They're Stealing Your Attention

a reply to: icanteven

The billboard is "environment". Its going to be a logical topic of discussion. Thats the problem...it is environment, while at the same time being tradmarked.

In the State of Texas, we can thank Lady Bird Johnson for 2 very enjoyable things: the enormous quantity of flowers along our roadways, and the lack of billboards. We have them on the interstates, but not so much on the country highways. Which is a stark contrast to states like Wyoming, where there are so many billboards, homeless people could just put roofs up between them for some nice country living.

originally posted by: TatTvamAsi

originally posted by: Nothin

As a totally different secondary thought: Imagine for a moment: what this world could be like, if every dollar spent, and man-hour spent working in the fields of sales, advertising and marketing, had instead been dedicated to the bettering of life for all of mankind?
All of those office floors and floors, of brilliant creative folks, thousands and thousands of bright minds, wasted on a totally useless endeavor. Creating markets for unneeded products, and using any trick in the book to manipulate minds into desiring some useless piece of crap.

Tell me about it...
You could extend that thought to so many institutions and ideas mankind holds so dear. The scope of that secondary thought you posted could thus be greatly expanded.

Indeed: an entire new thread could be made, about how our world would be different, if all of the calculated efforts and finances were put to more Utopian motives.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Nothin

Just sitting' on the dock of the bay, watchin' the tide roll-in.

Amazing. Earlier I was going to bring that song to exemplify my point about sitting on the river bank. Its beautiful in its simplicity. The sound of surf, whistling a tune, just... sitting. "Just sittin' on the dock of the Bay, wasting tiiiimmme..."

Temptation tells us if we're not ambitious and busy, we're not earning, we're not successful, a failure. In fact we learn more from taking time to sit and practice stillness, develop patience and see from within.

Not the stillness of most meditations that use mantras or chants to induce oblivion (whats the difference between that and alcohol or drugs), but the practice of staying in the moment, of remaining in the room. Being in the here and now is much more difficult nowadays in a world of designed escape and distraction. Thats what sleep is for, to rest and restore our physical being, the spirit part (if I may be so bold) is transcendent, not of this world. The world is seen much more objectively from the riverbank of our soul than from the river of the world.

That part from Hicks. ***Language Warning*** if you can't take Bills heat stay out of his kitchen:

Thanks for your reply, and for posting those vids.

Here is a racing-down-the-river, grasping thought:
Perhaps we, and others, have those similar images come to mind, in similar circumstances, because we have seen so many vids and commercials throughout our lives, that we have become programmed.
Thusly: advertising;s insidious workings...

It don't really matter. Have a great day all!!!

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: icanteven

The billboard is "environment". Its going to be a logical topic of discussion. Thats the problem...it is environment, while at the same time being tradmarked.

In the State of Texas, we can thank Lady Bird Johnson for 2 very enjoyable things: the enormous quantity of flowers along our roadways, and the lack of billboards. We have them on the interstates, but not so much on the country highways. Which is a stark contrast to states like Wyoming, where there are so many billboards, homeless people could just put roofs up between them for some nice country living.

For me, it's a pleasure to drive down a freeway without seeing billboards for miles and miles. Unfortunately, that's not what it's like in Georgia.

I wonder if we're going to get a point where we need to make a royalty payment each time we have a conversation about a brand on a message board or have a thought about a product that is incongruous with a company's message.

a reply to: icanteven

It seems that there isn't much resistance to speaking out about a company online. In fact, if you need some freebies a good way to do that is to make a negative mention about a company on FB or Twitter. I got the minor honor of a years worth of free paper plates from Dixie because of my Twitter complaint about the wax melting off the bottom of plates and staining the finish on my dining room table. Nevermind the irony of using paperplates on a rather expensive piece of wood furniture....they were happy to apologize and ship me a fistful of coupons for free plates. LOL

I was served a raw Big Mac and got coupons for like 50 free ones in return. Too bad i won't touch another Big Mac due to the experience....but people I know who have no cash really appreciate that kind of stuff (i have a college age neice currently).

Anyway, im not sure they'll ever reject publicity be it good or bad. A good marketer can turn chicken crap into chicken salad, and serve it back to you.

The Art of Public Manipulation. The real unseen secret power of the government:

www.youtube.com...

a reply to: Nothin

Here is a racing-down-the-river, grasping thought:
Perhaps we, and others, have those similar images come to mind, in similar circumstances, because we have seen so many vids and commercials throughout our lives, that we have become programmed.

The whole Pavlovian idea...

Now I'm off to enjoy some television, radio and computer 'programming'.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Its pure greed nowadays.

I've read tales of frivolous lawsuits where companies claim to own the rights to certain words despite the fact said words were created before the company even existed.

I'd guarantee that twitter would sue a production company if they produced a movie called #love without knowing the # is decades older then twitter. Some people go to absurd lengths to make a quick buck.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

This case, when it happened in 1994, really colored my view on "trademark" and "intellectual property":

articles.sun-sentinel.com...

His restaurant started out as Buster Block's Blockbustin' Pizza. Before he opened, video giant Blockbuster Entertainment, which has its world headquarters a few blocks away from Lirio's pizza parlor, slapped a trademark-infringement lawsuit on him. Blockbuster won an injunction that prevented Lirio from using that name.

Lirio changed the name to Buster Clock's Clockbustin' Pizza.

Not good enough, said Blockbuster. They also wouldn't approve of Buster Baker the Pizza Maker Pizza.

Finally, the sign on the pizzaria in the 500 block of South Andrews Avenue - in the shadow of the Broward County Jail - was changed to Jailhouse Pizza, with the slogan, "So good it's almost illegal."

That name seems to be fine with Blockbuster, but it still wants at least $35,000 in lawyers fees and initial profits from the business.

"Ha. Like there are any profits," Lirio said. He estimates that the flap has already cost him $25,000 in sign and menu changes and losses for unused direct mail and advertising.

He says Blockbuster's lawsuit has amounted to harassment of his fledgling business. "They've had people come in here to find out if we were still using the old menus with Buster Block printed on them," he said. (The business is not using those menus. New ones with the Jailhouse Pizza name have been printed.)

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

You know what annoys me? The screens at the gas pump! Do you REALLY need a tv screen while pumping gas? Are people that addicted to media?!

good thread