My parents are divorced.
My brother hates me.
I have a chronic disease and occasional organ failure.
I am also an award-winning advertising student struggling to get the cases I need to graduate.
I am a veteran of radio, television and film production.
I am also currently part of DBH Communications, the student-staffed Advertising and PR agency out of the Journalism department.
My name is Chris Phillips. Age 24.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Monday, October 21, 2013
Why Halloween is the coolest holiday in America. And other places too.
Full disclosure: I love Halloween.
I love it.
I am fascinated by it. I appreciate that it exists.
And it's more evidence that America's pretty awesome.
Halloween Origins: Celtic Nights
It is most widely agreed that what we currently know as Halloween originated in Pagan rituals of the Celtic cultures, specifically the Gaelic harvest festival "Summer's end".
Eventually the festival was Christianized, took on some new characteristics, including the ritual of costuming and going door-to-door offering song/prayers for the dead in exchange for food. Though it was still only the Gaelic nations that celebrated it.
Prior to the mid-19th century, neither Halloween, nor Christmas widely celebrated in America. Our early Puritan settlers were against these rituals, and the English/French/Spanish didn't really celebrate them either. It wasn't until the mass arrival of Irish in America (due to the Potato Famine) that Halloween was introduced to North America.
Point One
America's nature and history of being an immigrant nation allowed Halloween to expand beyond fringe status.
Point Two
But, Halloween wouldn't be what it is today without our pure American in-born Capitalistic spirit and the help of the underrated, hugely-influential role of the U.S. stationery industry.
Yes, once again, postcards and greeting cards led the way in promoting Halloween, followed closely by the toymakers.
Point Three
Few places outside of America celebrates fear-as-fun quite like we do. Maybe Japan. Horror movies, thrill rides, haunted houses. How cool is it to see whole neighborhoods fiercely competing to create the most frightening front porch? Every October in America households attempt to decorate their home in the theme of graveyards, dead and dismembered bodies, and foreboding fear.
Point Four
Point Four
Halloween, more than any other holiday in the west, celebrates creativity and the desire to be someone else entirely. The lessons for our youth embedded in Halloween? It's okay to emulate someone else. It's okay to desire to do and be something else. It's okay be anything you want.
So go, dress up, trick-or-treat, and have fun.
--Post-Script
--Post-Script
America's pretty cool.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
#SocialSJSU: A blog, the second. On Unnecessary Marketing towards Women
- On Unnecessary Marketing towards Women
Along with the Social Media class, I'm also taking Consumer Advertising with Professor Eckstone at San Jose State. Yesterday we watched a portion of a "The Persuaders", a feature report on Marketing/Advertising from the excellent Frontline program.
In the portion we viewed, Frontline featured an inside look with the Marketing/Advertising team behind the launch of a new (new for 2003) "low-cost" airline called "Song". The new airline, a sub-brand of Delta Airlines was being positioned as the "airline for women". Because somehow they decided that there was some mystical, magical underserved group of women who weren't flying because darnit, where was the airline for them?!
This airline was going to be hip! It was going to be classy! Come on ladies, schedule your next menstrual cycle for your next flight with Song! Have your baby on our plane!
I thought it was insane.
I wasn't wrong. Song Airlines shut down in 2006. It's fleet was repainted and reabsorbed into the greater Delta family.
What was wrong with Song?
Well, a lot of things, but Song also had a lot of good things going for it.
Song featured in-seat entertainment systems with satellite television, interactive games you could play with fellow passengers, "fresh, organic meal" options, free drinks, leather seats, and extra legroom. Sounds great right? I'm a male with a penis and two testicles between my legs, and for some confounding reason, I like all those things. WEIRD.
Shit, I want to fly Song. Am I allowed to? Is that a feminine desire? NO! That's just luxury. And guess what? Both men AND women like luxury.
Virgin Airlines is successful, and from what I can tell, they're doing A LOT of the same things Song tried to do. Virgin does not market itself as an airline for any particular race or sex. Virgin is simply for people who want to fly better.
- So why did Song fail?
1. The first reason has nothing to do with it's failed targeting of customers. Song failed in large part because they mixed up two things that don't tend to be profitable together: Low-cost and Luxury. Song attempted to be among the best and most luxurious domestic flying experiences available (and had no First Class segment). But they also tried to be a "Low-cost" airline with low fares and lots of free amenities such as the aforementioned in-seat satellite television/entertainment systems and free beverages. Turns out all that luxury is expensive.
This together with the fact that they flew between 2003 and 2006, an era of skyrocketing jet-fuel prices led to minimal profits.
2. Song was so desperate to reach women and let their advertising and brand message turn into a complete failure.
I think if I was a woman, I would be almost offended at the level of pandering going on here. If you weren't paying attention, you would never know this was a commercial for an airline, or really anything for that matter.
Now, a Virgin America commercial:
In trying to lure women, I think Song's brand message was really weakened and their public image and level of public consciousness failed as a result. Why target only women when you have a product that would appeal to anybody with the money to buy it? Maybe if you had seats that were specially designed to fit a female butt I would get it, but if it's a better, more comfortable, more luxurious flying experience, I think more than JUST women would be interested.
-Chris Phillips
__Post-Script_
You can find more information and even watch the special free online here:
Frontline: The Persuaders
Along with the Social Media class, I'm also taking Consumer Advertising with Professor Eckstone at San Jose State. Yesterday we watched a portion of a "The Persuaders", a feature report on Marketing/Advertising from the excellent Frontline program.
In the portion we viewed, Frontline featured an inside look with the Marketing/Advertising team behind the launch of a new (new for 2003) "low-cost" airline called "Song". The new airline, a sub-brand of Delta Airlines was being positioned as the "airline for women". Because somehow they decided that there was some mystical, magical underserved group of women who weren't flying because darnit, where was the airline for them?!
This airline was going to be hip! It was going to be classy! Come on ladies, schedule your next menstrual cycle for your next flight with Song! Have your baby on our plane!
I thought it was insane.
I wasn't wrong. Song Airlines shut down in 2006. It's fleet was repainted and reabsorbed into the greater Delta family.
What was wrong with Song?
Well, a lot of things, but Song also had a lot of good things going for it.
Song featured in-seat entertainment systems with satellite television, interactive games you could play with fellow passengers, "fresh, organic meal" options, free drinks, leather seats, and extra legroom. Sounds great right? I'm a male with a penis and two testicles between my legs, and for some confounding reason, I like all those things. WEIRD.
Shit, I want to fly Song. Am I allowed to? Is that a feminine desire? NO! That's just luxury. And guess what? Both men AND women like luxury.
Virgin Airlines is successful, and from what I can tell, they're doing A LOT of the same things Song tried to do. Virgin does not market itself as an airline for any particular race or sex. Virgin is simply for people who want to fly better.
- So why did Song fail?
1. The first reason has nothing to do with it's failed targeting of customers. Song failed in large part because they mixed up two things that don't tend to be profitable together: Low-cost and Luxury. Song attempted to be among the best and most luxurious domestic flying experiences available (and had no First Class segment). But they also tried to be a "Low-cost" airline with low fares and lots of free amenities such as the aforementioned in-seat satellite television/entertainment systems and free beverages. Turns out all that luxury is expensive.
This together with the fact that they flew between 2003 and 2006, an era of skyrocketing jet-fuel prices led to minimal profits.
2. Song was so desperate to reach women and let their advertising and brand message turn into a complete failure.
I think if I was a woman, I would be almost offended at the level of pandering going on here. If you weren't paying attention, you would never know this was a commercial for an airline, or really anything for that matter.
Now, a Virgin America commercial:
In trying to lure women, I think Song's brand message was really weakened and their public image and level of public consciousness failed as a result. Why target only women when you have a product that would appeal to anybody with the money to buy it? Maybe if you had seats that were specially designed to fit a female butt I would get it, but if it's a better, more comfortable, more luxurious flying experience, I think more than JUST women would be interested.
-Chris Phillips
__Post-Script_
- "The Persuaders" also discussed the car company Saturn. Which has also disappeared since the making of the report.
- I think an important lesson we can take from here is that: a profitable company is more than just an image, a message, a logo, a product. It's a long series of correct decisions technical, logistical, and artistic.
You can find more information and even watch the special free online here:
Frontline: The Persuaders
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
#SocialSJSU: A blog, the first. On Twitter.
Twitter, I get you.
Twitter, I get you. It took an enthusiastic teacher (Michael Brito, @Britopian), and a grade predicated at least partially on my use of the social media service to get me to get you.
I tried it in the past, and I've tried different methods in the goal of gathering followers. Some to less success, some to more success.
Like any brand, I do believe that a twitter account requires a story, a brand message. And I believe that certain topics and stories and methods are more successful than others.
My first method was comedy. Straight up jokes contained within 140 characters. I'm a comedian, I'm a writer. Why wouldn't I be able to attract followers with my hilarious hilariousity? Well, it didn't work. Just about all of my first 40 posts on Twitter were jokes. I got 6 followers. Mostly people that already knew me in real life. Not a success.
Then I tried local relevant news. My first two weeks on campus here at SJSU, I took a journalistic approach to covering on-campus events and other things affecting the SJSU student body. During that time, there was even a bomb scare. A BOMB SCARE!!!!!! And I covered it from the very beginning to the very end. From the first ribbon of yellow police tape, to the arrival of the bomb squad, to the final explosion. Yes, apparently, the way you find out if something will explode is by blowing it up. I posted real-time updates, building closures, and even got an exclusive picture of the San Jose Bomb Squad unleashing the San Jose Bomb Squad Robot!
I did not gain a single follower, nor a single retweet, or even a message from the school to stop using #GhettjoseStateUniversity.
Finally I decided to try being a whore. No, I wasn't selling my (pristine, super-sexy) body via tweet. I mean selling my brain and my posts to hot trending topics in the hopes of gaining followers by tweeting near-meaningless tweets about their favorite subjects (in this case, usually trade related: tech, advertising/marketing). This worked. Almost instantly I was bringing in all kinds of tech bloggers and journalists, even some dude named Christopher Rizzo who works for Edelman. I was also bringing in the trash, Twitter accounts owned by small companies selling shit software, scam artists, and random foreign people looking for a hot hand in America.
So if you're not a hot chick who posts a lot of bikini pictures, or an already established content-creator/actor/musician, the best way to gain followers is to be a Twitter whore.
-Chris Phillips
__Post-Script_
Other things I learned about Twitter:
Twitter, I get you. It took an enthusiastic teacher (Michael Brito, @Britopian), and a grade predicated at least partially on my use of the social media service to get me to get you.
I tried it in the past, and I've tried different methods in the goal of gathering followers. Some to less success, some to more success.
Like any brand, I do believe that a twitter account requires a story, a brand message. And I believe that certain topics and stories and methods are more successful than others.
My first method was comedy. Straight up jokes contained within 140 characters. I'm a comedian, I'm a writer. Why wouldn't I be able to attract followers with my hilarious hilariousity? Well, it didn't work. Just about all of my first 40 posts on Twitter were jokes. I got 6 followers. Mostly people that already knew me in real life. Not a success.
Then I tried local relevant news. My first two weeks on campus here at SJSU, I took a journalistic approach to covering on-campus events and other things affecting the SJSU student body. During that time, there was even a bomb scare. A BOMB SCARE!!!!!! And I covered it from the very beginning to the very end. From the first ribbon of yellow police tape, to the arrival of the bomb squad, to the final explosion. Yes, apparently, the way you find out if something will explode is by blowing it up. I posted real-time updates, building closures, and even got an exclusive picture of the San Jose Bomb Squad unleashing the San Jose Bomb Squad Robot!
I did not gain a single follower, nor a single retweet, or even a message from the school to stop using #GhettjoseStateUniversity.
Finally I decided to try being a whore. No, I wasn't selling my (pristine, super-sexy) body via tweet. I mean selling my brain and my posts to hot trending topics in the hopes of gaining followers by tweeting near-meaningless tweets about their favorite subjects (in this case, usually trade related: tech, advertising/marketing). This worked. Almost instantly I was bringing in all kinds of tech bloggers and journalists, even some dude named Christopher Rizzo who works for Edelman. I was also bringing in the trash, Twitter accounts owned by small companies selling shit software, scam artists, and random foreign people looking for a hot hand in America.
So if you're not a hot chick who posts a lot of bikini pictures, or an already established content-creator/actor/musician, the best way to gain followers is to be a Twitter whore.
-Chris Phillips
__Post-Script_
Other things I learned about Twitter:
- Positive tweets are more popular than negative tweets. Even if the positive tweets are completely meaningless, they are more likely to be retweeted.
- Unless the picture contains cats, food, clothes, or nudity, nobody cares.
- I'm good at Twitter fights.
- I'm not very good at being a Twitter whore.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Blog 5: Movies (Chapter 6 and 7)
My favorite of 2012 has to be Dredd. The movie only earned a little over thirteen million dollars at the box office domestically, $22 million overseas; with a budget of $50 million. However, Dredd was a huge home-video release, reaching #1 on the sales charts for DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital-downloads.
The movie is based on a decades-spanning British comic series about a the hardcore lawman of desolate future America, Judge Joseph Dredd. I loved the movie because it was a no-holds-barred blood-and-guts, body-shaking, gorefest for the eyes. With beautiful and gritty cinematography and set-design as well as an intense on-rails story with a matching bodycount, the sheer production quality and heart that went into the script and rendition of the characters really connected with me.
Though I was on of the few to actually see this badass movie in theatres ('tis a shame, as it really is meant for the big screen), I've since convinced many of my friends to see it, and they've come back to me with universal satisfaction.
My favorite film of all time is a tougher question. I'm a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick, especially Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyseey, and A Clockwork Orange.
Dr. Strangelove, high-comedy and political commentary. 2001 is sci-fi and high-art filmmaking. A Clockwork Orange is somewhere in the middle, combining many of the best elements of both. It's punk, it's comedy, it's future-tale, and a little bit of socio-political commentary. It's also one of the best films of all time. Check it out.
The movie is based on a decades-spanning British comic series about a the hardcore lawman of desolate future America, Judge Joseph Dredd. I loved the movie because it was a no-holds-barred blood-and-guts, body-shaking, gorefest for the eyes. With beautiful and gritty cinematography and set-design as well as an intense on-rails story with a matching bodycount, the sheer production quality and heart that went into the script and rendition of the characters really connected with me.
Though I was on of the few to actually see this badass movie in theatres ('tis a shame, as it really is meant for the big screen), I've since convinced many of my friends to see it, and they've come back to me with universal satisfaction.
My favorite film of all time is a tougher question. I'm a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick, especially Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyseey, and A Clockwork Orange.
Dr. Strangelove, high-comedy and political commentary. 2001 is sci-fi and high-art filmmaking. A Clockwork Orange is somewhere in the middle, combining many of the best elements of both. It's punk, it's comedy, it's future-tale, and a little bit of socio-political commentary. It's also one of the best films of all time. Check it out.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Blog 4: Magazine Proposal!
Name: THE USED AUTO
Concept: THE USED AUTO provides the only high-quality magazine experience for the Used-car enthusiast. Due to high new-car prices and economic woes, the demand for used cars is at its peak and will likely stay that way for the foreseeable future. THE USED AUTO will contain used-car reviews, brand highlights and lowlights, buyer's guides and repair/trouble-shooting sections, as well as regional classified ads. It's fun, functional, and fills an unoccupied segment of the market, just like the ideal used car.
Features are in the Top Gear mold, pitting writers/editors for the magazine to buy used cars based on brand or other criteria and go on long road trips and complete challenges to find pros/cons about their automobiles and general hijinx.
Readers: Ages 18-55, mostly male. Low-to-Middle incomes, disposable income, but necessarily enough for a brand new automobile. Young buyers looking for advice/insight/reviews on used cars. Feature articles will appeal to fans of other car magazines and car television shows such as Top Gear.
High-school and College students/graduates, Middle-income bachelors or parents looking for affordable/safe/fun/practical transportation for their children/family.
The enthusiast car owner who enjoys working on their own cars. They keep good maintenance on their vehicles. Might be looking for their first or next project car to restore. Might occasionally go to or watch races, might even race themselves!
Competition: No direct competition! Car & Driver, Road & Track, Automobile all highlight/review new cars, with short "long-terms" reviews (usually lasting a year or less). Other magazines like Lowrider and Modified focus on very specific types of automobile modifications. AutoTrader and similar trades are contain only classified/dealer advertisments.
Five Advertisers: Fram air and oil filters, Tire/Wheel companies/distributors such as Hankook, Firestone, Michelin, etc. Motor oil brands such as Valvoline, Castrol GTX, etc. Parts warehouses/specialists. Auto Insurance companies.
Five Articles in an Issue:
"Used Auto Adventure" - one in every issue, a long feature story containing challenges involving used cars meeting certain criteria such as age, price, size, brand, etc.
"What to look for..." - each issue will contain a buyer's/mechanic's guide to common issues with a certain brand's vehicles.
"Famous, Fair, Fail" - a comprehensive review of a brand's history, including mini-reviews of which models are/will be "Famous" (classics, future classics), "Fair" (mediocre design, perhaps reliable if unremarkable), or "Fail" (avoid completely).
"New or Used" - a race between two comparable models but one car is older and used, the other is new off the lot.
"Editor's columns" - Editors will write monthly columns regarding topics of their choosing.
Cover: The very top of the magazine is wrapped in checkered Black/White to evoke the racing checkered flag. "THE USED AUTO" flag is Euro-influenced, simple, clean, easy to read and it's large, pink-red font will stand out. The simplicity of the flag allows for easy/creative changes and possibilities for future covers.
The cover utilizes SAAB colors (Red, white, blue) an attractive, bright, dynamic photo of a used SAAB 9-3 Viggen, positioned left-to-right and positively angled up, aligning with western reading direction. The font also follows western reading conventions.
Large red font provides good contrast and eye-grabbing. The large "3" is attention-grabbing, and the repetition of it's use in the corners is both attractive and effective.
Underneath the main article promotion is the forward promotion of another article featuring a SAAB sports model. The title of the article is a pun. "$7000 BMW Beater" is an effective, attention-grabbing tagline that should entice anyone even remotely knowledgeable of cars.
Chapter 3: Books
Books that have had the largest impact on me:
Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is probably the most prophetic novels I've ever read. The book, published in 1931, predicted many things about the modern world that have come to fruition, including the state of modern advertising and slogans. It's also a sci-fi adventure which I love. It's been a while since I last read it, but I remember enjoying it more than just about any other book I've ever read.
A Clockwork Orange
By Anthony Burgess
Another future-fi story. I am absolutely in love with both the book and the Stanley Kubrick film based on it. The use of invented words and slang in place of modern-english is beautiful, and also trusting of the intelligence of the book's readers (in that the book takes no extra effort to teach the reader the language, letting you find out what things mean for yourself). The story is a fascinating and thrilling exploration of societal expectations, government-sponsored control, fear, joy, hypocrisy, and rebelliousness.
I believe that the book (1962) and the film (1971) are both some of the earliest example of what I would consider the Punk Movement that grew in the seventies on through today.
Go, Dog, Go!
By P.D. Eastman
This is undoubtedly the first book I remember LOVING. I begged my parents to read it to me many, many, many times when I was a kid. This is probably the single most influential book of my life. I LOVE cars, I LOVE dogs, I LOVE the color red (featured prominently in the book). My kids will have this book.
Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is probably the most prophetic novels I've ever read. The book, published in 1931, predicted many things about the modern world that have come to fruition, including the state of modern advertising and slogans. It's also a sci-fi adventure which I love. It's been a while since I last read it, but I remember enjoying it more than just about any other book I've ever read.
A Clockwork Orange
By Anthony Burgess
Another future-fi story. I am absolutely in love with both the book and the Stanley Kubrick film based on it. The use of invented words and slang in place of modern-english is beautiful, and also trusting of the intelligence of the book's readers (in that the book takes no extra effort to teach the reader the language, letting you find out what things mean for yourself). The story is a fascinating and thrilling exploration of societal expectations, government-sponsored control, fear, joy, hypocrisy, and rebelliousness.
I believe that the book (1962) and the film (1971) are both some of the earliest example of what I would consider the Punk Movement that grew in the seventies on through today.
Go, Dog, Go!
By P.D. Eastman
This is undoubtedly the first book I remember LOVING. I begged my parents to read it to me many, many, many times when I was a kid. This is probably the single most influential book of my life. I LOVE cars, I LOVE dogs, I LOVE the color red (featured prominently in the book). My kids will have this book.
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