Deer hunting at its finest – Saskatchewan

For my graduation, my Dad and Step mom, Shari, brought me on an amazing deer hunting trip to Saskatchewan, Canada.  I had never been to Canada so for me it was a double-whammy; I got to deer hunt AND I got to travel to a new and exciting place.  We hunted in an area called “Pierceland”, which is in the Western part of the province, right next to Alberta.  As soon as we arrived, I knew it was going to be a great week.

We met our guide, Gary, at the outfitters home and then we followed him into the wilderness to our camp.  I was expecting a small shack or even an old trailer, but to my surprise, we arrived to an awesome camp house located right on a beautiful frozen lake.   The surrounding area was absolutely beautiful.  As a Florida boy, I haven’t seen snow in quite some years, so I was stoked to see the forest landscape with a touch of snow covering the ground.  The weather stayed absolutely perfect as well.  Although it was cold (really cold), there were clear blue skies everyday and it didn’t snow or rain on us once.

Beautiful Frozen Lake

The week went along smoothly as we hunted all day, every day and then went back to the camp at night where we spent it with some real characters.  Shari’s father, Bobby, came as well along with his long-time friend, Cliff, who looks like a “more compact version of Urban Meyer” as my Dad would say.  They are great guys and after they’ve had a few drinks provide the stand-up comedy for the night.  Along with Gary, his wife, Shannon, worked there as well as the cook.  I probably ate more there than I have in the last month.  The other guide was Leon, who is a Cree Indian.  He had some interesting stories of life on the reservation as well living in the woods of Saskatchewan his entire life.

The week went along and on Wednesday came the relative massacre.  My Dad, Shari, and Cliff all killed deer on this day.  My Dad’s was deer was so cool looking!  He had weird knobs and points all over his antlers which gave him tons of character.  Shari arrowed a really nice 9-pointer with her bow, as she taught the men how to do it.  Cliff also shot a really nice older 11-point that anyone would be proud of.  After that, it was just me and Bobby.

Dad's big buck

Shari's awesome 9-pointer

Thursday morning came and I just had a feeling that it would be the day.  I got to my stand before daylight and sat quietly for the day to begin.  As the sun crept into my field, I started seeing some does which were looking awfully weary of something just inside the tree line.  A few moments later, I saw a big bodied deer appear in the corner of the field and after looking at it through my binoculars, I knew it was my deer.  I slowly raised my gun, found the big deer in the scope, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.  The bullet it right in the neck of the woodland beast and it hit the ground with the blink of an eye.  I was so excited, I could barely contain myself.  After waiting awhile, I walked across the field to check out my trophy.

My buck (and my ridiculous beard)

The week finished up and four out of five of us killed really nice deer; Bobby went home empty-handed.  We made the long trip back to Edmonton and jet-set back to the States.  We said our goodbyes and we all went our different ways.  All in all, it was a fantastic trip.  Not only did I get to spend time with my family in one of the most beautiful places on earth, I also got to kill a really nice 10-point buck.  I will always remember this trip and really hope I get to return again in a hunting season soon to come.

Guinness Storehouse re-invents 250 year-old brand

This summer, I spent 12-weeks in Germany for school, but after that I got the chance to backpack through seven countries in Europe.  My last stop before returning to the US, was Dublin, Ireland.  Ever since I was little, I always wanted to go to Ireland for the beautiful countryside, but since I hit college, and got a taste for beer, there became another reason I wanted to go.  When telling people I was going to Dublin (or “Publin” as many Europeans playfully call it), they always said, “Make sure you go to the Guinness Storehouse!”

When I arrived to rainy Dublin, there were many things on my to-do list, but at the top of that list was the Guinness Storehouse.  As I approached the imposing, seven-story brick building in a gritty, industrial part of Dublin, I really didn’t know what to expect except that I would see how the famous “Black Gold” is brewed.  When I stepped inside, I was blown away by the ultra-modern design that awaited me.   As you arrive, you are almost in awe by the sight of the modern glass-and-steel interior which is illuminated by a dramatic combination of natural and artificial light. When you walk in, you climb a short, narrow set of stairs before emerging into a cavernous atrium.  It’s shaped roughly like a pint glass, with a circular pub, the Gravity Bar, at the top that glows white at night (like the suds atop a freshly poured Guinness).  Set into the floor is the contract that Sir Arthur Guinness himself signed for the brewery site — a 9,000-year lease for the price of just 45 Irish punts a year.

The Storehouse Lease

As I was strolling through the Storehouse, I was realizing something.  This isn’t just your average tourist attraction.  This is the personification of the re-invention of the Guinness brand.  After doing some research, I learned I was right.  The Storehouse was built in the year 2000 to breathe life into the aging brand.  While I was in Dublin, Guinness was celebrating its 250 year anniversary, so it’s no surprise the brand is looked at as old and traditional.  So in an essence, the Storehouse is the physical manifestation of a serious marketing challenge: to reconnect Guinness with younger drinkers in Ireland. While the brand has conquered the world (the stout is brewed in 50 countries and sells an estimated 10 million glasses a day), Guinness started to go a bit flat at home. In the second half of 2001, sales of Guinness in Ireland actually fell by 3%. Why the slip? Because Guinness, like so many other well-loved but old-fashioned products, had come to be perceived as the choice of the senior set. Ireland’s younger crowd were switching to lighter drinks: lagers such as Heineken or trendy cocktails.

After dark, the Storehouse also hosts special events that attract both locals and executives: awards ceremonies, concerts, corporate parties, fashion shows, and gallery openings.  The evening events make the Storehouse a kind of community center.  And by bringing people in their twenties and thirties to the brewery, the events help Guinness connect with the brand’s future.

My free pint in the Gravity Bar

In my opinion, the Guinness Storehouse sets the bar for brand experiences.  I feel like Guinness has definitely accomplished their task of re-energizing their brand with Dubliners and tourists alike.  When I was at various pubs in Dublin, everyone (man, woman, young, old, whatever) had a Guinness in their hand.  And I have to admit, since being back in the States, I’ve ordered Guinness a few times and every time thought back on my time at the Storehouse.

What happened to us?

A lot of bad stuff has happened to The United States in the last decade.  To start off the decade, we were attacked during 9/11, which was a terrible tragedy.  But what came from that tragedy was the true American spirit shined again.  Americans hadn’t had that much pride and brotherhood since WW2.  But then it got old, people got tired of Bush starting wars left and right, and then among many other problems, our economy crashed.  In a short 6-7 years, our country went from a prideful, unified nation to bitter, small, and extremely bipartisan.  In the last year after a new President was elected, half of the country was filled with hope of a better tomorrow, but the other half remained bitter and cold, and infected the rest of us like a virus.  Where has all that post 9/11 unity gone?  Where is the hope of change?  Where is the American spirit?

Right now, although things have gotten a little bit better, we are still in a terrible situation.  We are still involved in 2 wars, the economy is barely alive with unemployment numbers in the double digits, and millions of American still live without healthcare (including me).  But we’ll pull through it, right?  Just like after 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, right?  Wrong.  The problem today is we don’t have an enemy to rally against this time.  The enemy is ourselves and the only solution we’ve come up with so far is blame the other guy.

The New Guy

I say it’s time to forget about whose fault it is and just get started on a solution.  Although the government can only do so much, it is up to us to come together again.  If we aren’t unified, then we will stay in this crappy situation forever.  We need to stop listening to the main blamers like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and Keith Olbermann and start listening to Dodge.  Yep, that’s right.  Dodge.

Last night, while I was watching the World Series, a new Dodge Ram commercial came out that I had never seen before.  The title of the spot is “Manifesto” and it was done by The Richards Group out of Dallas.  The ad’s theme is “I am Ram” and carries quotes like, “I am fueled by optimism and a can-do spirit”.  Although the commercial is supposed to be selling trucks, it is really selling something that can’t be bought.  The renewed American spirit.

So the time has come.  It’s time to stop bitching and complaining about our current situation.  It’s time to stop sitting around a waiting for someone else to fix it.  It’s time stop blaming everyone but yourself.  The time has come to come together as American people and pull ourselves out of this mess.  I’m proud to be an American but I’m tired of it being a loser.  It’s going to be tough and the road will be long, but my name is Brian, and my tank is full.

Karma always catches up…even in the ad biz

AT&T Wireless (the network provider for the iPhone) is suing Verizon Wireless over its “There’s a map for that” campaign, which compares the density of Verizon’s 3G network on the US map compared to that of AT&T’s (which is much sparser).  AT&T claims the spot is causing the No. 2 wireless carrier to lose “incalculable market share” and “invaluable goodwill.”  Verizon’s ad has gotten many good reviews from consumers who appreciate the humor of making fun at the iPhone’s “There’s an app for that” campaign.

There's a map for that

AT&T is not actually disputing the comparison of their 3G coverage, but they are insisting that Verizon is painting a misleading picture that AT&T offers no coverage at all in the white space on the map, when it’s suppose to indicate where they don’t provide 3G.

This loss of market share comes very unsettling for AT&T and Apple as the holiday season quickly approaches.  According to AdAge.com, this will be the first holiday season since the iPhone released when it’s not the only viable option for a trendy smartphone.  Perhaps the biggest challenger is the new “Droid” by Motorolla, which not only runs off a Google operating system (one of Apple’s biggest competitors), but the network is provided by none other than Verizon.  At this moment, if you are a self-titled “Mac” (the cultish name Apple lovers give themselves) you might start feeling bad for their current woes.

However, I argue that Apple did this to themselves.  Although it is AT&T who is losing market share, it is at the hand iPhone sales and Apple is anything but an innocent party.  How long have we been watching the played-out Mac vs. PC ads that depict PC users as nerdy, awkward and accident proned?

It’s my opinion this is a direct effect of karma.  Karma is defined as “the cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person’s deeds in the previous incarnation”.  All of those ads making fun of innocent Bill Gates and his sometimes malfunctioning personal computers has finally caught up to them.  Apple has laughed all the way to the bank and a growing market share over the last few years off the backs of these ads.  But now, when someone does it to them, they throw a fit and sue (The American Way).

I think this instance should set an example to the rest of the advertising world.  It’s like my mother always told me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”.  It will catch up to you in the end…it’s the rule of the Universe.  Maybe TBWA/Chiat Day (Apple’s Ad Agency) and the people at Apple will now think twice before slinging mud since now they know it’s not too fun to get it in your eyes.