Pink Marketing

Twice as many women will die from lung cancer than breast cancer this year. Breast cancer advocates say breast cancer doesn't kill as many because of education and their efforts. Bullshit.

The truth is, breast cancer has an average survival rate of 89% (regardless of detection or awareness), while lung cancer's is only 16%. Donations for breast cancer awareness and research totaled $559,000,000 in 2009, compared to lung cancer only bringing in $246,000,000.



So why does a cancer which kills half as many women get twice as much funding? Marketing. Who doesn't want a pink Kitchenaid Stand Mixer? Maybe there are more survivors to lobby for money? The disproportionate funding costs lives of those suffering from lesser marketed cancers which struggle to get funding and could ultimately save more lives. (Cancer Stats)

Time Travel

My vision of time travel has been realized in this auto-generated video via YouTube. This is part of Google's Search Stories campaign as featured in last year's Super Bowl. You'll notice, "party with Jesus" is not on the top of my bucket time-travel list.

Robin Hood Reality

The story of stealing from the rich to give to the poor doesn't translate into reality. There are many in this country who have a problem taxing the rich more than the average Joe. Yet, the Robin Hood story is very popular. There are over 58 movies and television shows portraying the fable.

So why does the story live on?

Nintendo Support

Digging in boxes I rediscovered an original Game Boy circa 1989. My inter geek scrambled for 4 AA batteries not before realizing there wasn't a game cartridge accompanying my find. I noticed on the back of the unit was a Nintendo Support phone number: 1-800-255-3700. Could this number still work? It has been 22 years, do they still offer support for the original Game Boy?

Yes. I dialed up toll-free, Nintendo has kept the same Support phone number this whole time. Digging deeper I navigated to the Game Boy support extension. A woman greeted me and offered help for my relic. I was shocked, Windows doesn't even offer Windows XP support anymore, and XP is still used by millions daily.

I told her I didn't really have a question and was just curious. She was very nice, I am pleased.

The Company Car

The cheapest form of mobile advertising is the branded "company car". Signs, banners, window clings, and full vehicle wraps are an easy and smart way to drum up impressions and business. It often adds legitimacy to the small business owner.

With that said, driving like an asshole in a branded company car can hurt business. Take a look at this Discount Cab #721, she decided to pass everyone on the right-hand shoulder of the road and cut me off. She then proceeded to weave in and out of traffic cutting it close with her child in the back seat (the driving was inappropriate even for Phoenix standards). The cab companies invented mobile advertising, yet they haven't heeded these lessons.

I've decided to upload my photo(s) to the Discount Cab Facebook page, the license plate and cab number are clearly visible (#721 AZ 4ZJ-709)- Welcome to the digital age of customer dissent.

Brand Extension

Many people have a hard time with the difference between Brand Extensions and Product Extensions. I overhear common-folk do this often, as a service to the world, here is part 2 (read part 1):

Brand Extension - When a company introduces a new product, in a different product category with the same branding of their core product. Wow, tough explanation. Still, see with your eyes:



Evil corporate entity or not, Starbucks has done well in the brand extension realm. By reading both "Extension posts", the difference should be clear.

Product Extension

Many people have a hard time with the difference between Brand Extensions and Product Extensions. I overhear common-folk do this often, as a service to the world, here is part 1:

Product Extension - "When a company introduces additional items in the same product category under the same brand name such as new flavors, forms, colors, added ingredients, package sizes" - Thank you, Wikipedia. See with your eyes:



Notice the branding is retained while the packaging is just altered enough to distinguish each variety. The product line extension is less of a gamble than the Brand Extension, which I will explore tomorrow.

Barbie Video Girl Webcam

This is real, as I took this photo inside my local Wal-Mart. That hole in Barbie's chest isn't from a slug fired from Ken's Dreamhouse shotgun, it's a VGA video camera. Here's my brain-storming session of why Barbie Webcam was created:

• To catch a predator
• To film your child's face as they play
• To use as a home security camera while you're away
• To promote voyeurism at an earlier age
• To spy on other Barbies
• To spy on your kids
• To creep people out
• To fulfill a MATEL executive's wildest fantasies
• To bring Barbie into the digital age (?)
• (add your own in comments)

Challenger Space Center

The Challenger Space Center in Peoria, AZ is a giant disappointment. The memorial to the crew features laminated photos on a wall, that's it. There are also brief generic bios of the crew, non of which come close to indicating the true nature of a once-living person. The history aspect is severely lacking as well, which is the most troubling to me. No time-line of events, safety outcomes or lessons learned from the failed mission, chunks of shuttle or O-ring, causes of the explosion, cultural impacts of a national tragedy, mentions of the following hiatus from flight, or even ONE single photo of the craft exploding (the image is iconic not obscene). Most of the exhibits are not of Challenger but of other missions, most comprising of photos and patches on the walls. It is like sitting in Applebee's or TGI Friday's, without the fun.

The Social Media Guu

Two over used self-described terms:  "Social Media Guru" or "Social Media Junkie". The guru is really a novice at best. If junkie is your description, overdose already. Take this video as a warning: