Advertising: The real and the fake.

I like advertising.  Good advertising.  I think most people do.  Take a look at the view counts for Super Bowl Commercials and you will see the interest.  We are naturally inclined to want good products and advertising is the medium used to connect us to those products.  There are advertisements that are comical, touching, fascinating, and memorable.  Then you have the "junk ads" and this stuff drives me crazy.  Junk ads are the reason that so many people install Adblock Plus in their browser.  It is also a reason many people on iOS are willing to pay for an app in order to avoid ads that are distracting and annoying.  I pay $10 a month for an Rdio subscription and the annoying ads in Pandora is just one of the reasons I quit using Pandora long ago.  I decided to open up Pandora the other day and after choosing my station, this is the next thing I saw.  

Let's discuss all the problems with this ad:

1.  It looks shady.

2.  It is completely obtrusive, totally covering what I really want to see on the screen.

3.  It looks like an ad for a site that was designed in 2000.

4.  It is not relevant seeing that I am married.  This same ad would also not be relevant to women or     children.

I'm not exactly sure how advertising should be done on mobile.  It is brand new territory that is going to explode into a huge business.  Apple introduced iAd in 2010 with hopes of capitalizing on profits to be had from mobile advertising.  I don't love iAds myself but they are much better than the ad model used on Pandora.

I'm excited to be entering the world of advertising at such a unique time.  A time when radio, television, internet, and mobile advertising as we know it is changing drastically.  I hope to find a way to produce great stuff and never be associated with the garbage that plagues the sidebar in Facebook or the annoying pop up ads for games like Words with Friends or apps like Pandora.  

Here are a few examples of quality ads.  

The City Creek Project by Struck

Note: I personally believe that the kind of advertising used on the Pandora ad and the examples of good advertising that I listed here are not in the same category at all.  The problem is that many people just see it all as "advertising" and so it is worth pointing out that one type of advertising is going after quality and another is simply just a cheap, "in your face" quantity type ad.  I hope to produce the former and reinvent the later. 

  

Dos Erres: I cried today.

I had the cruise control set to 71 as I listened intently to podcast number 465 of This American Life.  Podcasts are a way to make my commute go by faster and also keep my mind alert.  This is a routine I have formed, however, today was different than most morning drives.  Today I cried.  Episode 465 is titled "What Happened at Dos Erres" and is dedicated to the story of the Dos Erres massacre and an amazing ending to an atrocious event.  Dos Erres was a small village taken over by Guatemalan soldiers called Kaibiles.  An evacuation of the entire village was performed and the soldiers then proceeded to rape the women and murder every inhabitant: men, women, and children.  The bodies were then heaved into a deep pit, some still alive when their helpless bodies were thrown over the edge.  

Listening to this story is disturbing and again makes one's soul scream the question, "How could this happen?"  "How could anyone perform such atrocities?"  Then the part of the podcast came that brought the tears to my eyes.  Tranquilino Castañeda had a wife and 9 children.  He was out of town on that dark night.  When he returned, all was gone: His home was burned, his wife had been raped and killed, and his children had each been slaughtered.  My eyes welled up as I thought of this poor man in the jungles of Guatemala who in a night was robbed of everything.  The kind of tragedy he suffered is incomprehensible to me, to most everyone.  

Nevertheless, out of such a bitter cup comes an amazing story of reunion.  Oscar, Tranquilino's youngest son, was one of two boys whose lives were spared that night by an army commander.  He was raised by the commander's family and later moved to the United States.  After some amazing investigation, and surely the hand of God, it was determined that Oscar was Tranqilino's son and the two were reunited for the first time in 30 years.  Listening to this podcast flooded me with a multitude of emotions but the bottom line is this: We may not understand why such devastation and violence happens but I do know that everything that is unjust in this world will one day be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  

I encourage you to listen to the podcast, despite the mature topic at hand and some disturbing details.  

Below are the following links:

The podcast.

Oscar reuniting with his father.

Wikipedia article. 

P.S. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section after you have a chance to listen to the podcast. 

Dead: Lexus HS 250h

Here's the bottom line: No one wants to pay $37,000 for a luxury Toyota Corolla.  It is honestly amazing that Lexus released this vehicle in the first place. It is even more amazing that they tried to sell it for $37,000.  Why would Lexus sticker the HS at $8,000 more than the similarly packaged hatchback-hybrid CT?  When getting his Lexus serviced, my dad received the HS as a loaner a few times and it was far from impressive.  It is no surprise that Lexus only sold 2,864 units in all of 2011.  Consumers are demanding more fuel efficient vehicles, primarily to save cost.  When the vehicle is priced at such a ridiculous price, consumers are smart enough to see that there are no savings with such a hybrid vehicle.  See Autoblog's post on THIS.

Oh Toyota, who would have guessed?

So what is the best way for Toyota to compete with Hyundai?  Evidently it is to mimic their design.  

Take a look at the front end on the new Avalon.

Now take a look at the front end of the Sonata Hybrid.

 

What a crazy turn of events.  It was Hyundai who was playing catch up, mimicking design from the big hitters.  I guess we have come full circle.  

p.s. Use less chrome and I like the Avalon front design better. 

Acura RLX

I honestly did not intend on becoming an "Anti-Honda" blog but if I don't stop posting on the topic soon, it will sure look like that to my readers. With that said, here is another validation of my comments on the new Acura RLX concept from the New York auto show.  Below is a screenshot from a Auto show opinion wrap-up post by Cars.com.

 

The Honda Accord

Just in case any of you thought I was full of hot air regarding problems at Honda, here you GO.

Smartphone Apps

Marco Arment is right on with his last post titled Might upgrade to the paid version someday.  If you use a smartphone, I recommend that you read the post.  Here is my favorite part:

It’s a very common user mindset: they tolerate a lot of limitations, ads, and nags to avoid paying. It’s not that they’re cheap, per se: they just really don’t believe that apps are worth paying for, and they feel cheated or defeated if they end up needing to pay for one.²

I have definitely met a lot of people who fall into this category.  I don't think less of them.  It comes back to my philosophy that everyone has their favorite things in life and those tend to be the things that they spend their money on.  Buying a $200 smartphone and then paying somewhere between $70-$110 a month for service but being unwilling to pay for apps is like buying an expensive refrigerator, paying to run it all month long, but being unwilling to buy food to put in it.

I enjoy apps.  I think they add value to both my phone and my life.  Some people feel the same way about gardening, washing their car, buying new clothes, dying their hair, dining out, traveling, donating, etc.  To each their own.

The Death of Satellite Radio

I have to be honest here.  I have not closely followed satellite radio.  I have not studied the financials of Sirius nor do I know how many subscribers they currently have.  I do know that there used to be two head to head competitors in the US market: XM and Sirius.  In 2008, finding that competing wasn't a viable option, they merged.  On January 13th, 2011, XM was dissolved as a separate entity and merged fully into Sirius.  I don't like radio.  I like being in charge of my own music.  I also like listening to music and not annoying local advertisements.  This is also the reason I use Rdio rather than Pandora.  Let me quickly compare the three services.

Sirius Satellite Radio
Annual Cost: $199
Ability to choose your own music: Channel selection only
Ads: Very few
Mobile: Yes

Pandora
Annual Cost: Free or $39
Ability to choose your own music: Channel selection only
Ads: Yes
Mobile: Yes

Rdio
Annual Cost: $120
Ability to choose your own music: Yes
Ads: No
Mobile: Yes

Satellite Radio, as it is currently offered, will not survive.  This is my prediction and hopefully this won't end up being claim chowder.  In a world without smartphones, Satellite Radio makes a lot of sense.  It has a MUCH wider variety of channels than normal radio and it has a lot less ads (hence the annual cost.  Nothing is free.  Everything is either paid for with the user's money or paid for by advertisements.  Or, in the case of Hulu Plus, it is paid for by both.)  However, we DO live in a world of smartphones and internet everywhere.  The rising generation doesn't like to pay for things as it is, let alone for radio.  The music scene has already changed and matured a lot in the past few years and I think it will continue to evolve.  Pandora will survive and hopefully Rdio (and other subscription based services like Mog, Spotify, and Rhapsody) does as well.  Satellite Radio however will not.

Chicago

There is something nostalgic about Chicago. I zoom in and out on Google Maps and for a moment it feels like I am there again. Something emotional about my oldest brother moving away when I still felt so young. He moved to Milwaukee, only a two hour drive away from "The Windy City." Or at least it was supposed to be a two hour drive but I remember the Chicago traffic prolonging travel by at least an hour. Boy do I remember Chicago. If you've ever been to Chicago, you remember it. It is that kind of city. The type of city that evokes a surge of passion through your veins. One that feels larger than life. It resembles New York City but feels much more personal. It's as if you could walk up to any one of the big sky scrapers, press your palm against the brick in a gesture akin to a handshake, and instantly become friends. It's the kind of city where even if you do watch what you eat, you start to believe that Chicago Deep Dish Pizza is good for you. It's where you choose your own identity and then let the world know. That's the Chicago I remember.

That piece was written about two weeks ago. Ladies and Gentlemen, that Chicago I wrote of, will be our new home! After much struggle with what I wanted to do in this life, I have finally decided: Advertising. Specifically, copywriting. Last Friday, the 13th of April, I received my acceptance to Chicago Portfolio School  Wahoo! We will be moving around the end of June in order to be all moved in before classes start on July 9th. We love Utah, our beautiful family, our terrific friends, and the life we have here. However, the call has come and we are ready to leave our mark on the world. First stop: The Windy City!

Photo by Trey Ratcliff 

Honda and Acura Design Woes Continue.

The New York Auto Show is in full swing and there are some awesome new models that have been

introduced. I look forward to discussing a number of those new models here on The Juicebox.  However, I couldn't resist that my first post be about Honda and Acura.  Honda introduced the "Crosstour Concept" which is basically a refresh to the current Crosstour.  It may be a refresh but only a trained eye is going to see the changes.  The problem is, even if you do notice the changes, they aren't any good.  The vehicle is still incredibly ugly.  This is an opinion coming from a guy who really likes wagons.  Now, on to Acura.  Acrua introduced the RLX Concept.  THIS car my friends is supposed to be the company's flagship sedan.  This car is more boring than a white wall.  The best thing about this car would be to drive next to one on a road trip and watch it cause all your passengers to fall asleep.  I honestly don't see how Acura can put this thing on the show floor and feel good about it while Audi and Mercedes are selling legitimate beauty pageant contenders.  Again, I'm not going to argue that this car is going to be a bad car mechanically or not a quiet, comfortable ride.  I am fairly confident it will meet those criteria.  This is about design and the design scheme is seriously flawed, from top to bottom at Honda.    

Note: While I think the Crosstour is downright ugly, I just think the Acura is boring.  The Acura would look fine in a retirement home parking lot.