I’m constantly bewildered by the forwards I get from family and friends. What is it that makes that silly joke or photo a good forward?
Let’s figure it out, shall we. I present for you the first in our study, Forward #1:
marketing
I’m seriously confused. I posted this on Facebook and Al (who I find to be a reliable and informed source for tech news) said that a TV was as a good a surface as any for a QR code.
So, really, here in this Duncan Hines commercial, when all the cupcakes turn into a QR code, we’re going to pause our DVR and take a photo with our smart phone?
Really?
I think the Japanese have it right. Put QR codes on stuff like headstones where it’s stationary. Duh.
I received a stuffed envelope addressed to “MS. Jenniffer Heller” in the mail last week. Ms. Jenniffer Heller of “Artsy Greek Designs.”
OK, so it’s a promotional letter from some people who managed to get both the spelling of my first name and the name of my company wrong. It’s not the first time it’s happened, though it is the first time I’ve caught wind of “Artsy Greek.” Normally it’s “Artsy Geeky” or some such.
I open up the package and double over with laughter.
“Dear Ms. Heller,”
Yes! They got that part right!
“Surprised to see the Artsy Greek Designs name on the enclosed Regatta Horizons Duo Diary sample? Looks impressive, does it?”
I inspected the sample more closely.
Wait, that's not our name or our phone number!
I was definitely impressed. The letter went on…
“Why just send a pocket calendar when you can make a really big impression? The Duo Diary is two gifts in one – a pocket calendar and notepad.”
The question they didn’t address that’s worth asking…why send a pocket calendar at all??
But, you know, these pocket calendars are printed with erroneous information in gold. I do like gold.
I received this letter dated "August 2011" with its limited time offer in October.
Only $1.99 each?? What a steal. What do you think? Essential tax-deductible purchase or the most essential tax-deductible purchase ever??
Like, immediately.
Thanks to long-time reader Gabe for sending me the link to this awesome exploration of the name Heller in print over the years put together by fellow blogger and long-lost-relative Steven Heller.
My dad saved me this article on “The Art of Online Portraiture” in social media from the Wall Street Journal the other day. He clipped it out and sent it with my sister when she came to visit last Thursday. Do you realize that in fifty years no one will ever think of clipping something out of the newspaper? That perhaps there won’t be newspapers at all??
Anyway, this article (which you can read here in the Wall Street Journal online) is about how important your photos are to your social media presence. Especially when using social media professionally as we all ought to. The right picture strikes the right one, the article advises.
I read through it bragging inwardly about how awesome and professional my photo is. Even if it doesn’t capture me in action working at the computer or walking down the street as the article suggests one ought. I recognized that was pretty good advice, but still was feeling mighty good about this shot littering the internet:
And then I remembered how just last week I sent professional messages to potential attendees of my E-commerce seminar from my Facebook account.
With this as my profile pic:
Dammit. No wonder they didn’t come.
I was over at AWeber.com to explore their email marketing services. So many get-rich-quick-schemers I follow on the Internet use AWeber.com and there must be a reason.
According to AWeber.com, one of their customers is CopyBlogger. Check out their feature on aweber.com:
Obviously AWeber.com themselves could use their services. Oh what is the world coming to??
My mom got my dad one of those pop up greeting cards for his birthday today.
Now you remember these cards right? They’re thick and square, and you open them up and a whole world pops up. It’s like a pop up children’s book only it’s a greeting card. Obviously.
The one my mom got for my dad featured a 3-dimensional grill and the title “Happy Birthday Grillmaster”. My dad was reasonably impressed which is a pretty good reaction from my dad.
The card came with an awesome ad for their Collectors’ Club.
I remember being very enamored with these cards as a kid and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. But would I really want to collect them all?
Up With Paper (really? you named your company that??) certainly thinks I would. They offer a monthly club where for only $22.00 a month plus $4.00 shipping and handling a month — wait…what does that make it…um…hold on a second…okay got it — so for only $26 a month — I can be delivered four (4!!!) different pop-up greeting cards each month!
Oh my god. My life is complete!
But wait, there’s more.
Card designs range from traditional to funky, including all types of art, characters and s ending occasions.
Oh thank goodness, finally there is a way for me to celebrate all of those “s ending occasions”! Of which I can’t think of a single one.*
And finally I can fill those shelves that have been sitting vacant and gathering dust waiting for the collection of a lifetime.
For those of you who would like to join this club and are offended by my heavily sarcastic tone, I’m sure you can do so at the Up With Paper website. Oh no, I just checked their website and you can’t. It seems that this idea only warranted a paper ad. Well, that’s the first good judgment I’ve noticed from them.
*Omg. I was just rereading this post for the THIRD time before publishing it and I realized that’s a typo. It’s supposed to be “sending occasions.” Now who’s the fool? Me for taking so long to realize that? Or them for having such a perplexing typo and club to begin with? I need your help. Weigh in in the comments.
Weeks ago I mentioned how much I love the selection of office supplies over at Poppin.com and about how I was going to buy myself a new tape dispenser. Well, I finally broke down and decided to get one today, and as I was perusing their other products to make sure I didn’t miss anything awesome, I stumbled on this fantastic copy.
Black Retro Ballpoint Pens
Perfect for writing on paper at your desk.
What more is there to say?
We saw it. We read it. We talked about it.
Does that mean I should buy an equally hilarious bench ad for Artsy Geek???
I was welcomed to Berlin by my good friends Ann Marie and Spencer, and this awesome welcome gift of Katzenzungen.
These milk chocolates are named after cat tongues, and somewhat resemble the actual body part. They don’t however, have the awesome sand-papery texture of actual cat tongues. I do wonder why they chose to leave that out.
They melt in your mouth and are delicious. At only 1,79 Euro, they’re a steal and I’m taking orders. Each box comes with 18 cat tongues to enjoy with or without your cat.
I am always impressed with how my fellow humans find inspiration in the oddest places! What do you think? Wierd or best thing ever? And do you want me to bring you home a box?
