A Good Old Fashion Duel: Old Old Spice Guy vs New Old Spice Guy Fabio

I have had a hectic week (updates to come), but I HAD to write and let you all know that one of my favorite campaigns is BACCCCCKKK!!!!!

If you aren't aware that this has been happening you need to check it out.  The Old Old Spice Guy Isiah Mustafa and New Old Spice Guy Fabio are engaged in an epic battle right now.  They're challenging each other to Mad Libs, reply to questions posed by fans on Facebook and Twitter, and overall just one-upping each other with their ridiculously witty banter.   You can even vote on which guy you like better (is that even a question?!).  Head on over and check it out!!! Highly entertaining.

VOTE FOR ISIAH!!! You know I did...I hope this blog gets me a shoutout from Old Old Spice Guy. It would make my 29th year oh, so complete.

Wo_ds _ _th F_ _en_ds

Morning Folks! Here's another post that has been sitting in the reserves for over a month waiting to be published:

Last October my good friend Martin came to visit, and he unleashed a hidden monster: The Words With Friends Beast.  For those unfamiliar with the game it is basically a Scrabble application that you play on your device against friends and strangers. The game is addicting.  At first only the elite a.k.a. Apple  users had access to The Precious Words.  However,  the Droid owner can now play  You better believe that my Droid friends jumped on the bandwagon as soon as they had the opportunity. I think my opponents doubled when the game became available to them. Over the last few months I have witnessed a growing number of people playing the game in public: on the bus, El, standing in line, even during a conversation with yours truly.  It is everywhere.

This is not a game played by me.

Let me explain why I believe Words With Friends (WWF) is one of the best apps out there: you play your friends (or strangers that become your friends over time), there's trash talking, you need a strong grasp of the English language- which means it makes you smarter, it brings out your competitive side,   it's portable, and you can play 24 hours a day.  If you want to play a friend in person you can use the  pass and play option.  Did I mention it's free?  YES!!! There are also paid versions without ads.

The popularity of Words is growing by the day as I see more and more Facebook statuses reading, "My words with friends name is ________"  followed by replies with their friend's user name.  Other users are updating their status  with a high playing word.  Don't think I didn't share with the world about my 90-point "enslaved." It needed and deserved recognition!! 

In my opinion, Words is one of the best games out there, because it stimulates your mind and grows your vocabulary.  They should make a kiddie and/or classroom version for children who don't like spelling or reading.  I bet it would yield positive results.  Call  me Words With Friends--I am full of ideas!!

Lastly, people, please don't cheat.  Recently I found one of my real-life friend opponents (who shall not be named) cheating.  They had pulled up a list of words that were high-scoring 2,3,4-5, 6, 7-letter words.  When my sister and I told them they were cheating they replied they were merely "studying."  In their eyes they weren't cheating because they weren't using it in the actual game. I think it's cheating, because their intent was to learn a word (and not it's meaning I might add!) just to score points in the game!!  What do you think????

And, now for the information you have been waiting for: my user name is Gloface Killah. 

Game On.

A Muslim PSA: My Faith My Voice

America was built on the notion of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  In this dream freedom for everyone is innate.  Our racially-charged history shows that dream has yet to be actualized.  In recent weeks it has come to the nation's attention that a mosque is scheduled to be erected near Ground Zero and open its doors on September 11, 2010.  New Yorkers are upset and those who lost family members are beyond furious at what they perceive as a slap in the face.  In response to the backlash the Muslim community launched this ad campaign:

I'm not going to debate the merits of New Yorkers and Americans alike who are angry with the Muslim community for the location of the mosque.  That is obvious.  I am also not going to defend why the Muslim community felt it was a good idea to build the mosque at that location.  That is also obvious.  I am here to discuss the ad.

I like the ad.  The use of many different races and ethnicities used to portray the religion was smart. In my experiences people are surprised when you do not fit into their box of what a _______ (fill in the blank) looks like.  They just cannot wrap their heads around it and search for an explanation.  As a young black female there are countless incidences where I have been rudely asked, "What ARE you??!"  Like I'm an alien or some endangered creature they have never seen.  It is beyond offensive.  When I explain to these peons that I am Black it blows their minds. They are usually taken aback, "but you don't look black!" (What exactly does that mean??) So they immediately follow up with, "..you must be mixed with something!"  I have learned to handle these comments with a flippant remark that dispells that notion and (hopefully) their ideal that there is only one type of Blackness in this country.   I am happy that the My Faith My Voice commercial does the same thing.

The ad shows the world that not Muslims are not all Middle Eastern, African, or Indian.  They are also Black Americans, Hispanics and Caucasians.  They are deaf, women, and even children. 

My Faith My Voice shows us that the Muslim religion is not something to fear.  They are no different than any other religion that has fanatics. Do not let the fanatics speak for everyone.  It isn't fair. 

I wish a campaign like this had been run after the 9/11 bombings and even during our last presidential election.  Perhaps if we had not had nine years to let the fear and hatred of the Muslim religion fester, our country would be a little more open-minded to the religion.  I hope the campaign is received with open arms and that we can all try to move past our differences.  We are all just people.

Happy Friday

I wanted to give you all a nugget before the end of the day and had a great post about game shows, that Blogger (I WILL NOT get angry with my host site) decided not to save the final edit.  Therefore, I will leave you with another Zappos.com post and (hopefully) a belly-aching laugh!

I'm not sure if you've seen their commercials featuring puppets reenacting actual calls to the company.  They're hilarious and are surely inspired by one of my favorite college shows Crank Yankers on Comedy Central.
 



Thank you Zappos.com, from those of us who loved Adam Carolla and company, it brings us to a place of nostalgia and happiness.  It also makes us look forward to your commercials and that's the truth!  I'm sorry that there's no video, but this is one of my absolute favorite calls. **Use your headphones--slightly NSFW language**







P.S. This Saturday (lol) I will be attending the Big Ten Bar Crawl in Chicago and I MUST say GO BLUE!!!!!

Zappos.com is on to Something...

As I've mentioned I recently came back from visiting my parents in Alabama, and we flew in and out of Midway International Airport.  I would like to paint the picture of how I felt on this day, and why I'm impressed with Zappos.com.  It was very hot and humid-so much so that I didn't feel a major difference when we arrived in Atlanta.  I wear jeans and sneakers when I fly because I freeze on planes and I am not walking through security barefoot.  I also had Rex my Rat-Cha traveling with me.  Traveling with Rex is always stressful, because he hates his carrier and I hate cooping him up in such a small space for long periods of time.

Once we arrive at the airport I take him potty one last time before we go inside. I have to put him in the carrier to check bags and get seat assignments.  To go through security I have to do the standard things everyone does: take my laptop out of its case, remove my shoes and other items to place into the security bins.  I then have to take Rex back out his carrier,  remove his collar, leash etc., to walk through the metal detector with him in my arms.  Afterward I have to put EVERYTHING back into it's original case; all while trying not to lose my dog and anger the people behind me for taking up too much time at the end of the conveyor belt.  It stinks.

Now, I bet you want to know why I set up that horrendous scenario.  It's because in the midst of this chaos and misery I noticed that Zappos.com has set their ads in unique places where every traveler will notice them: in the security bins!  I. Was. Floored.   Every traveler must use those bins for to go through security!  Even if it's just to take their keys and cell phone out of their pocket, the bin is a necessity.  Not to mention that Midway is an International airport in one of the world's largest cities.  If that isn't enough to make your eyes pop consider this nugget of information: In 2009 there were a little over 17 million travelers passing through Midway!!

So, let's dig a little deeper into the why the placement of these ads is superb and unique. First off, they have clearly defined their target. Zappos.com wants a repeat customer with disposable income.  Most leisure and business travelers meet that requirement. Secondly,  the ads are cute and relative to the distinct situations one finds themselves in when they travel-taking off their shoes to walk through a metal detector.  Lastly, (and this is my absolute favorite part)the genius lies beyond just the ads themselves, but in the physical location of the ads.  Think about it.  What does TSA encourage all travelers to do?  Arrive at least two hours prior to your flight.  Why? To ensure you get through the increasingly stringent airport security.  This, coupled with the increase of travelers refusing to pay the extra fees to check their bags, equals more carry on luggage.  As a result more persons are required to use extra bins to go through security.  Then, after passing inspection,  the travelers have at least an hour to wait at the gate.  In this hour they may decide to hop on the free Wi-Fi and browse Zappos.com.  It is impossible to think this is just a creative ad campaign.  The thought and execution are perfect.  Remember,  the bins caught the eye of this distressed and harried traveler.

Another Old Spice W(in)

Finally back in Chicago!!   Kanye was right when he described Summer Time Chi--it truly is The Good Life. In other news, I have some solid options that could flourish into major career changes.  I'm pretty excited and cannot wait to see how everything pans out!!! I will be sure to keep you posted as I navigate the transition into my next stage of life.

Now that I have finished updating you on my world, I would like to officially congratulate my crush Isaiah Mustafa-The Old Spice Guy.  Last night Old Spice Body Wash received a Creative Arts Emmy for Best Commercial- "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like."  Is it a surprise that the Old Spice guy received this award? Not at all.  There has never been a campaign that combined social and traditional media in real time, found a voice (literally and figuratively) that millions could identify with, and produced a new pop culture phenomenon. 

Here's another look at the award-winning spot, (and Isiah)that started their groundbreaking campaign: