Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Six things are different about this place

After living in New York for about two weeks, these are the six things that stand out as being different from Oregon.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

I want sunglasses made of bacon


Two things I’ve learned in NYC: Sunglasses provoke catcalls, and the creative community is big on bacon. Everything from bacon salt (salt that makes anything taste like bacon) to bacon martinis makes the creative mouth water.

Second, I tell you this, without sunglasses I walk the streets in silence, bust out the sunglasses and suddenly I am barraged with greetings from nearby males. Either I have really ugly eyes or my sunglasses are extremely attractive. Or maybe the sun just makes men more aggressive?

As for the bacon? Every creative I’ve met is a vegetarian or a bacon fanatic. What happened to everyone in between?

Monday, June 22, 2009

Sex & Transparency

Transparency: We say we want it from brands, media and the government but how do we get it?
Poke addressed this issue by providing a live feed from inside agency walls. It was my pleasure to chat with Poke web-watchers today. With all the “top-secret” work that goes on within the walls of Poke, it’s a ballsy move to stick a camera in front of your interns and let them loose.

Despite the brilliance of Poke’s live feed, I must report that other than the few friends saying hello, most comments came from cyber goobers ogling the lady interns. It’s true; the internet was made for sex.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Physical Life should be > Digital life

In my first few days at Poke, the most surprising thing is the in office multitasking. Sure, Poke’s creative strategist write, design, code, dream and juggle clients all at once, but that is to be expected of a nimble agency.

What is most surprising is how Twitter functions as a social lifeline throughout the office. One person Tweets a link to monster video and the office fills with giant squid grunts. There is a continuous silent social conversation running through the office at all times, and I had no idea until I Twitter-stalked all the Pokers.

However, Twitter has not replaced physical conversation with digital conversation. Instead, twitter acts as a digital platform to launch real conversations. One person tweets and the others talk. Digital can never replace physical, only enhance it.

For example, my Poke sticker would be lame if it was digital. But look the crazy digital stuff Poke's doing with its "Don't give up," mantra.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

First four favorites in New York

1.Deep fried Oreos. I wish I could say I tried one, but they only came in baskets and I couldn’t imagine downing an entire basket of fried Oreos.
2.Yummy Tarts- The little shops near by carry Yummy Tarts instead of Pop-Tarts. I love the literal name.
3.Apples covered in sprinkles

4.Families that aren’t afraid to wear plastic.

I didn't know a candy could have its own T.V. show

Two key elements to kids' show intro songs 1) Mention the name of the made up creature featured on the show over and over. Repetition increases brand awareness.
2) Make sure you invite the children to join these mystical creatures in the made up land. I'm sure it's this call to action that makes the kids watch.




Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Hell is being trapped on a subway car covered with mirrors, forcing you to look strangers in the eye.

Riding the subway is like playing a game of how long can you go without making someone feel uncomfortable by looking him or her in the eye. Staring at the ground makes you look depressed, but you can only read the headline driven advertisements above your head so many times before you eyes start to wander. I tried wearing sunglasses, but due to the fact that the subway is underground, I looked like a d-bag.

Why don’t they write novels on those ads to keep us busy?

Sunday, June 7, 2009

How to start on the wrong foot.


Instead of snorting cocaine, I get high off buying one-way tickets to cities where I know near no one and have an unpaid job. That said, I’ll be spending the summer interning at Poke. Looks like I’ll be learning what it means to be digital.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Panda bears are the secret to networking


I was once disappointed that I couldn’t think of anything more exciting to put on my business card other than “I like panda bears. “

Of course I like panda bears, who doesn’t? While some may think this makes me generic, I now know that pandas are the secret to making new friends.

Although everyone loves a good panda, we all believe that our panda love is unique.

Therefore, the second a panda lover reads my card and realizes that I too enjoy pandas, I have an instant friend. Not only do we bond over our love of these black and white creatures, but are mutually thankful for this outlet we have created to discuss pandas.