Women in the Media: A Flow Chart

This is a chart to help you people out there realize how demented many female characters are in the shows/movies/sitcoms that they are part.

I am not saying that guys are not like this either, but I would say that Women seem to be the more confusing half of humanity. Therefore, their chart is to be studied by the likes of men, so that they can better antiquate what they like, dislike, should look out for, or help a brother in need.

Behold, this chart really has nothing to do with advertising, but it makes the list of Shanderson's Galaxy.

This chart itself is too big for my page. Plus, Blogspot has not caught up with Chrome Mechanics yet - So I cannot resize it. Instead, I post the link for Female Flowchart.

Nokia N8

(Click to View)

This video is somewhat older for the original purposes of this blog, but that doesn't make it any less of a perfect example of creative advertising. I absolutely love this video.

In fact, I am just a huge fan of stopmotion as a media. Having done one myself (removed from Youtube for copyright infringement...), I can appreciate the creativity, time commitment, and message behind the work that goes into a stopmotion film. My best friend Tucker Barrie and I (currently in school for Directing - I would be wise to follow that path...) created a stopmotion film early in high school just for the sheer fun of it. It took 8 months and 3000+ photographs. But we did it.

In the above commercial, it depicts a story of a little girl running away from what could be argued as a nightmare. It is a fantasy world with innovated setting design from everyday objects. What makes this stopmotion so incredible is that everything is macroscaled - incredibly small but not microscopic. It was shot with a telescoping attachment on the Nokia N8 camera.

The style is adorable, the music is carefree and whimsical, and the color and design are phenomenal. It would be a dream job of mine to be able to do creative things like this, awe the world, and change the face of standard public media while having fun. This is a rare gem when it comes to advertising as not many companies would dare to put that much thought into their advertisements.

Much like this commercial for Lego. It has an unparalleled tone and feel to it that can only come with a stopmotion video. It becomes a fantastic incredible sensation of "Wow, that is breathtaking." I definitely feel that in Coldplay's music video for Strawberry Swing.

If I get into movie making, you can bet yourself that my biggest and most renowned works would be with Tucker, doing stopmotion.

Stephen Colbert

It has definitely been a while since I posted last.

But inspiration struck after watching the highlights of the last Colbert Report. And nothing is more patriotic than a post about Stephen Colbert on the Fourth of July.

Stephen Colbert has done an incredible job positioning himself as his own full American Brand.

For example, when people ask me what my political views are (not like that happens often), I respond Colbert. The man is brilliant.

Let's highlight some of the many things Colbert has done to position himself. First of all, he has a show opposite that of John Stewart - who was already a political humorist by the time Colbert got his show off the ground. Colbert has been part of Indecision 2008 (presidential election), the truth campaign that ran last summer in DC, and earned himself Super pac status for the 2012 election.

He has written a book - I am American and So Can You. He has his own comic/adventure series entitled Tek Jensen Alpha Squad 7 (which, if were really printed, would rake in hundreds of thousands of followers). Colbert is known for his broadcast segments including the Word, the Board, Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger, Formidable Opponent, Interviews, Guests, and many more.

He is practically a cult. In 2008 he was joking with his viewers that he would like to run for president. He had Millions of supporters rally for him. He had to politely tell them it was a joke and he did not really wish to be in the running.

Colbert is quick witted, a little egocentric, fair, hilarious, sharp, suave, gentlemanly, scholarly, and an honest man. A theme that follows through season after season is his quest for the truth - because politics seems to be a game of hood-winkers and that just frustrates the public and other politicians. He is, for all co(s)mic purposes, the most interesting man in the world.

What I find to be one of the most powerful things about Colbert, is that he is able to keep his international fame separate from his home life. He doesn't let his kids watch his show because he doesn't want them to associate the man on TV with being their father figure (or at least he used to). He is dedicated to America, the truth, his family, and himself. That is why I idolize the man.

He knows how to dish out what's being served.

If there were proverbial "shit" that everyone finds in our culture today, then Colbert would be the fan spreading it around (as when the shit hits the fan). But what is unique about Colbert, is he is able to purify it before it slaps you in the eye. Unlike FOX, who simply redistributes, Colbert is in essence, the Shit-Screen.

Sorry for all the Shit references.

environmental Pro-Active Advertising

The Huffington Post just posted an article about how Coca-Cola put up a 60 ft squared billboard in Manila, Philippines. This would not typically equate to a whole lot, but I find it to be extremely interesting.

I affectionately call this a form of environmental Pro-Active Advertising. The billboard is covered with thousands of Fukien tea plants. These plants are only seedlings now, but will eventually consume the board and process 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide.

This draws my attention because it is an excellent example of the multitude of ways there are to advertise something. Coca-Cola is the most recent example of doing it conscientiously in a medium that actually helps the environment even if it is in a small way.

So reasonably, similarly to how we all can lower costs and increase our quality of life by turning of lights, saving water, and carpooling, so too can companies set an example by doing quality advertisements like this. It should be almost second nature to advertising at all.

Imagine a future world wherein people are part of short term advertising (previous blog post) and the environment is sculpted with advertisements. Imagine forests, rivers, prairies, mountain ranges, islands, coral reefs, wild-life preserves, parks, endangered species, and more all rebuilt or sculpted or managed in the likeness of any company.

What if Google planted a forest in the shape of their Chrome logo?

What if BP developed its own barrier reef in their logo?

What if the Nike Swoosh was a golf course?

What if Nintendo (Wii) sponsored a bike path in the shape of Mario to promote fitness?

What if Prudential insurance was an actual mountain wildlife preserve/resort?

It is one thing to simply clean up the problems we have created and throw money at environmental groups who hope to revitalize once prospering regions of the globe. But if a company were to reshape the earth so that they are a natural part of the earth as growing organism, visible for everyone as a clear indication of where they stand, then I think that speaks louder than any television ad or printed material out there.

I believe the majestic and awe-inspiring feeling when you see something incredible - Yellowstone, Grand Canyons, Waterfalls, etc - can be renamed and marketed as any other company as a form of advertising. A name is just a name to me. I wouldn't mind if Microsoft bought purchased Lake Michigan, cleaned it, and then put the Windows Logo at every picnic area because their work and dedication to making it better for everyone would be worth the annoying little advertisements boasting that they own the lake (or worked for it). Grand Canyon can be Apple's Pit for all I care, it is just as beautiful even if the name doesn't make sense.

Think about it.

I also feel that it would be these incredible works of an organization to do things like this that would prompt the new focus to developing space colonies. Sort of like Wall-E, where Buy-N-Large becomes a world company that sends everyone to space while the Earth is being cleaned - except instead, we use it as a vehicle to put people on the Moon: Permanently. Or Mars (I want to go to Mars).

Just some thoughts. It all came from a simple billboard for a product I don't really buy.

Hardees Robit

I really like Hardees, but find their restaurants not well located. It is difficult to find one when you are in the mood for some Hardees.

In this commercial, a Robit tries to eat a chicken sandwich only to be smacked with reality - Robits don't eat. I have trouble deciding who the target audience is for this commercial. Unless they are trying to hit the single guy/girl alone in the apartment thinking about eating... :/ I do not know. Either way, it is well made with solid cinematography and angle shots. The tone is depressing and you really sort of feel for this Robit.

VIDEO

"If a Machine Can't Make It, Then They Aren't Allowed to Enjoy It."

Keith Stone

Another commercial has been catching my attention lately.

The oh, so "smooth" antics of Keith Stone, spokesperson for the lousiest beer on earth - Keystone. (I will not debate there are not worse, but still not a pleasant beer...)

Basically, this mascot personifies the people who drink it with the best case scenarios for hillbillies. Check out this video saving a "cat" from a tree. Or this one where he skates around with a chick in a cast. Here he cheers up a bride to be.

In every case, it is a "wouldn't it be awesome if ___" (Insert Fantasy here). Keith Stone is the exact kind of person I would typify with drinking Keystone - or broke college students :p. However, they turn the negativity of being broke, uncultured, ignorant, or a college student, into something entertaining, cool, ladies-man, and *sigh* smooth individual worth currying the tastes of all those he happens to brush shoulders with: especially ladies.

Bravo Keystone: You have successfully managed to give yourself a better image than the lousy quality of beer you produce. Seriously, props.

Web Browser Popularity

So the left is exactly what it says it is: a graphic of browser popularity through the past couple decades.

I am sure everyone remembers the days of Netscape (what a lousy pile of junk that was...) and Internet explorer (also garbage).

I am a huge fan of Chrome. It should be noted that compared to the other web browsers out there, Chrome has the fastest growth rate of popularity of all the other browsers (of course, save Internet explorer, when there was only one other option to choose from. Because Netscape was so weak, it wasn't hard to gain that market share).

There are some instances when compatibility does not work, namely because things like D2L just refuse to upgrade, but otherwise, Chrome is par none, the most effective browser I have used. In close second is Firefox. If you use anything other than these browsers, then you are getting shorted because it only takes a few uses for you to realize what you are missing out on. Its custom abilities are unlike any other. It doesn't load all the toolbar crap but has that option if you want it. It self updates instantly.

Oh, and safari is terrible.

The strength of a browser can be defined by how easily it can get hacked. Compared to all the others on this graphic, Chrome was at the top.

I know Google has released their own operating system before, but I think it fell through. I await the day when they take another stab, but cause they are basically creating their own fully functional web computer with all the positives of Microsoft products, minus the hassles of paying out the nose for updates and downloading patches.

Why do you think Google is so popular? cause they are realistic about their business strategy and don't try and hoodwink people. Though, there are several studies done about browsing history and search results, but I still like them and that isn't a topic for now anyways.

:P