So it's been WAY to long since I've blogged. Oddly enough I actually wrote a blog just never posted it about a month ago! So, it's old news now! I've been super busy with all my time going to both my part-time and "full-time" jobs... My reason for rejoining this wonderful world of blogging... The topic of having a job and finding a new job!
I'm stuck in this endless cycle. I don't intend to rant about the issues regarding finding a job that you truly love. (Which is something I'm big on... why do something if you're not going to love doing it? Why waste both your own, and other people's time?) I've found that since I started working part-time as an administrative assistant I have less time to search for a career job! While I in no way intend to fall into the trap of not looking for the career I want anymore because I have a job (cause I'm sure all the people that have fallen into the trap intended to), I'm starting to see why you find engineers working at Radio Shack and business majors selling cars. It's time consuming to find a job. It takes patience and persistence and dedication. Finding a job is a full time job... now only if someone could pay me for it...
The job market is fierce. It's competitive and complex and takes a lot of skill almost to even begin to utilize a fraction of the available resources to finding a job. I'll keep working my 9-12 (or 3ish... whenever I'm finally done for the day) job, than head home to start in on my full-time job search to find that perfect job where I don't even notice I'm working way more than 9-5! Until then... it's double duty for this girl. Just one day/job search at a time!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Hockey Boards...
Hockey boards are plastered with advertisements. These logos, pictures, and catchphrases cost a lot of money. But who are they intended for? The fan in attendance or the TV spectators? And how effective are they I wonder? While both in-house and TV fans alike are exposed to the ads, I'd argue the TV fan barely notices a lot of them, and the fan in attendance has too many other things to pay attention to. AND even if they do notice them ad, is the recollection of the ad even effective?
The Boards and TV: When watching the game on TV you notice how quickly the camera moves to follow the puck. I challenged myself to try and actually read and recognize some of the logos. While I could figure out what a lot of them where, there were many that had I not had a few opportunities, or previous knowledge of who some of the sponsors are, I would still be trying to figure it out. The issue came down to that the camera was either zoomed out so far to watch the play that some logos were too small, zoomed in on a close-up that you could only see bits and pieces, or the play was simply too fast.
At the game: While at the game the issues are similar in that hockey is a fast-paced game. You rarely look at one section of the ice for an extended amount of time. Add into the numerous sponsorships and ads throughout the arena, and game as a whole, it's tough to really pay attention or care about what is going on aside from the game itself. I would argue that there is a saturation of advertising causing the consumer to be able to easily tune it out in hockey arenas, if not all sporting events.
Kevin Lane Kellar in The Journal of Consumer Research © 1987 (1), discusses the consumers likelihood to retrieve an advertisement from their memory based off of what they felt or saw during the time they saw the advertisement. So let's say the PENS win a game, Highmark is an ad I saw on their boards, I was excited during the game. I find out after the game I'm fired from my job and need to find my own health insurance coverage. Does the excitement of winning and the feeling of hope tie into the getting insurance, and being able to afford good coverage through Highmark, or does the excitement of winning tie into the fact I lost my job and now have more expenses. Change the situation and the PENS lost the game, I need insurance for the same reason, now I'm recalling Highmark based off a bad situation, will I really think highly of Highmark? It's a tough question advertising researches must face when placing these ad's on the boards. A sure thought of association for most people is "I like the PENS. The PENS are associated with Highmark. Thus I like Highmark." A simple concept and train of thought.
But the boards cost a lot. There are different exposure times depending on who is meant to see them and where in the rink they're located, while the speed of the game makes you constantly change where you're looking. does the memory retrieval work and even out the cost to put a giant sticker on the boards?
1. Memory Factors in Advertising: The Effect of Advertising Retrieval Cues on Brand Evaluations. Kevin Lane Keller. The Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Dec., 1987), pp. 316-333. Published by: The University of Chicago Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2489494
The Boards and TV: When watching the game on TV you notice how quickly the camera moves to follow the puck. I challenged myself to try and actually read and recognize some of the logos. While I could figure out what a lot of them where, there were many that had I not had a few opportunities, or previous knowledge of who some of the sponsors are, I would still be trying to figure it out. The issue came down to that the camera was either zoomed out so far to watch the play that some logos were too small, zoomed in on a close-up that you could only see bits and pieces, or the play was simply too fast.
At the game: While at the game the issues are similar in that hockey is a fast-paced game. You rarely look at one section of the ice for an extended amount of time. Add into the numerous sponsorships and ads throughout the arena, and game as a whole, it's tough to really pay attention or care about what is going on aside from the game itself. I would argue that there is a saturation of advertising causing the consumer to be able to easily tune it out in hockey arenas, if not all sporting events.
Kevin Lane Kellar in The Journal of Consumer Research © 1987 (1), discusses the consumers likelihood to retrieve an advertisement from their memory based off of what they felt or saw during the time they saw the advertisement. So let's say the PENS win a game, Highmark is an ad I saw on their boards, I was excited during the game. I find out after the game I'm fired from my job and need to find my own health insurance coverage. Does the excitement of winning and the feeling of hope tie into the getting insurance, and being able to afford good coverage through Highmark, or does the excitement of winning tie into the fact I lost my job and now have more expenses. Change the situation and the PENS lost the game, I need insurance for the same reason, now I'm recalling Highmark based off a bad situation, will I really think highly of Highmark? It's a tough question advertising researches must face when placing these ad's on the boards. A sure thought of association for most people is "I like the PENS. The PENS are associated with Highmark. Thus I like Highmark." A simple concept and train of thought.
But the boards cost a lot. There are different exposure times depending on who is meant to see them and where in the rink they're located, while the speed of the game makes you constantly change where you're looking. does the memory retrieval work and even out the cost to put a giant sticker on the boards?
1. Memory Factors in Advertising: The Effect of Advertising Retrieval Cues on Brand Evaluations. Kevin Lane Keller. The Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Dec., 1987), pp. 316-333. Published by: The University of Chicago Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2489494
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Ten Two-Second Tangents
You know how you have those few things that drive you crazy or leave your perplexed? Well here are some of mine that have really come to light in the past few weeks. Here are ten 2-second tangents.
1. Offside/sides: In sports that require two sides to a field each team is assigned a side for X-amount of time. The team is assigned one side. One. No plural. When the other team cheats and gets behind the defense they are off their side. They are NOT off their sides seeing as how they only have one side. Thus the call is offside!!!!!
2. People and garbage: I was tempted to write "the human race" as the actual category, but thought that was a bit extreme. I HATE going places (i.e. stores, sporting events, concerts, etc.) and seeing garbage everywhere as people leave to head home and on the way out the door they walk past 8,500 garbage cans. I seriously wonder what these people do in their homes. If you eat something, drop something, spill something, clean it up! I've heard plenty of times, "people are paid to clean it up! I'm keeping them employed." Simply ridiculous. No one should have to spend hours on end cleaning up after people who are perfectly able to do it themselves!!! *This really irked me when I went to Consol Energy Center, and its a brand new arena we're all so happy to see, yet as I walked away from my seat I'm stepping over people's garbage everywhere!
3. Bathroom keys with big wooden key chains: What's the purpose? Is someone really going to steal the key to a public restroom at a gas station? Do you really need every customer and passerby on the street to know that you have to No. 1 or 2 as you more or less take a walk of shame carrying a giant slab of wood to the restroom? Anyone else feel self-conscious carrying those things?... Maybe it's just me!?
4. Magnets- specifically free ones: I know this has been touched on before, but free magnets a lot of the time drive me crazy. Even more specifically the calendar ones. Calendars expire! I don't need a calendar from five years ago holding my phone bill to the fridge! And once, I had an acquaintance who collected magnets from everywhere they went, and you couldn't even utilize the magnet to hold something because they covered every square inch of the fridge! I think it added ten pounds to the door that it took 2 hands to even pry the door open!! I will acknowledge and give credit to the some magnets. I like the ones that both clip/hold things as well as keeping it suspended from my refrigerator!
5. 0 vs. O: If you didn't notice that is a "zero" and an "o." Notice, they look slightly different when typed. Notice when pronounced they sound nothing alike. Notice one is a number and one is letter. In my world they aren't interchangeable. I acknowledge when talking money, it's way easier to say seven oh nine is the total, however that doesn't make it correct. And really your phone number isn't eight-five-o-two. If I were to plug in the "o" and not use the zero, since technically that's what you said, I'd be calling eight-five-six-two.
6. Public bathroom etiquette: I'm a girl, so for all you guys you might be disturbed to learn that girls bathrooms are not perfectly clean and sanitary, and the fault goes to the women using the bathroom! I have advice for this number. 1.) flush the toilet when you're done. 2.) if you walk into a stall that isn't flushed... flush it! You aren't going to get terrible diseases because you flushed a toilet that wasn't yours!
7. Powerful potties: Sticking with the bathrooms, why do they make the toilets that flush with such great force they could suck a small child down, while throwing enough water out of the bowl to wash the seat, the wall, and the floor surrounding!? Seriously... not cool powerful potty-maker.
8. Turn signals and brakes: A long time ago man made cars. Man made turn signals and brakes and put them in the cars. Man looked at his creation with bonus features and thought this is good. Then man drove the car and pressed the brakes and turn signals whenever he wanted causing other drivers to get really really... not happy! I'm not the best driver in the world, but I take pride in that I know how to use my turn signals and brakes. Here is what I recall from those days when I was first learning the proper techniques for when you're behind the wheel.
-When approaching a turn, turn on appropriate signal, then begin to decrease speed. This will allow for drivers following behind to accommodate their speed for your approaching turn. Don't get to your turn, slam on your brakes, then as you turn the wheel throw the signal on. Really. I couldn't have guessed by that point that you're turning!
- Brakes slow a car down. However, note that removing your foot from the gas can also serve the purpose. Your foot DOES NOT need to be pressing a pedal down at all times.
9. Good vs. Well: The food taste good. The kids played well together. While the word "good" does fit in similar places as well, that doesn't make it correct!!! Sound just that much smarter when you speak correctly! "Good job! You're playing good." ugh. no no no. "Good job, you're playing well!" Come on people. There are some cases where "good" is ok where some people will insist on using "well." Grammar Girl does a nice job of explaining the differences.
10. Ignorant: I think most of the human race has grown to understand the actual definition of ignorant... however, possible there is a direct correlation to small town, partially redneck neighborhoods, and the use of ignorant meaning rude or mean. Again, I acknowledge most people know that ignorant is not a synonym with any of those words, however it drives me crazy so to review: (according to Meriam-Webster)
1. Offside/sides: In sports that require two sides to a field each team is assigned a side for X-amount of time. The team is assigned one side. One. No plural. When the other team cheats and gets behind the defense they are off their side. They are NOT off their sides seeing as how they only have one side. Thus the call is offside!!!!!
2. People and garbage: I was tempted to write "the human race" as the actual category, but thought that was a bit extreme. I HATE going places (i.e. stores, sporting events, concerts, etc.) and seeing garbage everywhere as people leave to head home and on the way out the door they walk past 8,500 garbage cans. I seriously wonder what these people do in their homes. If you eat something, drop something, spill something, clean it up! I've heard plenty of times, "people are paid to clean it up! I'm keeping them employed." Simply ridiculous. No one should have to spend hours on end cleaning up after people who are perfectly able to do it themselves!!! *This really irked me when I went to Consol Energy Center, and its a brand new arena we're all so happy to see, yet as I walked away from my seat I'm stepping over people's garbage everywhere!
3. Bathroom keys with big wooden key chains: What's the purpose? Is someone really going to steal the key to a public restroom at a gas station? Do you really need every customer and passerby on the street to know that you have to No. 1 or 2 as you more or less take a walk of shame carrying a giant slab of wood to the restroom? Anyone else feel self-conscious carrying those things?... Maybe it's just me!?
4. Magnets- specifically free ones: I know this has been touched on before, but free magnets a lot of the time drive me crazy. Even more specifically the calendar ones. Calendars expire! I don't need a calendar from five years ago holding my phone bill to the fridge! And once, I had an acquaintance who collected magnets from everywhere they went, and you couldn't even utilize the magnet to hold something because they covered every square inch of the fridge! I think it added ten pounds to the door that it took 2 hands to even pry the door open!! I will acknowledge and give credit to the some magnets. I like the ones that both clip/hold things as well as keeping it suspended from my refrigerator!
5. 0 vs. O: If you didn't notice that is a "zero" and an "o." Notice, they look slightly different when typed. Notice when pronounced they sound nothing alike. Notice one is a number and one is letter. In my world they aren't interchangeable. I acknowledge when talking money, it's way easier to say seven oh nine is the total, however that doesn't make it correct. And really your phone number isn't eight-five-o-two. If I were to plug in the "o" and not use the zero, since technically that's what you said, I'd be calling eight-five-six-two.
6. Public bathroom etiquette: I'm a girl, so for all you guys you might be disturbed to learn that girls bathrooms are not perfectly clean and sanitary, and the fault goes to the women using the bathroom! I have advice for this number. 1.) flush the toilet when you're done. 2.) if you walk into a stall that isn't flushed... flush it! You aren't going to get terrible diseases because you flushed a toilet that wasn't yours!
7. Powerful potties: Sticking with the bathrooms, why do they make the toilets that flush with such great force they could suck a small child down, while throwing enough water out of the bowl to wash the seat, the wall, and the floor surrounding!? Seriously... not cool powerful potty-maker.
8. Turn signals and brakes: A long time ago man made cars. Man made turn signals and brakes and put them in the cars. Man looked at his creation with bonus features and thought this is good. Then man drove the car and pressed the brakes and turn signals whenever he wanted causing other drivers to get really really... not happy! I'm not the best driver in the world, but I take pride in that I know how to use my turn signals and brakes. Here is what I recall from those days when I was first learning the proper techniques for when you're behind the wheel.
-When approaching a turn, turn on appropriate signal, then begin to decrease speed. This will allow for drivers following behind to accommodate their speed for your approaching turn. Don't get to your turn, slam on your brakes, then as you turn the wheel throw the signal on. Really. I couldn't have guessed by that point that you're turning!
- Brakes slow a car down. However, note that removing your foot from the gas can also serve the purpose. Your foot DOES NOT need to be pressing a pedal down at all times.
9. Good vs. Well: The food taste good. The kids played well together. While the word "good" does fit in similar places as well, that doesn't make it correct!!! Sound just that much smarter when you speak correctly! "Good job! You're playing good." ugh. no no no. "Good job, you're playing well!" Come on people. There are some cases where "good" is ok where some people will insist on using "well." Grammar Girl does a nice job of explaining the differences.
10. Ignorant: I think most of the human race has grown to understand the actual definition of ignorant... however, possible there is a direct correlation to small town, partially redneck neighborhoods, and the use of ignorant meaning rude or mean. Again, I acknowledge most people know that ignorant is not a synonym with any of those words, however it drives me crazy so to review: (according to Meriam-Webster)
Definition of IGNORANT
All in all, I recognize that it probably took you longer than 2-seconds to read each of those tangents, BUT hey wouldn't you rather read it than listen to me go off on a tangent in discussion which I guarantee would take longer than 2-seconds?!
Friday, September 24, 2010
First ever... well preseason!
Just a few days ago I was lucky enough to attend the first ever hockey game by the PENS at Consol Energy Center. Now granted it was a pre-season game, it was the first. The first puck drop, the first time the penalty box was used, the first time a fight occurred, the first wave, the first kiss cam, all in front of the first sell-out crowd... All for a measly pre-season game!! But I made some observations on the atmosphere and the event itself (because that's what sporting events really are any more, a full out event, not just a game).
Pro- for PR Mare; Con- for fan Mare, Everything is sponsored: We have the "Powerball Powerplay," the "GNC Penalty Kill," each intermission was sponsored, heck even the Star Spangled Banner was brought to us by someone! I do recall some of the sponsors, so the advertising/marketing was effective to an extent. But I feel by both PR Mare and fan Mare, that they are saturating the game/event. There have always been sponsors, other then on the boards and ice and Ice Time game program, but now having everything sponsored seems like an overkill to me. It was to the point I was annoyed to hear another sponsor, and was waiting for each puck drop to be brought to me by someone. Both Mare's understand that this beautiful new arena isn't possible without sponsors, but something a little more subtle needs put in place. Being the fan that I am, I know with or without First Niagara, the second intermission will take place, and by golly you try and stop Jeff Jimerson from gracing us with our National Anthem!
No Pro- No Con, Marketing theme "Destiny has a new home." : Only thing that hasn't had me buy into this completely is part of me feels like it's marketing the new arena more then the team. Yes the destiny is that of the PENS, but I get caught up on the "new home" part and get the image of just the arena stuck in my head. However, the commercials I've seen so far definitely have me excited. So I can't claim it as a pro or a con, just an observation! *Tiny disclaimer: I REALLY loved "A Great Day for Hockey" campaign so all other campaigns for me really have to attempt to compete with that, and I haven't found one that really does!
Pro/Con Scoreboard: Having a scoreboard that's bigger than a house is ridiculously awesome (tiny exaggeration but for real. It's huge.) Add in there that the footage is shown in HD is simply the coolest thing ever. The Con comes from the tiny placement of the penalty player and time, as well as the shots on goal and time outs. These appear above the big screen that shows the game, on a long skinny board, but I felt those few info things could be up sized a bit. It was hard to read the category that was being displayed (TOL especially.)
Con, but can be easily fixed, acoustics: Turn Katie O'Malley's mic down or at least the high button. She was spiking lots. Not good.
Pro, seats: Seriously, while I haven't set in them all (although I did the little tour a few weeks back and walked around a lot of them) there is not a bad seat in the place. While at Mellon, I sat in a lot of sections, and really there were some awful seats. One game I spent more time trying to find a new place to watch from then even seeing the game. I sat in section 232, Row J, (section only goes to M or N) and the view was perfect! These guys really knew what they were doing when they put this together! The only con I had on any placement of seating is that with the runway going right to the players bench, the players didn't run out like they used to and I couldn't see players go down the runway during game time. While it was a preseason game and they might just have not felt like running, I like being able to always see what's going on with the players, and simply couldn't.
Misc.
- The Ice Crew which used to be the PENS Patrol I do believe, is now made up of both males and females and aside from throwing out shirts and dancing around they clean the ice during game time stoppages. My thought is, do the older guys who have been cleaning the ice all these years feel sad and displaced, or are they still making the same amount of money so enjoying relaxing during the periods and only having to tend to the ice on intermissions now...?
- I love efficiency and I am confident the routes the Zamboni's take (and always have been taking since I've been going to PENS games) is the most efficient. I see other routes at other arenas, and well, I think they're not accomplishing the job nearly as effectively time wise, then what the PENS Zamboni drivers do. So shout out to the Zamboni drivers on a route well taken.
- Bathrooms are huge. This should be moved up to a Pro list because I was pretty impressed to experience no lines at the women's restroom before or after the game!
- Finally to touch on the play of the PENS. Obviously you have lots of guys playing during preseason that you'll never see again during the season. But all in all as a team I thought passing looked good, accepting passes which always seems to be a problem was decent, and all in all I thought the PENS came out ready to play, while the Red Wings must have hired some kids down the street to put on their uniforms for the first 2 periods. Definitely didn't resemble anything that looked like the Red Wings to me.
So after all those observations, I'm excited for Hocktober (# goes out to the Twitterverse on coming up with that beautiful term! :) ). The arena is super cool, and while there's pros and cons to both the shiny and new, and the old charm of the old, the new is nice, and for the time being we can still see the old...
Pro- for PR Mare; Con- for fan Mare, Everything is sponsored: We have the "Powerball Powerplay," the "GNC Penalty Kill," each intermission was sponsored, heck even the Star Spangled Banner was brought to us by someone! I do recall some of the sponsors, so the advertising/marketing was effective to an extent. But I feel by both PR Mare and fan Mare, that they are saturating the game/event. There have always been sponsors, other then on the boards and ice and Ice Time game program, but now having everything sponsored seems like an overkill to me. It was to the point I was annoyed to hear another sponsor, and was waiting for each puck drop to be brought to me by someone. Both Mare's understand that this beautiful new arena isn't possible without sponsors, but something a little more subtle needs put in place. Being the fan that I am, I know with or without First Niagara, the second intermission will take place, and by golly you try and stop Jeff Jimerson from gracing us with our National Anthem!
No Pro- No Con, Marketing theme "Destiny has a new home." : Only thing that hasn't had me buy into this completely is part of me feels like it's marketing the new arena more then the team. Yes the destiny is that of the PENS, but I get caught up on the "new home" part and get the image of just the arena stuck in my head. However, the commercials I've seen so far definitely have me excited. So I can't claim it as a pro or a con, just an observation! *Tiny disclaimer: I REALLY loved "A Great Day for Hockey" campaign so all other campaigns for me really have to attempt to compete with that, and I haven't found one that really does!
Pro/Con Scoreboard: Having a scoreboard that's bigger than a house is ridiculously awesome (tiny exaggeration but for real. It's huge.) Add in there that the footage is shown in HD is simply the coolest thing ever. The Con comes from the tiny placement of the penalty player and time, as well as the shots on goal and time outs. These appear above the big screen that shows the game, on a long skinny board, but I felt those few info things could be up sized a bit. It was hard to read the category that was being displayed (TOL especially.)
Con, but can be easily fixed, acoustics: Turn Katie O'Malley's mic down or at least the high button. She was spiking lots. Not good.
Pro, seats: Seriously, while I haven't set in them all (although I did the little tour a few weeks back and walked around a lot of them) there is not a bad seat in the place. While at Mellon, I sat in a lot of sections, and really there were some awful seats. One game I spent more time trying to find a new place to watch from then even seeing the game. I sat in section 232, Row J, (section only goes to M or N) and the view was perfect! These guys really knew what they were doing when they put this together! The only con I had on any placement of seating is that with the runway going right to the players bench, the players didn't run out like they used to and I couldn't see players go down the runway during game time. While it was a preseason game and they might just have not felt like running, I like being able to always see what's going on with the players, and simply couldn't.
Misc.
- The Ice Crew which used to be the PENS Patrol I do believe, is now made up of both males and females and aside from throwing out shirts and dancing around they clean the ice during game time stoppages. My thought is, do the older guys who have been cleaning the ice all these years feel sad and displaced, or are they still making the same amount of money so enjoying relaxing during the periods and only having to tend to the ice on intermissions now...?
- I love efficiency and I am confident the routes the Zamboni's take (and always have been taking since I've been going to PENS games) is the most efficient. I see other routes at other arenas, and well, I think they're not accomplishing the job nearly as effectively time wise, then what the PENS Zamboni drivers do. So shout out to the Zamboni drivers on a route well taken.
- Bathrooms are huge. This should be moved up to a Pro list because I was pretty impressed to experience no lines at the women's restroom before or after the game!
- Finally to touch on the play of the PENS. Obviously you have lots of guys playing during preseason that you'll never see again during the season. But all in all as a team I thought passing looked good, accepting passes which always seems to be a problem was decent, and all in all I thought the PENS came out ready to play, while the Red Wings must have hired some kids down the street to put on their uniforms for the first 2 periods. Definitely didn't resemble anything that looked like the Red Wings to me.
So after all those observations, I'm excited for Hocktober (# goes out to the Twitterverse on coming up with that beautiful term! :) ). The arena is super cool, and while there's pros and cons to both the shiny and new, and the old charm of the old, the new is nice, and for the time being we can still see the old...
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