A Sign of Something

In the last 24 hours, you have probably seen the above image. If not on the Internet, you saw a newscast about this image.

It seems simple to deconstruct, and given the context of our times, is completely easy to see what the hype about this truly is.

The image begins at Human Rights Campaign, an organization in support of gay marriage. They posted the image, which is usually a blue background with a yellow equal sign. They changed it red to symbolize love, which is used often to express the emotion.

So, the image was posted, then reposted by supporters, then posted as profile pictures, then replicated and replicated until this damn image was almost damn near everywhere.

This of course spurred many conversations over the issue at hand, which happens to be a Supreme Court hearing over Prop 8 in California and the Defense of Marriage Act, both which limit marriage as a right for heterosexuals.

With this comes conversations people never had with one another, where support and dissent were openly displayed for all to see. And from what I can gather, there is a lot of support for equality marriage rights.

Of course, you have the awesome detractors of this, my favorite being, “You know the Supreme Court won’t make a decision until they count all the Facebook profile picture changes. #pointless”

This brings up my favorite aspect of social media. One group of people screaming at wall, often never getting any response from anyone, and then those who see it and go scream at their wall, often getting no response. If posting the Red Equality sign is frivolous and offers no purpose, the comment stating that is even more worthless.

Still, through the advent of social media we saw an amazing thing yesterday. We saw people band together and show support for a goal that defines America. Where people are free to live how they see fit, and love who they wish to love. Where they can openly express this idea, and have those who disagree with that idea openly as well.

This campaign educated, motivated and opened many people to new ideas of communicating and discussing their opinions on just one subject.

Yesterday was definitely a sign of the times changing, and we aren’t just talking about equal marriage rights for all.

 

The Neverending Facebook

Over the weekend, I partook in watching a film I particularly enjoy. It was a cable, we will get in to that incredible story at a later point, but it is something I have waxed poetic about on this blog previously.

And by my unassuming title, I certain we can all figure out I watched The Social Network.

It still to this day amazes me how blind, ignorant or unacknowledged to the fact that Facebook has not defined a generation, but massively changed the landscape of our world from one where reality no longer exists in three dimensions on a linear projection of time.

It exists in bits and bytes and data and downloads and uploads and sharing and liking and commenting and replying and sending and receiving and deleting and removing and blocking and unblocking and emoticons and many more words that have become actions we take in a virtual world.

This comment popper up on my Newsfeed today: “I’m back. Missed you guys. I thought disabling facebook would make me have more genuine interactions, but actually, I felt more disconnected. I’m into this false reality, I guess. Womp, womp.”

Our technological connections are no longer for just those who know how to program a computer. It is for everyone, and it is more important now than ever we stay connected.

Currently, Facebook has no real competition. That is why they can get away with their new search function even if it fails miserably.

Google+ tried and will eventually receive some action on this network, but not to the extent Facebook has and will continue to.

It just always both excites and irritates me when I see a person’s reaction, such as the comment above, to Facebook.

This is how we make connection in the world now, and we better get use to it. Because soon, our real connections will be through a tube of data and not in the real world.

More Guts, More Glory. But Hold the Guts, Please.

I rarely talk about sports here, so little in fact that I don’t even have a Category breakdown for it. Regardless, the NFL Playoffs are occurring and everyone cannot stop clamoring about an incident.

Was it a terrible call? Nope. Was it a spectacular display of athletic ability? Kind of. Was it a poor call by a coach? Definitely. Was it a stupid play by a player? Yes.

What occurred on Jan. 6 was nothing out of the normal for a sport as brutal as football is. Robert Griffin III entered the game on an injured leg he had previously hurt a few weeks before the Washington Redskins competed against the Seattle Seahawks.

Washington’s quarterback, Griffin III, has more athletic ability and talent in his right big toe than 80 percent of America, and that is a conservative estimate. For me, saying this, means I firmly believe that this young man could enter any sport, and within an extremely short time frame, become a top competitor within said sport.

Griffin III badminton singles world champion has an interesting ring to it.

Regardless of my future aspirations for this phenomenal athlete, he entered his first NFL playoff game on a bum leg. Some say bum knee, but from the brace that almost ran the length of this entire leg and appeared to be augmented into his body; making him look more of a cyborg than a quarterback; it is uncertain where his injury or injuries in that appendage exist.

So, the stellar athlete enters the field of battle, injured. He appeared to be affective in the first quarter, driving his team to a 14-0 lead and moving the ball with ease against a defense that was known to be just as affective in their own discipline.

Then Griffin III gets hit, while running. Torques his leg. He begins to limp and his effectiveness wears off. He limps more. He tries harder. And the limp gets worse.

Finally, a low snap to Griffin III makes him desperately twist his body in an attempt to stabilize the bumbling ball. But this was the last straw, as he laid motionless, without the ball.

Faced down, in the grass, his own body defeated him.

Now, my favorite part is the commentary afterward. People want to blame the coach. People want to blame the NFL. People want to blame Griffin III. Blame, blame, blame.

A few things to keep in mind, at least in my opinion. Griffin III has more athletic ability than most of the NFL, especially the Redskins backup quarterback. Does that mean removing Griffin III sooner, and allowing the backup to get in to a rhythm with the offense may have been the best choice? May be.

But you look at what Griffin III brings to the table, even injured, and defenses shudder.

And I find it impossible to blame Griffin III for fighting to keep himself in the game. Jay Cutler one time took himself out of a playoff game due to a knee injury that could have potentially became worse, and he was ridiculed, scrutinized and doubted.

We have a culture in this country that perpetuates stupid, macho, male-driven physical feats that often lend those actually participating in those actions shells of their former selves. All the while overweight, out-of-shape and regular Joes watch men who have crafted their into that of Olympic gods only to slowly chip away at their bodies and their souls.

So, I will never accept criticism against a player who leaves his body on the field for too long. He is doing what this country considers admirable, however mistaken it logically is.

And that leaves only one area left to blame. The Coaches.

Let me say that I don’t envy Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan’s position yesterday. In a sport that hangs on to head coaches like I hang on to 6-pack of delicious beer, proper and decisive decisions have to be made to increase one’s career longevity.

Shanahan had to make the best call he saw fit about his team, in respect to Griffin III’s injury. That team has mountains of more opportunities to succeed with Griffin III than any backup quarterback could bring to the table.

The annoying thing about Shanahan’s decision to keep Griffin III playing, was that none of the offensive play calls made by the coaching staff did anything to either mask or assist Griffin III with his injured leg.

But this is where Griffin III’s athleticism is truly genius and magnificently stupid.

He even fooled professionals, whose life it is to asses athletic value and talent, in to believing that his broken body is more than human. Griffin III with one leg is still in better shape than 50 percent of America. The Redskins thought that even with a bum one, Griffin III could still play ball the same exact he could with two good legs.

So, the coaching staff, led by Shanahan, takes most of the blame. However, our culture needs to chill on the “more guts, more glory” mentality.

Our collective consciousness about “victory at all costs” often bleeds in to sports, as this is the safest yet most brutal way to display this cultural necessity. Only a few fight our wars, but everyone can play football!

We do this, and then get pissed that our team didn’t win, when our quarterback wishes the save some years on his legs. All the while fans are calling him a “pussy” and columnists are saying the coach “has no balls” for forcing his quarterback to play.

Griffin III’s display of courageous athletic ability is his cumulative response of wishing to win (because that is the only way you are worth anything), pleasing his coach’s (because that is the only way you are worth anything) and pleasing Redskins and sports fans (because that is the only way you are worth anything).

We ask for guts and glory, and then get pissed when the only thing left is guts.

What You Are is, in fact, What You Do

One of the most interesting topics I always stumble upon in the PR world is branding.

We are use to seeing what large companies; Apple, Coca-Cola, GM; do with their brand. They create funny, witty, intelligent advertisements, but the brand doesn’t stop their. It continues in to the perceived notion of who should own what created by whoever.

It is easy to see why the types of people who buy Apple products buy Apple products. The company has invested more than just marketing to create their brand. Sales events, design of a product, design and layout of a store, press conferences, conventions, product releases and consumer research all lead to brand creation.

But what about the personal brand? How do you sell you to other people?

Face it, we do it all the time. From a good handshake, to wearing a proper shirt to a correspondingly proper event, we are constantly trying to sell who we are to others.

But what is your brand? What are you trying to sell to others? Lies? Misinformation? Honesty? Politeness? Kindness? Compassion? Hate?

Obviously, these are some basic concepts that evolve in to a more complex truth.

So, I posit the concept that in this day in age, with social media consuming our lives, advertisements obstructing our entertainment, and product placement literally making it to our soles (PF Flyers are one of the reasons I will always wear Chuck Taylors), we are our own brand.

We mold those around us to accept what we are, or we don’t. But the main point is that evening in not doing this sales pitch, we are selling our brand. Our brand is what we do, and what we do is who we are.

Sell Me Something

Mad Men is one of my favorite shows of all times. Is it because of the philandering or constant degradation of everyone who isn’t white and male?

Mostly.

But the real reason is because Don Draper is seemingly a superficial character at first glance, yet as the show has progressed from season to season, he is one of the more complex characters out there.

In his job, Creative Director for an advertisement agency, Draper works with clients to sell products to consumers. Some of the campaigns are easy to create, and other campaigns are strenuous and terrible.

But the underlying theme of these campaigns is consumption. Will people buy what I am selling?

Marketing is one of those practices people thoroughly believe to be easy. Put a catchy tune in a commercial and people will remember your product. They remember it, then want it . They want it, so they buy it. Simple a>b>c logic right there. That is the way items use to be marketed.

Then focus groups became the thing to do, and people used those. Then demographic information, purchase history and market research all became buzz words and buzz actions to sell people things.

But what about today? What about the advent of the Internet, including social media platforms?

Rarely do I see an advertisement that makes me want to buy an item. Either I want and item, or I don’t. Simple as that. Either I will buy something, or not. No amount of advertisement will sell me the product.

Now, where advertisements do sell me isn’t when they sell a product.

They sell an idea.

Advertisements in the digital age are seen as intrusive and annoying. They interfere with entertainment, work and life in the digital age.

Gone are the days of a catchy jingle. Gone are the days of simple data sets.

We should use information to understand audiences better. We should information to understand people better. We should no try to sell something to just consumers.

We should work with people to give them an idea. An idea they cannot live without. No matter how frivolous that item seems, if I cannot connect with a person through whatever channel, I cannot truly sell them something.

I have to want to sell it to them to, because I, as a human being, would appreciate buying whatever product is being sold.

One thing Draper does routinely throughout the series is sell ideas. Never a product, but what the product brings to the daily lives of people.

It is funny, with all this technology we have today, we should go back to our roots of just being people working with people to make all of our lives better.