Toms, profit for tomorrow!
Companies are brilliant with how they market themselves. Some ad campaigns or business models know just how to tweak a consumer’s purchasing disposition. Campaigns and business models that tug at our heartstrings and make us feel that while we’re buying their product we’re also making a positive difference.
Introducing the ever clever, Toms shoes. Toms will donate a pair of shoes to the impoverished for every pair purchased and at $50 a pop it seems like Toms is more philanthropic than feelin’-profit. OK bad joke, my apology. Here is where I become bothered. A friend of mine, who just so happens to work for Toms, casually mentioned that Toms’ manufacturing cost per shoe is about $.40. Yes, that’s forty cents. A donation of a second pair brings Toms’ cost to about $.80 per transaction. Now, yes, I understand there are other costs involved like the facilitation of the donation etcetera. Toms is earning around $49 per transaction. That’s a markup of about 250x. Now don’t get me wrong. Toms is much less “evil” than say the likes of oh… Bank of America or AIG. Nonetheless it’s the self back patting semi-faux charitable persona that Toms emits so potently and so cleverly that irks me.
I suppose there are corporations who deserve to be picked on much worse than poor Toms shoes. It’s not as if Toms shoes are putting people on the streets and removing them from homes like so man banks are doing. I guess when all is said and done I think what’s more moral than Toms donating a pair of shoes would be for Toms to lower their price point, so more low income American families could buy shoes. Or keep the high price point and better compensate their low wage employees so that more men and women can provide for themselves and their families. Maybe it’s easier said than done and I’m naive and ignorant at the same time. I dunno. Just my thoughts.
If you hire me, I’ll shoot you
Do you ever take notice of something and sorta scratch your head thinking “Is this person for real?” There exists the masses who more or less see things as they are. What’s left over is a collection of individuals who sometimes connect dots that maybe, more often than not, shouldn’t be connected.
Three business people whose driving and bumper stickers may have done more harm than good for their business.
The Web Designer:
Just the other day I was driving to Chili’s to dine with my family. On my way there I encountered an extravagant Mercedez Benz on the road. This Benz had a vinyl wrap plastered across its door promoting a web design business. Between each light the driver of the Benz weaved and sped around cars as if he had a delusion he was racing the Indy 500. Was his wife be having a baby? Maybe. Could he have had an emergency? Sure, it’s a possibility. In my opinion both scenarios were unlikely. I believed the driver to be something of an inconsiderate motorist who had little respect for the other drivers around him. I’d say commonsense would suggest he poorly represented his business and opportunity for a new client through his reckless driving.
The Landscaper:
How many landscaping trucks do you see per day on the road driving around with grass clippings spilling over the side? Five, maybe six? I see enough to know it’s a competitive business. I see enough to know that if I were a landscaper I would do my best to project an image of professionalism and courtesy. I also know that I wouldn’t have a bumper sticker just above my business phone number that read “Go ahead tailgate me… It’ll give me that much more time to RELOAD!” Alright (deep breath). Quirky bumper stickers I can handle, even on cars promoting their business via branding plastered across their vehicle. What I think may cause someone to opt for a different landscape service would be the implication of being shot.
The Something or Other?:
Reelect Obama! OK, maybe not my personal sentiments, but I don’t know that I would use my company car as a platform to promote my political views. America is ripe with political division and an Obama ‘08 bumper sticker isn’t just a bad idea, it’s plain outdated. I don’t judge anyone for who he/she votes for, but I do think political views shouldn’t be married to your bumper. There is a reason why religion and politics are topics better left absent at the dinner table. It annoys people! Now, I can’t say I remember what the business was or even what they did. I do remember thinking “I don’t want to solicit the services of whatever that business does.”
@ryanhouk
Broken Bells
Let me introduce you to the musical synthesis that is — Broken Bells!
Whether your taste is indie rock or hip-hop, there’s something for everyone in this multi-genre marriage. Broken Bells is the collaborative effort of former Gnarls Barkley member, Danger Mouse, and former Shins front man, James Mercer. The two talents create eerie, yet undeniably catchy alluring harmonies. You can become so lost in the music that you almost fail to notice Mercer’s dark lyrics swimming throughout the melodies of Danger Mouse.
Their debut album “Broken Bells” received some criticism for being a bit lackluster, but ignore the snooty music critics. This album has some brilliant tracks, although does fall victim to a collection of semi-generic album fillers. Nonetheless, the bright spots on the debut shine so bright you better bust out the sunglasses.
From Royalty to Rubbish
If you haven’t heard by now the Kings (Soon to be Royals) are hitch-hiking their way to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The move isn’t official just yet. Though the Maloof brothers, who own the Sacramento Kings, have little intention of sticking around. The Maloofs filed for another extension with the NBA for considerations in moving their team and the NBA obliged which only cemented the reality of an Anaheim Royals basketball team. It’s unfair to demonize the co-owning brothers who never wanted to move the team in the first place. Sacramento had a perfect marriage with the Maloofs, but like so many relationships age proved to become a bitter ally.
A fall from grace is an understatement. What seemed like just yesteryear the Kings were poised to become national champions with the best record in the NBA, history was to be made. Those dreams failed like Shaq at the free throw line in a controversial 2002 playoff series that eliminated the Kings. Nonetheless the fans of Sacramento had the Kings’ back and supported them in so many ways, just not in the one way that mattered most — supporting the construction of a new arena. The bane of the Maloof’s existence in Sacramento has always been centered around the construction of an athletic facility that could replace the antiquated Arco Arena. Arco Arena is the oldest facilty used by any NBA team and if the franchise was ever to grow the arena equation had to be solved.
Sacramento had chances to erect a new structure that would not only breathe new life into the Kings franchise, but to the local economy as whole. A new arena was on more than one ballot initiative and more than one time it failed by a 3-1 margin. For a people so distraught by the inevitable absence of our beloved ball club we can never claim we didn’t see it coming. Like any breakup it’s only natural to go through the motions, but if anyone is to blame it’s the people and city officials of Sacramento.
So here we stand over two decades from the King’s original arrival to Sacramento. Thousands of heartbroken fans pointing fingers and desperately attempting to raise funds in a misguided attempt to keep the Maloofs from whisking their team away. It is too little too late.
Adam Young of Owl City. Cool guy. Musically crackin’, even if a bit lyrically lackin’.
In Owl City’s song “Fireflies” Adam Young sings “I’m weird ‘cause I hate goodbyes…” Now, I’m not one to be petty, but is it really that weird to hate goodbyes? I would have to say, no. It’s perfectly normal to hate goodbyes. Later in the song Adam mentions that we’d think him “…rude because [he] would just stand and stare…” when seeing millions of fireflies. OK, again if you’re looking at a million fireflies I gotta say it wouldn’t be rude to stare. As a matter of fact, I would go as far to say it might be rude not to stare. Especially if the aforementioned fireflies are putting forth the effort to gather in the millions.
That’s my only gripe, OK!
The Cinematic Orchestra - “To Build a Home” (LIVE)
Songs to Remedy
01. Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes
02. That’s the Way - Led Zeppelin
03. To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra
05. Sometime Around Midnight - Airborne Toxic Event
07. I’m Waiting for the Day - The Beach Boys
08. Detlef Schrempf - Band of Horses
09. Don’t Get Lost in Heaven - Gorillaz
11. Hallelujah - The Helio Sequence
12. Flashing Lights - Kanye West
14. Sleeping Lessons - The Shins
16. Mad world - Michael Andrews (Originally by Gary Jules)
17. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
19. Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
21. Casimir Pulaski Day - Sufjan Stevens
Aaaaand, action!
This is a brief description of one of my favorite directors/movies and why I’m enthralled by their work.
Joel and Ethan Coen have a knack for telling stories. In an era where superheros and romantic comedies dominate most audiences, films like “True Grit” and “No Country for Old Men” stray from conventions and embody a cryptic charm and often eerie realism. The Coens are more concerned with portraying their vision than appeasing the masses and I love that! Even when the protagonist wins, he/she loses.
In ”No Country for Old Men” we see a simple Texan, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), let his curiosity get the better of him as he discovers a satchel of money. His discovery will force him to spend his remaining days evading the murderous, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Chigurh’s demeanor is not one that lends itself to the common description of a killer. He is startlingly calm and has that unsettling look that would make you cross the street if you saw him approaching.
I recommend No Country For Old Men to any film fan who appreciates artistic cinematography coupled with compelling performances!
Pull the Trigger (My actual encounter)
The kid walked right into the pizza parlor and sat just a couple feet from where I was sitting. He appeared to be around sixteen years of age and was almost more metal than man with piercings peppered throughout his face. Now don’t get me wrong! I’m a fan of piercings, but as the old saying goes too much of anything can be a bad thing. The young man’s fashion was, for the most part, something I could admire. He had black skinny jeans and vans, so far so good. His jeans and shoes were paired with a backward hat and a black t-shirt that had a nice big bold message on it reading “PULL THE TRIGGER, BITCH.” Hey, not my style of t-shirt, but then again maybe I was loosing my edginess in my latter twenties.
Now the boy walked in, took a look around, walked up to the counter and said “Hey man, can I get a job here?” The manager politely held back a chuckle and responded by informing the boy that they were not hiring at this time. And trust me, he did hold back some laughter because I could see him fighting the grin. The kid didn’t seem at all chagrined, so no harm no foul right? Not quite.
Alright, should he have worn a tuxedo to ask for a job at the pizza parlor? Probably not. Should he have worn at least a polo or button up? Couldn’t have hurt his chances.
It’s as much me as it is all others. Our culture has trained us to simply abandon respect.
Who is the victim?
I once passed a man on a curb holding a sign reading “homeless, anything helps.” I walked right by him as I entered the mall dept store. Inside I saw a man in line holding a $100 dress shirt. I handed him $10 and said “The tax is on me.”
Home is where your hat is?
