Tag: advertising | Shiny Bits of Life

January 4, 2011December 27, 2010

Time is precious, part two

Advertising is part of life in this world (unless you live really off the beaten path – and if you’re reading this, you most likely aren’t).

We get a packet of junk mail every Wednesday. Without fail, I spend about three minutes sorting through the pile. Some weeks, I think I should just toss it all in the recycle bin before even looking at it. But I go through it anyway, to set out the supermarket flyers for Heather and to see if there are any other treasure awaiting. Most of the time there aren’t.

Takeaway: What things can you cut out of your routines to save time? And to save mental energy, be it however small an amount?

And by the way, happy new year!!

November 8, 2010October 31, 2010

Ads everywhere

As we rode light rail trains around Kuala Lumpur, I noticed that ads were on the ceilings of the train cars. It seemed that companies rent ad space on entire trains. The outsides and insides of a train are completely wrapped in advertising for one company. Sometimes ads even cover parts of windows.

In this case, the company had something to do with preventing computer viruses.

I briefly raise these questions: How much advertising is too much? What if these ads help the train fare to be lower? And are the ads even effective? (I will answer that one – I’d guess that train users see them once and then the ads become invisible.)

March 1, 2010February 23, 2010

Not Swiss

NOT-swiss Faithful readers will know that I enjoy looking at the Sunday newspaper coupon supplements for a few moments of amusement each week.

Swiss iced tea? No. At least not in gallon containers. Even then, no. Iced tea is a distinctively American thing. Gallon clear plastic jugs of a cold beverage are not very Swiss.

Diet Swiss iced tea? Even further removed from reality.

Finally, I went to the where to buy section of their site, typed in “Switzerland” – and you guessed it – “No results found.”