Obama…Fair & Lovely

This is racist but funny

At a glance he even looks like Bush!

I grew up watching Fair & Lovely’s terrible TV commercials with cheesy storylines about  women who are obsessed with whitening their skin. Last time I checked, every female I know wants to have a tan actually! I guess the product is popular with Indians in the region…maybe GCC women as well.

Did you notice? Fair & Lovely turned Obama’s eyes blue as well!

Hand Bra!

This is so funny, you have to see for yourself.

Wouldn’t every guy like to be one?

The Door…and the Face vs. the Foot

Back in college I took a course called Persuasion in Society that was a real eye-opener on how persuasion is used in communication in politics, advertising, PR and in everyday interpersonal relationships; to influence and manipulate judgements.

The course tackled persuasion in detail, analyzing the psychology of persuasion, framing & reasoning methods and applications in political and advertising campaigns, etc, etc.

I totally hate being a calculating or manipulating person…but a few communication tricks are always good in various life and work situations! If anything; it’s good to understand these tactics so that you can see right through them, if used against you.

To demonstrate, below are two common techniques:

1. The Foot-in-Door technique: convincing someone to do something for you by asking them for a small request and then escelating it to a bigger request. This often comes after you make them feel so noble for agreeing to the first small request, e.g. You ask someone for a sum of money to pay for the cab because you forgot your wallet, you then thank them alot for saving your day and being an amazing thoughtful person. You then ask for an additional sum to grab lunch on the way home as well.

2. The Door-in-Face technique: making a big request that you know your persuadee will reject, only to follow it with a smaller request. He will then accept; he will look at it as a compromise from you side, or will feel bad about turning down your first request. e.g. You need a sum of money. You ask your friend for twice this sum so that when they tell you its too much, you ask them to compromise and give you half of the amount (they’ll feel guilty and give you the half of the amount).

I find myself using the latter technique alot at work, for  example:

Me: I need two concepts for this urgent creative brief tommorow morning

Designer: Are you crazy? I’m so busy! This is impossible and unfair…..sulking…nagging..etc…attitude..etc..drama.

Me: Well fine, just give me one concept tommorow morning and I’ll deal with the angry client for just submitting one.

Result: The designer thinks he got his way, the job gets done, everyone’s happy, no harm done. (No am not evil….he’s lying; he’s not that busy at all)

What pisses me off to the max is when someone uses the foot-in-door technique, and in a totally unacceptable way!

The other day at work, this person REALLLYY pissed me off! He was supposed to do a job by Wednesday, being given a week’s notice to do it, and comes on Wednesday morning saying that he didnt have time to start on it etc, etc. Now this was a really bad situation as it was urgent for the client and we have been given a week’s notice. Arguing back and forth, I then decided there is no other solution other than to push delivery of the job till Thursday; and I will take the crap from the client. The person had the nerve to then say no, he will only deliver part of the job on Thursday and the real bulk of it would have to be Sunday!!

Seriously, after being given a week to do the job and failing to do so, and putting me in a terrible position with the client, you want to push the job a whole 2 days after the deadline?!

It doesn’t work this way…when you mess up and ask for a compromise…you are not supposed to ask for a further compromise!!! You should just be thankful that I granted you the compromise and do your best to fix the mess before I squash your face with my foot!

Heart-shaped Doughnuts

These are the cutest doughnuts I’ve ever seen! Krispy Creme’s Valentine special; heart-shaped doughnuts.

I’m not big on Valentine’s Day, but this would make a sweet gift, rather than a box of chocolate. I do love chocolate, but I love new, non-typical ideas more.

I do not know if Krispy Creme always do these – it certainly is a great seasonal marketing trick that works.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Blasts from the past

Blasts from the past come in unexpected forms…like during a random commercial break on TV, in a 30 sec TVC starring him, acting like his crazy self, with facial expressions that are distantly familiar.. which made me a smile in a similar distantly familiar way too.

I love the twisted humour bits that God injects into my life…and the occasional video footage as well. 

Camera Lens Calendar

This has to be the funkiest calendar I’ve ever seen! Makes a great gift for a photography enthusiast, or for a gadget and promotional items collector.

Created as a coporate gift from a photographer to his clients, it is a refreshing change from the typical branded calendar and most important, it is relevant to the business (the photographer) using it as a promotional medium.

Good news is you can buy one for yourself..but do not get too excited: it is for selling for $2000!

Click below for a larger view.

Ironing:My cool-down therapy

Nowadays when I’m a bit stirred and get tense at home, whatever the reason is, I go to the ironing board to clear my head and relax. As odd as that may sound, I find ironing very therapeutic!

It’s one of those activities that you can channel your excess (negative) energy through; occupying your brain and system with a systematic, repetitive excercise that will distract you from the real issue  that tensed you up. In a way, it is similar to my reading magazines in the toilet theory: “…its just relaxing to be confined to a small room with a seat, where you can get away from the whole world and deoccupy ur brain fron life and occupy it with some random act (i.e reading a magazine)…”. It helps that at home the ironing board is in the guests’ lounge which is always a quiet place as we do not use it often.

With ironing, however, I think it goes deeper subconsciously, because it feels good to be perfecting something (remeber you are probably angry because you are frustrated about a situation you do not know how to handle, i.e. how to deal with it perfectly). While the ironing situation, it’s simple: the shirt is creased, a few steps and the shirt is ironed, problem solved, you solved it, you feel good, easy solution! Added bonus if you have OCD, undoing those creases will really make you feel good!.

Ya…am wierd.

Disconnect for a while. Read a book.

Advertising Agency: Brickman, Ramat Gan, Israel

Via: Ads of the World

Shofteb3enaya – Hossam Habib

 

I love the chilled, laid-back sound of this song…feels like a care-free day off under the sun.