I. Just. Don't. Know.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lPmTQUggok&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3&w=640&h=390]
Hello From San Francisco
I think this is the longest time in the 3 years since I've had this blog that I've gone without blogging. But not just because I don't love you. I've been working, working, working!
Imaginary High Speed Train between San Francisco and LA
Durex Flavored Condoms Johnnie Walker Black whose research led me to a strip club. I kid you not. Imaginary Red Bull flavored Orbit's gum. (Could use some of that regularly with all the energy I've been spending on school work. Insights! Strategies! One single thought. Qualitative Research. Man on the Street interviews. Karaoke! Running along the water. Eating. More eating. Updating my new blog Curiosity Matters with all things advertising related. Hanging out with Five Brazilians, One Argentinian, Two Spaniards, One Serbian, One Singaporean, and a whole lot of Americans from around the world. Drinking coffee. Finally kicking my Nutella habit. Eating lots of Thai Curry. Feeling like I'm genuinely living every day to the fullest.
Music Unites
Life should be one big musical..
phoenix - lisztomania *brooklyn brat pack mashup*
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1ywFh2AZLg&w=640&h=385]
Phoenix Lisztomania Brat Pack Mashup Amsterdam
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLMCd-udRvg&w=640&h=385]
Phoenix - Lisztomania (Rio de Janeiro Brat Pack Mashup)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNUcjfXZumo&w=640&h=385]
Phoenix - Lisztomania (SF BRAT PACK MASH UP)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCzr7P5gqSI&w=640&h=385]
Look Through the World Through the Eyes of a Child
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpdLEQxMQC0?fs=1&hl=en_US&w=640&h=385]
Hot Video - Thanks JH
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dgimjMhAIk&w=640&h=385]
Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey
Connections
I've officially been in San Francisco for over a month. As you can probably tell from the lack of posts, I'm having a wonderful time. The account planning program consists of 18 people, including 4 Brazilians, 2 Spaniards, 1 Argentinian, 1 Serbian, 1 Singaporean and 6 Americans from around the country. We're all motivated, curious, interesting, intelligent and kind, to say the least. It's sort of like study abroad except people are mature and everyone is genuinely appreciative of the experience because we've all put a lot of time and money into the program. I can't put into words how great it feels to be exactly where I was meant to be and I say that in the broadest terms.
Within the first two weeks, I met a few people who are now very good friends. In fact, I've probably met over a hundred people but can remember the exact moment that I met these people I now consider close friends. There was an instant and mutual connection. With them, I only had one solid thing in common - but otherwise, we all come from completely different backgrounds. What is it about our personalities that result in us connecting? Is there such a thing as a soul mate? Platonic soul mate? Could we each take personality tests that would predict our friendship? Is there science behind this? Psychology? Do we remind each other of other friendships? I've been pondering these questions but mostly enjoying the ride.
TED Talk: Simon Sinek - How Great Leaders Inspire Action
After reading a hilarious and somewhat accurate critique of TED Talks via Stuff White People Like (thanks P!), I had trouble listening to this talk, emailed to me by someone at Miami Ad School, without wanting to roll my eyes. And then a minute in, I realized I had already heard the talk via podcast on my iPhone. The memories of me walking through the beautiful, tree lined streets of the Manhattan's East 60's in late Spring, while on the way to the Apple store came flooding back. Yes, the irony is not lost on me.Essentially, he's describing the type of emotional connection that brands and leaders want to create with their consumers. As account planners, it's our job to find the insight that leads to that connection. About 30 years ago, Bill Bernbach had a similar insight:
“At the heart of an effective creative philosophy is the belief that nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature, what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action, even though his language so often camouflages what really motivates him. For if you know these things about (a) man you can touch him at the core of his being."
http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf
What brands do you connect with? Why?
The Famous Planner Survey of 2010
I heard rumors that this existed. And then I found it. Via I'll Change Your Life. I bet Heather creates fantastically visual Creative Briefs and her creatives must love her!Results that I found to be particularly interesting: Women are still only making 73 cents on the dollar for every male Head of Account Planning. So women - definitely have this survey in mind when you're going up for your next review.
- Somehow the salary range for Assistant Account Planners is between $28K-$71K with the average at $43K.
- Heather was surprised to discover that graduate degrees did not appear to result in higher salaries but specifically praised the Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp as a great way for "natural planner-types to make a career change and get into account planning."
- And finally, two out of our three industry heroes who teach our weekend workshops were listed as Awesome Planners in the survey.
Worth the read!
A Little Review in Internet Pop Culture
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHxmRSYDazE&w=640&h=385]Via a San Francisco advertising agency called Venables Bell & Partners. For a behind the scenes company that most of us probably haven't heard of, this looked like a pretty expensive commercial to produce. Wow, must have been an interesting shoot.
An Obvious But Brilliant Flip
They should probably make a whole movie with this idea.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-noqbSSc1k&w=640&h=385]
Purely Gratuitious Visuals - GHD
Hmm. Do we see a trend here in advertising and fantasy? Is it one of those - escape the realities of the recession through advertising? Or is about the romanticism of fall and the approaching holiday season?http://creativity-online.com/video/player.swf
iPad vs. The iPhone
Exploring that age old debate that's on everyone's mind...
TWEET IT - iPads vs iPhones (Michael Jackson "Beat It" spoof)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNf9_0w5qzw&w=540&h=285]
P.S. I like, know some one who, like.. knows someone.. who's in this video via Miami Ad School. That should give you a tiny idea of the amount of talent, creativity and originality that I'm surrounded by. Via Seedwell productions.
Starbucks’ Future To Include Beer & Wine?
October 19, 2010 - via PSFK
The Starbucks of the future – if a new prototype renders the concept effective – may serve regional wine and beer, offer locally made cheeses served on china, host a redesigned barista bar where customers are close to the coffee, and be ‘green’ in both design and color. This Starbucks could easily be confused for an established neighborhood cafe, and not a globalized, heavily branded chain location. This prototype Starbucks store is located at a 10-year old location on Olive Way in Seattle’s Capitol Hill area, after being closed for a three-month long redesign.
While we’ve seen and discussed Starbucks prototypes before as part of its efforts for continued evolution, this particular protoype comes at a decisive time for Starbucks, as the company turns 40. The objective is two fold: for customers, to make the stores seem friendly and more part of the neighborhood; and for stockholders, to make the stores more profitable by targeting greater evening visitation & consumption (currently, US Starbucks stores get 70% of their business before 2PM). That is where Starbucks hopes the beer, wine and cheese could deliver – and it’s that focus on evening participation that previous prototypes may not have been as focused on encouraging.
The USA Today piece includes a walk-through of the location 5 days prior to opening, and points out some of the key experiential differences between this and standard Starbucks locations – these may serve as an advantage, or as a risk:
For one, the new store doesn’t instantly look like Starbucks. The colors are muted. The lighting, particularly in the evenings, is dimmed. The whole design tenor is low key, as if trying to look like it’s been part of the neighborhood for decades. It simply doesn’t scream Starbucks when you walk in the door.
For a company that’s trying to encourage evening visitation – and guests staying to ‘hang out’ – this could be beneficial. It could also alienate those ‘purists’ that visit Starbucks purely for the coffee, and whom would prefer to visit a bar in the evenings, vs. the same spot they may visit in the morning.
In the spirit of continued innovation and evolution, Starbucks is taking a very active, potentially risky decision by testing this new prototype. But isn’t this what ANY brand should do in setting the course for its future direction, and seizing new opportunities to better serve customers (even when those customers don’t realize they want this from the brand in question)? The company and global brand is testing if it can change perception and increase consumption/visitation behavior by altering the experience, product and service it offers in stores. We will keep a close eye on how this prototype performs for the brand, and are very curious to see what it learns.
What do you think? I think this is a smart move. Once trying to be alternative and the little guy - Starbucks is now like McDonald's (or at least the high quality, fair trade version). I think these stores will continue their position as innovators and early adopters and strengthen the brand. They're turning into the Gap of the coffee world and these stores would be the Banana Republic of Starbucks.. or maybe even the Monogram. My favorite places to hang out in New York were coffee places with internet access by day, and wine bars with internet turned off at night. V-Bar watch out. Isn't it funny that potentially one of the biggest innovations in a coffee chain is emulating what Parisians have had for over a century?
The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REdE-YyVmdQ?fs=1&hl=en_US&w=640&h=385]Kittens, glamour and entertainment - what more could a girl ask for?
My SF Life In iPhone Pictures
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| The Flight |
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| My very lovely room with lovely roommates and space you'd have to go to NJ to find. |
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| Too much regular nutella indulgence. Hopefully it will be like when I studied abroad in Europe and actually lost weight from all the walking.. |
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| Cappuccino done right. |
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| After sharing a lovely burger and moment with very wonderful new friends. |
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| The view a few blocks from my apartment. |
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| Even the dogs are enjoying life in laid back San Francisco |
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| A typical day at Miami Ad School. (kind of... sort of... in a way) |
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| A little less intimidating when you're at the top.. |
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| An overly dark picture of one of the items my mother sent me. Nothing like requesting a pair of 5 year old, gold heels. Might as well be bold in San Francisco. |
And finally, I'd give you more updates, but I need to do even more research on sex and condoms. Thank you Miami Ad School Project. It will only be fitting if our following assignment is for an alcoholic beverage.
A Little Milk Escapism
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOHAUvbuV4o?fs=1&hl=en_US&w=640&h=385]
Fate & A Long Winding Path To Account Planning
This week marked the first week of classes at Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp in San Francisco. Yeah - don't try saying that one in one breath. In all honesty, I'm incredibly excited to finally get to work even though I'm slightly terrified about what's ahead. I started having too much time on my hands despite exploring and adjusting to the city. And for me, too much time usually results in boy drama and over thinking previous relationships. OY VEY. Which often leads to thinking about fate. Are we fated to meet a certain person? Follow a certain path? As a future Account Planner, it will be my job to make connections between ideas and behaviors; to find an insight and recognize that it's the right strategy. So what insight can I gather about myself regarding my own career?
When I was a child, I would insistently demand that my father explain the "why" to everything, which drove him crazy. In school, I had trouble with math and science mainly because it meant memorizing facts and making connections without entirely understanding the "why." I generate ideas. I've dabbled in a million creative ventures but could never see myself working only as an artist. I'm slightly obsessive, I'm curious, I like learning about anything and everything. In short, I was meant to be an account planner. Last year I went to a career coach and wrote down my values and what kind of job I wanted. Without knowing it - I described what an account planner does. And somehow my photography (an interest I pursued because I always need to educate myself) lead to working with an account planner. Finally, when people asked why I wanted to be an account planner, I'd respond with "It's the Truth in Advertising" which I've recently found out is the title to the "account planning" handbook. That being said, I think it's important to evaluate your life - take a step back and look at your own patterns. Meet new people, experience new things, keep a journal and you'll realize that maybe the answer you seek is already within you. You just have to find it.
Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp
I've spent the last few weeks packing, schlepping my stuff from between New York City and my parent's house in NJ, and finally, settling into San Francisco - hence my lack of posts. Observations of NYC vs. SF to follow.. eventually. But in lieu of that, here's my application video for Miami Ad School. The concept was to show how I've used photography to observe and explore human behavior.Miami Ad School Application from Molly A on Vimeo.
A Quick Post
I've been in San Francisco for the last week and just started the Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp. So I've been M.I.A. in the blog world. In a nut shell, San Francisco is amazing. I guess since I'm actually living here and it's my currently reality, I'm looking at it with new eyes then when I've visited in the past. I'm strongly considering moving here but since it's only been a week, I haven't made any decisions yet. The main obvious factor drawing me back to NY would be my family and friends, although I've met some awesome people here as well. Pictures and more observations to follow eventually. But I will say that San Franciscians are way more laid back than New Yorkers and believe it or not, crazier. Then again, my main SF experience so far has been the free Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park. I've never seen so many white, stoned, dreadlocked people in my entire life. And wonder what kind of effect contact highs have on children.
It's fantastic being with so many like-minded people in my program despite the fact that my fellow classmates are from all around the world. We all have an insatiable curiosity about people, are outgoing, creative and fun. It reminds me of when I studied abroad my Junior year, except everyone is mature, friendly and not at all clicky. I'm looking forward to learning a TON and getting put to work.
In lieu of giving ya'll an actual long posted update, I'm posting a "music video" I made last year just for shits and giggles. The footage was shot at Webster Hall at a concert using my iPhone and photographs were either taken by me, or are of me as a child. The music is Zero 7, Mr. McGee. Enjoy!
Racked NY
I can proudly say that a few of my photographs have been published. I shot for Racked NY a few weeks ago where I walked up to strangers, asked if I could photograph them and got the scoop on what they were wearing. I truly enjoyed having an excuse to walk around the city and meet new people but it wasn't easy. I haven't done that sort of thing since last fall and haven't really been photographing people since I took my portraiture class in the winter. Anyway, my subjects were all very nice. The anonymous commenters on the site are a whole other story. Man, they're mean. I started skimming through the comments only to realize they insult everyone - all the other photographers, every subject, you name it - not one nice thing to say. But such is life and now I know. Check out Racked for more street shots!
