Hip Hop Hustle

So at my gym last night they had a special hip hop class, Hip Hop Hustle, that I had to try out. I was a little hesitant because I really am not the best dancer and tend to have a hard time following classes when the moves go so fast – but I thought it sounded fun so I went. I was a little early to ask the instructor who usually teaches my Urban Iron class some questions. She assured me that I would be fine and that I would want to keep coming back.

As people piled in, few girls wearing backwards hats and dance pants, and then others like myself who were in gym workout clothes just checking it out, I got really nervous. It was almost like a soccer game - when the other team has dope uniforms and you think that makes them better than you. But I stuck around and by the time the class was about to start, it was literally elbow to elbow.

The instructor loosened us up, made me feel comfortable and started slow. She would show us piece by piece how the dance went and let us try it to the music. The slow learning helped me feel it and start to memorize it. I thought, this isn’t going to give me a workout – oh well, wait- once we got a few steps deep and were dancing hard to the music I was dripping sweat off my elbows, knees and back. The repetitive dance and whole body movement was intense, there were several times I didn’t know if I could finish the dance off.

After about 30 minutes we had the whole dance down and did it over and over. The instructor made it fun and even had us dance off against one another – which was oh so MTV like but really fun. At the end of an hour I walked away drenched in sweat, breathing heavy and thinking that maybe, just maybe I might have a new dance move at the bar or for my girlfriends. I posted the the dance we learned below, take a shot at it for about 30 minutes and see how much you work up a sweat.

And yeah, the next day my abs, calves, shoulders, butt, knees even the muscles in my feet are yelping…but in a good way.

2008 NYC Toy Fair Fun

Last year I got to go to the NYC Toy Fair as part of a project I was working on for the United States Playing Card Company when I worked at Empower MediaMarketing. I went with two co-workers and my clients. It was really cool to go and see the Toy Fair, it was like nothing I had seen or experienced before. We did everything from set up and design the booth to talking to attendees and checking out our competition.

Below is a video we made afterwards to showcase the Toy Fair and the media we secured for the event. It was the first time USPC spent big ad dollars to help support the release of a new game called Take The Train. USPC is most commonly known for playing cards, specifically Bicycle Cards , so it was a big deal to spend the dollars on this game and not one featured around poker or licensed cards.

So working with Andy, who is featured in the video, we wrapped every bus and had every coat check ticket branded with the Take The Train logo to get the word out. We made a big splash and did something new and big that had not been done before at USPC or Empower. Additionally,all buses had never been wrapped before at the Toy Fair, this made a huge impact as every attendee rode the bus to and from the event as it picked up and dropped off people at their hotel (which also means all people out and about on the NY Streets also saw our buses). In the end it was a huge success, we drove tons of people to our booth and gave away 6,000 samples of our game in two days.

Of course we goofed off some as well as you can see in the video. And, if you like the music in the video, check out my friend's music page for more information. Scott Metcalf plays around Cincinnati area all the time and has amazing musical talent - he was part of the Cincinnati Team the won Clash of The Choirs.

It's That Time of Year

Can you believe that Christmas is here again? Remember the ElfYourself that went around last year and was insanely popular? Well it's back again this year with more crazy options. It is a fun and unique campaign that last year rivaled Facebook with traffic during their campaign.

Anyway, who doesn't like to star in their own video? Because I know these peeps do, below is a post of the video I made with four of my best friends. So, here you have it: Tommy, Jodie, Sara, Emily and me dancing after drinking lotsa wine.

Who you gonna elf?

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Healthies City In U.S. Named

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , Burlington, Vermont is the healthiest city in America. The CDC ranks Burlington number 1 as they have the largest proportion of people who say they are in good health, 92%. In addition to good health, they are the best in exercise, among the lowest in obesity, diabetes and other measure of health.

On the other end of the scale is Huntington, West Virginia. Being named the most unhealthy city in the US. So what are the big differences?

• Burlington is younger, with an average age of 37, compared to 40 in Huntington according to the Census Bureau


• Burlington is better off financially, with 8 percent living at the federal poverty level, compared to 19 percent in Huntington.


• Nearly 40 percent of Burlington area residents having at least a college bachelor's degree. Only 15 percent in the Huntington area do.


• Bicycling, hiking skiing, and other exercises are common in Burlington.


• Huntington is an off the beaten path college town.


• Burlington is helped by the presence of IBM and other employers offering more generous health benefits and corporate wellness programs than companies in Huntington.

Each year several companies or government agencies release rankings like this. Each one judges a city for something different. At my job, we challenge cities across America to compete against each other to be the fittest and healthiest city. This ranking is based on fitness minutes. It's a fun challenge and definitely motivating to see how you rank up against other cities. Check it out at SparkPeople.com or SparkCincinnati.com if you live where I do.

For those who live in Cincinnati, we rank 92 according to the CDC - falling behind Columbus, Cleveland and Pittsburg. But according the SparkPeople ranking we are number 12, only falling behind Cleveland. So get off your butts, exercise, eat right and make yourself and city proud.

Weekend Fun!

When I was in highschool I had a great group of friends. It’s funny, these were the people I thought I would be friends with forever, still hanging out with our families and kids. While they are still my friends, time and distance has driven us apart. However, over the weekend I was at a wedding with several of them and it was like old times and great to seee them. It sort of jogged my memory of the funny stories and stupid things we did. So, I’m positng a few pics from the wedding along with some funny random stories.

In the first picture is Tom, Dan and CJ. I still see Tom all the time, he married my best friend Jodie. I occasionally see Dan and CJ, CJ more often than Dan. As you can tell, Dan is a free spirit. Hasn’t cut his dreads since HS and is still soul searching across the US…his current job is ideal for him - he works on a marijuana farm that grows pot legally for medicinal purposes…fitting right? CJ, oh CJ, is the most rude but hilarious person I’ve ever met. We met over a Turkey Fight, that’s right, we threw Butterball Turkey slices at each other in a kitchen at about 4A my sophomore year of HS. But CJ grew up too, still no driver’s license at 27, but he’s in law school about to defend peeps via arguing…which he’s good at.

The last picture I just really like- it has Jodie’s married name on it- WEIRD! A lot of people hated HS but I loved it. I had so much fun, did stupid things and learned a lot about myself while doing it. So to HS and great friends…no matter how far we travel or how different we are it’s great to see you!

Pumping! Pumping! Pumping

My all time favorite gym class is Body Pump, or if you belong to Urban Active it is called Urban Iron. It is a hour long workout that consist of using weights and your own body to sculpt your muscles and get fit.

I love going to the class, getting out anger, feeling sweat drip off my elbows and listening to some good jams. Body Pump always has the best workout music, for some example tunes click here.

So, if you are looking for something new and want to spice up your workout, tryout one of these classes soon. When I’m being good and going consistently at least once a week, my body feels much stronger and more fit. Don't worry ladies, you won't end up looking like this, it sculpts muscles and tones.

Think He Can Bust A Move?

I had to post this because it is way too embarrassing not to. This video is Jim, sad to claim him as my boyfriend, singing his infamous karaoke song at our favorite local bar Tostado's. The best part about this video...this was at a work function with our friends from Meredith Corporation. Watch, get embarrassed and feel free to comment how ridiculous Jim is.

His Ship Has Sailed....

So, today’s blog is about my Dad, whom I’ve blogged about before. But, today is a special day as it was 9 years ago today my Dad passed away. I like to believe he is somewhere warm, playing golf with his Dad and Mom, waiting patiently for the rest of his family to join him someday. The more time passes the less it hurts, but it’s always still there. Sometimes I get mad now, because when he first passed away I used to have dreams or think I felt him, but it’s been a long time since that has happened. I’m not sure what I believe in or what I don’t, but from what I’ve been told that’s a good sign…it means they have moved to the next stage in their life and are happy.

Where I was 9 years ago is a totally different place then I am now, so I looked up to see where everyone else was then too – so you get a sense of what 9 years can feel like. Below is a list of things that happened in 1999:

• The Dow Jones reach 11,000 points for the first time, closed the year at 11,497
• The shootings at Columbine shocked our Nation
• Lance Armstrong won his first Tour De France
• The first case of the West Nile Virus broke in the US
• MySpace launched
• Napster launched
• George Bush announced he was running for President
• JFK JR dies in a plane crash
• Payne Stewart died in a plane crash
• Matrix was the number 1 movie
• Best New Artist was Christina Aguilera
• Best Picture was American Beauty
• An F4 tornado roared through Blue Ash demolishing parts and killing four
• The Family Guy aired it’s pilot episode
  

It’s crazy to think how I felt 9 years ago today or what lead to that point or how I even moved on from that point but here we are and still standing. Below is the poem that was read at my Dad’s funeral by a family friend. I’ve always liked it and reminds me that he’s in a better place.

A Parable of Immortality
by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength,
and I stand and watch until at last she hangs
like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says,
" There she goes! "

Gone where?

Gone from my sight . . . that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of destination.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
" There she goes! "

there are other eyes watching her coming . . .
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout . . .
" Here she comes!

Our New President...and His Marketing Skills

The link below is to an excellently written article published on November 5, 2008 in Advertising Age about what marketers can learn from Obama’s campaign. I will let you read the entire article on your own, but I’ve pulled out some key notes that I believe are important about advertising and how he won this historic election.

http://adage.com/columns/article?article_id=132237

Nov. 4, 2008, will go down in history as Obama takes office as the first African American President. It’s great to see we are continually evolving and race isn’t a factor anymore, but let’s take a look at what Obama was up against.

Al Ries states the obvious in his article. “Obama is a relatively unknown man. Younger than all of his opponents. Black. With a bad-sounding name. Consider his first opponent: the best-known woman in America, connected to one of the most successful politicians in history. Then consider his second opponent: a well-known war hero with a long, distinguished record as a U.S. senator. It didn't matter. Barack Obama had a better marketing strategy than either of them. "Change."

Against all these odds Obama won. “Change” is what Obama said all along. He was simple and consistent in all his speeches, debates and advertising. It was all about “change” and that’s what we need as Americans right now. His competitors’ went back and forth on what they stood for, as you will see from the article, that is until they jumped on the Obama bandwagon and tried to better Obama’s slogan by saying they could do better than change.

Lesson 1 according to Al Ries, "Better" never works in marketing. The only thing that works in marketing is "different." When you're different, you can pre-empt the concept in consumers' minds so your competitors can never take it away from you.

I believe this is one of the many reasons Obama won. Sure, we all know we need change but Obama said it and it was simple. He stuck with it and he made us believe in it/him after hearing it over and over. According to Al Ries, Lessons 2, be simple and consistent. It was too late when the other candidates grabbed onto “change”, it was a last ditch effort to steal from their competitor. Obama stood out early with a simple, consistent message that inspired people like myself to believe in him.

When I think about how advertisers are doing this I think about the following brands : Nike, Milk, M&M and American Express... I bet without thought you could name their slogan. Their brands have a consistent message and presence, they seem important and reliable – as Obama’s campaign slogan “change” did. Then think about other big brands like Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Budweiser – they have a ton of slogans you can’t just name one, where’s the consistency? Then there are those with awful slogans like “Denny’s. A place to sit and eat.” – gee thanks Denny’s, that so original and really makes me want to come in and order off your picture menu? WTF? So Obama had it right with “change” – it was simple, consistent, different and strong enough to have American’s believe in him.

Sure, Obama had a lot of money to spend on this campaign, record amounts actually. But he still did it right and was patient with his messaging. I think of companies in the past that I worked on their ad campaigns that did it all wrong (to remain anonymous) But they made the fatal mistake many companies do and Ries points this out in his article, “They jerk from one message to another, hoping for a magic bullet that will energize their brands. That doesn't work today.” When the business isn’t doing well it always gets blamed on the advertising...well do you think about your message? Really, do people care about all the hoopla and dancing around the actual product, no they care about why you’re different, how you’re different and the benefit you are going to give them (and of course price). Will you stand behind your message like Obama made us to believe he will? Only time will tell as he takes office, but I’m excited to see what “change” is and how he plans to accomplish it. It’s history in the making folks...

Iconic TV Series

Mad Men is one of my favorite shows and has a lot to offer, but it isn't getting the ratings. It has on average around 1.5MM viewers compared to around 19MM for CSI. But, Mad Men has a lot more to offer than an episode of CSI. It has meaning, culture, fashion, pushes the limits of comfort, insight into advertising and much more.

Since I used to be in advertising, I was first drawn to the show because of that. I was curious what it was like back in the 60s, when my Dad was just starting off his career in advertising. From what I hear, it was very similar to the show which makes Mad Men even more fascinating to me.

It has been awarded the Golden Globe and was crowned best drama at this year's Emmy Awards, the first basic cable show to win this series. It was featured on the Halloween special of The Simpsons and was even a category on Jeopardy.

I love watching the characters stories unravel, discovering who Don Draper really is and imaging life as a woman back then. If you watch, it's fascinating to watch how history repeats itself. In the season 2 series finale the cast is worried about Kennedy's speech about the Soviet Union erecting offensive-missile sites in Cuba and everyone thinks it could be the end of the world. It's weird, my Dad has told me this story in the view of an American soldier being only 25 at the time, and here it is on the TV 46 years later and I"m 27. And all this happens in this episode when right now we are concerned about our economic crisis, it really strikes a chord with it's viewers.

It's one of the best shows out there and I suggest you start to catch up. Even if the drama and advertising doesn't draw you in then Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, should. Something about his character a woman can't resist...he's powerful in the office and in the bedroom. The kind of man that has all this power and you want him as your own. He's sexy, smart, successful and cool...he's a dangerous man and the kind every woman falls for.