A Closet

Postcards from IDEO

2009-04-13T18:50:00.004-04:00

This afternoon I stumbled upon on the IDEO website. There is a section called 'Postcards' under the culture tab. It's digital snapshots from the field and here is a short description from the website,

At any given time, there are 15 to 20 IDEO teams in the field doing research for projects. We are a naturally curious bunch, and tend to collect quite a few artifacts from our trips. In addition to interesting foods, new turns of phrase, and the occasional non-contagious skin disease, we take photos of interesting things in the places we are.

When we see something remarkable, we capture it to show our fellow IDEOers at home in the studio. Now we are sharing some of our blink-worthy images with you. Enjoy!

I really like that they do this stuff. It brings their culture to life and shows a humane personality as a company and an endless curiosity with a great observation. Check it out.

Lady Gaga made me annoyed

2009-04-13T01:00:00.003-04:00

Some of my friends were pissed off about Lady Gaga canceling her concert in Richmond, VA just a couple days before and they called her a b*tch.

Some of my friends want me to listen to Lady Gaga's songs and I think those songs are not bad at all. Actually, they are good enough for me to slightly shake my head and swing my hips.

Until I twittered about Lady Gaga's song, Poker Face. I got two new Twitter followers (poker mom and a random guy who plays poker) in just 30-minute later.

Well, what if I tweeted about the Killers' song? Would a serial killer follow me on Twitter? The power of relevance and content is amazing.

PS. I know this is weird that I blog about twitter because people usually tweet about their blog post. I am different.

Need your help!

2009-03-22T15:34:00.001-04:00

Please help my friends complete this survey. Thanks.

Being 9 to 5 is like being trapped inside of an arbitrary cage. It is
based on a system where every resource the employee needed “to work”
was within the parameters of a central hub (the office), within a
certain time frame (generally 9am to 5pm). This model, to say the
least, is not only archaic in behavior but stifles the sociability and
productivity of a new workforce, which should rather be harnessed to
the company’s benefit. Help us make people, companies, and boss'
around the world realize that a more productive, more enthusiastic,
more innovative workforce relies on their ability to cross-pollinate
work life and personal life.

Click Here to take survey

Heimir Bjorgulfsson (I like his arts)

2008-07-09T12:00:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite websites, Flavorpill always brings talented featured artists for their cover art. Not to mention about the rich contents on the website. Heimir Bjorgulfsson is the featured artist of June 2008. His arts are spectacular especially when he uses a various type of coloring tools like spray, color pencil, marker, acrylic and etc. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Top Reasons to Go into Advertising

2008-07-09T11:26:00.002-04:00

Hello (Online) World!

I ran across the forum in AdGabber about "Top reasons to go into Advertising." I found one guy's (his name is Lane Casteix) comment interesting and inspiring. He said, "As I said on another thread, I was being "groomed" for architecture but ended up majoring in fine arts with a beer minor. I kept hearing terms thrown around like "working the fence", which was a reference to the fence around Jackson Square in New Orleans where the artists gather to do tourist "art", and "starving artist", which sounded an awful lot like being beerless, so I decided this may not be for me.

Then I hear about an advertising design program at another university, and it strikes me that one probably actually gets paid for doing this advertising design thing - in other words not beerless - and maybe even bourbonful, which indeed it was (this was 1964, folks!). So I changed schools and majors. I liked the program, and I love the job that came out of it. Now I get to manage a small agency and some creatives who are just as easily upset by client changes as I was (I am over that now - jaded, I suppose), and I am having fun designing bourbon packages. Is that amazing or what?!"

I really do agree with him because I was almost ended up in Med school and I think I would never wanted to work in the hospital or medical center. I think I am lucky although this path is not so beautiful. But It's fun and worth. What are your reasons?

Sixty Magazine

2008-06-02T15:32:00.002-04:00

Finally, the magazine that I am looking forward to is launched. It's Sixty magazine from VCU Brandcenter. Take a look at it.

Fuerzabruta - I want to see it

2008-06-01T22:05:00.002-04:00

Since I got so much time on my hand, I ran across the Fuerzabruta website. According to the definition of Fuerzabruta (f'where-zah-broo-tah), it's brute force or the show from the creators of DE LA GUARDA or 360 heart-pounding theatrical experience. I may be quite late about this event coz it's named top10 of 2007 in Time magazine. By the way, I am really astonished by its trailer because it's not so-called stage performance show at all. I would love to fly to New York and buy a ticket instantly but I couldn't. I will do it after returning from Bangkok, I promise...Fuerzabruta.

See the trailer below

Postcards from Pai

2008-05-28T15:03:00.004-04:00

Three to four years ago I had a chance to fly to the North of Thailand. I went to Pai, a tiny town near the Myanmar border. It's very well-know town among backpackers. The atmosphere is very relaxing and laid-back. Pai is completely a great hideaway for me. It almost has no electricity and pollution. That place has no shopping malls, subways, fast food, and etc.

I stopped by one of the most well-known coffee shop and had a hot chocolate with my friends. I love the way that cool breeze touched my skin and my tongue was soaked into warm drinks. Even it's cold outside but I felt so warm because people there are kind and laid-back. Last week I had a chance to scan postcards I bought from Pai. I am trying to find the way to use them. They are very cute and authentic. My concern is how can we sustain Pai? I don't want Pai to be too commercialized and Pai has attracted more people to the town. So people start to make money and shun away from the authenticity.

Hello Kitty's Mission

2008-05-23T00:29:00.003-04:00

After reading this article, It left me in silent wonderment. The Japan tourism named Hello Kitty as its choice to represent the country in China and Hong Kong where Hello Kitty is widely popular among kids and women. Officials expect that Hello Kitty will attract a ton of tourists into Japan. This is the first time that the tourism ministry has endorsed a fictional character as a country ambassador.

I would like to applause them for being bold and taking risk. Although Hello Kitty has been in this world for a long time and found herself in everyone's heart, being cute is actually enough to lure people to come to Japan or not. Hello Kitty is such a wonderful character but I don't think she will be the key driven in people's mind to visit Japan. It's a cute execution but an ill-judged strategy.

Uniqlo Widget

2008-05-12T02:21:00.002-04:00

I promise this is very fun. The interactive stuff from Uniqlo. I created my own UTLoop so you will watch my fun sounds and video. Here you go...

Tilt-Shift Photography

2008-05-04T16:11:00.005-04:00

Here is a conversation on Gchat with one of my communications strategy classmates,Schmidt.

Oakie : www.cityshrinker.com
Schmidt : Cool...but why are you obsessed?
Oakie : I dunno..I think it's so awesome.

I re-think about his question why I am so obsessed with Tilt Shift photography. I mean I can't produce it but I strongly love looking at it. I guess the reasons are...

1. I love traveling - I love to see the world. I enjoy viewing this world in many perspectives such as sitting at the Cafe in Hong Kong, sightseeing the New York city on the tallest building in NY. The tilt shift technique is mostly used in taking photo of cities, streets, landscapes, and etc and this would probably be the reason why I like it so much.
2. I wanna be a good photographer - When I see the Tilt-Shift photos, they make me feel aspiring. I wish I could take many cool photos like that. I still hope and will push myself to that goal.

Below images are the example of Tilt-Shift photos that I like.

Activate - It's hid in the lid.

2008-05-04T15:32:00.003-04:00

I came across the Springwise website and found this cool innovative product called Activate Drinks. What caught my attention was they keep vitamin powder in the cap and when you twist the cap, the vitamin powder will be released into water. They claim that vitamins and other healthy ingredients lose their potency sitting in water. I really like the caption, "It's hid in the lid."

The product initially launched in California and will be rolled out nationwide during this year. I think they should expand their business by selling the vitamin powder in a small package. It will create more usage and occasion for the consumer to mix it in water by themselves.

They also have demonstration video on Youtube. See the video below.

Cougars Project

2008-05-02T18:56:00.003-04:00

What is a Cougar anyway?...this question stuck in my head now. I always look for Cougar women whenever I have a chance to go out. Sometimes I say "She got a Cougar look" and "Do you think she is a Cougar?" That's not because I sexually love Cougars but I soaked myself into the Cougar world. My friends (Brittany and Mimi) and I were assigned a final project of this semester and we selected "Cougars" as a topic. After spending a couple of months thinking, talking, observing, musing, researching, joking about Cougars, I have a positive attitude towards Cougar women. Although we finished the final project on Thursday but I feel like I know and understand them really well.

The image below is one of many slides in my presentation. I really love it because it's such a great juxtaposition between the lace and cougar animal. For those who don't know what is Cougar, I won't tell you coz I am sick of talking about it now.

Peeps + Microwave

2008-03-29T15:14:00.003-04:00

It's the first time I had Peeps marshmallow. We got 3 in the packages and I ate 2 of them. Mollie and Merf put the other one in the microwave. See the result below.

Will I be famous? No..Holy...

2008-03-15T21:11:00.004-04:00

I know I have been a terrible blogger. Nothing much to say about what kept me busy. It's obvious that the school continuously gives me assignments. Although we got new building, new name, grand opening party and etc., I am still busy as hell.

Last 2 weeks, I was interviewed by a stranger while i was doing my hectic assignment. Apparently, I didn't say much because i was so nervous and not familiar with talking to a stranger. Well, I was in the news (Commonwealth Times) - click here to read. Is it a big deal? I dunno i had never been in the news before. But I feel so good that media and some people pay attention to our school as we are the future of the advertising industry. Mmm...I should go back and do some good works.

Jung von Matt/Next - Wall

2008-02-09T10:10:00.000-05:00

Fortunately, I found this website and it is very interesting. It's called the nextwall by Jung von Matt/Next. Jung von Matt/Next is the Jung von Matt agency for interactive and innovative communication. There are 2 projects which blew my mind.

1. The 30 meter-long graffiti - It's not just the same old graffiti wall but it's embedded the mobile phone technology and RFID technology so the people can interact with the wall. Many German graffiti artists were invited to join the project. They did really a good job. See some images from the website below.2. Free Graffiti - I think this project crumbles the fact that Graffiti need to be sprayed or created on a wall or solid material only. People who came up with this idea is really smart. They use three cameras and motion capturing technology to create a 3D free-form graffiti. See the video below how it looks like.

Jim Mahfood and his Colt45 arts

2008-01-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

Jim Mahfood! Who is Jim Mahfood? Jim Mahfood is an American comic book creator. He has been making a living off his drawings and scribblings since 1997. He worked for Marvel Comics for a while. He got many clients more than i expected such as Playboy, Armani, Disney, DC Comics, and much more.

The reason i mentioned him because i really like his works see the samples below...Check out his website for a full detail and content. Recently, He is the person who did all arts in Colt45 campaign which is really edgy and catchy.

The Great Outdoors

2008-01-25T14:53:00.000-05:00

I am totally looking forward to this - The Great Outdoors Photo Contest. I always enjoy the photos in National Geographic magazine and think there will be many awesome photos in this contest. And the fact that i love taking photos and traveling makes me excited about this contest. Can't wait.

VCU Brandcenter - the second semester

2008-01-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will go back to the school with something new. We changed the school's name from VCU Adcenter to VCU Brandcenter coz we are not just an advertising student. We learn about art, culture, consumer, and commerce that lead to the better branding. We also have new website (www.brandcenter.vcu.edu) which is better than the old one. The new website is quite simple and i love the transition of the webpage. My school also have video series from the leading advertising folks in our industry talking about "CHANGE." There are...
Paul Lavoie, Taxi
Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin, Ogilvy Toronto
Jeff Steinhour, CP+B
Joe McCarthy, J&J
Bob Scarpelli, DDB
Mike Hughes, The Martin Agency
and 4 more. See the videos here

Lastly, we moved to the new building (which is a couple blocks away from my place..yay!) I am quite excited about the new building because Clive Wilkinson is in charge of this project. I can't wait to see my new lime-green floor. And my second semester is about to begin tomorrow. I am ready for this.

The battle of HD-DVD and Blu-ray

2008-01-10T22:20:00.000-05:00

I was wondering when the term "Hi-Definition" or "HD" is applied to the cable TV business. It seems like people are more easily to pay more and adapt to this new technology with better picture quality. Even I saw a movie commercial trying to sell both DVD and HD-DVD format. This reminds me about Sony's Blu-ray too and makes me think of the battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVD.

I expect Blu-ray's gonna be the next generation after DVD format. When the time pass people will start to adopt the new technology as we did from cassette tape to CD. But it's not easy for Blu-ray since the HD-DVD was introduced. It becomes the battle of format.

For me, I really give my heart to the Blu-ray format because of its better performance. Unfortunately, HD-DVD was launched with cheaper price so some consumers are distracted to try the HD-DVD format. Until i read this article and it gives hope to Blu-ray's winning. We will see how this is gonna be between HD-DVD and Blu-ray. I am waiting to burn a Blu-ray disc in the near future and eager to know how Blu-ray will be used as a medium in consumer's world.

Will we see the Youtube video greatest hits in the Blu-ray format?
Can we keep all song from 1980s in a Blu-ray disc?

2007 Digging out

2007-12-24T00:13:00.000-05:00

Just about a week, we will be going into year 2k8. For me, this year is really amazing. why?

1. I got accepted into the VCU Adcenter, the best advertising school in the US. and the school doesn't let me down at all. It's not about the reputation, new location, pride but it's about meeting new people. And they are friend. Friends who make me better and give me some life's lessons.

2. I miss my hometown so much. At this time last year, I was spending a quality time with my Thai friends at the resort and we were so happy. But living my life here in Richmond is not bad and makes me smile every day.

3. The Adcenter is a place i can think freely and not afraid to express crazy thoughts. I know this school is shaping my mind and thought.

Thanks for stopping by this blog and giving a comment. I hope all my blog reader will have a good time and great holidays for 2007. Merry Christmas :)

Show me the money

2007-12-21T20:38:00.000-05:00

Last two weeks I had a chance to do an extra assignment about "slaves to marketing." It reminded me of one image that i have in my laptop for a while. The guy in this image is Ryan Sheckler, an American professional skateboarder, with his last name tattoo on his back. Many people may know him from MTV's The Life of Ryan show. When I re-looked at this image again, some thoughts came across in my mind.
1. This kid is very talented and skillful. He has got a sponsor from skateboarding since he was 10 or 11 and presently (now he is 17) many big companies are supporting him like Red Bull and Volcom. So this image for me is kind of juxtaposition between expressing himself through his tattoo on his back and corporate logos that have been attached to him for 7 years. I feel that his tattoo is meaningless for me because he has been labeled and monetized so something that he tried to identify himself is diluted.

2. Teenage girls love and adore him. Of course, they are the slave to marketing. They think he is cool even he wears a Volcom t-shirt and Red Bull cap all the time. On the other hand he sells his own t-shirt on his official website with his tattoo screened on it like this. I can't deny that we are in capitalism and it works.

Chad Kouri - Mixed media artist

2007-12-17T17:43:00.000-05:00

Stopped by Flavorpill website to find arts events in NYC, I found many pieces of art on the cover of the webpage. They are created by Chad Kouri.

All I know about him from his website is "Chad Kouri spends most of his time in alleys looking for wood, books, and other treasures to build out some elaborate found-art collage. The rest of his time is spent eating humus, playing guitar, and other things to pass the day. He has most recently taken up bench resting... a workout ritual much like bench pressing, but without all the lifting."

Personally, I really like his works. I like the way he put things together in one piece of art. Here are some samples of his arts I took from his website. I will try to catch up flavorpill website for their new cover artists. I think they are really cool.

Your Skin is Amazing

2007-12-15T21:02:00.001-05:00

Though I hesitate to criticize, there are some things I just don't like about the new Vaseline campaign. As a former media planner for Vaseline in Thailand, I would say Vaseline once focused on the skin health benefits and did a good job in discriminating itself among the competitors as healthy body care product. So the tonality of communication was straight-to-the-point and very functional but still kept a feminine element. In the recent campaign titled “Your skin is amazing,” speaks about healthy skin in a different way. The creative work is brilliant and enhances the strategy with great execution. But I feel that Vaseline campaign is too similar to Dove campaign in a few ways.

As a consumer, I think Vaseline is a simple, affordable product. I feel that Vaseline is trying to educate and convince me about their skin mission statement by telling me that moisturizing my skin when dry is not enough. Taking care of skin is a long-term regime and a thousand ways can disrupt your soft skin. But my Mom won’t understand what they are talking about. The majority of consumers still focus on problem solving and that’s Vaseline job to convert consumers to be more proactive to their skin. As an advertising student who loves to explore new things, I browsed the website and found out that Vaseline paid 5 celebrities to endorse the brand and be a part of skin visions activity. The only one I like belongs to Dave Navarro, a guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s addiction. I love the insight saying “My skin is my canvas…my tattoos represent a time in my life….” I hope this quote is real.

Quit Skittling

2007-12-14T03:21:00.000-05:00

Every morning (well, not really) i saw people drinking Red Bull to refresh themselves from drowsiness and fatigue. It is obvious that when you got many tasks to finish in one night or one day to survive the Adcenter, Red Bull is on the top list. For me I rarely drink it because I am distracted by Skittles. Skittles give me glucose to stay awake at night. I have been addicted to Skittles for 2 months. I bought a lot of Skittles presently. Now I realize that i need to stay away from that small round fruit chews.
I don't want to feel the rainbow anymore. My addiction was getting worse last week because one night i woke up at 4am. and i grabbed my rainbow candy and put them in my mouth. That's was too much. I want to quit Skittling.

15 Weeks

2007-12-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

We are officially done for the first semester at the Adcenter. It's a moment that i had craved for since November. I did some good jobs and fair jobs or bad works but i know i am improving myself. The first 15 weeks taught me a lot not only advertising business and planning but also social interaction and team working.

I learned many things here from the scratch. I learned more about American's brands. I learned how to put myself toward and pull myself out of trouble. I learned to work with people and their personalities. I learn to embrace failure and imperfection and learn to cherish myself with victory and pride. I maximize and utilize my positivity for this school.

Next, It's time for myself. I want to do many things i could not do it during the school. I bought some books and magazines. I am planning my trip to New York and DC. I am thinking about building my portfolio and blogging more.

The next semester at the Adcenter will be fun and exciting. We will move to the new building, located a couple blocks away from my place. and Bye bye 1313 Main Street.

What do I want to do?

2007-12-03T14:29:00.000-05:00

Something I wanna do in the US before I leave (to answer Jordan's question)

- Going to NYC
- Going to the MoMA
- Visiting friends in California
- Sipping Malibu cocktail on the beach
- Meeting with my blog friends
- Stepping into the US advertising business
- Being an ordinary and silly tourist and having fun with sightseeing around this country
- Making Adcenter's friends happier and better
- Walking with Jordan Childs in the park at night + Christmas decorations (We actually did this and had a good time together, haha)

World AIDS Day - Video

2007-12-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

Dedicated to World AIDS Day 2007.

Count Quality, Rate Quantity.

2007-11-25T01:33:00.000-05:00

My first semester at the Adcenter is going to end soon. It doesn't mean that i am not busy now - we still have big presentations awaiting. Yesterday, I realized that studying at the Adcenter. I need to find a balance between "quality" and "quantity."

Quantity without quality is bad. Quality without quantity is bad too. No one can tell you how much quality you should have or how many quantity you should acquire even Rick Boyko or David Ogilvy. To find it, you need to spend your life through it. You will find out many ideas that you crunch are not good and at the same time, you want to do the best in everything but you don't have time.

We have been taught that "Good enough is not enough." It's a juxtaposition between "quality" and "quantity." When we are knackered and tired, we want to say "enough," one of my classmates told us that "Good enough is plenty." It's very hilarious.

The photo is from Johnny Blood via Flickr

What I do for a free time during studying at Adcenter

2007-11-20T22:46:00.000-05:00

Two or three weeks ago, i was invited to Pre-Potluck Thanksgiving party at my Adcenter friend's place. I was thinking about what to bring and it was hard for me because I am not good at cooking at all. Then i decided to do Jello Shots. I had 2 recipes - one is strawberry jello with Vodka and lime jello with Malibu. It turned out great and i really love them and ended up eating them too much and dealing with intoxication.
On that night I put myself joining my first scavenger hunt game with some Adcenter friends. I ate raw egg, stole 5 pumpkins, and bought Vagisil. It was such a fun experience. Thanks to my friends for spicing up my life.

Facebook - New Advertising Solution

2007-11-09T09:57:00.000-05:00

I am an ordinary person who really enjoy signing in and signing out "Facebook" website. I love it because it keeps me getting in touch with my friends at VCU Adcenter, Thailand, New York, UK, and etc. Facebook is clean and delicate for me.

Recently, Leah Pearlman - the product manager of Facebook ads posted an information about Facebook new advertising solution. I love what's not changing but what is changing....

You now have a way to connect with products, businesses, bands, celebrities and more on Facebook.
Ads should be getting more relevant and more meaningful to you.
You now have the option to share actions you take on other sites with your friends on Facebook.

I don't like them but it sounds better than "Myspace-Era." I feel good that i won't associate with irrelevant ads. Here is an example of Facebook Axe ad. Some posted something good about Axe while some posted something bad. It's reality. I hope Axe's brand manager keeps reading his/her facebook ad.

We learn to write and draw

2007-10-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

At VCU Adcenter, we have the Adcenter Quote Wall near the computer lab. Here are some nice quotes...

"Oh my God, I got rejected by match.com" Holly H.
"I would taste test my product but it's the boy scouts" Leslie B.
"It's sad when one person goes to Costco to get a ream of bananas." Charlie H.
"Someone art directed that cupcake!" Slate D.
"He hates us...Do you think we could get a group discount on assisted suicide." anonymous
"The average stomach of a cocker spaniel can hold up to 12 balloons of heroin." Erica P.

And this is my quote "I don't use Tupperware, I use bamboo box."

Last Saturday, I went to the party and drew something nice on Joey's wall.

Spaghetti Ice Cream

2007-10-19T11:11:00.000-04:00

Do I love Italian food? Yes!
Do I love ice cream? Yes!

Since I have been in Richmond, VA for a couple of months, I know where my favorite ice cream is. But i am still looking for a nice Italian restaurant. How about the fusion of ice cream and Italian food? Maybe??

Let me introduce Spaghetti Ice Cream maker. Spaghetti ice cream is a fun look-a-like that you will love to make and eat. This post is not paid by advertiser. I just feel it's really fun.

Why Dubai?

2007-10-12T21:41:00.001-04:00

I knew I had not blogged for a long time. The best excuse is "I had to practice singing for American Idol." Anyway, while some people here at VCU Adcenter were busy with liquid protein, Burt's Bees, Dyson, etc., my heart was in Dubai. I was wondering how the advertising industry in Middle East will be like until I did some research on it. No surprise that people in Middle East are like the rest of the world.

They don't trust advertisements.
They expose to online media and email.
They need to control the media.
Viral marketing is more popular than other form of advertising.

So far, the Middle East market is growing and more interesting. There were two creatives from Arabian Gulf Advertising that won the Cannes Lion Young Creatives 2007. One of them was interviewed by local press and said "The world is just beginning to identify the UAE as a melting pot of global ideas and creativity."

How about Bangkok? We did a good job last two years but nothing solid happened locally. I guess we overlook the young generations and have no basic foundation. We are so busy with global glory but do nothing with our industry in Thailand. It's lame.

For example, Dubai Media City - a media hub in the region where all media-related businesses thrive together. DMC creates a world-class environment for every kind of media business, which broadly includes media and marketing services, printing and publishing, music, film, new media, leisure and entertainment, broadcasting and information agencies.

And Dubai Studio City - they facilitate the creation and development of an environment and world-class infrastructure to foster the growth of television, film, and music industries in the region.

Dubai Lynx Advertising Awards - This is an ad that won the award. (Karate class for kids by Grey Worldwide)
Peace in the middle east.

Painkiller

2007-10-02T21:07:00.000-04:00

I had so much fun watching this video via YouTube. It helped me reducing tension from studying at the Adcenter. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Advertising's Young Minds

2007-09-26T00:35:00.000-04:00

It is a great honor for me having my blog, A Closet on this niche rank called "Advertising Young Minds - The top27 blogs of people under 27" I was so surprised and stunned by the fact. Thanks Daniel M. at AdStructure blog for his creation. The ranking is witty and awesome. See the full details here.

Blog Name

Noah Brier

188

167

446

Jack Cheng

140

227

What if they did

199

Heron Preston

151

AdStructure

148

Cellar Door

128

Confessions of a Wannabe Adman

118

Exit Creative

109

Serial Thoughts

The-Ad-Pit

Organic Frog

Dead Insect

Vincent Thome´s Blog

Do.palicio.us

Adlads

Nicola Davies

Big Secret Pizza Party

A Closet

Junior Planner I Am

Nil Desperandum

Michael Karnjanaprakorn

Creative in London

Wowee, wow

Diginative

Adspace Pioneers

Channel 8000

Breaking & Entering

Welcome iClone

2007-09-23T20:05:00.000-04:00

While people are enjoying Apple iPhone and knock off price news, there are many people considering to buy iClone phone as well. Meizu Minione M8 phone is manufactured in China and it look like iPhone. See the news in details from CNet Asia.

I am amazed by how technology is easily copied. And it comes fast. It made me realize that being different and innovative are not easy at all. iPhone is not cool anymore.

Copet - Polygon animals

2007-09-23T19:31:00.000-04:00

Anything from Japan is always cute and adorable. Copet is an example. Copet are polygon animal characters designed and illustrated by Seijiro Kubo. Some of his works were engaged in AIWA advertising in Japan. We also can do Copet paper crafts from their website. Copet is a polygon zoo.

Cops, Haircut, and Parties

2007-09-19T02:23:00.000-04:00

Life is full of unexpectation.

First of all, I went to Great Clips last Friday for haircut. It's only $11. I don't like my haircut at all and service is terrible. I was disappointed. I will pay more for better thing.
Last week, my roommate witnessed and suspected one criminal and many cops paid us a visit at 2.00am. I hate this situation.
Two parties in a roll....i love it. It's my birthday on last Sunday...it's sad because i had to do my assignments and team project all day long. Pity me.

Oh my God!

2007-09-15T23:28:00.000-04:00

The next 4 days I have to come up and present about my God and my relationship with God. Yesterday, I thought of God all day. It will be very interesting assignment for me. That's why we call it, creative thinking class.

Answer my prayer please :(

Oakie

New MTV's trick

2007-09-09T22:53:00.000-04:00

I am aware that tonight Britney Spears was in the MTV Video Music Awards at Las Vegas and performed her new song, Gimme more. As far as i know from reading an article from Washington post, MTV want to improve their viewership that has been continuously dropped since 2004.

It doesn't work for me at least. Watching Britney back in music industry is not my call. This is my favorite part of this piece of reading, "The "awards" part of the show usually is overshadowed by the performances and the chance that something outrageous will happen, like same-sex kisses or naughty utterances. The lack of excitement in recent years, amid a government crackdown in media decency, has been blamed for the slide in ratings."

Maybe i am too old for MTV, lame MTV.

DeConstruction

2007-09-05T01:09:00.000-04:00

Deconstruction is meaningful to me. I often de-construct things in my life and make something new. Even doing some homeworks at VCU Adcenter (Oh gosh, why i just can't stop writing about Adcenter) I need to de-construct my life stories and arrange them for better presentation. For me, deconstruction is really helpful in looking things in many perspectives.

that's why i posted many de-construction arts here. This one is another example of my inspiration, Adidas Deconstructed by Yoshiaki Kaihatsu. I found here.

Pumping up

2007-09-05T00:49:00.000-04:00

The most boring package in the US., i guess.
I need it by the way to survive 60 weeks at VCU Adcenter. And Redbull will be my second weapon. Now, I am working on point-of-view statement for GAP, three self-portraits, colonial village, unethical ads analysis, and more readings.

Things i got from Adcenter

2007-08-30T00:02:00.000-04:00

I got 2 books to finish this week.
I got about 6 writing assignments to finish within next week.
I got about 9 articles to read within next week.
I have to dance in front of class tomorrow.
I have to do researches for the above assignments.
I have both individual and team assignments.
I need to catch up the advertising industry movements.
I need to party

Things keep coming and coming day by day like a fancy parade that you enjoy watching it not being in it.
"I wish i could have more time."

Wanted

2007-08-28T17:50:00.000-04:00

Got this forwarded email from my Thai friend. It's an interesting job ever.

Adcenter - Day1

2007-08-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

This post is going to be a fresh baked cake from an oven. Today is my first first class, creative thinking, here at VCU Adcenter taught by Professor Hall (love this word "Professor" haha) We touched on the basic terms which were Creative and Thinking definition. All of us had to speak in front of the class plus video recorder in front of us telling people a bit about ourselves and the definitions. I was the second person who came up and talked something which i can't remember now because i guess i was overwhelmed by each individual definitions of everyone in the class today.

It's good having a chance to speak my mind but it's better having a chance to listen to what others think about the definitions. The definitions that you can't find in any textbook or blog or even in Adage's Power150 blogs. Ours are unique and meaningful. Some were defined from their childhood, undergrad class, Adcenter's wall and friends.
What i absolutely learned from the class today is "to listen" like Professor Hall said, "It's crucial to listen to your peers and to respect them."

Yeah...listen to our classmates so we don't need to ask them the same questions again which are ...
*Where are you from?
*What's your name again?
*What's your track?
I am bored asking these questions coz life goes on.

Break your arm for advertising

2007-08-18T00:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Media Planners,

Consider this as a new media for your client's presentation. Ad or message on a plastered arm or leg when people got the broken arm or leg. It will be a nice idea, i guess.

Recommended prospective clients - match.com (Relationship), Kroger's egg (Protection), Crayola (imagination on plaster).

Well...this post will make people hate advertising. hehe.

Thanks Flipsen&Gaabstra via Flickr for a pic.

Wanna go with me?

2007-08-14T18:19:00.001-04:00

What we've seen in the sci-fi movies is coming to our life. By starting from here - The Galactic Suite, a space resort providing a fully integrated space tourism experience. The customers will be given a training session by an astronaut in a hideaway island and prepared for an orbit tour in their space resort. The experiences are weightlessness activities, space sports, star gazing, surreal sleeping arrangements, taking pictures of auroras, and etc.The service will be started in 2012 according to their website. I am wondering who is the first group that make this trip. It will be awesome. By the way, they don't mention anything about the cost...it must be damn expensive, i guess. Or do they have shoestring or backpacker version?

Sony Bravia

2007-08-09T21:38:00.000-04:00

See these 2 videos - one is from Sony Bravia "Balls" shot in San Fran 2005 and another one is funny twin of Bravia "Balls" ad. (It's better to play them at the same time)

From Balls to Paint in Glasgow 2006, I am excited about this year bunnies ad from Sony Bravia. It's something that i am waiting to see by leaving any positive or negative comments behind. That's just for an entertainment's sake. The below pic is Bravia's bunnies shooting in NYC (borrowed from Johnny Vulkan at Anomaly)

SEVEN - ELEVEn

2007-08-09T19:29:00.000-04:00

A couple days ago, I got a forwarded email talking about 7-11's logo. What's wrong with it?, i questioned myself. The point is "n" letter of "ELEVEn" is the only one with a small capital letter, why? The email said something about 7-11's owner Feng Shui belief. With that small capital letter of "n." The owner believes that "n" depicts the picture of magnet of retail business like strongly attracting customers to the shops. Any another inputs on that "n" letter myth? I am not sure this is true or not.
I hope someone who named "the fan" area in Richmond got the strong belief in Feng Shui. Coz i wish the fan would be the fan that makes me feel cooler. Arrrggggg! HOT!

New Home - New School

2007-08-05T17:48:00.000-04:00

Sunday in Richmond, VA is so quiet...shops are closed, most of restaurants are closed too and people seem to leave the city to somewhere, I don't know. I decided to walk to the new VCU Adcenter building a couple blocks away. No people but the building on progress and machines. It seems to be nice and spacious.
Yeah, It's the place that i will spend about 45weeks there and 15 weeks at the current building. Can't wait to start! By the way, i got required readings from my teacher. I gonna spend time tonight reading them.

What's hot this Spring2008 ?

2007-08-04T21:05:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time that i hadn't checked out the fashion trend esp. men fashion. I came across at details magazine website and found Top 10 Spring looks. Here they are...

1. Hammer Pants : I have one nylon Hammer pants but i didn't bring them here.
2. Neon Signs : Just a glimpse of intense color.
3. Sheer Modesty : The classy way to do see-through.
4. Hockney Effect : I got no idea what it is. i will skip this one.
5. All Zipped Up : The biker jacket goes upscale. I think bigger zip is better.
6. The Shawl Thing : Does handkerchief work?
7. Flood Alert : Cropped pants hit the runway.
8. Synth Rock : From nylon to neoprene, non-natural fabrics.
9. Light and Layered : Muted color, weightless fabrics and effortless result.
10. Pajama Game : Pretty laid-back.

I like number 8 and 9 as the below photos.

From Seattle to Richmond

2007-08-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

After spending about 10 days in Seattle, It's time to move to Richmond, VA. Phew! finally, I am in RVA. I got some random thoughts, well nice thoughts about things happened in Seattle.

1. It's awesome visiting my friend, Nunoo and his girlfriend, Kate. We had not met for a year and they welcomed me nicely. They brought me good times.
2. My first time visit to the US, and also first time eating Krispy Kreme. It was so delicious. (astonishing fact is if i want to open Krispy Kreme in my home country, I need 30 million dollars to show them, oh gosh)
3. The city of Seattle is so good. Luckily, when i was there, the weather was really nice - no rain at all.
4. While i was staying at my friend's room, his landlord took us cruising the bay area of Bellevue. He got a ship and is trying to sell one of his ships to someone. He is damn rich. (I passed by Bill Gates's house on the shore, a lovely home)
5. The landscape of Seattle is nice, no ridiculous and messy outdoor advertising like in Bangkok.

Thinking about VCU Adcenter, there are many things waiting for me.
1. I got course schedule last week. Well, it made me getting more excited about my classes and instructors.
2. I hope i can get along well with my classmates. Sometimes I may do something stupid and they will understand me. haha.
3. A thing that keeps challenging is my English proficiency. I want to read, listen, speak, write BETTER in English. Coming to the states is my great opportunity to develop my skills. Mates, excuse me for my broken English.
4. Yesterday, I got an email from Caley Cantrell, my strategic thinking class teacher, about the required readings. I am so excited about reading my many good books while i am here.

While i am writing this post, there is a first friday Artwalk down under my apartment. I gonna take a walk to view the event. Wow, I am so happy.

Slow pace of life

2007-07-25T09:32:00.000-04:00

Right now, I am in Bellevue - Seattle, a small room in the basement of landlord's house. I do really enjoy the scene - much less outdoor advertising than in Bangkok. Ironically, i fall in love with the city subconciously. I feel calm and harmony. I haven't exprienced the real downtown scene yet but i will do it today. I visited Mt. Rainier, a lovely place for hiking and driving. See more of pics at my Flickr.

Via Korea

2007-07-22T01:12:00.000-04:00

I am going to start my life as a graduate student at VCU Adcenter real soon. Now, I am in Incheon International Airport in Korea. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the better air ticket so i had to transit here and wait for 6 hours to catch the flight to Seattle.

Yea, 6 hours sounds boring. It's not really. I walked around the airport, slept on a sofa, visited duty free shops, browsed an internet, and read a book.

I sprayed CK One Summer perfume on my right wrist and Giorgio Armani for Red perfume on my left wrist. My body odor is getting better or worse haha... Well, i will do it again when the smell is gone. See you again in Seattle, my next stop.

Service resumes

2007-07-14T03:58:00.000-04:00

I had gone for a week and i missed blogging. I have been so busy and got a fever for a few days from vaccine injections. Packing things is still in progress, buying things is on the way and there are so many things to do right now for the changes in my life, yea i am going to the US. next week.

There are 2 things that made me happy and cheerful.

1. Our Bangkok Planners Meeting is going good. Last Thursday, we got about 12 persons joining our meeting. We had fun talking about many topics. I am so sad that the next meeting will be my last time but I wish them the best. They are so lovely group of people with good intentions, wits, and warm hearts. Of course, we will keep in touch.
2. I created Adcenter'09 group in Facebook on May 2007. The group is pretty amazing. We chat, poke, meet, write, and read each other. We also form a good friendship before the school started as one of my fellow Adcenters, Brittany, stated here. I truly believe that we will blast the next 2 years together.

Ask Sir Monty

2007-07-06T02:55:00.000-04:00

This is funny from Very Successful Brand Manager. Ask Sir Monty Montague section,

“Dear Sir Monty,

I face the horns of a dilemma. I have recently met two women – a minor but wealthy princess from good breeding and a stunning supermodel. No problem there. However in polite company the princess could be described as having a “nice personality.” While the supermodel has all the beauty of a porcelain doll but is equally vacuous. Therein lies my problem, Sir Monty – ugly princess or dumb supermodel?

Dear reader

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Take the hand of the one who is worth more and save the second for the bush, if you understand what I mean.

iPhone

2007-06-30T00:08:00.000-04:00

iPhones are already landed on Jun29. It seems like people in the US are being in iPhone phenomenon. Here are some my iPhone observations....
1. A Japanese couple living in CA reported and took some photos in front of Apple store on iDay, here.
2. Gapingvoid also drew something about iPhone, here.
3. A video from Hawaii at Apple store, i think.
4. People put "i" infront of everything, here.
5. iGot iPhone tee, here.
6. The collection of iPhone cartoons by cartoonistgroup, here.

Can you believe that i searched iPhone on technorati and the posts kept coming every minute. (pic via)

Facebook's Polls

2007-06-29T11:42:00.000-04:00

I have been missing reading polls. I like the poll in Facebook like this one. It's kind of free small homemade research with 1000 responses. It may be useful some day.

The current one is "Are you going to get an iPhone ?" They also break down the result by age and sex. It looks like a normal poll with cross tabulation.

When I was young...

2007-06-28T01:51:00.000-04:00

Whitney Houston's "greatest love of all" song states - I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.

I truly believe it. Although my face as i was a kid looks boring.

Bangkok Coffee Meeting

2007-06-26T01:43:00.000-04:00

Bangkok Planners Meeting! Rock it.

When : June 28, 2007. After work.
Where : Basilico restaurant, Soi Sukumvit 33 near BTS prompong station. (Tel. 02-6622323)

Everybody is welcome, This time let's talk about Cannes2007 while it's still fresh in our head.

Perspective

2007-06-24T09:45:00.000-04:00

Perspective (n.) = A view or picture of something, the relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole.

I bet this word is very essential for people like us. Sometimes we approach our problems with a different perspective and we get better solution. Big picture V. Detail is all about perspective.

And Chris Jordan, a photographer who now has an exhibition at the Von Lintel Gallery in New York, got his own perspective and is showing us his photographic arts. The fusion between arts and statistics is quite awesome. See the example of his inspiring works below. The below images come with the fact, "Depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes." See them with your perspective.

Did you know?

2007-06-23T09:55:00.000-04:00

My lovely Friday began with going to the US. embassy and I said yeah yeah yeah - I got a visa. After the perky moment in front of many people at the embassy, I took a cab to Siam Ocean World. Why? I got 50% discount for the ticket. I spent 2.5 hours there in exploring, musing, observing, thinking, and seeing many things. I got one thing to share from the Aquasearch, an intelligent machine providing information about ocean, fishes, and sea creatures.

Did you know? To keep the fish in the aquarium in good health, they are fed green peas. They form a nutritious substitute for some of the aquatic plants the fish might feed on in the wild.

You can see my pics from the aquarium here. (Johanna, I took some photos of seahorses too.)

Bangkok Coffee Meeting

2007-06-19T23:50:00.000-04:00

Next Bangkok Coffee Meeting will be held....

When?? June 21, 2007 around 7.00pm.
Where?? Uomasa restaurant, Thonglor Soi 13 (In Nimonhura Japanese Village)

Unfortunately, I won't be able to join this meeting this week. I think we will talk a bit about this and other things.

Have a nice weekend

2007-06-16T02:05:00.000-04:00

Put this game on your blog Create your own More games

Will I dump Google?

2007-06-15T12:59:00.000-04:00

We heard "Do you Yahoo?" then we heard "Do you Google?" For me, Google is my everything - my encyclopedia, second opinion, information mining, solution, slang, daily life. Until today, the day that i found Quintura, i think i like it (well, not enough to dump Google coz Quintura is still in beta.)

I admit that Google search is good but Quintura is beyond that. Quintura is a visual search engine based on Yahoo search engine. A search returns both a list of search results and a tag cloud. The tag cloud contains the original search terms surrounded by related tags. They apply clustering approach into the system. After playing around, i found it smart and helpful. But the design and layout of website are still lame.

Let me tell you something more graphic. When i entered "Carat"term in the search box and clicked enter, the left part of the screen showed the tag cloud of "Carat" term and on right-hand side was the search results.

Carat basically is a unit of mass of gemstones but if you move your mouse icon to "service" tag, the new search results will come out to be like Carat media agency and Carat Fusion interactive agency. (yeah, i am ex-Carat) + new related tag cloud will pop up. It sounds cool, doesn't it? This clustering technique also applies to the image searching as well. The battle of search engine is about to begin like seeing Decepticon and Autobots fighting.

I am a wrong person

2007-06-13T09:08:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, I went grocery shopping in the center of Bangkok. While i was walking down the skytrain station, i came to a halt in front of 2 girls in a pink uniform. One of them handed me a small box, which was a bar of baby soap inside. Oh they gave me a sample and made bewildered. "Did I look like your potential target?", I questioned myself.
Hello Marketer, you may have a good strategy but someone implemented it haphazardly. You did it, you got the good opportunity in placing your sample in my hand and other's but I am not the one. You just wasted it. Goodbye your sample.

PS. I am single, don't have a child.

Bangkok Coffee Meeting

2007-06-11T10:16:00.000-04:00

Bangkok Coffee Meeting for planners.

Date : June 14, 2007
Place : Krua Nai Baan restaurant, Soi Lang Suan (02-254-9888)
Time : After work around 7.00pm.

See you there and everybody is welcome.

Love for All

2007-06-10T12:49:00.000-04:00

I was bored this morning. So nothing better than dragging myself to the park, and taking some photos. Then I ran home and photoshop(ed) them and injected my tiny creativity. I call it "love."
Hope you love it. When the sun brightly shined on the grass, it made green greener.

Swedish Innovation

2007-06-10T10:43:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I attended an exhibition, called Improving Life : The design of Swedish innovations, at Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC.) After having a lunch and homemade ice-cream, i walked around the exhibition which was not big and it seemed to be nothing really. Until i stopped at a big tube full of matches, I attentively read the description - Safety match : Previously, matches were made with yellow phosphorus, which is poisonous and dangerous - it could be lit by striking them against any surface at all. Professor Gustaf Erik Pasch replaced the yellow phosphorus with red phosphorus , and divided the chemical ingredients ; so that the phosphorus was on the side of matchbox. Because these matches could only be lit by striking them against the side of box, they were safer. It was a fascinating fact to me that i never knew it before. Also i learned about the thorsman plug - a small anchor used to fasten screws into holes that can not be threaded. Oh Swedish are great, there are many great things came from these people.I learned that innovations are not only about new technology or online-based creation, as long as they have creativity, good design, and benefits for people. They are innovations and they are all around.

Super-Bastard Box

2007-06-10T01:47:00.000-04:00

This designer toy, Super-Bastard Box, is mincingly perky. I wish i could have one (well, all of them.) The designer is Undoboy, an art director/senior interactive designer at Weiden+Kennedy, Portland. I like his jobs which is full of cheerfulness.

New clothes on

2007-06-08T13:18:00.000-04:00

I decided to change my blog template. Have a look. The picture on my blog header is the picture of my shirt - it has a greyhound logo on a chest part. I am thinking of switching other photos of my clothes on this header, let see what will happen. Also there are some small changes in details like i changed "posted" to be "dressed" and "comments" to be "clothes." My blog name is "A Closet," so nothing is better than adjusting something related. Don't forget, this closet is never full - feel free to throw your clothes in. I hope you like my concept.

Bangkok Coffee Meeting

2007-06-06T05:29:00.000-04:00

Bangkok Coffee Evening Meeting

Date : 7 June 2007
Venue : Le Lys 104 Narathiwas Soi 7 (02.287.1898)
Time : around 7 pm.

See you there!

Ploy ,The Movie

2007-06-06T02:01:00.000-04:00

Last night, I was gratefully invited by my friend and fervently went to attend a special movie premier, called Ploy. Ploy is a Thai movie, directed by Thai well-know film director, Pen-ek Ratanaruang. Ploy is a highly detailed, erotic psychological drama in which a married couple and young girl are locked inside one hotel room. It starts with subtle suspicions and builds up to jealousy, as the appearance of a young woman triggers devastating consequences for a married couple. This movie acquires much public attention here and media and entertainment industry keep an eye on because it got selected to show in Cannes Film Festival.I got some observations below.

1. I am wondering after the movie hits the public this Thursday, how many girls will go to change their hair like this young girl (curly hair)?(I saw her in person, she is cute) I truly believe that some girls will set the trend.

2. Ploy movie is very artsy. The consequence is the majority of Thai people may not like it because it can be difficult to understand which leads to the compliments on the goodness of film from people in the industry, but not money from the mainstream. As we know it, Thai people are not that complicated although they are emotionally but they want to consume entertainment in a simple way. (That's why action and comedy are their favorites)

3. My favorite quote is
A young girl : Can marriage be expired?
A husband : Yes.
A young girl : Like a canned food?
A husband : sort of, canned food has expiration date printed at the bottom but marriage has not, it just expires.

Watch me please

2007-06-03T03:23:00.000-04:00

Donkey's years ago, We know that the figure of ad messages viewers are exposed to has increased more and more. We have tried to solve many issues from clutter to ignorance. While some said TV is going to die, the introduction of TIVO / DVRs makes the shift in viewers' behavior. They don't just zap but fast-forward through ads also. This also caused the reluctance of NMR (here and here) to disclose the full information on DVR users because it will affect our zillion business.

In media planning (tv) side, I guess the dead of "position in break" is coming. The first spot of the break will not be a sweet deal coz people can fast-forward through the entire break. But looking on the bright side, the info of TIVO / DVRs will let us know our people in depth of their behavior and will lead us to connect them better. It gets harder. (pic via)

Deliver Magazine

2007-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

While i was reading Brand Autopsy, I found this DeliverMagazine. So what is it? It's the companion Web site to the award-winning Deliver magazine, is the leading online information resource for marketing professionals. It's nice marketing magazine and not that traditional marketing magazine. Check out this latest one. Enjoy reading them.

Onitsuka Tiger + Shin Tanaka

2007-05-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

Onitsuka Tiger launched new promotion via this website. It's kind of competition and collaboration from the consumer. There is an paper shoes template for download. The winner will get only one Mexico66 shoes from Onitsuka Tiger. The paper shoes template was designed by Shin Tanaka, a graffiti writer and paper toy creator. Grab a crayon and glue, do your own Tiger!

I also made mine but it's harder than i thought. It's not neat, is it?

Federico Uribe & Puma

2007-05-28T10:07:00.000-04:00

Check out this exhibition at the Chelsea Art Museum, called Human Nature by Federico Uribe. And Puma is his conspiracy.

Working in collaboration with Puma, Uribe is a conceptual artist who has created a life-sized urban jungle entirely composed of shoes. As a conceptual artist he creates hybrid works that resist classification, while referencing art historical movements such as Pop Art. The exhibition is particularly focused on the environment, artificial and natural, longevity and ideas about the human impact on the planet.

Via this

At 200 is ok

2007-05-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

This is my 200th post.

I decided to write about the connection between 200 number and my life.

A cholesterol level of 200 and below is considered "Desirable level corresponding to lower risk for heart disease." A couple years ago, mine was over to 270. I was totally aware of "why." I ate too much seafood, coconut milk, sweets, and fastfood, those are the high cholesterol food that i truly love them. At that time, i decided to stop this risky behavior and started to eat something more nutritious and avoid squid and fastfood. Phew!

Bangkok Coffee Evening for Thai planners

2007-05-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

Bangkok Coffee Evening

Date : 25 May 2007
Venue : Cafe Primo (Soi Langsuan3, tel. 02-6521637)
Time : After work

See you there, everybody is welcome.

Trouble with MBAs

2007-05-21T07:22:00.000-04:00

I just read an article in Fortune magazine (30 Apr 2007), about the trouble with MBAs. The article is quite interesting and related to our future, and world's business. Here are some catchy parts from the article.

Employers are finding that freshly minted graduates lack key interpersonal skills, so B-schools are changing to ensure that quantitative geniuses also learn how to hug it out. When Jack Welch gave a guest lecture at MIT's Sloan School of Management in 2005, someone in the crowd asked, "What should we be learning in business school?" Welch's reply: "Just concentrate on networking. Everything else you need to know, you can learn on the job." Sloan's dean, Richard Schmalensee, was stunned because "Jack was essentially saying a graduate business degree was a waste of time." Not long after that visit, MIT began a curriculum rethink - dialing back on pure quantitative skills and adding more interpersonal coursework. Wharton, Tuck, Chicago, the University of Virginia's Darden, and Berkeley's Haas School, among many others, have also started stressing teamwork and are paying more attention to "soft" skills like listening to colleagues. (see the full article here)

I think it's time to shift and re-visit the curriculum but in my deeper mind, I don't think that those "soft" skills can be taught. It can be set as a guideline, but i don't believe that interpersonal skills can be well taught. The students spent almost 20 years differently with different skill sets before they join the b-schools. Some know perfectly how to give hand-shaking, some are very talkative, some are so self-defense, those 20 years experiences shaped them to be who they are. I still think that the best interpersonal skills can be learned from the real business environment that we got real clients, suppliers, bosses, colleagues, and partners. It doesn't mean that b-schools should do nothing but try to teach them as good as they can. (pic via)

Rexona in Thailand

2007-05-17T10:42:00.000-04:00

Rexona (in Thailand), a deodorant brand for women, was revived and relaunched in Thailand 3-4 years ago. Since the day one, Rexona has been positioned itself as a very feminine brand, including flowers and girl's things in the key visuals. Rexona has performed quite well but the brand itself is not strong enough to compete with Nivea. It may take time to build it stronger among its women target.

Recently, Rexona launched Rexona men, a deodorant for men, into the market with the strong functional benefit and masculine appearance which i disagree. I personally think that Rexona still needs some healing because it had disappeared from the market for a long time. Launching the new product into the male target may distort the brand itself. While they are not quite good at women market, they need to focus. The bottom line is "they may loose both things."

I know that the reasons are "they see the opportunity in men's market but they don't have policies in investing their budget to create a new brand." Until then, if the brand can't survive, Unilever will revive it again and again until that brand doesn't have momentum and potential.

Apple Kingdom

2007-05-16T02:27:00.000-04:00

Got them in my inbox yesterday. They are amusing. (Sarcastic depiction of Apple)

My Thoughts on Adcenter Application

2007-05-12T10:13:00.000-04:00

I would like to share my moment when i was doing VCU Adcenter application. This one took a longest time in doing. The brief was to interview at least ten people about their jeans, ask them any questions you would like. Then, write three insightful conclusions you came to at the end of the interviews.

I did interview my friends and friends of friends in Bangkok, those 3 insights were
1. Second-hand jeans admiration - 80% of the respondents have second-hand jeans, they show love and nobility more than owing the typical or new one.
2. Meticulous investment, long-term profit - When it comes to buying jeans, it takes time, effort, opinion, attention, and etc. When it comes to wearing jeans, it's easy and convenient.
3. Strive for the best - The respondents don't just dress for good looks but they also make themselves looking good for their jeans such as dieting, and going to gym.

What do you think? Feel free to give your opinion.

Not just bring me home

2007-05-12T02:31:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday I caught the taxi home and spent 15-20 mins talking to the taxi driver. He told me that he had been a bus driver for 30 years. Well, speaking of inter-city bus service, I radically thought that the ultimate goal of these kind of service is to bring their passengers to the given destination. And i was wrong.

The taxi driver gave me the astonishing insight. His goal was to drive smoothly and make his passengers sleep as fast as he can. And he was trained like that. His trainer could make his passengers fell asleep in 30 mins after starting an engine. It's all about the driving skill.

Thanks taxi driver for enlightening me one thing on that day. pic via flickr

The Dead Artist

2007-05-08T07:16:00.000-04:00

Marcus died a couple weeks ago, oh did he? The only thing he left is this painting. We decided to sell this painting for Mountain Rescue. Click here to find out the myth.

I love cities (always)

2007-05-08T06:49:00.000-04:00

That's why i love cities. I got these pics from a forwarded email by my friend who just went to study in Shanghai, China. But the pics are taken randomly in Japan somewhere. See all the pics in my flickr. Cool, aren't they?

Thanks

2007-05-04T12:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks Charles Frith for your lovely present. I feel your support and encouragement. He sent me this present as he knew that i got acceptance into VCU Adcenter.

- The postcard with meaningful words (designed by The design conspiracy, who commented my homework at Russel's APSotW)
- The badges (produced by the breakfast club soho, where the London coffee morning takes place)

A very big slider

2007-05-04T04:00:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot to post about this. Last weekend, i joined the event called Vaseline Full Sun Double Fun Fair, a kind of theme park on the beach. One thing that caught my eyes is here in the pic below. It may look childish but it's not. It's huge and tall. When you are at the peak, i guarantee the adrenaline will be pumped and flowed all over your body. I am not sure where they imported from but it's fun.

Peter Max and his $47,500 painting

2007-05-03T11:18:00.000-04:00

Today, I spent most of my time at home and surfing my online world as usual. While i visited Ebay, i spotted one fine art on auction. My first impression towards this painting is shiny and cute, unlike the impression towards Vincent Van Gogh, Picasso, or Gustav Klimt. It looks like kids' stuff at first for me. Amazingly, the selling price is $47,500. (Oh my God) and one popped question is who is the artist?, Well, he is Peter Max.
I have no idea at all who is Peter Max until doing some research. He is a well-known pop artist, born in Berlin, Germany then settled in the US in 1953. Max's art work, which he called "up art," was a part of the psychedelic movement in graphic design. His work was influential and much imitated in advertising design in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I also found his official website. His works are unique and colorful and i never thought that his painting can be sold expensively. The below are the example of his works. "If I didn't choose art, I would have become an astronomer," states Max. How about you? If you didn't choose advertising, what would you be?

Hard Rock Pattaya Hotel

2007-05-01T04:26:00.000-04:00

As some of you might know that last weekend i went to Pattaya city, Thailand and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel. The hotel is great and creative. See the letter for guests below, it says "Dear Star." and door hanging, it doesn't say "Don't disturb" like some others say. That's nice :)
I do believe that these little things can improve the customer's experience in the hotel.

Arno Blender

2007-04-30T03:16:00.000-04:00

Recently, i often use blender for making smoothies for my friends. I was happy with my blender until i found this ad. The ad lovingly communicates the product benefit clearly. In my deep mind, i think they should do better execution. (the ad from ads of the world website) Copy : Arno Easy-Serve System, A faster way out. (by Publicis Brazil)

Bangkok Coffee Evening #14

2007-04-24T23:24:00.000-04:00

Time for Bangkok Coffee Evening

Date : 25 Apr 2007
Time : After work
Place : Circle Restaurant (Soi Ruamrudee)

See you there :)

Accepted

2007-04-24T13:38:00.000-04:00

It's almost 01.00am here and i was so sleepy in front of the screen. Then I got an email from Adcenter telling me very very good news that i was accepted to the Communications Strategy program this fall. What a great news! I was really excited. Finally, i made it. Thanks Michael K., Johanna, Nien L, Kevin R., and my supporters for being with me and giving me encouragement.

Now, i can sleep tight :)

I love cities

2007-04-24T12:57:00.000-04:00

For cities lovers like me, I should mention this website. It consists of many panorama photos from many countries in Europe and US. I really enjoy viewing them many times and believe that they truly enhance my viewpoint to this world.

Kids love Anpanman

2007-04-21T02:58:00.000-04:00

This noon my little cousins visited me. They are just 7 and 9 years old and asked me to turn on Spark cable channel, which is like cartoon network but more Japanese animations. When i switched the channel to the one they wanted, they suddenly were quiet and paid all concentration they had to the Japanese anime, called Anpanman (have you heard?). I haven't seen this Japanese anime for many many years since i am in love with Pokemon characters.

Anpanman anime is good for kids, without violence, without rude language and with colorful and cute characters. The best moment for me is when Anpanman severs a small piece(s) of his head (his whole head is stuffed-bean bread) and shares his friends to eat when they are hungry. I hope my cousins were back home with sharing attitude. I am so happy posting about this.

The World's Best Bars

2007-04-19T13:06:00.000-04:00

I should Thanks to Jameson Irish Whiskey for setting bar directory, called worldsbestbars.com, for me. I feel like i have new information to search when i am idle and many cool bars to check out in many top cities in this world.

I am back

2007-04-18T04:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Readers,
Just came back from Samed Island yesterday. See the photos here at my Flickr. I learn more to love beach, people, sea, and food. Almost 15 hours a day that my feet touched on sand and sea. I love it.

Blogger

Out of Blogging

2007-04-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

Out of blogging for a while (for 4 days, i think)
No blogs, no twitter, no Flickr. Only sea, sand, sun, moon, and party. I am going to Samed Island.

Thai New Year and Water Festival / See ya next week.

A Quote for planners

2007-04-11T13:36:00.000-04:00

"A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something." By Wilson Mizner (1876-1933)

Listen listen listen and listen to teachers, friends, rock bands, curators, Martha Stewart, fashionistas, Fedex guy, and your heart, you will get to know at least something.

Image from here