At The End Of The Day

Hummer Losing It's Thunder...

How can you take GM seriously as a green (throw up in my mouth over that term) company when they create the complete antithesis of that conservation notion? Well, you can't, and GM is taking a small beating over it. Hummer sales have plummeted - compare almost 72,000 units sold in 2006 to projections of 36-60% decrease in '08. 

This was the "it" vehicle not so long ago, but things will get worse.  As gas prices continue to climb, filling the H2's 32-gallon tank with $4.15 per gallon gas costs $133. 

Ouch.  And GM has apparently been caught scrambling here, as they are about to launch the biggest (or, as they call it, "most versatile") Hummer yet, the H3T, which features 4 doors and an open truck bed, 22 inches longer than the H3, and will run on paper cash (no coins) instead of gas. I'm not sure if that's really a joke.

Can't get theyah from heyah?

The most practical application of a text/pic message based technology I've seen. Ofcourse, it comes from the land of Prius and sushi.

From akibanana:
Imagine this: you step out of a train station and you don't know your way. You go to the signboard map to look for directions but you have no pen and paper to sketch down the map. Suddenly, the guy next to you whips out his fare card and taps in onto a round green button near the map. Communication between man and signboard takes place and shortly, his mobile phone rings. The map has just sent an electronic version of the map to his mobile phone.

Beef, it's what's for dinner!

Turns out it's for lunch too. We had the pleasure of devouring the best damn beef tips and sausage ever to grace the face of the planet (courtesy, The Meat House). Let's give some credit to the cook, our very own Jon (the tong) Hutter. But the rave reviews should be directed to our Client, The Meat House. Thus starts another Garrand tradition - parking lot BBQ.

Back in Blue

Last week a healthy group of us went to a Maine Ad Club presentation where we couldn't hear the “a”, or see the “v”. However, there was an overall theme too big to miss: Going green is already going the way of the dodo in the eyes of consumers. And, it’s because words like green and sustainable have been stretched to fit different definitions for different companies marketing themselves as such.

This begs the question, where to next?  Ad Age posted a column about this very matter with Saatchi & Saatchi S global CEO Adam Werbach:
"Green puts the planet at the center of the dialogue; blue puts people -- consumers and shoppers -- at the center." Werbach's blue is based on three elements : Price, Purpose and Process.

So, are you blue?

Stand Up

Day 2 at Garrand, and I learned more during this morning's 30-minute Stand Up Status Meeting than in weeks of online research.  Already, I feel like I'm home. I knew Garrand was producing great work but I just learned how we do it,  with a unique team of extremely kind, creative-minded people. It is my initial observation that everyone here is sincere, intelligent, and full of personality.  Ideal characteristics of a successful agency.

Here are just a few things I took away from this morning's meeting:
- Maine Medical Center presented us with a plaque thanking us for donations - Garrand is generous
- Garrand will soon be adding staff - Garrand is growing
- Garrand's teams are pushing through projects for several clients, including Gorham Savings Bank, Island Oasis, Sylvania and local non-profits - Garrand is busy
- We will no longer stock the break area with paper cups - Garrand is doing its part

Ouch

The hand bit back.  Read this post from MediaPost's Digital Frontier blog.  A Ball State University student posts about her experience conducting research at an inner-city elementary school. Unfortunately, her post shows more about her naievete concerning consumerism, brands and the difference between elitism, entitlement and just plain street sense.

Kudos to the author, however, for at least posting material that incited comment and discussion.  None of the other posts that came in this e-newsletter elicited more than a couple of whatever replies.

Can you believe how expensive it is?

I was doing research for an unrelated topic, and came across this archived article on CNNmoney.com.

Can you believe it?  Gas is going to negatively effect the economy because it cost $2 per gallon.  Back then (2004), did you think those were the days?  I didn't then. I still don't but I do marvel at the perspective of time.

A picture I like

Incredible.

Off the Adpulp blog, 4/21.

How About A Fresca?

An article in today's NY Times talks about bad golf course habits.  Nothing new there.  But, in the comments section, asking people to add to the list of bad habits, came my favorite:

I'm going to put it right on the line. There's been a lot of complaints already. Fooling around on the course, bad language, smoking grass, poor caddying. If you guys want to get fired. If you want to be replaced by golf carts, just keep it up.

The poster's name?  Danny Noonan of course.

The Ugly Side of UGC

It had to happen sooner or later.  Someone is taking their divorce public on YouTube.  I'm not posting the direct link or the video here, because it will be easy enough to find if you read the article.

I suppose this is to be expected, and not really unusual, given the American public's taste for this type of "reality."  People's Court, and all that followed, are no different from this, except now it's in the hands of "wronged" parties in divorces.

Remember where it all started? Divorce Court? Not the current one.  The original started in 1957.