Flat Tire- Subaru Commercial

The first time I saw this Subaru commercial, I felt something similar to nostalgia. Except it wasn't exactly nostalgia, because I wish my father had taught me this lesson when I was learning to drive. Our only real driving lesson together involved slamming on breaks and crying, so I let Mom take it from there...Not that my Dad couldn't have taught me eventually, but he isn't known for his sensitivity or patience (or driving). I hope that at least my future husband or I can teach our kids these important skills in life.

As seen in the above paragraph, this ad can pull feelings out of you that may not be right at the surface, with only a simple song and story. The song, "I Will Be There" by Odessa, is haunting and lovely with some ringing notes that lend to tears and choking up. The scenery is also spot on, because this young girl is alone in an almost empty parking lot in the rain and you do not see her father until the last moment. She even looks over her shoulder and gets frustrated, but knows she has to depend on herself. The lesson is so important and I feel that many people can relate to it. Whether you're a man or woman, getting a flat when you're in an unknown area by yourself is scary and can be dangerous. So teaching your children how to take care of themselves is valuable, even if you are just around the corner. One day, they may not be able to find help.

Another aspect of the commercial I really liked is that it isn't for a specific Subaru. They show a certain car, but all they mention is the top safety picks they've received for their models. I think that here, the less they show or say the better. It's an unusual approach to a car commercial and it really impressed me. It's not boastful or flashy, doesn't show any specific features of the car, and isn't the typical drive through mountain roads...thank goodness. I think most of Subaru's recent ads with the tagline "Love. It's what makes a Subaru a Subaru" have stood out to me. Each of them focuses on a different stage of life with a small moment in time that almost anyone can relate to. I admire their approach.

2014 Kia Optima Commercial

I've seen this commercial a few times now and even said something to a friend about how much I enjoy it. It's for the new 2014 Kia Optima and showcasing their back-up warning system. At this point, I'm a fan of Kia's ads and just had to look up who's in charge. The agency David & Goliath is responsible for these fun ads. If you wanna see the Kia Soul "Hamstar" commercial, just scroll down!

The reason I like this ad so much is because of its' simplicity. Most of the spot is well orchestrated music and dramatic editing. There are one or two shots of the inside of the car and the owner and a voice over to point out their newest feature, but it's not overwhelming. The real gem is the perfect stuffed animal and his relieved buddy in the box. The glow of the taillights helps too.

It's a great ad that makes me smile. The sense of panic everyone feels as they get too close while backing up or the confined space that most people are accustomed to pulling into is pretty easy to relate to. Plus, the new back-up warning system is a luxury most people would want now. Personally, the beeping that only gets more urgent as you get closer to something makes me freak out more, but to each their own.

"Who Moved My Cheese?" Book Review

This week was the first week of my last semester of college.

I cannot even believe that sentence is true, but I'm suddenly preparing for the real world and trying not to think too far ahead and freak myself out. With that in mind, I found it appropriate that my Strategic Marketing teacher assigned the book "Who Moved My Cheese" by Dr. Spencer Johnson for our first class reading. She picked this book because our "cheese" is moving and it can be a lot to cope with if you don't recognize the change.

Now that I've read it and my class only briefly discussed the overall message, I feel that I can express my opinions on the book and what I gleaned. First, I must say that both my parents have read this book and I've become accustomed to their reading what I used to call "business books" since I would never have considered reading a book like this years ago. Now that I've grown up some, I find that I sought out a couple books that my Advertising teacher recommended and will hopefully write about those soon too!

For a quick summary, "Who Moved My Cheese" is a short story about 2 mice, Sniff and Scurry, and 2 little people, Hem and Haw, who live in a maze and search for their cheese every day. The mice and little people find their cheese (aka what they value in life, be it money, success, love, etc) and are content until it suddenly disappears. The mice quickly move on to find other cheese out in the maze because they had been keeping track of their cheese and noticed it was slowly decreasing. The little people had not been keeping track and were extremely upset when their cheese disappeared. They were unprepared and therefore flopped between disbelief that their cheese was gone, panic, and fear of what was next. Haw eventually realized that the cheese would not come back and that facing his fears in the maze was the only way to find more cheese and maybe something even better! Hem remained behind and would not change his ways for anything. In the end, Sniff, Scurry, and Haw each found their cheese again and kept a watch on the amount, but Hem was left behind the change.

Even though I had heard good things and read about how many lives it improved, I was a bit skeptical. I was also aware that my skepticism could impact the book's effect on my takeaway, so I tried to push it down and read with an open mind. Once I got to the actual parable in the middle of the book, I was doing pretty well. Unfortunately, the parable quickly became a somewhat "cheesy", repetitive read. Some of the morals were good points, but they were also fairly obvious, or so I would think. Those morals also seemed to blur together the more Haw spoke about them.

I understand that many people in the business world may find change hard to adapt to and that simple morals brought to light will help them realize the answer, but for me it was a bit cliche. I think I had heard so much about it, that I expected some huge revelation that never came. And I'm not saying that I'm more aware than others or that I know everything about change, because I don't. I'm terrified of change and especially the unknown, but I've always just toughed it out because most people don't really get a choice. I do think that this story could remind me to analyze my reaction the next time a large change occurs in my life and prepare accordingly, just in case I've gotten too complacent.

All in all, I found the story a bit tedious, but I can see that some would find value in it. I also feel that because I've read it and focused on writing this piece, that I may be more inclined to consider my actions in the future in reference to the mice and little people.

photo source: http://www.redtreeleadership.com/images/PageImages/WMMC-Book.jpg