Getting to the Bottom of the Big Mac

Slashfood, by way of Food for Thought (Food Network's Canadian counterpart) has reported that McDonald's has just hired "Mom bloggers" to visit the company's facilities, restaurants and kitchens and then blog about their experiences. I can't imagine that they will actually write anything negative (I'm expecting a lot of "I can't wait to go eat some McNuggets now!") but I could be completely wrong.

You can visit the McDonald's Moms' Quality Correspondents here. The site will obviously have more content once they start posting their online journals and videos, but for now you can read their bios and find out more about the program as well. I find it fascinating that the blogosphere has emerged as a legitimate vehicle for PR as well as marketing- even for the top brands in the world.

In an attempt to combine viral marketing with social networking and corporate transparency, McDonald's may find that people would rather not know what is in their Filet O'Fish. Or maybe this is trying to be the great Morgan Spurlock rebuttal?


Hey Mom, where do McNuggets come from?

From the Useless Items Vault

You can try to deny it, but there's really no point- you know you love popping bubble wrap. It's a guilty pleasure that many of us partake in after we've received a package in the mail or when we're wrapping valuables for moving. In fact, someone sent us a Sees Candies box today and I always love the chocolate-brown bubble wrap layer protecting the Nuts & Chews from getting crushed.

Inevitably, bubble wrap has been transformed into digital and portable versions. Perpetual Bubble Wrap is one of the biggest time wasters I have ever encountered online, and my only real gripe is that the bubbles look more like candy than anything else. It's time for Perpetual Bubble Wrap 2.0 if you ask me.

And, leave it up to the Japanese to create a bubble wrap keychain that is not only functional (and I mean that only because it holds your keys) but also cute. It comes in a variety of colors, including pink and baby blue, and it fulfills your "popping needs virtually anywhere". If you visit the manufacturer's site, you will notice the illustration of a guy that is in tears because of how much fun he's having with his bubble wrap keychain. Riiiiiight.

Day in the Life

My recent blogging has inspired me to do a "Day In the Life of a Media Planner" entry. The ability to send my pictures directly from my phone to Flickr (via Shozu, as I have mentioned before) makes it extremely easy to provide pics for you visual learners. So sit back, relax and soak in the wonderousness that is known as media planning.

8:22 am: I arrive at work, soy chai latte in hand (they can never spell my name right- don't they know it's with an "a"?!). Since I didn't leave work until nearly 11 pm last night, it almost feels as though I never left. Of course, the mac nut pie (see previous entry) is still here.

8:26 am: I glance over at my phone and realize that I don't have any voicemails yet. My friends (a.k.a. media reps) on the East Coast must not be on top of their game this am!

8:27 am: My inbox has reached its limit. Again. So, I archive for the second time in the past 2 work days.
















8:38 am: Flickr refers to my phone as "cameraphone". Interesting.

8:46 am: T minus 14 minutes before my first presentation of the morning. If I continue to be as slow as the FTP site that we use, then I am in for a long day...for some good laughs, I revisit a really good email regarding mobile terminology. Who knew that mobile devices and hunting could ever have something in common?

8:50 am: AdAge reports that 96% of teens connect to social networking sites at least once a week. I then recall a Slate article I read stating that Facebook is the "Volvo" of social networking. Sturdy interface, and very reliable.

9:31 am: 9 am preso complete. Computer freezing as I try to open an Excel document that I need to update for a 10 am meeting.

9:40 am: Sent follow-up email to client with action items from 9 am preso.

9:43 am: "Premature end of JPG file" error message from Trillian. Why does that keep popping up?

10:05 am: Headset activated, waiting for conference call to start. Multi-tasking, of course, since there is a deck that I need to finish. I wish I had shiny bullets in my template like the one someone had presented yesterday!

10:11 am: Why did my ninja clock stop swinging?



10:53 am: Just set up a team gift exchange for next week. Who doesn't want a little Christmas in July?

11:49 am: Since we will be stuck in meetings for the rest of the afternoon, we are ordering lunch in. Thai food, yes! I enjoy yellow curry with chicken just about any day of the week. "You know how we spring-roll!" People think it's weird that everything at my desk has a mustache.



11:57 am: Hard copies of my deck in hand, I'm ready for my second preso of the day. Need to grab some water first.

1:40 pm: 5 meetings under my belt for the day already. 2 pm call starts soon...just enough time to check out the latest craze, The Mentos Intern. Still finishing the last of my Cherry Coke Zero from lunch.



2:52 pm: A 2 pm meeting once again reinforces that my favorite word is "montage". A little loopy from lots of whiteboarding.



3:01 pm: Time for a dose of Emergen-C. Invite for a party at Bourbon & Branch, which is always a plus in my book. Random emails here and there, voicemail light blinking. I've been so busy today that I haven't had time to install the new Twitter Firefox Extension.

3:07 pm: I'm trying to finalize some placements for one of my media plans, but printing anything in this office is kind of a challenge. Since I'm an Online Media Planner, maybe I'm not supposed to be printing things anyway...

3:55 pm: Finally sitting down to do work for the day. Spreadsheets and budgets, oh my! Like I say, these media plans won't plan themselves!

4:35 pm: I find it funny that part of my job is telling people that no, they cannot have more of my advertising budget!

4:42 pm: Hitting that late afternoon slump, after a day full of meetings and Excel. And oddly enough, people are still coming by for a piece of that mac nut pie. I just found a great article on ClickZ about marketing insights from a summer intern.

5:09 pm: Estimated Time of Departure today looks to be around 6:30 pm. Then maybe I will do some more emailing from home. Eating a Peanut Butter Cookie Luna Bar. I sure do need to go to the gym!

5:48 pm: Finishing up another PowerPoint, and going to look into booking travel for a business trip next month.

6:12 pm: Wrapping up a day's work. I will probably check email when I get home...pretty standard these days.

And there you have it.

A Media Planner's Diet, 6/25

Macadamia Nut Pie & beer to a glass full of Cranberry Emergen-C...and everything in between.

Pie in the Sky

Every once in a while I stumble across something that makes me jealous. No, it has nothing to do with envying someone's fancy sunglasses or handbag, but rather some genius marketing or advertising idea. "Why didn't I think of that?!" is a question that's no stranger to me...

In honor of the Summer Solstice, Expedia UK held a "Blue Sky Day," where 200 artists painted on blue sky canvases at Trafalgar Square and Edinburgh Castle. Three paintings were eventually selected to be hung in the National Gallery. Expedia hoped that this day would communicate their message: "Let Yourself Go".

Not only do I think this is a great guerilla marketing tactic, but it's also something that would have been so fun to participate in. There wasn't anything too pushy or marketing-y here; it was a simple branding play that brought out the creativity in others. By honoring art, the longest day of the year and brilliant advertising, they ended up on my blog. Hooray!




Source: Adverblog

When Online Reports Become Wrapping Paper

On a Sunday Afternoon

Even on Father's Day, on a Segway (don't ask), smack in the middle of a hiking trail, I am always armed and ready to snap a photo on my phone.

I've actually grown really fond of cell phone photos lately. I think there's something organic and cool about the blurry quality and slightly off-kilter color saturation. Of course I sent the pics directly to Flickr (via Shozu), since I'm never that far removed from my digital self.

The picture you see above is an art piece that was installed around Mountain View's Shoreline Park. Simple yet impactful, in an unexpected location.

I'll spare you the photos of my family riding Segways together...because, well, that may be too nerdy...even for this blog.