The Paper to my Rock

October 2nd, 2012 • Personal Insights

In my toddler years, my dad told me not to fear failure.  I struggled with the thought, perceiving him as someone who had accomplished so much and is persistently good at everything he does.  I can’t even beat him at ping pong!  I simply couldn’t accept such advice from someone who probably knew nothing about failure.

I tried my best at everything I did in life but never once was I naturally gifted at anything.  It had sunk in that I was bound for failure.  I confronted my dad about this and he smirked.  “Everyone is bound for failure” he said, and i realized that the more failure you can tolerate, the more experience you are ultimately able to gain.

As someone who already has enough “W”s on his belt, I didn’t feel like giving him the satisfaction of being right.  So I told him that with all the mistakes I’ve been making, I had better be in line for a big Win someday, and if I don’t, I’ll be sure to recall this moment and tell him that he was wrong for once.

The Return of the Blogger

October 2nd, 2012 • Personal Insights

The convenient truth about this blog is that it was an assignment given to me in class; thus any accountability directed towards me about how lame it is could be easily evaded by simply saying so.  Another truth about this blog is that it hasn’t been updated in about 1 year and 5 months.  In all honesty, I completely forgot about its existence.

Reading through the entries once more, I realized that I’ve come a long way in a year and a half.  I remember writing the entries in a frenzy on thursday nights (as it was naturally due the next day, as all things are in my world) thinking halfway through my posts – that I’ve officially run out of f%*!s to give about this assignment.  But on a lighter note, I am currently working at my desk after serving myself a brilliant cappuccino, realizing that this assignment actually changed my perception of marketing.  It changed it so much so, that I am happily married to the idea that it is a career path I will follow for years to come.

I seek to reclaim the throne of this Blog, firstly to recognize the impact it has had on me to this day, but more importantly to bounce ideas that my mind simply cannot contain.

Hello world!

January 10th, 2011 • Personal Insights

When I was a kid, I remember thinking how colorful and playful all the advertisements were on TV.  Every now and then, I would look back at the same commercials and find them atrociously corny and ineffective.  How do they keep us hooked?  I personally think it has something to do with evolution.

Take a look at this 1948 commercial for futuristic automobiles.  http://www.wimp.com/futurecars/  The narrator of the ad sounds like Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane (a huge star at the time), and proceeds to nullify the viewer’s senses by listing pretty much every feature of the car. This was marketing in the 50’s and people bought into it.

If we compare this to a modern day sportscar ad such as this one for the Aston Martin Vantage, we’ll find that there is no narration at all (only soothing background music and engine roars) therefore the viewer can simply enjoy the sight of the product and try to imagine him/herself in it. In addition, the brand name is allotted a generous 10 seconds at the very of the video.

If you take anything from this comparison of marketing eras, it should be that the general consumer has changed over time.  They now know more about the product so telling them redundant information about the car is a waste of time.  Instead consumer’s today will be baited hook, line, and sinker by the idea that they are in the car and that they are proud owners of an esteemed brand.