OR schedule an appointment online.

Great work by one of Portland’s hidden creative treasures, Leopold Ketel & Partners. Here’s to making fun of the things which scare me most!

Strung-out by their long running “Got Milk?” campaign, Milk, with help from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, launched a “made for web,” digital campaign built around a fictional rocker, White Gold. One part moderately creepy human and one part mystic moon goddess, White Gold is sure to please; whether or not he’ll persuade you to consume more/any milk is beyond me. Very funny and entertaining nonetheless.

Milk’s “White Gold is White Gold” campaign is, in fact, achieving its viral goal, but I’m forced to question the actual usefulness of the campaign. I mean, sure, White Gold’s videos are well produced and supported by a flashy website–which In my opinion is not very user friendly–but where’s the call to action? What’s the goal?

Is White Gold meant to simply build brand recognition/equity? He does, pretty well… Or, should White Gold be a bit more of a universal advocate for Milk, reiterating Milk’s health benefits in a way which gets consumers involved? Now we’re talking interactivity!! Call me the Devil’s advocate, but I just feel like a genius campaign is missing a little something that would’ve made all the difference. Instead of a pretty, but complex, website with only a “send to a friend” function, I’d like to see something a little more community oriented, user generated content (video and/or social networking) perhaps.

That’s my $0.02, check it out for yourself.

I’m completely obsessed with the soundtrack to a spot advertising Nike SPARQ Training, a new service offering which aims to help you “be a better athlete.” Something about the ad in its entirety just really turns me on. It makes me want to train, do uphill intervals until my legs feel like bleeding, recover, then do it over again. For me, the spot brings out a sense of aggression, but aggression coupled with happiness, which stems from knowing I can work harder to be better. After all, in sports there’s only so much “god-given” talent one can have. In the end it comes down who’s going to work the hardest and, ultimately, who wants it the most.

Addendum: OMG! A friend/co-worker let me know who the artist is and, turns out, I’ve had this songs in my iTunes all-along. It’s “List of Demands” by Saul Williams, who, ironically, I’m seeing live on Tuesday at the Aladdin Theatre. Gosh I feel silly… Thanks Kasia

Over the weekend Yahoo! launched a revolution, one only recognized online and of value to those of us with a web cam/iSite, not to mention a blazing fast connection, but a revolution nonetheless. It’s Yahoo! LIVE, a live video-streaming service that has all the potential to, once again, change the way we use the internet. Don’t trifle, Yahoo LIVE! is a-ways-away from perfect, so you haven’t missed anything big yet… but it’s definitely worth your perusal.

Yahoo! LIVE is a lot like existing apps, Ustream for example, but boasts some pretty rad features, like the ability to embed your LIVE video-casts on third-party websites/blogs. LIVE also has a handy chat window (b/c the audio component is totally messed.) My favorite is multi-camera viewing, which enables you to see video channels of other people watching the same stream you are. It sounds complicated, but you can jump around from channel-to-channel quickly and change the lineup however you’d like.

Thanks goes to the Digital Merlin for introducing me to Yahoo’s time/soul-sucking app. There’s no better way to spend Portland’s warmest day of 2008 than in a video chat-room with a plethora of dudes suffering from hair loss… Just playing. It was honestly incredibly exciting, don’t let my depressed look fool ya. Check it out!

Alright, so getting a free iPhone is near impossible; that is unless you win, find or steal one. However, it’s not difficult to get an iPhone for under a-hundred-bucks. It just takes some effort, not to mention a bit of questionable hustling. I did it and ended up paying roughly $60 for my iPhone just a few months after its release. Now, many of my friends have jumped the bandwagon; take dEcho for example, my pal who–just last week–paid next to nothing for his iPhone.

If you’re up for it here’s what you do:

1. Wait until your current cell-phone contract is up
2. Log onto Amazon.com and find a Blackberry Curve 8310 being offered through AT&T
3. Purchase the Blackberry Curve for the low price of FREE after rebates when you sign up or renew your 2-year contract
4. Wait a few days until you get the Blackberry Curve from Amazon
5. Take some good pictures and post the Blackberry for sale on eBay
6. I suggest starting the auction for $1
7. Make sure you post the Blackberry under the appropriate categories to maximize the final sale price
8. If done right,the phone should sell for around $300
9. Take your newly earned skrilla to Apple and put it towards a shiny new iPhone

It works, I promise… Enjoy!

Ahhh… The Super Bowl, an evening of athletic excellence, cheap beer, nachos and yes… Clever advertising. Or is it not? As of late I’ve heard only sighs of disappointment surrounding the 30-second wonders that are Super Bowl commercials. I on the other-hand was particularly impressed with this year’s Super Bowl spots. For me, so long as I laugh or cry and the ad resonates enough for me to remember the brand and talk about it the next day, it’s a success.

You can watch all the Super Bowl spots here, thanks to Advertising Age. Oh! And if you’re wondering–my favorites were the E * TRADE baby spots.

DDB Sydney recently created a series of clever ads for Australia’s State Traffic Commander. The goal’s to create awareness for the dangers associated with MP3 players; turns out it’s unsafe to listen to music while crossing the street… I concur, but think TXT/SMS messaging while walking is far more dangerous. Maybe I’m the only one, but I’ve stopped counting the number of times I’ve nearly been tagged by a car while TXTing and walking.

2007 has been an incredible year, I’d be selfish to ask for an even better 2008; but heck, it’s worth a try, right? Here are just a few memories from 2007, which I’ll hopefully never forget:

1. I took a Man-Cation to the island of Kauai and hiked the Kalalua Trail
2. Got the muddiest I’ll ever get in my entire life, I hope
3. Hung out with rock-stars backstage at the Vegoose music festival in Las Vegas
4. Moved into a new place with a killer view
5. Climbed Mt. Rainier for the 3rd time, mind you this was the most difficult time
6. Danced on stage with my friends’–Meese–at The Fray concert
7. Had a break-through NRC cycling race and earned a pro-category license
8. Finally spent time in New York City during the holiday season

Happy New Year everyone. I wish you a safe, happy and healthy 2008.

A recent Nielsen study claims Google is hovering right under 60% marketshare of all online searches. The exact approximation is 57.7%–an 8% increase from the year prior. Surprised? I didn’t think so. However, this statistic got me thinking about my own online behavior and why I do what I do. I mean, I’m always analyzing other peoples’ online behavior, but never my own.

For example, I use Google for 99% of all personal searches, but use Yahoo! for my email. I have a Gmail account but–by habit–use Yahoo! I’m pretty sure Gmail is better; after all, that’s what the “cool kids” (Mac users) use… And I am one of the them. Right? But why do I have my Gmail account forward mail to my Yahoo!? Also, why does branding make me put an “!” every time I write Yahoo!?

Nevertheless, I am going to switch email clients each day until I finally determine which is best for me. With that, welcome to the Yahoo! Mail vs Gmail battle. The verdict along with reasoning will come soon.

Are the “cool kids” right? Only time will tell. In the meantime, here’s what c|net thinks.

Here’s proof that just about any brand can create a buzz online, thus resulting in brand recognition greater than the average marketers’ annual media budget. We’ve seen a number of consumer products make it big online, most notably Dove and it’s Evolution of Beauty campaign.

Now we see it with the most unlikely of candidates, SPAM, the canned meat, a staple in the Hawaiian Islands, but not-so-much on the mainland. As I type, SPAM is generating hundreds–maybe thousands–of visitors to a viral production having little to do with SPAM, but more to do with toast. Nevertheless, it’s fun to watch and drives people to TheBookofSpam.com, a website detailing SPAM’s positive qualities, “apparently some exist.” Who knows, someone might buy SPAM too? Though I do know SPAM should have purchased BookofSpam.com too… Just saying.

Although I adore the hustle and bustle of metropolis living and the traffic jams to go with it, I’m happy to be back in Portland. That said, come Saturday, I depart again. This time for the homestead, by that I mean my family’s suburban hideaway outside Cleveland, OH.

It wasn’t until early today that I truly recognized the up-and-coming holidays. I guess life has just been moving too fast, not to say it’s a bad thing; in fact, I prefer it that way. I just need to get better at doing 10 things at once, which I know I am. Like today, when I went about my normal Sunday (coffee, writing, bike ride, groceries) while thoughtfully planning my holiday gift list–in my head. Then, while enjoying a homemade dinner, I found all the gifts on my list at Amazon.com. Even more amazing is the fact that everything qualified for FREE shipping, plus I don’t have to carry “jack” on the plane. Happy Holidays to me, I say!

P.S. Pray United Airlines finds my luggage before I take off again later this week. Bollocks! They found it.

While in NYC (see previous entry) aside from working my a$$ off, I saw a few things worth sharing:

• A giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center
• The world’s largest collection of Pennies, $1,000,000 worth to be exact (more than my blog will ever see)
• Some funny ad copy for Stephen Colbert’s book

There’s nothing better than New York City during the holidays–chilled air, damp sidewalks, Rockefeller Center, a giant Christmas tree (cut in Oregon… pssst) and ice skating. Need I say more? Seriously, there’s nothing better than NYC this time of year, not-a-thing, honest. Well maybe world peace, but let’s be real.

In the midst of a week long east coast media tour I was lucky enough to get some R&R time and run a-muck in Manhattan this evening. Of course I did the tourist thing, there’s not enough time to take in NYC’s full flavor anyways.

There’s something truly charming about this city and it breaks my heart to depart tomorrow evening.