If this doesn't stir the imagination, I don't know what will. What happens when you take 250,000 bouncy balls and let them loose down a hill in San Francisco?
Even though this commercial is from 2005, it still makes me smile. Some days I feel like being a student of marketing conflicts with my personal values, because it is often seen as unethical and wrong. My classes have taught me how to trick consumers into buying products that they don't need, which can involve altering their own perceptions of happiness and satisfaction. Over-consumption. Greed. False advertising. Test market sabotage. The list goes on.
But then I see an advertisement like this and I remember all the things I love about marketing. Thinking outside the box. Pushing boundaries. Creating something new. Inspiring others. Imagining the "what ifs?" Story telling. And at the heart of it all--an ability to understand the human condition. I would love to see more advertisements like this, or ones that draw attention to important world issues. I hope that I can one day use my skills as a marketer to inspire others and create positive change.
After a brief hiatus that I like to call job application week, I'm back. Here's a look at my fall break trip to California.
Palo Alto
Stanford has one of the most gorgeous campuses I've ever seen.
Green Library
the Quad
Stanford Memorial Church
Bell's Books: an adorable book shop in downtown Palo Alto
The Creamery: a great old-fashioned diner in downtown
At the Stanford game vs Colorado University. Stanford won!
The Stanford Band is a hoot. They wear pretty much whatever they want & paint their instruments (which for some people is a lawn chair or whatever random object they can find to beat on). My friend said they don't even have to know how to play an instrument when they join. And who can forget about their mascot--a tree.
a beautiful dining hall
the entrance to Brittany's dorm
Santa Cruz
Before the Stanford football game on Saturday, Brittany, Bonnie, and I drove to Santa Cruz. We enjoyed the sunny weather relaxing on the beach, collecting sand dollars, and chowing down on tacos from Las Palmas. The highlight of my morning was when I saw a sea lion splashing around in the ocean, only a few yards away from the shore. It was the first time I had ever seen one in the wild.
a really interesting book that I'm reading for my Customer Insights class
San Francisco
Brittany needed a day to study and do homework, so Bonnie and I ventured into San Francisco on our own. The Sunday we chose to go also happened to be the day of an aerial show to celebrate Fleet Week and a 49ers football game, so the city was extra crowded with visitors. We were a little overambitious in trying to see the entire city in only a single day, but I think we at least got to see some of the highlights.
We rode the Cal-train into San Francisco
We went shopping around Haight St and the Mission
and found this great decorating store
the Community Thrift Store on Valencia serves over 200 local charities
Shakespeare Garden
Mission Street
a great hole-in-the-wall Thai place that was recommended to us
Pineapple fried rice: fried rice with curry powder, pineapple,
cashews, raisins, onions, tomatoes, and green onion
down on the pier
Alcatraz
I was glad that I got to go thrift shopping in the Mission, eat some great Thai food, visit the Golden Gate Park, ride on a trolley, and walk along Fisherman's wharf. And even though I didn't get to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, I at least go to see it. Attempting to see a city in a day is impossible, especially when you are roaming around without a map, guide, or clue where you are going. Trying to figure out the puzzling public transportation system made me realize that I am just not a city girl. Public transportation is something that I did not grow up with, and it takes me weeks before I can learn all the ins and outs of a metro and bus plan.
Live music by the porta-potties. This guy even
has a cd called "I Love to Sing Love Songs."
San Francisco is a colorful city where the friendly outcasts and creative people of the world gather to live in harmony. Certain neighborhoods, outside of the tourist areas, make the city seem like a completely different country to me. There's probably no other place in the world where people are so free to express themselves, even if that means deciding not to wear clothes one day or living in a tree. My trip to the Bay Area was a great one. I barely scratched the surface of all three cities that I visited, and I hope to go back one day and explore some more.
"San Francisco is a city where people are never more abroad than when they are at home" -Benjamin F.Taylor
This little snow globe has been sitting on my bookshelf for years. It was a souvenir that one of my friends brought back from a family vacation. I am anxious to finally see these cheesy two-dimensional shapes and colors unfold in real life as I visit the city for the first time.
02 October 2011
I better wear some flowers in my hair...
because I'm going to San Francisco!
This weekend is my Fall Break at TCU, and I'm so excited to spend it in California visiting my friend Brittany. I have been wanting to visit her ever since she started attending Stanford, and I figured I better go now before we both graduate in the spring. It's my first trip to the Bay Area and I can't wait to sample the shops & eats of the City. Have any of you ever been to SF or Palo Alto? I'd love to hear your recommendations on places to go!
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