Oh The Weather Outside Is Weather…

I decided to forego my usual brand discussion and instead talk about my favorite time of year, the holidays. That’s not to say there aren’t certain aspects of this season that grind my gears a little bit. These are a few things that I could and couldn’t do without.

1. Christmas music puts everyone in a good mood. No one can honestly say that Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” anthem won’t cheer them up in any scenario. But please, the day after Halloween is not the time to start playing this. You’re getting overzealous.

2. Decorations. Christmas lights, stockings, Christmas trees. The whole nine yards. My family has approximately an infinity plus one different Santa Claus figurines, statuettes, pillows, snow globes – you get the point. We also have our fair share of Nutcrackers, nativity scenes, and chocolate. Maybe a little more than our fair share of chocolate. No complaints here.

3. Buying presents for other people is exciting, but there is almost always a moment in the shopping experience when I would rather be impaled by Rudolph. It passes, but it always happens.

4. Wrapping presents is another iffy activity for me. I can stuff tissue paper in a bag all day long. But if you ask me to use wrapping paper, just know it will get messy. I don’t dislike doing it, but I realize that I’m not good at it. I take solace in the fact that I can hide the rips and uneven paper under the bottom of the box.

5. Watching the people open the presents, on the other hand, I love every part of that. Their faces say it all. Granted, it could take a quick turn if they don’t like what you bought. But hopefully they are polite enough to lie to your face and fake it. If not, perhaps reconsider the people you hang out with.

6. It is finally an appropriate time to watch Home Alone repeatedly. By far one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time (in my opinion, the actual greatest), I never tire from seeing cute little McCauley Culkin (pre-meth addict appearance) swing a full paint can into the face of his enemies. Or brand them with an M off of a doorknob. Or use a scene from Angels With Filthy Souls to pretend he’s shooting at the pizza delivery guy, saying, “Keep the change, ya filthy animal.”

The holiday season is a time to be thankful and enjoy the moment. Once you get to New Years Eve, your stress level will rise again for this overrated holiday. So sit back, relax, and drink eggnog while you can.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Me, Myself and Brands

Hello friend. Somehow you have stumbled upon (maybe through StumbleUpon) my new hobby, The Brandwasher. My name is Lindsay, a 22 year old female, height 5’9″, weight for my eyes only, blonde hair (shoutout to my hairdresser and/or hero, Cheryl), brown eyes (shoutout to my parents and/or current landlords, Hank and Allison).

LIKES: dogs, Essie nail polish, wearing heels, pizza, being cold when I sleep, The University of Georgia, football, airports, fall, Linville NC, car chargers, Google Maps phone app, Jim Halpert

DISLIKES: Drew Barrymore, clowns, bugs, scary movies, being hot when I sleep, yoga, beer, blow-drying my hair, eye contacts, traffic, rollercoasters

IN AN IDEAL WORLD, I WOULD…: marry a professional British (or Australian) tennis player, travel to New Zealand, eat anything I wanted without having to exercise, be more selfless, have my kids delivered by a stork like in the old days.

I suppose I should get back to the reason behind the title, “The Brandwasher.” After graduating college with a degree in advertising, I have become acutely aware of the surrounding ‘brandscape.’ Alright, I’ll stop. But in all seriousness, everywhere you look, there is a high probability that a brand will be staring right back at you, whether it’s in a department store or in your own bedroom. Brands are immersing themselves into our daily lives, and they’re trying to make themselves even more present through social media.

At times, this can be a good thing. But at other times, it may seem as if the advertising industry which tries to sell us these brands is brainwashing its audience. As a person who wants to work in advertising, I can assure you “To increase the amount of brainwashed nurturing mothers by 25%” is not on any creative brief. It’s not even in the minds of the professionals. They have a job to do like everyone else, and they want to do it in an innovative, engaging manner.

My blog is going to focus on the “brandwashing” idea, but not in the way you may think. I want to narrow in on certain brands in the entertainment and retail genres (I know I might have lost future views there; I’m okay with that) and discuss what they do right and what they could improve on. I want to wash away preconceived notions so that the only thing left is the brand itself.

This is obviously a completely subjective task. Everyone has a right to their own opinions, so I’m going to take some time and express a few of mine. If you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen. Just kidding. Maybe just cool off in a pool or something and come back.

Cheers.