Commercial of the Week is back from a LONG hiatus. Saw this yesterday and it really cracked me up.
Minute Maid isn't really a sexy product nor one that necessarily stick out through the clutter to 18-35 men. This commercial accomplishes that and caps it with some nice imagery that makes me miss the awesomeness of juice. Kind of want some Minute Maid, but also thinking how awesome it would be to down some Squeeze It's for nostalgia reasons.
Also floating around are two god awful Just For Men Commercials, that are sooooo bad they are actually kind of good. I can only find this one if you click to read more.
If you head over to Blogswithballs.com you'll find a couple new things. First the site has been redesigned to promote the upcoming 2.0 conference to be held in Las Vegas, October 15-16. as part of the broader Blogwold Conference. I blogged about this before, but this is a huge step up from years past as the sports blog track of this conference has been a little lackluster.
Another thing you'll notice the hilight video of Blogs Witb Balls 1.0 with some NSFW but hilarious thoughts on 2.0 from EDSBS' Spencer Hall who could have been voted, Best Sense of Humor, at BWB 1.0.
As you can tell from my previous writeup, I am a huge fan of BWB and think the timing for these events are spot on as this quaint but up and coming industry seems to have found its stride in terms of economic viability and mainstream traction of late.
I am going to write a very broad piece tonight about some of the VERY encouraging things I am seeing in Sports 2.0 (which probably needs a real definition btw). I'll still write some of the things on my mind, but that thunder got stolen today with the news that SB Nation, a company somewhat similar to Bloguin, raised a whopping $8 million today in funding.
Unless you are blind you can tell that this blog has gone through a big change today. Benkoo.com/ Koo's Corner is now on the Bloguin platform opposed to its previous setup on Wordpress. I am still getting unpacked in my new digs and there is still some work to be done, but overall everything is here and in one piece. This is really Benkoo.com 3.0 Beta so it will be a week or so until the finished product is here. Many thanks to Miracle Worker/Founder of Bloguin, Derek Hanson for holding my hand through out the process.
I am really excited because as CEO, I need to be intimately familiar with our platform and this gives me the ability to really achieve that. I actually think I am going to launch another blog in due time.
On another note, in additon to moving my blog here I have also begun the process of becoming a full time CEO of Bloguin. Since I joined the team in April, we accomplished quite a bit that I'll share with you in the days and weeks to come. We've added blogs, significantly improved our monetization, streamlined some processes, and have a lot of exciting things in the works. It's been exhausting doing a lot of this in a part time role, but we're now at a place where having me full time is not only justified but probably necessary.
Below is what you get when do a Google Image search on CEO. I have decided that I will dress like this and gaze out into the distance every day in hopes it will get Bloguin to the next level. I think its a good plan.
I am going to increase the blogging here on out. Tomorrow I got some good stuff on tap as I am extremely bullish on Sports 2.0 with news of recent events (AOL acquiring MMA blog, FanIq funding, NBC buys PFT, some news at Watercooler, Open Sports and Fox partnership, etc).
Thanks for your patience with the slow posting and some smallish issues while I get everything setup here.
Entourage is one of my favorite shows, but for many its grown a little stale. Its different, its funny, the characters are great as is the dialogue, but many seasons and episodes just seem to be the same old stuff.
Below is great video from College Humor that touches on this and of late some of my peers and this overly disgruntled NTY writer have expresses similar gripes with the show.
In my opinion this sentiment will only grow if this year's storyline and episode pattern doesn't great creative, but in a way that doesn't disenfranchise its core base of viewers.
It can likely survive on sex, drugs, partying, and witty dialogue for a a handful of more seasons, but if this season doesn't reinvigorate viewers I think Entourage is headed for a slow descent back to earth.
I flipped the channel to ESPN a little while ago only to be informed that one of my favorite NFL players athletes of all time had been murdered today. It's not clear who shot Steve McNair and why (although there are a lot of rumors and theories), but regardless its a very sad day for NFL fans who watched his tremendous career unfold.
In 1999 as the 49ers were descending from powerhouse to organization in chaos, I decided to adopt a second team for the year along with my best friend (Cowboys fan also disappointed in paradise lost status). That night the Titans unveiled their new uniforms and both of us decided to keep interest in NFL football we would preemptively adopt the Titans before the season ended. We went far enough to buy jerseys. He took Eddy George, which I was initially jealous of, and I took McNair. In the weeks to come as the Titans started winning others in our group of friends started buying Titans jerseys (you must realize the niners went 4-12 that year). There was a Kevin Dyson jersey, Jevon Kearse, and even a Frank Wychek jersey that filled out our lame entourage.This all pre dates digital camera usage which is disappointing. The team we randomly picked was amazing to watch and seemed to have a close game every week. The playoffs brought on some of the most amazing football I have ever watched, with McNair willing the Titans to the Super Bowl where they found themselves losing 16-0. McNair rallied them all the way back to 16-16 and when they went down again by a TD, McNair drove them on the final drive all the way to 1 yard line when time ran out.
It was an incredible year, and the first of many for McNair who year in and year out left it all out in the field. The stakes were always with McNair, the surrounding talent modest at best, and the games were almost always close. His career was a decade full of epic games, gritty performances, and memorable finishes. He hung up the cleats in 2007 and today he passed way. Rather then go on about how much I loved watching him play, I'll sign off with some screenshots across the blogosphere of what others are saying about one of the game's truest warriors.
About a year ago, I learned that the classic movie Point Break has been transitioned into a play. I literally freaked out and without doing research, bought 5 tickets to see the next upcoming show. I didn't verify that people were coming, I just knew that this could be in fact the most awesome thing ever and wanted to move fast to ensure I got tickets. Well for starters the show rarely sells out so I may have jumped the gun. Secondly my lame ass friends didn't want to go (cash flow problems, travel distance to SF, other plans/Nazi girlfriends, general lameness) While I have talked about the play on my blog before, recently I learned that its last showing in SF is tonight. With my back up agaisnt the wall, I fought the good campaign again and in a couple hours this is what I'll be seeing;
I can't tell you how stoked I am. Hopefully someone I am going with will try out for Johnny Utah (fellow OSU alumni), or I might have to become the first Jewish Chinese Utah. For those of you who have not checked out this great flick, seriously I question your upbringing. This movie was on every channel all the time in the late nineties and early 2000's. Here is what you are missing.
More and more, I've found myself being a connoisseur of online advertising. This industry has yet to really settle into a groove or system of structure like print, radio, outdoor, and television.
Below are some ad campaigns I came across that I was really impressed by. Let's start with a very basic rich media display ad unit that was on espn.com yesterday.
Advertisers are all about engagement.....basically any interaction with an advertising campaign. All of the pen on this dude's face was drawn by me. It took me about 10 minutes. How many advertising units do you play with for 10 minutes? While I have not purchased a Whopper because of it, I vividly know that this ad was from Burger King because of the engagement with the ad unit. How many online ads to you remember on a weekly basis?
The ad was fun as the guy moves while you draw in him, mimicking real life. There was a day and age where people passing out and getting drawn on was almost a third tier hobby for me. Those days are long gone and this was kind of a nostalgic momenet for me.
Now for one of the awesomer things I have seen in online advertising.
This Twitter acount, full of ridiculous Tweets, links back to Vegas.com douchebag microsite that includes awesome content like this:
"Take the Douchebag Quiz to figure out if you can cut it as a Vegas Douchebag:
Do you know where to get the best spray-on tan?
Do you like to show off your nipple ring in public?
Do you know the difference between beer and malt liquor?
Do you wear your chain inside or outside your shirt?
Do you own more than 5 different trucker hats?
If you answered "fo sho" to any of the above questions, you may have what it takes to be a true Vegas Douchebag."
Besides the quiz, you can also get discounts on hotels and other travel expenses by using the promotion code "douchebag" in addition to a douchebag photo contest.
Here is my take on this advertising. 25% of people will absolutely love this ad campaign. 65% will be indifferent to it. 10% will be really offended by it.
In the scheme of things that 10% is pretty unlikely in my opinion to find the vegas douchebag twitter page and microsite. However the 25% of people who will get a kick out of this campaign have a better then normal chance of seeing this campaign, due to its viral nature.
Plus there are great interactive features like quizzes, photo contests, and a promotion code that you're just dying to test out. Overall this is really effective.
Both are great campaigns aimed at demographic that doesn't take life as seriously as older generations. We watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report for our news, enjoy in poking fun of society in shows like Family Guy and South Park, live vicariously through Rob and Big/Fantasy Factory and Entourage, and generally are receptive to content that mocks a worthy target.
Both these campaigns pander to us in that regard and are extremely effective because of it. These are the kind of ads I want to see across Bloguin, so if you're out there be sure to drop me an email....
US soccer has ebbed and flowed over the last 15 years. The 94 world cup was a huge step forward but 98 was a huge step back. 2002 was very encouraging, but 2006 was yet again another big buzz kill. Today the US National team had a tremendous opportunity to focus the attention of the Sport's world on US soccer. While that doesn't sound overly impressive, accomplishing that in a non World Cup year would have monumental with the biggest showcase of soccer only a year away. For those who missed out, the US' road to the championship game against Brazil was unimaginable. Their advancement to the second round of the tournament was borderline miracle (requiring a 3-0 AND a 0-3 loss in another game). The win against Spain was one of the most unanticipated and sheer awesome wins for US soccer ever.
Then it boiled down to today against Brazil. I was expecting maybe a 2-1 or 3-1 loss but was shocked to find the US up early 1-0 on a pretty nifty goal by Jack Dempsey. In one of the prettiest goals I've ever seen in a big game for the US, Landon Donovan made it 2-0, a lead that the US took into halftime. Brazil attacked relentlessly after the Donovan goal and quickly halved the lead 2-1 in the opening minute of the second half. The attack never wavered for Brazil and when the smoke cleared they came back to win 3-2, despite some great goal keeping from Tim Howard and inspired play by the US. It was extremely deflating to watch and a loss that has stymied my mood on a lovely Sunday. With that in mind, I'd like to submit Freddy Adu as a logical scape goat.
While the US defense and the coaches' decision to not make any substitutions before Brazil's second goal are attractive options, I'll go with Freddy, a guy who didn't even make the US team for this tournament. I know he is only 20 years old and was not even in the same continent where the game took place, but still Freddy Adu is infinitely more over hyped then Danika Patrick, Gray's Anatomy, and Pizza Hut's Pizzone. I heard about Adu when I was a Sophomore in college nearly 7 years ago. "Soccer Savior", "The Prodigy", "The Chosen One", were all titles and magazine covers that were bestowed on him. In recent memory, only Lebron James, The Dark Knight, and the Iphone have received as much hype as Adu. Those things all kick ass. Adu does not. These are stats per wikipedia below. As you can see its a tossup between Adu and Numa Numa guy on who scored last.
I am being super snarky and harsh on Adu, but in the back of my mind I just don't understand why Adu was crowned as America's Pele and why he got that crown at the age of 14?
I mean I was not crowned the World's Greatest Jew at my Bar Mitzvah. It took YEARS of hardwork, dedication, and success before my peers gave me that distinction/my friend Jannai bought it as a graduation gift for me.......from high school.
The US played a great game today and almost raised interest and excitement for US soccer to a ferverish pitch, a nice appetizer to next year's world cup. Instead they were just a tad shy of getting over the hump.
We were simply outgunned. If we had a "soccer savior", maybe we wouldn't have been. However that player doesn't exist and I can't help but think of that guy who wear's that crown and the morons who decided to put it on him.
Obviously it's not Adu's fault, but I just can't help myself from thinking that there are a bunch of snake oil salesman out there who sold him as "The Gretzky of Soccer".
Time will tell if the US rallies for a nice showing in the 2010 World Cup and if Adu can begin to live up to the ridiculous expectations that were put on him. Regardless, US soccer is progressing and is closing in on the monumental win we've been trying to will to happen for decades. Selling us on that its going to happen overnight and via one "magical" player, doesn't make it get here any quicker.
My blog is going to go under some construction shortly. This could be the last post before that process starts. If so, it's a good way to go out. Came across this today on Bucknuts via Hot Clicks. This is seriously one of the funniest personalities I've ever seen on TV....and he's a football coach. I would NEVER get sick of this guy. It almost seems like an outrageous character straight out of a movie like Earnest Worrell, Ace Ventura, or Ron Burgundy. Regardless its awesome. Enjoy!
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.
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The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
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The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 