Ginger's Island

Ironworkers can make you cry.

2009-03-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

What a great story.

Twitterific

2009-03-04T18:14:00.001-08:00

Even the most savvy PR pro makes a mistake once in a while. I made mine this past weekend when I got caught up in the moment during a live twitter stream. I still think it was pretty funny, but apparently some don't think so.

Ah well. You just can't have a thin skin in a web 2.0 world.

Joaquin Phoenix is a Jerk

2009-02-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

Did you see him on the Late Show?

If you don't want to be there, don't accept the invitation or fire your publicist. Dave was professional, as always, and tried to make light of the fact that he barely completed one sentence. What a mule.

State Farm Can Kiss Off

2009-01-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

I just received a letter from Jim Thompson, president of State Farm Florida, explaining their announcement that they've submitted a plan to discontinue its property insurance policies in Florida. The bottom line is they want to stop covering houses but keep the auto, life and health business (i.e. the profitable stuff.)

We don't have State Farm for our house, but Joey and I have already agreed that if the state legislators let them get away with this, they'll no longer get our cars and other policies. If you don't want all of of Floridians' business, you'll get none of it.

AT&T - NO Bars in More Places

2009-01-29T19:12:00.001-08:00

Why oh why did Apple make the HORRIBLE mistake of selecting AT&T as the exclusive network for the iPhone? I was perfectly happy with my Treo on Verizon, but the hubby wanted the iPhone for his birthday, so we made the switcheroo. Ugh. What a nightmare.

I live in the 2nd largest metro area in Florida, and I have yet to get more than 3 bars on the phone, and no more than 2 on the aircard. I've never had more trouble with dropped calls and poor reception in the 15+ years of carrying a phone. The customer service is rotten, the automated system stinks, and the 411 directory!? WHY do I bother giving a city, state and listing to the recording, if I'm going to have to repeat myself (at least two more times, spelling it on the third) to the operator? And good luck with them actually finding a listing. Ridiculous.

A quick google search of "AT&T sucks" gives me all the information I need. I can't WAIT for the exclusive term to expire so we can go back to a decent network.

Venting complete.

I love shopping.

2008-12-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

My friends and family know that I love shopping. I used to enjoy it a lot more than I do now. Maybe it isn't as fun when you can actually afford to do it? Is there no more "high of the buy" if you aren't stretching the budget to get it?

Joey and I went shopping tonight for another reason. There are local two grandparents who just gained custody of their 14 month old grandchild. Their daughter was recently killed (under suspicious circumstances, I understand), so after raising their own six children, they're about to do it again.

I found out about this couple through Help-a-Child, a local agency we interviewed to receive Pinstripe's pro bono marketing campaign this year. For several reasons, we ultimately selected another agency, but I couldn't get HAC out of my head. I contacted the executive director to see if there was anything we could do to help them during the holidays. She mentioned this couple, and how they are struggling with their situation. It broke my heart.

So we went shopping tonight. While others in the store are picking up video game systems, camcorders, iPods and other goodies for their gift-giving, we are getting diapers, clothing, shoes and other necessities. With a few small appliances, a good supply of toys and a gift card to make it at least a little fun to open their gifts - we headed for the cashier. I love shopping, but I've never had that kind of "high of the buy." In a year when my family is limiting our gifts to $20 each to make it a little more interesting, I realize there are families who can't even consider carving $20 out of their monthly budget to purchase gifts.

Tonight, we had the privilege to go shopping for a family we've never met, and it felt great.

Cannes Lions

2008-04-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last night, AMA hosted a showing of the 2007 Cannes Lions winners. I always love watching that reel - but it also depresses me a little. Why didn't I take the leap and go to NYC, San Fran, Chicago, Minneapolis... why didn't I go to work at a big agency, with big clients, and big budgets, and super smart and creative people that develop some of the best ads on the planet? I meet a lot of students each year, and some of them are so eager and they already have such a passion for this industry, I want them to go off and do great things!

Yeah... Tampa Bay has gotten better - a lot better - over the last several years, but I don't think we'll ever see any of our work on the Cannes winners reel. I don't think it is a lack of talent in the market - we have a lot of really creative people. Nor do I think it is complete lack of sophistication from our local businesses (although - I think that is a problem). I'm not sure what is holding us back, but it's more than a little disappointing.

The good news is that I always walk away from the show inspired. I may not be able to work on a multi-million dollar tv spot, but I can generate creative ideas for the smaller projects we have for our clients. We can find little nuggets of ideas to make some of the mundane things we're asked to do more interesting.

So, in the end, I suppose life is about choices - and I choose to live in paradise with some pretty nice people who, for the most part, are rather talented. I just wish we could raise the bar a little.

Gorilla's are damn good drummers.

2007-10-18T11:56:00.001-07:00

I don't know what it is about this ad.... but I love it.

Its a product of Fallon London - but this monkey is a STAR!

Sponsor a child to attend the marketing conference of the year

2007-09-06T16:09:00.001-07:00

I am officially taking donations so I can attend THE Conference on Marketing.

Seth Godin, Malcom Gladwell and Andrew Zolli all in the same place. Holy crap!

If 2890 people each gave me $1.....

Who's the Hootie?

2007-08-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

I love Hootie & The Blowfish.

Yeah, I said it.

I'm not sure why there was such a 'hootie backlash' after Cracked Rear View produced nearly 75% of all radio play in the early 90s - but there are a lot of undercover hootie fans out there. Not me, I'm out in the open :) Like Mary J's '411' brings me back to summer '93 - that CD completely defines '94 and most of '95 for me. I get happy every time I hear Darius Rucker's voice.

I've had a serious bout of writer's block lately that I just can't kick. I was putting off writing a couple proposals... had some client work that got put on the backburner... I even caught myself editing simple emails to death - can't find the right words.

iTunes must have known the solution all along - it shuffled its way over to a little Hootie and **CLICK** - I think it busted through the block. Today's been a pretty productive day!

Thanks, Hootie!

What's Your Personality Type?

2007-07-27T08:48:00.001-07:00

I've taken Myers Briggs personality tests several times since high school and have always been an ENFJ or ENFP. I think it's really interesting that the core personality remains, even with new life experiences, education, relationships, etc. This is a drastically reduced test, but the result is the same.

I Am An ENFP

The Inspirer

You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends. You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority and rules. Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives. You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller!

In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart. You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. And you do break a lot of hearts.

At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do. You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.

How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding
When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

Take a look and find your personality type

I'm Rubber, You're Glue...

2007-07-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Consumer Eyes, a New York marketing firm, has just released a book - Karma Queens, Geek Gods, and Innerpreneurs, which identifies nine new influencers. These are identities we can attribute to target markets - a kind of shorthand for describing entire groups of people. Think 'yuppie' or 'soccer mom'.

So what name are they calling you these days?

I know that, as a marketer, I am supposed to be excited about stuff like this... but I'm not. I understand that you have to generalize in order to determine the messaging and media for marketing campaigns - that's my job. But just because I'm part of the problem, doesn't mean that I enjoy being lumped into the boxes my industry creates every 5 years or so.

Based on the brief overviews of these influencers, I am apparently a cross between Al Gore, Samantha and Rachel Ray (kill me now). Disappointing when all I really want to be is Gwen Stefani.

In the meantime... you can just call me Ginger.

I REALLY HATE MICHAEL VICK

2007-07-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Today, a federal grand jury has indicted Michael Vick on his dog fighting ring.

Knowing how our justice system handles celebrity, he will go free and more dogs will die.

By his standards, losers are "put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging, gun shot, electrocution or some other method."

I sure hope the Falcons have a good year...

MAD MEN

2007-07-15T20:07:00.001-07:00

I can't wait for Mad Men to start this week!

The first episode hasn't aired yet and I'm already obsessed with it.

Set your DVR!

1300 Miles to Relax

2007-06-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

I love loyalty programs - frequent shopper, airlines, hotels... you name it, I'm in it. My favorite is Southwest Airlines. Between my SW flights, partner points, and my Southwest Visa, I typically get a free ticket every 2 or 3 months. I hate spending them on my quick weekend trips to South Florida, so they end up piling up in my drawer. I had two tickets that were going to expire this month, so I decided that my best friend, Julie, and I should take a little vacation to decompress and get re-energized.

We looked at all of the places Southwest flies and tried to find a city that 1) neither of us has already visited and 2) we probably wouldn't go otherwise. Only 4 cities fit the first criteria and just 2 fit the second... so off to Providence, Rhode Island we went!

Unlike most of my trips, I went without an agenda or list of places to see and it was FABULOUS. Julie arranged for a nice hotel in "downtown" Providence where we could walk to good restaurants and shopping. We ate ate ate and slept slept slept and shopped shopped shopped! It was only 2 days, but we definitely made the most of it.

It seems ridiculous that we have to go 1300 miles away to take moment to breathe and refocus, but it is sooooo worth it! Especially when it's (mostly) free!

I Wanna Be A Botter...

2007-06-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Okay - so I watch a couple reality shows, but I'm not a fan of So You Think You Can Dance. I'll catch some of the auditions then lose interest quickly. However, this week's show featured Bryan Gaynor, a Georgia student who had a VERY entertaining robot routine:

In the words of those much younger and cooler than I.... sick sick sick. He's obviously talented, but also made me laugh. The hand on the hip at 'badass' -- classic.

Guest judge, Shane Sparks, liked it a lot and later offered him a spot in an upcoming movie he is choreographing. I'm not much of a You've Been Served kind of gal, but I'll check the clip on YouTube.

Speaking of which... here is the one audition that caught my eye last year. I must have been a b-girl in a former life. HA!

I Hate Michael Vick

2007-05-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Those that know me, know that I don't use the word hate very frequently. For the last 7 years, I have jokingly said that I hate Michael Vick. He was the quarterback for the Virginia Tech Hokies when they played the Seminoles for the national championship in 2000 (we won). All in good fun... all in the name of rivalries.

But now, I REALLY hate Michael Vick.

I am DISGUSTED by the recent stories about his dog fighting 'hobby'. Last month, authorities raided one of his houses in Virginia and found more than 65 dogs, mostly pit bulls, a dog-fighting pit, bloodstained carpets, and equipment commonly associated with dog fighting. In typical CYA fashion, he claimed no knowledge of any dog fighting on the property. Wussy. If you're going to do it, man up and admit it.

And now, Washington Redskins' Clinton Portis is supporting him, saying "It's his property, it's his dog. If that's what he wants to do, do it." Asshole.

The fact that people can stand around a ring cheering their heads off as two innocent animals fight to tear each other apart sickens me.

I just sent a letter to NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, to implement a no-tolerance policy against dog fighting. If Vick is found guilty, they need to give him a HEFTY fine, suspend him, and make him work at an animal hospital and humane society shelter picking up poop.

You can send the letter too - just visit the Humane Society site here.

While they're at it, maybe they can put in a no-tolerance policy against beating women and kids too...

YAY Mary J!

2007-02-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

Everyone has that song or album that completely defines a period of their life. For me, it is Mary J Blige's 'What's the 411?' Anytime I hear Sweet Thing, Real Love, You Remind Me... it brings me right back to the summer of '93. I was a senior at FSU, interning at Disney and that CD was in my car the ENTIRE summer. My friends started to wonder if the eject button was stuck and I couldn't get it out of the deck.

I haven't watched an awards show in years, but I watched last night's Grammys in hopes that Mary would clean up with her eight nominations. She took home three awards (Female R&B Vocal Performance, R&B Album, and R&B Song) but I am disappointed she didn't win in the other major categories like Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Pop Collaboration. I'm not a Dixie Chicks fan - but c'mon - if country music can take the big categories, R&B certainly could. Either way - I'm thrilled for her.

But how about the Grammys show?! That was honestly the best awards show I've seen... ever. The performances were fantastic, the 10 awards they presented live were the only ones we actually care about, and the speeches were relatively short (except for the Ditsy Chicks) and who didn't love the Chili Pepper's, "I love you, mama" in their Rock Album acceptance? So sweet.

It is unlikely I will become an awards-show junkie, but I have a feeling I'll be tuning in to next year's Grammys.

I Am Jiminy Cricket!

2006-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here is yet another insight on my 'nerdness'. I LOVE Sharpies.

Seriously.

Sharpies make me happy. When I get my 'Sharpie News' in my Inbox, I must admit I get a little giddy inside. This month, they have a personality quiz (what brand doesn't these days...geez) with a Disney promotion. After 7 short questions, I have discovered that, not only am I irresistible (see last post), but I am also Jiminy Cricket!

Jiminy is a pretty level-headed guy, so I guess I'll take it as a compliment. However, when you're surrounded by snow whites and prince charmings, it might be easy to develop a complex!

Arch Wired

2006-10-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I've always been pretty meticulous with my dental hygiene. I had slightly snaggly teeth for my entire life, so I probably brushed and flossed a little more than the average bear. Now that I've had braces for about 20 months, I've become OBSESSIVE about it. I have these professionally-installed doggy bags on my teeth, so I'm always aware of what might be stuck in them.

My orthodontist has a lot of adult patients, so we often exchange 'tips and tricks' for managing the metal we should have suffered through in our teens. Today, my neighbor in recline was talking about www.dentalcare.com and the e-newsletters with some surprisingly interesting info (for the teeth cleaning nerds among us). One of the things on the site was this "Irresistibility IQ Quiz" where I discovered that I am apparently "Extremely Irresistible." Well that explains everything!

So you can go and check out your irrestibility quotient. HA!It looks like I'm on track to get my braces off in two or three months and I am VERY excited about it. I miss flossing without threading it through wire, I miss whitening my teeth, I miss apples and caramel and sandwiches and all kinds of food that you just BITE into.

I MIGHT post before & after photos of my grill.... or I might just let people think I was born with it :)

Celebrity Look Alikes

2006-10-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

Is it okay that I don't know who a few of these people are?

Book Relief on the Gulf Coast

2006-09-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

I love books.

Joey is always teasing me about my piles and piles of books. I don't have nearly enough time to read all that I have, but I can't stop buying more.

When I heard about the millions of books that were lost after hurricane Katrina, it just broke my heart. Within days of the devastating storm, First Book launched Book Relief — an unprecedented charitable effort with the nation's leading publishing companies — to provide five million new books to children and families who lost so much.

To mark the anniversary, Book Relief is renewing their national campaign to rebuild children's lives…one book at a time.

Book Relief has distributed almost three million new books to children and families in the region. Book Relief has helped restock, replenish and rebuild libraries and schools in the most devastated areas. New, high quality, age-appropriate books are reaching the most disadvantaged children and families as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Your Donation Will Make A Huge Difference

They still have a two-million book need. By sponsoring the distribution of new books through Book Relief, you can help a school become a more vibrant place of learning. You can change empty bookshelves to ones brimming with possibility. You can help these children learn to love books as much as we do.

Every 50 Cents Equals a New Book
$1000 begins to rebuild a devastated library.
$500 will fill the bookshelves in several classrooms.
$250 is enough to provide three books to each child in a preschool program.
$100 will provide books for an after-school reading program
$50 will stock a lending library at a FEMA trailer park.

If you can, please make a donation to Book Relief today - www.bookrelief.org/donate