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Something Old & Something New

Suicide Girls vs. Playboy

I was on Myspace, checking out some companies that advertise on it. The U.S. Marines are recruiting on Myspace, but so are their pin ups! That statement is true, depending on their taste. Suicide girls caters to a segment of the population that has been ignored my mainstream media.

Suicide Girls is a site dedicated to redefining what beauty is. They embrace the tattooed and pierced women, that are rarely advertised as beautiful. Suicide Girls is a revenue generating venture. They charge members a few bucks a month to look at photos and videos.

The positioning of SG is also in line with their image. They compare themselves to Playboy, which is interesting, because Playboy was underground and then evolved into the mainstream. In positioning it helps to define who you are competing against. This is a good example. From a marketing perspective, it makes sense to use Myspace, it makes sense to go after a smaller segment, and it makes sense to charge a small fee.

McDonald's Strip Search Scandal

On November 10^th, 20/20 aired a shocking story about a teen girl who was strip searched by her bosses at McDonald’s. The manager was told to do this by a fake cop on the phone. What’s worse is that it was all caught on video. (watch 20/20 video clip)   

The manager of the McDonald’s left a non-employee, her fiancé,  to watch the girl and he made her do humiliating things as ordered by the person on the phone. First of all, you only get stripped searched in jail. Why would a fast food manager think it's ok? McDonald’s mailed a response to 20/20 stating, “This malicious hoax was perpetrated by individuals who do not represent our brand...” This all happened a few years ago, but the story just aired.

The person behind the calls, had been making calls like this for years, but they didn’t have enough evidence to find him guilty. Wow, what a crazy story. How does a company like McDonald’s handle this kind of publicity? The girl in the video is suing for $200 million. How do you fix something like this? Advertising won't help. Read the full story.

Crazy Naked Guy Hits Girl

On Wednesday afternoon, we were walking around VCU's main campus, which is like 20 blocks from Adcenter. We were looking to interview PC gamers, but ended up in the middle of a crime scene. We stumbled into some craziness. Since we arrived before the news cameras got there. I took it upon myself to interview a witness. Look for yourself.

20 minutes later the news arrived and the guy was taken away in the crazy ambulance. I have owned my camera for less than 2 months. It is always in my bag, just in case. read story

It's Only Awful if You Mean It

I first saw this video on M'aidez, the blog of Anne Kate, a future Adcenter student. In this video we have a couple of guys singing about two banks coming together. I'm all about being passionate about your career, but these guys (the singer in particular) have been smoking the corporate cool aid. These guys are serious.

Smash My PS3

How do you get nearly 2 million video streams in one week? How do you get people to give you money to do something stupid? First you dress up like a pimp. Then, simply smash a brand new Sony Playstation 3 in front of dozens of people who waited 18 hours in line to get one. That's what the guys at smashmyps3.com did. They recieved tons of e-mails. Some good and some not so good. They are also tracking the donations they recieve from people who enjoy the video. In the past, they have smashed an iPod, Xbox, and Wii. I think Elmo is safe for now.

The Disco Bar

There has to be a market for this. Seriously, if I could buy a 2'x3' light display to hang on my wall, I would. If the display was responsive to sound, then I wouldn't mind paying under $200. So here's the challenge: Build these light displays at under $40 per piece and you've got yourself a winner. With mass production I'm sure it's possible to build these below price.

What's Kramer Gonna Do?

In an effort to milk some publicity out of this madness, the folks at BetUS.com posted the odds on what Michael Richards (Kramer) will do next. Here is what he may or may not do next and the odds of each possibility. Read more

Odds on what Michael Richards will do next:
He will confess to being a KKK member- 50/1
He will write a book titled the Kramer Mein Kampf- 150/1
He will marry an African American man- 20/1 
He will donate a million dollars to the NAACP- 10/1   
He will attempt to start Kramer Arian youth groups- 150/1
He will be arrested for a hate crime- 2/1
He will admit to an African American heritage- 150/1
He will tour Africa- 6/4
He will Marry Michael Jackson- 2/1
He will move to South Africa and advocate apartheid- 150/1
Mike Tyson will physically assault him- 5/1
Michael Richards (Kramer) Will Disappear- 10/1   
Michael Richards (Kramer) will move to the south- 150/1
Kramer will begin a celebrity KKK group- 5/1

Who will be the next group Michael Richards (Kramer) will insult
Women- 2/1
Asians- 2/1
Latinos- 2/1
Indians- 5/1
Native Americans- 10/1
Gays- 6/4
Semites- 5/1
Elders- 6/4
Children- 10/1
Arabs- 2/1
Catholic Community- 5/1
Republicans- 5/1
Democrats- 10/1   

Who will be the next celebrity to use the “N-word” in public:
Mel Gibson- 2/1
Jerry Seinfeld- 150/1
Marilyn Manson- 50/1
Kid Rock- 2/1
George Michael- 50/1 
Michael Jackson- 10/1

Who will be the next Seinfeld star to be racist:
Larry David- 50/1
Jerry Seinfeld- 150/1
Julia Louis-Dreyfus- 2/1
Jason Alexander- 5/1

Kramer Gone Crazy!

Michael Richards, aka Kramer, from Seinfeld, lost it. He went crazy and started shouting racial slurs. It gets awkward, but he carries on until he drops the mic and walks off. You can't do stupid shit like this. Period. Now, with Youtube and video networks, your done. I don't care how drugged up or drunk you are, you don't go there. Was Kramer drunk and stupid or a closet racist. I'd say a little bit of both.

Back Seat Blog'n

We are on 64 West, headed to Charlottesville, but that doesn't prevent me from staying connected. I downloaded Typepad mobile and I took a photo with the 1.3 mp camera, on the Treo 700. I'm on Sprint's EVDO wireless network, so I'm online as long as there's a phone signal. I even have the option of watching live cable TV on this connection. I love technology! The fact that I'm in the back of a car praising technology sets up my main point. Innovation rarely  stands alone. When we combine technology, we increase it's function. Combining existing technology can be as innovative as starting from scratch .