Ladies, how many times have you stood in front of your mirror and analyzed the different parts of your body? Have you ever actually gotten to the point where your body is exactly the way you would like it to look?

Let’s face it: we’ve used firming crèmes, lengthening mascara, push-up bras, Spanx, and hair extensions just to feel pretty. I’ve even gone so far as to wear colored contacts! Our definition of “pretty” is often defined by pop culture and advertisements that are endorsed by gorgeous models with perfect…everything. So, regardless of the assumption that even the models in these photographs don’t actually look that good without digital alterations, we still feel bad about ourselves.

What happened to inner beauty and character in flaws? Or the beauty in smile-wrinkles and, God forbid, letting your personality shine?

These ridiculous standards are contextualized in advertisements that we consume every day. We can always complain about this, but what exactly can we do to help minimize these standards?
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Facebook launched photo tagging for pages this month. Now anyone can tag products alongside the people in your pictures. I recently had first-hand experience of why this could be the new “power tool” for a brand’s page.

Last week, pleased with the results I was getting from an expensive new home appliance, I decided to post a photo of it. I was amazed one mediocre photograph generated more feedback in one day than anything I’d posted in weeks. How is it a vacuum cleaner can accrue so much attention?

Well, I’d ponied up for a Dyson. Thanks to great advertising, strong design, and an impressive price-point, the everyday Joe sees them as the leader of the vacuum pack.

My friends responded to the Dyson brand strong enough to act on it. The comments were equally divided between gentle ribbing and enthusiastic sharing of their own Dyson experiences. Continue reading »

Right now, Oprah is invisioning the future

In 25 years, Oprah Winfrey turned a talk show into an international broadcasting empire and became possibly the world’s only beloved billionaire. Tomorrow, the last new episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” airs as she decamps to her OWN network. If you’re looking to reach the modern American woman, an ad on her show, network, website, satellite radio station,  or in her magazine is a great way to do it.

As the show is ending, we started kicking around some of the effects she’s had on marketing and building empires. Just a quick run down for you of various factoids related to America’s favorite talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. Continue reading »

The time to embrace location-based services (LBS) is now. According to Morgan Stanley analysts, mobile Internet usage will overtake fixed Internet usage within the next five years. Leading the forefront of mobile interests is geolocation. Just like the move from web 1.0 and web 2.0 being both content and technology-driven, the same is happening with geolocation as GPS capabilities improve and the perceived value of the resulting interactions from using LBS services increases. Continue reading »

After seeing this Flatrate ad, I was forced to change the title of our Ad Fail segment for this week. I find anything at a hipster’s expense funny. But being able to make fun of the same people who use your product without alienating them is on the cusp of genius.

Let us hear your thoughts. If you think I’m out of line and see it as a fail let me know (warning: if you think it’s a fail I will have to assume you are a hipster.) If you think it’s a win, tell me your favorite part.
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