Ridiculous Advertising #2

And now the time has come for another post about ridiculous advertising!

1) "What part of chicken is nugget?" KFC

I was watching TBS yesterday, and I saw this commercial about a billion times. KFC makes a good point... what part of the chicken is nugget? But KFC, what part of chicken is popcorn? Even after viewing the commercial for the 23rd time, their argument still didn't make much sense to me. Nice try, KFC, but really?

2) "Just Bitten" by Revlon

"Have you ever been bitten?" Who the heck came up with that line? And how did it ever make it off the concept boards and onto TV?

You know, I have been bitten. A Great Dane bit my arm once... not fun. I've also been bitten by mosquitoes on many, many occasions. Those bites are particularly annoying because they itch for a few days. And...just a few weeks ago, my roommate was bitten by at least one cat. She really didn't seem to enjoy the experience one bit!

So Revlon, what exactly are you trying to say about your product? That it will make my lips red, itchy and swollen? (Or is the correct word "plump?") I don't see how associating your product with a negative experience will help sell it... but okay, Revlon.

3) Manhattan Mini Storage

I was with two friends on the subway when I first saw this ad. We put our three brains together and none of us could figure out what the line had to do with storage.

It's an interesting approach—I guess Manhattan Mini Storage determined that their brand's visual language was well established enough that their copy no longer needed to actually promote their service. People will see their ads and immediately recognize them as belonging to "the company that runs the blue (and yellow, if we're talking about color) ads." If they're lucky, their audience might even realize that they're looking an advertisement for a storage company... and not some kid's Twitter account that took a wrong turn and somehow made it's way out of the intertubes and onto a billboard.

I'm just saying... it seems a bit odd to put an unrelated political view on an ad instead of a promotional message. Imagine if McDonald's put out billboards that said "Abortion stops a beating heart." Well yes, that's true, it does...

...but so does a Big Mac.

Things people who don't live in NYC think about NYC #1

I haven't lived here long, but I've noticed that a few things aren't as my friends in other cities think... here a few things I've heard and what I've found to be true. Numbering this post, since it may have a sequel, if I think of more things. :-)

1. NYC is really, really cold
Before I moved this summer, someone told me to bring jackets and sweaters because NYC is further north than Cincinnati and it would be cold. Actually, NYC has warm weather in the summer... it's around the same temperature as Cincinnati, but less humid. I also found the winter temperatures to be fairly similar most of the time... so that's not exactly true...

2. NYC is really, really hot
I heard this in San Francisco. Compared to the 60 degree foggy summers there... sure. But with the exception of a few 100+ days, I found the summer weather to be completely wonderful. NYC is less humid than Cincinnati, so it was actually an improvement for me. And I successfully survived the summer without A/C in my bedroom.

3. Harlem is its own borough
Several people have said to me, "And Harlem is a borough, right?" Haha... no. NYC has 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. Harlem is a neighborhood in Manhattan. Yes, Manhattan. Many people are surprised to hear this.

4. Everyone dresses to the nines all the time
I was having dinner at a friend's apartment and her mother said, "In New York City, everyone dress to the nines all the time," and went on and on about it. Since I was a guest and wanted to be polite, I didn't say anything, but I wanted to say, "Have you ever BEEN to New York City?" Yes, some people dress very nicely... and a lot of people don't. At my office, we can wear jeans. Some people are very fashionable... and then there's the rest of us. And don't even get me started on Inwood (my neighborhood); I'm probably the best-dressed one here.

"Do you have kids of your own?": A question I am still too young to hear

"Do you have kids?"

A man asked me that today. A century or two ago, by the age of 23, I'm sure I would have dozens of children... and maybe a few cows. But it's 2011. Women leave the kitchen and go to college and get jobs and crazy stuff like that. Kids? I'm 23! I've hardly left the stage of "kid" myself (it's debatable, depending on the day).

This isn't the first time I've been asked that, though. Here are the stories of the few times that I have:

1) Today I was doing laundry... as was everyone else in the building. A man waiting for the last few minutes of his things drying made small talk with me... and that was one of the questions he asked me. Kids? Do I look old enough to have kids? I suppose a lot of people in the neighborhood have kids. But no... no I don't. Interestingly enough, this was the first time I've had that "Oh no! Am I starting to look OLD?!?! How old do I look? Do I need to start buying special moisturizer to keep myself young?" panic. Usually I'm celebrating when I can buy an R-rated movie or go to the mall after a certain time without showing my ID; I'm not worried about looking older than I am. Usually...

2) It was probably either my 2nd or 3rd year of college... so I was 19-21-ish. I was riding the bus in Cincinnati and an adorable little toddler/pre-schooler sat in the seat next to me (her mother was behind us) and started talking to me. At some point she asked me, "Do you have a daughter?" I told her I didn't, so she, of course, followed up with a "Why not?" How do you answer a question like that? "Well...I haven't had sex yet."? That wouldn't work... unless her mother has, for some reason, already had "the talk" with her. (And what about the follow-up "why not?" to that?) "I'm only 20..."? I'm not sure how old her mother was. "I'm not married."? I don't know if her mother was married or not. I think I stuttered out a not much better, "Uhh... I haven't found a daddy yet."...which, still might have been a wrong answer, if she didn't have a daddy in her life. But how do you answer a question like that? It wasn't strange that she asked me if I had a daughter, since she was probably 3 years old or something, so everyone over the age of 15 probably seemed to be a "grown-up" to her. Perhaps a "I'm too busy with school" might have worked, even if she didn't understand that answer.

3) And finally... the first time I was ever asked if I had children. I was working at Kings Island at the time, drawing portraits, so I was probably 17 or 18. I believe one of my coworkers was drawing a woman's children and I made a comment on how adorable they were, and she asked me, "Do you have kids of your own?" Either being in high school or being barely out of high school... that was DEFINITELY not something anyone had asked me before... nor anything I had expected to be asked. I of course responded, "No... I'm only 17 (or 18)." My coworkers and I had a good laugh about that one.

I know that technically, I am old enough to produce a child, given the right behaviors and conditions.. and probably have been for more than half my life at this point... but I'm 23! And I live in New York City. Do I have kids? Of course not! a) This city is too expensive without having to pay for children. b) I like staying out past my bedtime... not ready to give that up yet! and, of course, c) I haven't found a daddy for them yet...

Maybe someday... but definitely not today!