I don’t normally review video games, but after several late nights since it’s release date, it’s safe to say that this game has made an impression on me. If you played D1 then you’ll notice right away that you are able to use your old characters to play through the new story mode. A nice feature that is appreciated by many, myself included. Destiny 2, or Xbox I should say, has made LFG (looking for group) simple and easily accessible to everyone which opens up the multiplayer game in more ways than one! Find groups for PVP (player vs. player) and Strikes, and run through the opposition! If you’re more of a loner when it comes to your online gaming, Destiny 2 will put you into matchmaking and then find a group for you for the Crucible (PVP) and regular Strikes. However, Xbox’s LFG option is extremely helpful for players who want to get the most out of their gameplay. You can find dozens of folks on LFG all trying to accomplish the same events/missions as you. LFG is a must for players who wish to accomplish Nightfall (difficult strike), Leviathan (the raid), and Trials of the Nine (high intensity PVP). Once you have played around and found people you enjoy playing with, don’t be shy! Send them a friend request and keep playing! Chances are they’ll be back at it again the next day/week.
All in all, this game is a blast. 9/10 stars from me. Now that Bungie has fixed some of the glitches in the raid and elsewhere, I would feel comfortable giving this game a perfect score. If you enjoy first person shooters and MMORPG’s, this game is for you! Did I mention that Destiny has the same creators as Halo? What are you waiting for? This game is an experience that begs to be experienced. Indulge it.
It’s been a while since my last post, but I decided to go back to my roots and examine some commercials! Fortunately, I’ve been able to move away from cable TV and towards streaming for all my entertainment needs, but unfortunately, that means I’m not seeing/critiquing commercials nearly as much as I used to. So without further ado, in an effort to stay sharp, I present my analysis of Crayola Silly Scents:
Right away we notice a classroom with kids inside, coloring with Crayola’s new Silly Scents markers. I would peg the main Ad execution technique as “slice of life” with a hint of nostalgia. What I mean by that is, we’ve all been there. Coloring with friends in class is a fairly common occurrence at elementary schools as far as I’m concerned. Given, it has been over a decade since I’ve been in an elementary school, but I digress. It seems completely within the realm of possibility, so let’s just go with that for now.
Next, we see a child sniff a marker and pull a watermelon out of his nose. Now, before I continue, I must bring up two things. First, this is something that I miss about seeing commercials regularly. Commercials can and often times are completely ridiculous. They only have so much time to relay the information about their product to us, the consumer, and I find it interesting to see how different brands go about doing that. Crayola is selling Crayons to parents that want their kids to have as much fun as the kids in this commercial. Once again, I can completely believe this scenario, that is until we see the CGI watermelon make an appearance. I will file this technique under “fantasy” because I can’t remember the last time I pulled 1/4th of a watermelon out of my nose. The second thing I’d like to bring up is the fact that this is probably going to upset some people. I mean, you can’t really put anything on the internet nowadays without people getting offended, but the image of kids sniffing markers? I don’t think that’s what the people over at D.A.R.E. had in mind. Regardless, I laughed out loud, so I’ll add “humor” to the list of techniques used.
Next, we see a classmate’s reaction to the watermelon sniffer and she also decides to take a whiff of her marker! Lucky for her, she got the cotton candy scent. That must be 100 times more pleasant to pull out of your nose than a watermelon. Either way, we get another reaction shot from the classmates, as well as another kid reaching to sniff his marker. I’d like to add the “demonstration” technique here as well. We get not one, not two, but three kids showing us at home how to effectively use this product! Sure you can color with it, but why use it for it’s intended purpose when we could smell it instead? If you’re a kid watching at home, you’ve got to be wanting to sniff some markers by now! And for those several reasons, I’m also adding “unique selling proposition” to the list of techniques. Crayola is leaving other marker/colored pencil companies in the dust! Those other companies may have cheaper markers that color just as well, but do their markers smell like watermelons, cotton candy, popcorn and who knows what else? I doubt it. Are the kids with those markers sniffing them anyways? I honestly don’t know, but I’m guessing probably.
Anyways, this was quite a ridiculous commercial, but I didn’t hate it. I assume Crayola has done their due diligence to ensure the marker fumes are nontoxic. Here’s the list of Ad techniques I spotted in this commercial:
Hey, I know it’s been a long while since I’ve posted anything, but I’m back! It’s been the busiest year for me, trying to graduate on time, but I prevailed and have much more time to spend finding cool videos for you all to enjoy. I really want to get back to my roots and post about things that I’m interested in: marketing and advertisements. So here I go..
Can we just take a moment to appreciate the Red Bull commercial that came out this year? I don’t even particularly like Red Bull, but at least when I see this commercial I don’t cringe… It’s entertaining, it’s exciting and it perfectly sums up what Red Bull is all about. The awesome thing is that, although this is a really cool advertisement with lots of brand recognition, there are only a few Ad Execution Techniques going on and I’ll tell you the prominent ones.
The Ad Execution Techniques are as follows: MUSIC, Physical Attractiveness and Slice of Life. If you watch the ad multiple times, you’ll be able to see all of these techniques in play. Music is the obvious one. As soon as the commercial starts, “Come Get It Bae” by Pharrell Williams begins playing and it instantly picks you up and gets your attention focused on the advertisement. Physical attractiveness is another technique being utilized. It’s subtle, but it definitely helps the scene with the woman surfer. Finally, slice of life. This is what Red Bull is selling. Of course they’re selling an energy drink, but they’re also selling a lifestyle. And this commercial does a great job of pinpointing they’re target market. Red Bull sponsors the risk takers, the thrill seekers and the go-getters. Overall, Red Bull does a great job of reaching they’re target, but also getting average Joe’s like me to take a second look at their product. Well done Red Bull.
This is by no means a new song, but it’s one of my favorites. Enjoy
I’m putting your patience to the test. I’m putting your body on the line, for less. Didn’t you know there was a choice? It’s never yours but someone else’s voice.
Selling your body to the street. I’m selling your girlfriends to the night, for cheap. Wearing a jacket made of meat, Sealing a letter made with horses’ feet And now you’ve heard that…
Waves turn to grey. Life in the shade. A violent cloud, And that’s the USA Platinum’s on the rise, Playboy’s in disguise I’m just trying’ to find… A mountain I can climb.
I’m putting your patience to the test. I’m putting your body on the line, for less. And didn’t you know there was a choice? It’s never yours but someone else’s voice. And now you’ve seen that…
Blondes turn to grey, Life in the shade A violent cloud, And that’s the USA Porn on the rise, Psycho’s in disguise I’m just trying to find A mountain I can climb.
Darling, Ain’t nobody gonna tell us, They’re gonna be oh so jealous We’re gonna be oh so silent, They’re gonna be stoned in silence
(I didn’t want to ask you, baby I didn’t want to have to ask anybody, baby, Is anyone asking maybe? Can anyone even hear me?)
Why are you waiting by the door?
Life turns to dust, And rain it turns to rust Gossip is a truth, And money pays for the lies we trust Your love is a surprise, Hopeless saints are in disguise I’m just trying to find A nice place for you and I
Metro Station is an American pop rock band that only lasted a handful of years. The band signed their first label in 2006 and disbanded only 4 years later in 2010. I remember they were somewhat popular when they first came out. Shake It even landed a spot Billboard’s Top 10! I’m was never really a fan of the band, but this is an undeniably great song with a great video to back it up! Check it out
My friend introduced me to alt-J the other week and I’ve been hooked on them since. Their sound is so unique, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. Needless to say, alt-J is all over my Smooth Music Playlist on Spotify. Please give it a listen, you might like it!
Lindsey Stirling is an American viloinist, musician, performance artist and youtube sensation. This video is just one of the many reasons why Lindsey has been so popular. Crystallize is a fantastic dubstep song with a great choreographed violin performance to boot. In the past, dubstep has been raunchy and hardcore, but more and more artists are experimenting with the genre and have had much success. I have a feeling that this won’t be the last dubstep song from Ms. Stirling. I urge everyone to just watch the video and hear for yourself. This song is a masterpiece! Enjoy 🙂
The release of Borderlands 2 was very highly anticipated and from what my friends told me, it didn’t disappoint. Since the release, my roommate purchased the game and I’ve gotten to experience it first hand. I’ll just say right now that this is a must play game.
I rarely post reviews of video games, but this game is worth talking about. This space western is a first person shooter with plenty to shoot at. Players earn experience by killing enemies and completing in-game challenges. The free roam feature is nice because you are still able to level up without actually completing the missions. This is a great 2 player co-op game. As a matter of fact, my roommate and I have played quite a bit.
This is a TMM must play! I promise you’ll find something you like about it.
I don’t normally review video games, but after several late nights since it’s release date, it’s safe to say that this game has made an impression on me. If you played D1 then you’ll notice right away that you are able to use your old characters to play through the new story mode. A nice feature that is appreciated by many, myself included. Destiny 2, or Xbox I should say, has made LFG (looking for group) simple and easily accessible to everyone which opens up the multiplayer game in more ways than one! Find groups for PVP (player vs. player) and Strikes, and run through the opposition! If you’re more of a loner when it comes to your online gaming, Destiny 2 will put you into matchmaking and then find a group for you for the Crucible (PVP) and regular Strikes. However, Xbox’s LFG option is extremely helpful for players who want to get the most out of their gameplay. You can find dozens of folks on LFG all trying to accomplish the same events/missions as you. LFG is a must for players who wish to accomplish Nightfall (difficult strike), Leviathan (the raid), and Trials of the Nine (high intensity PVP). Once you have played around and found people you enjoy playing with, don’t be shy! Send them a friend request and keep playing! Chances are they’ll be back at it again the next day/week. 
