Riot's day in brands. & analysis thereof.

[the brand montage a la dear jane][see larger logos]

rather than do a TYPICAL day in the life of Riot brands, i decided to do an EXACT day in the life. and analyze what all that means to me. i realized in the doing that it wasn't exactly what i thought it would be, nor was it exactly representative. this is MAY 23 08. thoughts below. anything marked with an asterisk didn't have a Google-able logo.

THE BREAKDOWN: AM WAKEUP
08:15: verizon • LG
08:18: DELL • Adobe Photoshop • IE
08:30: Crest • Oral-B • Dove • Gilette • Axe • Tom Ford
08:33: lolo* • rave* • Saucony • TWLOHA • Style&Co
08:40: FOX • Sephora • Neutrogena • CoverGirl • Benefit • Urban Decay • MAC
08:50: Nike • Nissan Maxima • Fueled by Ramen

THE ARRIVAL: AM WORK
09:00: Apple • N.Design Studio • Intellimerge • Firefox • Entourage • iChat
09:04: Cafe Du Monde • Stop&Shop Tea • Domino Sugar
09:11: Apple • Firefox • Google • WordPress • Blogger • Twitter
10:05: Firefox • Twitter • Amazon • TextEdit • Verizon • LG
11:35: iTunes • TextEdit • Firefox • Twitter

LUNCH TIME+: AFTERNOON DAZE
01:28: Verizon • LG • Altamira* • Dickies • MasterCard • HSBC
01:50: Gino's* • Gatorade • Chase • HSBC • Twitter
02:11: TextEdit • Quark • iChat

FREEDOM: POST-WORK WIND DOWN
05:00: Verizon • LG • Nissan Maxima
05:14: DELL • IE • MSN • Chatroom*
06:45: Tina's II*
08:32: Verizon • LG
08:45: DELL • IE • MSN • Chatroom*
10:06: Verizon • LG
10:12: DELL • IE • MSN

GET THE FLOCK OUT OF HERE
11:16: Hyundai • Tom Ford • Nike • Lily Flanagan's • Blue Moon
11:43: Hyundai • Delicious • Subculture • Sambuca • More Sambuca
12:20: Black Haus • Peach Schnapps* • Southern Comfort • Rose's Lime
02:47: Hyundai
03:10: DELL • IE
03:20: Ford Taurus • Taco Bell • Ford Taurus • Crest • Oral-B

BEDTIME! Somewhere around 4AMish.

now, here are the interesting things when i consider a literal day in brands. as in what i actually used and did not use. this gets a little personal, but i promise there are deductions.

1 -- THE UN-BRANDS and their sneaky, sneaky ways: that particular day, i had a very, very casual friday. i was supposed to head onto the LIRR directly from work to see my very ill best friend in New Hyde Park, so i was in jeans, a tank, and kicks. not necessarily my daily work attire. not to mention, i couldn't have told you what bra brand and undies i was wearing that day--or socks. even though i'm usually a Vikki's Secret girl, and wear Journeys socks, i know i wasn't doing that. not to mention, i have no idea what brand of toilet paper my agency uses, nor have i any idea their faucet's brand, etc. as much as we are branded, there are still small simple places. i don't look down and see "Cottonell" imprinted on my toilet paper.

2 -- DEVIATIONS & SACRIFICE, or, Change of Plans: the best laid plans of mice and men. what happens when your brands aren't there for you? so i had to do laundry. so i didn't have Vikki's undies or Journeys socks. i had some nameless undergarments and borrowed my mom's socks. my agency was out of Tazo Earl Grey and PNGTips tea (the HORROR) so i had to drink Stop&Shop (sacrilege). i couldn't make it to my HSBC bank, so i had to use Chase, which is a bastard for charging $3 to take out my own cash and $1.50 to transfer funds. i don't like DELL or IE, but that's my laptop right now while i'm saving for a Mac(Black)book. i wear my Reverie Duel hoodie every day--except that one, because i couldn't find it. so my choices were reflective of my day, not my normal brand usage, and the psychology of pressure.

3 -- THE LIES ABOUT daily brand use: just because i use you daily, doesn't mean i'm loyal to you, or ever really like you. ie: DELL, case in point. Dove, too, whom i hate but it was there in the house. also, i only own 1 Dickies item (my wallet) and while i see the logo every day, it does nothing for me. likewise with Nike (my bag is my only Nike purchase) and FOX (my makeup bag--that's all). some things are like breathing, and i don't have to think about them--like my N.Design desktop at work. i use it, but i don't change it or interact with it, though i like the art. unlike, say, my ugly DELL's desktop, which i made using Audrey Kitching photos. yes, Lily Flanagan's is a usual haunt for me--but usually only on thursdays; had i gone to New Hyde Park, i never would have been there. to boot, all 3 cars mean nothing to me--they belong to (in order) my mom, my other best friend, and my partner.

4 -- ON TO PROM QUEENS & star quarterbacks: then, on to what really matters. what brands am i loyal to that i do actually use every day? what appears here that is typical of me, that i do think of as my personal "prom queen" brands? my alcohols, of course. i'm very picky with that. so Blue Moon, Sambuca, swedish fish shots, and Soco Lime are all pretty representative. add in Magic Hat #9, Goldschlager, Patron, Jose Cuervo, Ketel, and Reyka, and that's the short list of things i'll drink without spitting on you. my get-ready gear--Axe deodorant, Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume, my makeup, my daily tea. my style: never leave without at least a To Write Love On Her Arms button; Delicious shoes are club footwear of choice (Pleaser, too). my work habits--i need Apple, Adobe, iTunes, iChat, Twitter, Blogger, Firefox, Amazon, TextEdit. the real prom queens aren't necessarily hip; just what i can't live without.

the value isn't in the daily use, but instead in what i'd miss sacrificing. i wouldn't miss my Oral-b toothbrush, and i wouldn't cry if i had to switch from Crest. if i had to trade my Post-Its for Staples brand, that's okay by me. but don't you take my personal prom queens. don't you take Tazo Earl Grey from me; you'll be getting a fight. and don't you DARE take away my cell phone. its batteries died early yesterday. i was without it for 20 minutes. i cried a little--inside.

clearly, i'm a brandwhore.

i have so many thoughts about this already and i've only been doing it for about and hour and a half. i've taken on dear jane's brand timeline challenge. and what an excellent day to do it. it's a dress down friday and i have a long, long day ahead of me. by this time, 9:44AM, i already have 40 brands (exactly) written down. i'm trying to be really meticulous and notice every brand i use. results will be posted tuesday. i may update this post today with any worthy thoughts surrounding my conscious brand experience.

'the stone gods' and why it matters.

i am that lit geek.

my 100th tweet [don't ask, i don't really care the number] was about Jeanette Winterson's The Stone Gods. i didn't even know. woo! personal landmark. i'm such a winterson dork.

anyway, the tweet was:
"strange question: have any of you read The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson?"

why is this fiction book important? everyone's twittering about ad:tech, and @alisamleo was talking about:
adtech: "are people getting freaked out" by individualized, behavioral targeting?
>> 39 minutes ago from web
adtech: well....depends on the age group. younger users don't care, its the internet economy...
>> 38 minutes ago from web

which got me thinking about how i'm still a little weirded out by it. i don't know if it's generational (am i not considered a young user anymore? i'm only 22) or just that i'm aware of what's going on; either way, i am still cautious about individualized targeting--even as i advocate it (see previous posts about choosing what our txt ads should be in order to keep relevance high).

The Stone Gods is similar in concept to other futuristic books. if you've read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, The Stone Gods is pretty much the direct inverse combined with Brave New World. among other themes, The Stone Gods addresses characters in a world that is hyper-marketed, hyper-targeted, and hyper-relevant. the computers know what you want before you do, right down to what you should wear (i'm sure Kenny Cole would love that -insert eyeroll here-). everything was so individualized that everyone began to be similar anyway, but it was what was desired regardless.

question posed: effective, yes. useful, perhaps.
but is this the kind of world you personally would want to live in?

no judgments here. i'm just honestly curious if you believe it would be beneficial, easier, and less stressful, or if it would "freak you out" about privacy etc.

lying liars and the lies they lie about

be forewarned. i have a lot to say today. at least 3 posts' worth. perhaps 4.

---
this is the first in an ongoing series.
---

subject: Target [pronunciation: tar-JAY, soft j. heh.]

scenario: Archer Farms, sub brand of Target, gets new "green" packaging (read: no plastic bag inside). it maintains freshness via the use of plastic. you can read more at the link.

the lie: eco happy-blog Sustainable is Good decided to get the down low on just how 'good' the new 'sustainable' packaging is. the company refused to comment.

prosecution: i understand the packaging is sexy. it is. i like its curves and its little spout. it's like a tea pot for my hand, only thinner. problem? sexy packaging doesn't make it green. (also, i don't shop at Target, so you're not converting me personally.)

if you aren't going to substantiate your claims, i'm going to say you're lying about them. particularly because in this kind of climate, green is in. need to sell something? say it's green. that guarantees a fan(consumer)base because of the small growth of eco-friendly products. the first green cereal? i'm in. wrong!

most green-happy folks do their research. they're more socially, economically, and culturally conscious. the heart of that target also knows where to get fair trade goods, animal-cruelty-free products, which meats are factory farmed, etc. so if you don't offer the info so they can do that research, they're not going to trust you.

and rightly so. why aren't you sharing, Target? hmm? what are you hiding behind that sexy new packaging? is that plastic biodegradable? what's really going on there? silence is suspicious.

status: saying nothing is sometimes worse than saying something.
until proven otherwise, Target is a lying liar.
(consequently, so is their sub brand, and their representation: kapow)

obama girl's viral is contagious. uh...

barelypolitical (2 minutes ago)
this was no PR stunt! just a viral phenomenon : )

i just observed an obama girl chat (and you can, too; there are more later this week). there is something to be said for all of this. it may not be a pr stunt, but she knows how to handle it like one:

-- she hosts youtube chats.
(that's a relevant, if unique, way to host the chat.)
-- she gives away one ipod a month.
(last months winner was "jreamer1", 16 hrs ago)
-- she barely answers any questions.
(skirting the issue: a favored past time)

in between offers of marriage, invitations to prom, questions of ethnicity, and requests to perform duets, there was some actual thinking going on...

> RobEQS (32 minutes ago)
> Maybe if you did a Rock-n-Roll video you would be able to get your message out to some other people who don't really like R&B or hip hop. Have you thought of something like that...or maybe, even, Country (God forbid).

it shows an awareness that i find amusing and intriguing, in between asking if the poster is not amber (obama girl) but actually an overweight man. people chatting kept wanting proof of it actually being her. truth? we'll never know.

but hey, at least it is far, far better than the mccain girls (don't click it. consider yourself warned.). as i said on adrants, the mccain girls give whole new meaning to no such thing as bad advertising. it is really, really bad. but we're still talking about it.

what does obama girl have to say about them? its very flattering to see all these other girls jumping on the " candidate bandwagon"! ...yeah. points for caring about the country. after mccain, i am afraid to search "hillary girl" and "giuliani girl." i leave that to you.

why i'm wicked awesome at advertising.

(or, in other words: why i went into it, at all, to begin with.)

1) i am notorious for trying new things--especially "new" things, things that i've tried it twice before and hated, but i don't quite remember the intensity with which i hated them... so i try again. curiosity's a bitch, eh?

2) a propensity toward new experiences along with an emotional memory like a sieve makes me a very suggestible entity. advertising is able to woo me. even when i don't want it to. i -hate- brownies (many times have i tested this). however, i have been sold brownies via commercial. it's sad. i know it.

3) so, as someone who often fits inside the target market of the new fancy it-toy, i am an advertiser's dream. give me something memorable, repeatable, funny, thought provoking, or visually delicious (ha!), and you're likely going to sell me on it, even if i actually really, really don't want it. at least i'm aware of this.

4) i don't want to buy something i don't like. i go out once to buy brownies, but i still hate them. but, it does get me, as an advertiser, to understand any position. i can think of how i might sell it to myself--and to figure out the next step: getting someone like me (suggestible but fickle) to go back that third and fourth time.

5) i am in love with words and art, and, consequently, their collision. i was supposed to go to art school; i won a lot of young artist awards and have been featured in museums. instead i went to college for english because i love language, even if it constantly shifts. then i found out i didn't like any of my internship options as an english major. so i went into advertising.

...now i'm an early-grad; english major, writing & integrated marketing communications minors with honors. i've been writing published poetry and short stories for ten years. i've been making websites by hand (i hate dreamweaver etc) and working in interactive on my own time since age thirteen.
apart from photoshop, my preferred artistic tools are horsehair brushes, watercolours, and black ink. in my free time i like to write poetry, hiphop dance, learn to tattoo, research current sociology, and cause general havoc and mayhem with my own particular flair. not that i have much free time. viva la revolucion?