for fun #5

I saw this on ROOM 116 and thought it was hilarious! Okay, how about really cute. I love English Bulldogs. A good friend of mine back in Tampa has one named Winston. I've never met such personality in a dog.

school #2

FIFA World

We finally presented our FIFA project yesterday. (CS: Matt Mullen, CS: Dalynn Fortner, AD: Richard Fischer, CW: Dave Ramirez) Things went well, really well. My team had fabulous charisma, and a team work ethic that is hard to match. FIFA is essentially the governing body of football. Developing the strategy was tough, and with a project like this we tend to come up with the most audacious ideas. From the strategy, my creative team came up with the idea of FIFA World. The idea was to create an interactive space that gets you to see football through the eyes of FIFA. I think they did a great job. It is a football paradise. Imagine rolling hills of turf, trees sprouting soccer balls, and players walking around. Another element was the FIFA World Passport that people can use to interact with the site and keep tabs on the places they visit in FIFA World. Fans can take their passport to pubs and games to help keep track of their tickets stubs and start the conversation. It is the Devout Followers scrapbook. I had so much fun with the project and our team was a dream team. At least for me. :) The more I work with Dave and Richard, the more I understand the trust creatives need to have in their planners...and vice versa.

Positioning statement: FIFA protects the sanctity of the sport while uniting the world under the divine love of football.

Thanks Matt, Dave, and Richard for being so fun and dedicated. I'm really going to miss the people I've met in school when it's all over in eight weeks. We've invested so much of ourselves into the Adcenter and our class that it's hard for me to swallow the end. Bring it on though! I'm ready. :)

*Update: I pulled the work off for some creative stitching with Dave and Richard.

school

We had an interesting discussion in Caley's class today. It's our second year Portfolio Development class, and we generally charge one another to think in "out-of-the-box" (excuse the cliché) ways about an assignment, or in today's case, a guest speaker. We decided to recap the Russell Davies seminar from Friday. Caley had something interesting to say. I found it pretty funny. We always hear the “bash the planner” speech. We hear it a lot. Even one of our best creative professors, Mark Fenske has his own interpretation. A creative is running down the football field with football in hand, and we as planners poke the ball and slow down the process. Super motivating, eh? (Despite this, Fenske is a great professor.) Caley had a brief laugh about how Russell flipped the switch on the “bash the planner” speech. For the first time, someone talked about the delicate balance between a creative’s ego and the creative’s insecurity. Russell's point was that you had to be a certain type of person to be a creative because you take so much rejection in the industry. This is very true. We only relished for a moment about the flip of the switch. Many speakers have told us that smart creatives want the strategist's guidance, they crave the information like I crave Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (tmi). Fortunately, there are a lot of smart creatives.

Photo from Flickr gmritt

stuff #3

Nice People

I want to thank all of the nice people. Okay, I know this is an odd blog, but how often do we actually thank people for being nice? I met Jen in San Francisco last week. I didn't know her before meeting her, but I knew of her from my roommate. My roommate knows Jen from home, and six months ago Jen moved to San Francisco to work as a Youth Pastor. She lives in a nice little house with an extra bed and two oversized comfy couches. Without ever meeting us, Jen opened up her home and her life to two strangers. You always expect a strange or awkward moment to occur when you meet someone new. Well, funny and "oh no" moments happened, but I felt as though I was at home with an old friend. She was a great host and introduced us to fabulous Thai and Italian restaurants in the Sunset Disctrict. I was thinking of her today and hoping that she was doing well. It's hard to find someone like Jen. She treated us like family in a new city.

It got me thinking about people who are simply genuinely nice. When you meet someone nice it reminds you of how simple life can be when you are around someone who cares about living life and enjoying people. Thank you nice people. I hope to meet many more of you in the future. Nice people can do great things when they are with other nice people.

*This picture was taken at the top of Grandview Park. Nice Jen is the one in black, and I'm the nerd in the Intern shirt. Thanks Leo Burnett. ;)

**Update: I'm adding Mark Lewis to the nice people list.

stuff #2

Coke + "beauty tea" = reluctant consumer

I ran into this article about Coke looking into the beauty tea business. It looks as though Coke would partner with L'Oréal and sell the tea in boutique department stores right next to the cosmetics. I have a personal struggle with Coke wanting to develop a product for beauty. I love a fountain Coke, but my skin has an aversion to pop. I'm sure the packaging wouldn't boast "from the makers of Coke," but I don't think Coke has a vested interest in how I feel about beauty from the inside and out. I'm generally not a person who buys into "beauty" products, but a few months ago I detoured into World Market and found myself surrounded by The Republic of Tea. I fell head over heels for a product they have called Get Gorgeous. I spent $10 on the tea because the brand and the packaging sold me. I really believed the company cared about my feelings. Funny, but I think the tea actually works. It doesn't solve my problem but it helps. I know Coke wants a chunk of the market, but when I think of Coke, I think of a moment on the lips and two weeks on the cheeks...or something. It could be a success or it could be a failure. Sometimes it feels like brands just want to be the Wal-Marts and the Targets of the world. Why wouldn't they? Take a look at this article for Heineken. Come play in Heineken Land!

stuff

I had the most fortunate evening last night. A few weeks ago, I put my name in the pot to pick up Russell Davies from the airport for the VCU Adcenter board meeting. Of course, I didn't know what to expect. But, he is quite possibly one of the most humble individuals I have ever met. Last fall, when I picked up Paul Lavoie from Taxi, I had this nervous tension going on throughout the whole board meeting process. For some reason, the "networking" feels natural with the spring meeting. I believe it's the idea about getting a job through these people that made me quiver. I've come to realize the process should be fun, intense, and invigorating...almost. I'm looking for a place that suits me just as much as I suit them.

Russell is doing a seminar for the Adcenter Planners tomorrow, and he asked me last night what he should address. I was taken by the question because I know what I want to talk about, but I did not want to speak for everyone. I was happy to tell him what is intriguing for me coming out of school and back into the "real world."

We've had a lot of speakers the last few weeks, and for me the guest of the semester was Andy. There was no, "what do you want to know because I can tell you everything" tension going on in the room. He came with four key takeaways, conversation, and kept the atmosphere fluid.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I don't think Russell realizes just how popular he is on our world. I do have one thing I want to know...how does he keep up with all of his sites?

*The picture is of Russell…the one he drew for the Adcenter board wall. I held it up at the airport last night and he had a good laugh of it.

**Update: Paul Coleman drew the picture for Russell. :)

happy birthday Duke

Meet my brother Duke or as I affectionately refer to him, "tha man":

He is 15 years old today. I simply wanted to tell him happy birthday.

*I haven't posted much this week. It's been an intense few days. Looking forward to venturing out into the world again to find some things that are interesting to share.

picture #2

I found this on IHAVEANIDEA today. There was something about it that intrigued me. I think it will intrigue others as well. If I saw this in person, I would have to stop and stare. Street Art in Madrid.


The copy in the last one reads:
DO NOT PLAY WITH BALLS AND WALLS

"PRIVATE PROPERTY
PROHIBITED TO PLAY
WITH BALLS
AGAINST THIS WALL"

for fun #4

Wanted:
Best restuarant in Tampa to propose to girlfriend.
In town with four friends, desire best pizza off Michigan Avenue.
Dinner with mom in Tribeca, need quiet but good home cooked feel.
Great Italian restaurant with best tiramisu for dessert.

Are you asking me, what is this Dalynn, get to the point?
Well, it's CHOWHOUND For Those Who Live to Eat. I had to share this with the world. Well, the two people who read my blog. ;) For advice on your next meal in town, visit CHOWHOUND.

"CHOW is a new kind of food media. Not only is our subject matter different—about the parties you really want to go to, the meals you really want to eat, the gear you really want to have—but we deliver it to you in audio, video, and everything else the Web’s got to offer. Come to us for recipes, instruction, news, entertainment, discussion, and advice. And come often—we update the site daily."

for fun #3

Sidewalk Astronomy! I found this short post in Wired magazine about Jeffrey Jacobs and his adventure with sidewalk astronomy. The movement was founded by John Dobson, who thought astronomy should be for everyone. Since its inception, Sidewalk Astronomers have popped up all over the place. Sidewalk Astronomers, Sidewalk Astronomers US, San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers. Believe it or not, the San Francisco group was started by nine-year-olds because they were not old enough to join Sidewalk Astronomers. I find it fascinating that amateur astrologists pick-up their telescope, take it to a busy street corner, and become a teacher to people passing by. Suddenly, you become a student of space, learning about the 64 moons surrounding Jupiter and that mountains on the moon are as high as the Alps. I hope to run into a Sidewalk Astronomer one day. If we could see beyond our own sight and through the sky into another universe, I'm sure our imaginations would take us places we never thought possible. Continue to dream.

picture today

A half pint is great after a few pints. I was tempted to stash the glass but purity came to mind.
Pic taken and half pint consumed at Penny Lane Pub.

he said, she said

Damien wrote me this morning in response to my new blog:
"I'm anti-blogging. It's like being on the phone with someone only you don't get to hear their voice."

make you laugh

Agency: Golden Advertising, Vietnam
Made you look? Made you laugh?
Ads of the World commenters didn't care for them. It reminds me of a comic strip. The second one makes me laugh. Clinton anyone...?

for fun #2

I happened upon a photo blog of a guy who found this website in December: Running from Camera.
The rules: set camera self-timer to 2 seconds and start running. Running from Camera was enough to inspire another man in different country to start his own 16x9 2second blips on bipfoto. I think I will have to try running from camera sometime.

for fun

I got OWNED last week. To get owned or to own a friend just type a name in place of dalynn in the link and get owned.
*It's a nice laugh/break when you are working late.