Why is my Thumb Green?

Something that I started developing in my mind of mine after my first summer and fall of living in the house was my fascination of upkeep of the yard and gardening. I found myself reading about Scott’s lawn products and planning out what fertilizers I need to put out at what type of year and collecting things like coffee grounds and tea leaves to use as plant or grass food. I also resorted to my father-in-laws advice on how he keeps his lawn looking nice (It’s like the Augusta National Golf Club planted in Lee’s Summit).
I had always found mowing the lawn being therapeutic and manly at the same time, with the combination of the smell of fresh cut grass and operating a beast of a machine (my Honda Lawnmower, one of 3 Hondas in our garage). A little bit my fascination links a rewarding feeling of looking at a well-kept lawn is something you had put effort into and putting a stamp of saying this is my home. The gardening however was easy for a novice like me to start since we had a plot already prepared when we bought the house and it gets me to go outside for some air (now I understood why Monet loved being out in his gardens). Our garden provides the function of being our produce department for the most part during the spring and summer months along with saving us even more on our grocery bill. Besides, I love to eat, whether it is sweets, meats or even fresh veggies.
I’m not ashamed of what I turned into, another suburbanite who loves his yard and finding as many excuses as I can to use my grill.

Let's try for 2 posts in March.

Wow, I really abandoned this blog. I guess Twitter keeping it at 140 characters had my time and patience, but I do miss taking the time to put in a blog entry. I don’t think I had many subscribed reader’s hearts to break, but it would be nice if I keep this blog up I could get some readers. If this is your first time reading my blog, I am an advertising professional who loves the game and is interested in an array of things as you may see in my earlier posts (or if you follow me at Twitter at Honda_cruiser14).

Lately besides keeping up with happenings in advertising and engaging on social media, mostly Facebook and Twitter, I am still keeping in shape by playing in a recreational hockey league once a week and still training year round for half marathons or fun runs. So far here is my confirmed dates “Jason Carney Tour of 2012” schedule.

3/31 – Sedalia Half Marathon (Sedalia, MO)

4/22 – Kansas Half Marathon (Lawrence, KS)

4/29 – Trolley Run – 4 Miles (Kansas City, MO)

6/2 – Hospital Hill Half Marathon (Kansas City, MO)

2011 was a record year of running in 5 half marathons (most in one year so far since I started running seriously in 2008) and getting my personal best at a half marathon at 1 hour and 40 minutes at my home turf of Warrensburg, Missouri. I even got second place in my division at a local 10K in Lee’s Summit which ended my year on a good note. Besides wellness and sports, I will post about marketing, advertising, business, Kansas City and anything related… or random.

Notice how I didn’t say my New Year’s Resolution was to keep this blog. I believe it’s a jinx and I think I shamefully posted that one year and to keep the dignity of the blog, I deleted the post with my head held high.

This is Ri-DQ-lous

So a little confusion occurred while watching the latest DQ commercial with rainbows on fire and bunnies that shave you. At first I thought Old Spice replaced Isaiah Mustafa as their awesome brand ambassador. Then at the conclusion of the DQ commercial when they mentioned the mini blizzard, I thought so are they trying to be the Old Spice of ice cream chains? Thought the grill and chill concept and their one of a kind blizzards had already made them one of a kind. I cried copycat after the commercial ran and should have left it with their guitar that sounds like dolphins.

At least the new logo doesn’t look like a blood bank

As brands desire to keep their appearance fresh with a new logo, tagline, etc., Starbucks has decided to take the step in that direction. I wouldn’t say it was the wrong direction, but I won’t say it is the right direction either. My only concern as a consumer is, I am worried about their explanation of the new logo; the removal of “Starbucks Coffee” is thinking beyond coffee. The problem I am concerned is, I’m afraid they’ll lose their focus on coffee again.

In the past, Starbucks had stop grinding whole beans in their stores to save time and get fresh pots brewed in a timely manner. Trading off for express service in exchange for quality, the coffee didn’t taste the same and Starbucks didn’t smell much like a coffee shop anymore. The aesthetics of the smells and performance of the barista were gone and it was part of the experience that made going to a Starbucks comforting. Quality assurance wasn’t great in many of their stores. Many of my friends and co-workers complained a lot about things like they had more ice than coffee flavor in their frappicinos, their latte tasted like hot choco or espressos not being made the way an espresso should be. Many failed product expansions such as sandwiches and other drinks proved Starbuck was trying to be everything to everyone.

Fortunately their Via instant coffee line has been very successful. I was one of the naysayers thinking “Why are they doing this?” and thought going into the instant coffee venture was branding suicide. As it turned out, it was the most successful product launches in company history. Starbucks did their homework and invested a lot of R&D into the product for many years. Importantly this was marketed the right way with aggressive sampling in stores or supermarkets and positioned to where Starbucks wouldn’t lose any value in their name.

I’m a very big supporter of local coffee places, that’s if I can find one and deliver a quality product, but in my part of suburbia a Starbucks is very accessible. There are five in a five mile radius of where I live and I’m happy drinking their Pike’s Place blend or most of their bold pick of the month. It would be sad to see what they were founded on diminish.

2010 – Good year for Train

It seemed like every other commercial break I would hear “Hey, Soul Sister” and it would be an ad for a zoo or a refrigerator or maybe even tampons. First radio play was very aggressive with this song and now commercials, I couldn't get away from the song. Train was able to squeeze in another song just before the year ended for the Coca Cola Christmas commercials with Santa shaking a snow globe and who would have guessed, they played "Shake Up Christmas".

Putting songs on commercials will help artists not depend on record sales and tours being the big chunk of revenue. Plus you have to retire someday, why not build your fund now.

I feel it is starting to be overkill and I hope brands find another song to toot. Train isn't your only option, especially "Hey, Soul Sister"

Here I am 2011 - Please Make This Year Better

From reading my title, 2010 didn't exactly seem like it was a picnic, it was like multiple awkward dinners. The one bright spot about 2010, was I married my college sweetheart and my best friend, Megan in September. I am very excited to start the new year with her and doing my best to start things off on the right foot. I am now pursuing a new path in the advertising industry. In my work experience in the account side of the ad world, I would eventually find I wanted to be a copywriter, but felt I was never able to do it. I thought maybe I didn't major in the right thing, or I should have started my career as a jr. writer instead of an account coordinator. Luckily with some support from friends and family and being told I can create a way to make this happen for me, gave me the fuel I needed to learn how to become a better writer and chase after something I would look forward to waking up every day too. I have also been participating in a new diet with my wife which is reducing or hardly having any refined sugars and flour. I have a little more than my wife, but by cutting it at least in half has made a difference in how I feel. I feel like I have even more energy later in the day and feel more "well-balanced" if that makes sense. I have more to come sports fans. Your sincerest tootles, Jason

Idiot Proof Bartending

Good thing about these Disaronno commercials with the charming bartender teaching you how to make a drink with Disaronno and 1 ingredient, is hopefully not only it will educate people on what Disaronno is since it is still very exotic to most people in the states, but also if you know someone who makes drinks that taste way off (like putting Wild Turkey in margaritas) hopefully this will give them a crash course in beginners bartending.