All posts by Civilian

In college I took at sculpting class as a general education requirement.  One day we were sitting in class evaluating and discussing each other’s work. One student had made a piece that I loved at the time, but now I  can't recall what the piece was.  One thing I do remember though, is announcing to the…

It seems that lately advertising to the Hispanic consumer has become more important to the marketing community than any other segment. In fact, the first advertising deals at this year’s media upfronts, was not for NBC, ABC or CBS but struck with a Hispanic media company, Univision Communications. This once niche marketing segment, is now…

Whenever a new creative project kicks off, there’s usually a myriad of opinions floating around.  The client knows what they want but lacks the skill or ability to produce the visual in their head, or doesn’t know what they want but knows clearly what they don’t want.  The Account Manager feels responsible for pleasing the…

Today is Social Media Day! To commemorate this holiday, tell us your thoughts. What do you think about social media? What do you like? Dislike? How has it affected your relationships? How much time do you spend on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest on average? How do you feel about the relationship status? How public/private is your FB page?…

I started my Facebook page my senior year of high school as a mom-safe alternative to MySpace.  Since everyone and their mother (quite literally) had MySpace accounts, I was constantly getting checked up on by other moms who would report my daily doings to my mom.  I never had anything bad or offensive on my…

Call me nerdy but one of my favorite "games" to play while watching television or a movie is "Find the Product Placements." Product placement is ubiquitous in media.  I love to imagine the strategy behind it.  Why did the Marketing VP of Oreo Cookies decide to place their product in the TV show "Friends" rather than "7th Heaven"? What would…

  Schmoozing has a somewhat negative connotation.  Typically it's associated with shady car salesmen or vendor shows- sellers kissing buyers behinds regardless of how they feel about them to keep the money trail happy.  It's not something I enjoy doing, or am good at doing- perhaps why I shy away from the sales side of advertising.…

Just when I think he can't get any sexier, he flexes, and I'm proven wrong once again. David Beckham bends it like Beethoven in this Samsung Ad and I can honestly say this may be the most "kickin" version of Ode to Joy that I have ever heard. What I really appreciate about David Beckham besides his…

Looking for a creative way to get your message out?  Check out Contrex.  Unfortunately this product doesn't seem to be available in the US, and since I do not "parlay vu français" with any fluency, I really can't tell you too much about their product or their website.  From what I can gather, it seems to…

Hi, my name is Sarah, and I am a commaholic. It's true.  I love commas.  I use them all the time, sometimes correctly.  I've been told that I am a conversational writer, meaning I write the same way I would talk. Sometimes when I want to make a point, I pause, or use a meaningful…