Ad-nalysis Sunday: Yep, it's a Tampon Commercial

But it's the BEST tampon commercial you'll ever see!

Trust me guys, you'll like it too.



I had some girls over this week to play cards and watch So You Think You Can Dance. We were hardly paying attention to the T.V., and then this commercial came on.

We were all mesmerized.
Before the commercial was even over we were laughing our heads off.
My friends and I looked at each other and expressed the same thought.
This was going to be my next blog post.

I've watched this commercial so many times I can almost quote the whole thing.
My favorite lines?
"You can relate to me because I'm racially ambiguous."
"Market research shows girls like you love girls like me."
"Do all these angles make me seem dynamic?"
"I'm wearing white pants!"

This commercial is sooooo refreshing. I love that they openly reveal advertising secrets. It's very true that "female-product" commercials all look the same and are indeed obnoxious. By making fun of their industry, Kotex sets itself apart.

The actress is perfect. Not only is she perfect because she's "believably attractive" (hot, but not too hot) and "racially ambigious", but she's also a cheerleader, she can kick-box, and can blow on a dandelion. And we all know those activities require mad skills!

The tag line of this campaign is also clever. "Break the Cycle." It applies to annoying commercials and the annoying monthly visitor.

That's all for now, I gotta go to the store to buy these tampons...and white pants.

P.S. Here's another commercial in the "Break the Cycle" campaign. It's good but not AS good.

May Sweeps #4

May Sweeps is finally over! :)
Aaaaaaaaand WE WON! :D
It was a tough race but KSL 5 News beat out all the other stations at 10 o'clock to end up NUMBER 1! WOOT!

This was my last promo for sweeps.



You know what else is number one?
STUDIO 5!!!
DOUBLE WOOT!

Here's a promo I made for the show today.

Three Years of Happily Ever After

On May 25th, 2007, I married the man who makes me crazy.
Three years later, he's STILL got it! ;)

Tom and I met in Alberta.
We dated in Ontario, Quebec and Utah.
We got married in New York.
On our honeymoon we went to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Saskatchewan.

That's what I get for marrying a dual citizen!

The adventures didn't stop after our honeymoon.

As a married couple we've been to Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, California, AND MEXICO!
(And back to Canada several times.)

I wouldn't have half these memories if it weren't for Tom. (I would definitely still be in Canada.)
But regardless of all that, it's our daily adventures that make our life so special.

I love his hilarious quotes like "You're as crazy as you are beautiful."
"Have you seen Sneezy? Dopey? Because I KNOW where GRUMPY is!"

I love that Tom puts up with my mood swings, tears, bad hair cuts, and extra pounds.

I love that we've made a home together.
And that Tom doesn't mind that I never cook, and rarely clean.

I love that our little family has grown with our adoption of Yoda.
(And that Tom takes such good care of both of us.)

I love how a simple trip to Costco becomes an event.
Bedtime becomes a steam-roller competition.
Driving anywhere in separate cars becomes a race.
Watching "Lost" becomes a marathon.

Tom and I are living the marriage Olympics...
And we're winning GOLD.

Ad-nalysis Sunday: Stanley Steemer

You may completely disagree with me on this one...
But whatever, it's my blog.

I thought this commercial was adorable!



The first time I saw it, I was laughing, and couldn't stop saying "I could have saved this one!"
It still cracks me up.

You'll notice a pattern in most of these ad-nalysis blogs. I like simple commercials. Simple is always better. And this Stanley Steemer commercial is no exception.

Lines in this commercial:
Guys talking about "Berber carpet"
Driver says "No!"
Driver says "Why??"
Driver says "I could have saved this one!" twice.
End with Stanley Steamer jingle.

Less than 30 words in a 30 second commercial.

You never forget that this is a commercial for a carpet cleaner. It's right on brand.
You know that jingle. It gets stuck in your head.
The commercial as a whole gets stuck in your head. I only had to see it once to know I would end up blogging about it.

But if you DO disagree, if you think this commercial is dumb or cheesy, let me know.
I'm not afraid to take you on.

***UPDATE:
My Dad (Ted) brought up a good point. I didn't even realize Steamer was actually spelled STEEMER. (You can always count on my Dad to pick out my blog typos.)

After some research, here's why the company spells their name differently.
"Did you ever wonder why "Steemer" is spelled with two "E's"? When the original steam cleaning equipment was operating, it reminded Bates of the old Stanley Steamer steam powered automobile. He liked the name, so he made it his own with a slight spelling variation to make it unique."
Source: http://www.leavcom.com/hm_ss.htm

New Camera - New Look!

Last week Tom bought us an anniversary gift.
(It's not our anniversary yet but Tom gave it to me early because apparently I ruined the surprise.)

It's a Digital SLR camera, a Canon T2i.
It's AMAZING! 18 Megapixels and it takes FULL HD video.
As you probably know, I'm kinda of a picture freak. I ALWAYS have my camera with me and I take pictures everywhere!
And seriously, what kind of Utah blogger would I be if I wasn't into photography??

(Image borrowed from Gizmodo.com)

These are the first photos taken with our new camera. Yoda makes a wonderful subject.

Pretty sweet right?
Check out my test video. You can play it in full HD if your computer can handle it.
(Yes, I realize it's a pretty random, and even gross video, but try to see past that and enjoy the QUALITY. The sweet, sweet quality...)

I know there's lots of room for improvement so I've decided to take photography classes.
Tom's sister just finished a round of classes from a guy in her ward. She's already really good, so I'm going to take classes from the same guy. I start next month.

On a related subject, I just got highlights in my hair for the first time ever!
BEFORE:AFTER:All these hair pictures were taken with our new camera.
The girl who did my hair is in Tom's sister's ward. Her name is Annie. Turns out Annie is married to the guy I'm going to take photography classes from.
Random right?
Want more before and after shots?
Okay.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Yes, I realize these pictures make me look psycho and vain, but can you blame me? I had a new camera to play with!

Annie does hair out of her home, and we didn't get started until 8:30 at night. Three hours later we were finally done! Therefore, the "after" pictures were taken just before midnight, so that's why they aren't too flattering. I was pretty tired.

I took more pictures this morning with better light and fresh makeup!
This is a completely new look for me!
I really, REALLY love it.
Seriously, these pictures don't even do it justice!

Thanks Annie for the great haircut!
Thanks Tom for the new camera! (He says it's "ours", but we all know who he really bought it for...)
And finally, *sniff* I'd like to thank my mother and father *sniff, sniff*, for giving me such good hair genes. *bows graciously and walks off the stage*

May Sweeps 2010 #3

Here are more of my promos for May Sweeps.

1) Studio 5: In It to Win It
I make a cameo in this one. It was SOOOOO fun to shoot! It's not every day you get paid to make sure balloons don't touch the ground. :P
I love my job.



2) KSL 5 News Investigates: How a Utah company protects itself from customer complaints.
Story airs Thursday at 10 on KSL 5 News. Edited by Lance.



***UPDATE: Here's the link to the story.***

Ad-nalysis Sunday: Embrace Life

This is the most moving and effective seat-belt campaign you will ever see.



My Ad-nalysis?
If this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, you're a heartless person.
The end.

Just kidding. You know I wouldn't leave you hanging.

It's such a simple concept.
You know it didn't cost much to create.
And it's effective.
Those alone are factors of the perfect commercial.

It has an emotional connection. Who doesn't have a family who wants you to be safe in the car? Putting a child in the commercial is also brilliant. I love that's she's missing a tooth and wearing fairy wings. She's a real kid. The whole family looks real. No supermodels here. It definitely makes the ad relatable.

Facial expressions. Watch the commercial again and pay close attention to the facial expressions. Some are so subtle, but they tell the whole story. I love these actors.

The camera moves and editing. Perfect. I can just imagine how long this commercial took to edit. There's slow-motion, fast slow-motion, real time, more slow-motion. But it's all timed perfectly.

Finally, did you know this was a campaign made for the U.K?
I love that no matter where you live, no matter what language you speak, you will understand this commercial. It's so wide-reaching.
Do you know how many views this video has?
Nearly 7 million.
You know people around the world are watching it.

Are you going to wear your seat belt today?

Hardware Necklace

A little while back I came across this cute tutorial for a home-made necklace.

I just had to try it.
I bought two 3-foot chains at Lowes.
They were $1.50 each.

This is the first chain.

Add 6 feet of cute pink ribbon (Only $0.68)...

...plus a little loop-de-loop...

And voila! So cute, right?

Funny story.
This was the only day I got to wear the necklace.
That night, Tom and I ordered Pizza.
The delivery lady liked the necklace so much I ended up giving it to her.
It was the day before Mother's Day so I told her it was a Mother's Day present. Turns out she was a mom of two! She was very happy with my gift, and I was only too happy to give it to her.

Here is chain #2.

Here's ribbon #2! Only cost me $0.54.

More loop-de-loops.

And voila! Necklace #2.
I think I liked the first necklace better, but probably because it was pink.
(And you know how much I love pink!)

But Yoda sure looks cute wearing it! :D

Overall, I got two super-cute necklaces for less than $5!
Try it, they're super easy!

Ad-nalysis Sunday: Swagger Wagon

Earlier this week, there was an ad for this video on YouTube. The video is an ad in itself, in the form of a music video.

Like I said last week, nothing like a viral video to get your message across.

Take a look.



So appropriate for Mother's Day right!! I love it!
The first time I watched this video, I laughed so hard I cried.
I was at work, so that was kind of embarrassing. Right in the middle of my tear fest, my boss walked in. :S

It's a rap video but instead of falling money, it's falling diapers!
Instead of gold chains, it's soothers!
No over-sized speakers, just a baby monitor.
No scantily-clad dancers, just adorable kids! The kids totally make this video for me.
I think the jello-mold part was where I started crying, because, helloooo, I live in Utah. That screams "Utah mom"!

Favorite line: "Where my mother-fathers at?" Admit it, you thought she was going to swear!
Favorite part: When the dad throws all the tea-party stuff off the table. He's such a rebel! LOL!
I could go on and on about what I love about this video...buuuuuut I hate long blog posts.

Does this video make the mini-van cool again? Not a chance.
But if your family needs a mini-van - and you can handle the stereo-types and laugh at yourself like the family in this video - then by all means, go for it. You're the target audience. I'm sure this video makes the buying process a little less painful.

A Special Woman

Happy Mothers Day to the most beautiful woman in the world!

My mom lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I live in Provo, Utah, U.S.A.
Living far away from my mom has only made me appreciate her more. There's no one in Canada I miss more than her. I'm dedicating this blog post to her for Mother's Day.

You wouldn't even know this woman has been a mom for 42 years, raising seven kids, and being the perfect grandma to dozens more.

See how she still oozes glamor, poise, charm, and confidence.

She's the kind of mom who doesn't have to spell out what she's thinking. Sometimes you just know. Just like I KNOW I'm her favorite daughter. ;)

My mom leads by example. She is the best role model a girl could ask for. She always knows the right answer, and always has the Holy Ghost with her.

Just ask my Dad. I'm sure he's learned a lesson or two from her.

Seriously, could they look any more in love? They're adorable!

When I was little, I used to pretend I was a cat and purr my way into her bedroom and into her bed while she was reading. She played along every time. I loved reading next to her. She's the kind of person you just want to be with, even if there's no conversation. She has a presence that makes you feel safe and comfortable no matter what.

(When she came to visit me last year, we ate at Jimmy John's. When I saw that sign, I just HAD to take a picture with her under it.)

My mom loves to play games. She loves word games, but my favorite game to play with her is Speed (the fast-paced card game). She'll play with me over and over again even though I always win because she knows she's making me happy. If that's not a trait of the perfect mother, what is?

My mom is super smart too. She has a degree in education, and is the best piano teacher in Eastern Canada. She also works harder than anyone I know. When I was in early morning seminary, she would come to the church with me so she could practice the organ. Just to emphasize, that was EVERY MORNING at 6 a.m. for FIVE YEARS!! (I did an extra year.) Playing the organ did not come easily to my mom but she would practice for HOURS to make sure she could play the hymns for Sacrament meeting.

Another thing I love about my mom is how she can get excited about simple things, just like me! I remember we found this amazing ice cream shop on the way to a family reunion in Idaho that sold SQUARE ice cream cones. I thought it was the coolest thing ever! And whereas my husband made fun of me for being so excited, my mom was right there with me loving her square ice cream cone!

My mom has a great sense of humor too! Remember the potato in the water glass? My favorite memories of her are the times when she laughs so hard she starts crying! Which makes ME laugh so hard, I start crying too! And then there's no stopping us. It takes forever to stop the giggles.

My mom HATES shopping. But as you see here in this picture, she is always willing to put that behind her for a special outing with her kids (i.e. ME!). She is always thinking about us and rarely about herself.

My mom had colon cancer last year. I bet not a lot of people even know what she went through, because seriously, have you ever heard her complain? So many people would use that opportunity to get sympathy and special treatment. But not my mom. I flew home for the surgery to help take care of her, but that was a bust! She still made dinner each night and wouldn't let me baby her. It was more a week of hanging out than anything else. (Which of course, was totally worth the trip.)

So, Mama Strang, this kiss is for you. Thanks for everything you've done for me. I wouldn't be who I am and where I am today without you. You're simply the best. I love you.

May Sweeps 2010 #2

Here's my second promo for sweeps. Story airs Monday on KSL 5 News at 10.



Let me know what you think. Would it make you want to watch?

(Let me translate: Don't even think about leaving my blog without leaving a comment FIRST.)

***UPDATE: Here's the story by Kathy Aiken.***

May Sweeps 2010

Sweeps is here...again...
I guess I should get used to the idea they will never stop coming, but one can dream.

Sweeps occurs four times a year. This is when TV ratings matter. Our newscasts have to beat the competition so we can get the most advertising dollars.

But to be honest, sweeps isn't that bad.
We get free lunch to kick off the "book" (another term for sweeps).
We get really awesome news stories to promote.
We sometimes get treats throughout sweeps.
We get lunch and prizes to celebrate the end of the book.

Okay, most of what's good about sweeps has to do with food.

Plus, I get to show off my amazing promos!



If this promo doesn't make you angry, the story will.

Our investigative team has done their homework on this one (as usual). I don't want to give it away, but just know they stalked several parking lots, several times a day, for WEEKS to see who was using the stalls. The results were shocking.

Watch this Thursday on KSL 5 News at 10.
As usual, I will post a link to the story once it's aired.

*UPDATED: Here's the story.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Ad-nalysis Sunday: Nolan's Cheddar

Tom found this on YouTube yesterday.

After some research I discover Nolan's cheddar doesn't actually exist.
Tear.
But if it did, I'd buy it.

This fake ad was made British animatronics master John Nolan. He's worked on movies like Where the Wild Things Are and Harry Potter.

So why am I writing about this even though it's a fake ad? Because it accomplished what Nolan set out to accomplish. To showcase his work.
Nothing like a viral video to get someone a job!
To quote www.promonews.tv, he has "a calling card you won’t forget in a hurry. It draws you in like a tempting, tasty morsel of cheese..."
Nolan has since been signed to Streetlight Films.
Brilliant.

Is that supposed to happen?

We've had Yoda for two weeks today!

He's learned how to "sit" and "lie down", although he still gets the two confused.
We even bought a couple books so we would know more about what to expect with our dog.
But there's one part we haven't gotten to yet...

A couple nights ago, I woke up in the middle of the night because Yoda was chewing on something. I reached into his mouth and pulled out a small bead-like thing. It was dark, so I just put the item on my nightstand and went back to sleep.

The next morning I found a TOOTH on my nightstand. That's right, Yoda had been chewing on his OWN TOOTH.
There's TWO teeth in this picture because it happened again today!
Wanna see another angle?
I know, SO GROSS!
I had to put Yoda's favorite stuffed animal in the wash today because it had blood spots on it.

Apparently this is normal?
Seriously?
Why didn't anyone warn us?

Ideal Situation:
Me - "Guess what, we adopted a puppy!"
Friend - "That's awesome! By the way, his teeth will fall out."

Is that too much to ask?
Seriously!
I'm going to go throw up now.