Color Like No Other

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.

A Tale of Two Cities

Confession: I am a double agent, living two separate lives. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I roll out of bed before 8:00 am, pack a lunch and walk to Smith Hall, where I spend most of the day, until 5:00 pm, in a classroom like this:

On these two days of the week, I am a student.     (TCU360)

But every other day, I wake up earlier, sometimes at 5:00 am. I put on nice clothes, pack a lunch, and drive for an hour until I arrive in North Dallas. I park in a multilevel garage and take the elevator to here:

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I am a working professional.

This is A Tale of Two Cities, or rather A Tale of Living Between Two Cities. I never imagined myself becoming a commuter, but I've also never been one to turn down a knocking opportunity. And now in my last semester of university, I am taking 15 credit hours in Fort Worth and working 25 hours at an internship in Dallas. Words like conference call, break room, toll road, and spreadsheet have become a regular part of my vernacular.  Silent elevator rides, drinking at least three cups of coffee, untangling the headset from my hair, and carrying an access card are just a part of my new daily routine. In the mornings I drive eastward into the sunrise, and on my way home, I drive westward into the setting sun until I reach the friendly, twinkling lights of Fort Worth. Meanwhile, I watch the clock advance, my fuel gauge drain, mileage increase, and the speedometer fluctuate sporadically between 0 and 75.  As I sit in traffic, passing DFW Airport, I gaze at the dozens of planes flying gracefully overhead. I like to imagine all the places those people are going and invent their adventures in my head. I also remind myself that all the work and extra driving will pay off whenever I'm able to board a plane once more and have adventures of my own. Though I spend my mornings and evenings in the glow of red brake-lights, I feel like this year is perpetually at a green light, with no breaks or time to stop. There's only 13 weeks until graduation! I'm not freaking out or anything...