Archives for October 2007

Product Placement

Posted on October 25, 2007 Written by Ike

I’m in a rather competitive fantasy football league with a few current and ex-journalists from around the country. No money, just bragging rights and fun. (And nothing is better than reminding them of 2005, when I won both the head-to-head league and the roto league running away. But I digress.) This year, I am Vulcan’s Visigoths.

This season has been a bit of a downer. Got off to a very slow start, but the past couple of weeks I have been the high scorer in the league. I was going to start trash-talking about being on a roll finally. Then I looked just a bit further down the scoreboard, and realized my achievement had been already recognized:

Pardon me for saying so, but while that seems to be a great match for demographics and product placement sponsorship — doesn’t that sully my achievement by linking me to performance-enhancing drugs?

And even worse — will the system start cheating the stats each week to allow the MightyGroins to win? That would be too tempting.

[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s RazR, viagra, fantasy football, marketing, endorsement, product placement[/tags]

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged: Football, Pop culture

Help Spread the Word

Posted on October 24, 2007 Written by Ike

Here is a widget you can snag if you’d like – it rolls with the most recent headlines from the Red Cross relief operations in southern California.

? Grab this Headline Animator

[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s Razr, Red Cross, disaster relief, tornado, wildfire[/tags]

Filed Under: Communication, Marketing, Personal Tagged: Red Cross

A Dull Solution

Posted on October 24, 2007 Written by Ike

A 14-year-old high school student near Charleston, South Carolina, has been expelled for bringing a butter spatula to campus.

You heard me right… a butter spatula.

It was an accident, and there was obviously no intent to harm. The only reason she is out of class is a linguistic prejudice in our society that refuses to recognize “butter spatulae” by their proper title. Instead, the item was classified as the rather vulgar “butter knife.” And of course, if you bring a knife to campus, the Zero Tolerance Policy kicks in.

I don’t know the Amber Dauge. I don’t know anyone involved in this case. I have no dog in this hunt. But I’ve had it with this ridiculous bias against butter spatulae.

Spread the news

I did a Google Image Search for “Butter Spatula,” and found on the very first hit the above picture from the Futters Nut Butters website. Even with that oh-so-scary serrated edge, the item is clearly sold as a “nut butter spatula spreader.” The word “knife” never appears on the page.

Call me crazy (and Baradell, I’m counting on you to do it,) but if enough of us use our SEO optimization skills, we can make “butter spatula” the preferred term. After all, when was the last time you had to “cut butter?” (Very different than cutting the cheese, Scott.) The activity of slathering butter (or its margarine/oleo dopplegangers) on an edible surface is more akin to the smoothing and spreading motion one would accomplish with a spatula. The utility of a typical spatula is graded not on in terms of its sharpness, but rather the surface area it can smooth at one time.

The Right Tool for the Right Job

For once, let’s call a thing what it is. If enough of us agree, future children will be off the hook for stupid inconsistencies of language. And it will save us the trouble of arresting the lunchroom staff, members of which I am certain have not been buttering their biscuits with their hands.

Please register in the comments below, and together we can make our schools once again safe for the even distribution of spreads of all kinds.

[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s RazR, Amber Dauge, language, zero tolerance, utensils, SEO, anchor text wars[/tags]

Filed Under: Communication, Language Tagged: Humor

Under the fold is tabloid gold

Posted on October 23, 2007 Written by Ike

Most savvy communicators (be they in journalism, design, or publishing) understand the importance of staying over the fold. You’ve got to keep the most important information up top. Recently, for example, I moved my RSS subscription chicklets so they would appear “above the scroll” for most browsers.

Well – it seems the tabloid magazines have a game of their own… keeping some details under the fold. Like this week’s People Magazine, for instance. I mean, we’ve all heard the rumors about George Clooney. In another age, a winking-nodding celebrity media would have slapped the “Confirmed Bachelor” label on him pronto. And Matthew McConaughey… well… hey… you’ve heard about his real preferences, right?

Well, think again. It looks like there was some fairly important information under the fold (or in this case, under that placard that covers the bottom of the magazine in the wire rack.)

Like… I don’t know — that maybe they are in relationships with women. Instead of the clear implication that they’ve found paradise in each others’ arms?

And hey – it’s not just me. I’ve seen this issue in the racks three times so far, and in every instance the other shoppers in line had the same reaction I did.

Sometimes it’s not just what you say – it’s where you say it, and whom you say it about.

[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s RazR, People Magazine, Celebrities, journalism, George Clooney, Matthew McConaughey[/tags]

Filed Under: Communication, Marketing Tagged: Pop culture

All is well

Posted on October 22, 2007 Written by Ike

Thanks again to everyone who sent their thoughts and prayers in for my little boy.

Ryan is resting well on the couch here at home. He’s still sleeping most of the time, but that’s to be expected. He was a good little trooper most of the time, except for that interlude in the car on the way where he threw a tantrum. Actually, he was cycle-kicking the back of my seat while I was driving — felt like Michael Flatley was back there.

A little background: there was no immediate infection or medical emergency that made this surgery required today. However, there were several indicators that made it a good idea.

70% of his airway was blocked by his tonsils
about the same percentage of the nasal passage blocked by the adenoids
Ryan was having difficulty swallowing
also trouble with extraneous drooling
slight effect on his speech
genetic predisposition to sinus/tonsil trouble (I am the only one in my family to still have my tonsils – and I just narrowly avoided surgery myself.)

What we didn’t know until afterward was the blockage in his ears. Apparently, there was a rather large, hardened buildup of earwax in both canals. The doc cleaned both out, and told us there was enough there to have a minor impact on his hearing. He added that Ryan’s speech ought to improve now that he will more clearly distinguish between certain sounds.

Laura is staying with her grandparents for the next couple of days, so Ryan will have his Mommy’s full attention (and Daddy when he is home.) We’re keeping him off ice cream and all milk-based products for the next 24 hours, just in case he does get a little nauseous.

Since there was no immediate infection, they were able to do a newer procedure that removes about 95% of the tonsil/adenoid tissue, leaving just a little bit behind. When it can be done, this technique cuts the recovery time significantly. If there are no complications, Ryan should be up and around full strength within 7-10 days, and running again shortly after that.

And maybe – just maybe – he’ll hear his Daddy calling for him just a little better.

Filed Under: Personal