Lil' G and Supermarket Sweep

So we have less than two months left of the Bush administration and we are beginning to see weird things happening. It kind of reminds me of Supermarket Sweep. You know that show from the early 90's on like lifetime or something. (I was a latchkey kid) And towards the end of the show all the contestants run around getting all the things they never get to get when they go shopping, like 15 large frozen turkeys. I kind of feel like we are about to see lil' G run around screaming at lil' D "get pork n' beans and dish soap, I'll get the frozen peas!!" But instead what they are really saying is "you get melamine approved in infant formula and I'll pardon Edwin Edwards and we'll meet on January 21 at my ranch for some huntin'!"

Hmmmm . . . . Melamine

Oh, Edwin!

Creativity

Brand damage does interesting things to companies. In the last two hours I've seen a new Apple ad that talks about how green the new Macbook is. The Macbook being released just in time for the holiday's doesn't have PVC in it. This is the direct result of several interesting consumer campaigns asking for Apple to lead the industry in the elimination of toxic chemicals and upping their awareness and therefore innovation into decreasing the environmental and health impacts of the lifecycle of their products. Nicely played Apple. People will now see the latest Greenpeace guide to greener electronics rating and think wtf? I thought they were the greenest? and maybe just maybe dismiss the results that they are nowhere near leading the pack.

Another good ad campaign is run by the American Chemistry Council. I don't have a tv, so I don't get to see them as much, but I like to visit bars. Many bars have tvs. You get the idea. So these ads are really well done and talk about how important chemicals are to our world and safety and quality of life. These ads are doing wonders for their reputation, that people might even be forgetting about their less than stellar record. While giving a presentation the other day on the importance of understanding the lifecycle of products and the precautionary principle, a teacher said yeah just like those chemistry ads on tv.

Creativity is an interesting phenomenon. I read a lot of articles and books and magazine about creativity. I like understanding how the brain works and how to change your prespective in order improve what you do. Creativity provides an interesting and challenging path to how our world develops. I.e. misleading ads that mask the real actions of corporations.

While reading Businessweek (know thy foe) I found this really great article.

Renee

M.O.N.E.Y.

I'm not an anti-capitalist by any means of the imagination, but I do believe you shouldn't exploit people in order to get your share of the pie, we should be trying to make the pie bigger. I was born an entrepreneur and I will always be an entrepreneur. Yeah . . . I sold Iced Tea on the side of Rhode Island Ave in Coral Springs, Fl when I was 10. The way the economy looks these days, I might even do it again. I made bank, ya'll!

But I am kind of loving that congress hasn't given the auto industry a pat on the back and a full wallet. yet. They have refused over and over again to bend towards consumer needs and wishes for more energy efficient vehicles and instead pushed how every suburban mom needs a ginormous SUV to hustle the kids back and forth to pre-school. I have friends in south Florida that find an H3 essential to their . . Neiman Marcus shopping trips. And it's ridiculous.

So . . . good on you Congress. for this one anyway. And try not to fuck it up will you.

Renee