Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc.: Live Performance

SCREW Virgin Galactic!  Why would someone drop major coin to go into low earth orbit for a couple of minutes when they can spend significantly less on a personal Martin Jetpack? Below is  video from The Martin Aircraft Company who makes the huge  jetpacks that enable a person to fly up to 30 miles at 30 mph on just one tank.  The Martin Jetpack complies with the FAA Part 103 Ultralight Regulations. The Ultralight class does not require an FAA recognized pilot’s license.

The trip mainly consisted of eating, drinking, exploring Paris, and yes….romance   As always, I found some time for photography.  Although I brought my Cannon, I found that I had more fun shooting with my iPhone.  It has occurred to me that when I shoot with a professional camera, I tend to become very anti-social.  All I want to think about is getting the right shot.  Obviously, this was not going to fly with Cindy.  The iPhone allowed me to take it down several notches and still capture some cool scenes while having a blast exploring parts of Paris I had yet to see.

My Paris Valentines Day Set was mainly shot in Montmartre.  The black and white effect is courtesy of the Old Camera App for iPhone.    I know, I know…..the black and white does not give the warmest Vday vibe.  Chalk it up to me feeling goth that day.  Admittedly,  this effort was sparse.  Again, I had other more important things on my mind.

You may view all the set via Flickr: Paris Valentines Day Set

Throughout life I have held a very healthy attitude about virgins….come back when you know what you are doing.

It’s ironic that the same feeling can now be applied to Richard Branson’s Virgin brands.  During my recent trip to London, I was booked round trip in premium economy on Virgin Atlantic.  This was the first time that I had a chance to experience the much hyped airline and I was excited about the opportunity to compare them to British Airways (which I have flown twice this year).  Needless to say, I was not impressed.

For starters, the planes on both legs of the trip seemed small and dated.  The entertainment system was different for each flight and the quality of the video screens were appalling.  The onboard laptop power did not work on either of my legs to and from London.  Indeed, beyond not working, they are located in the most inconvenient spot between your chair and your neighbor that to even get your cord plugged in you basically have to give a reach around. Finally, their terminal at Heathrow looks like the 1980’s set for the movie Airplane!

When I compare this to the experience I had with British Airways, you can’t blame me for wanting Virgin Atlantic to take a step back and learn some basics from a seasoned brand.  British Airways seems to have invested an enormous amount of resource on the user experience.  They keep immaculate care of their cabins; the entertainment system was top notch and consistent across all four of my flights, the onboard power worked and was located in a easy to reach place; and their NEW terminal at Heathrow…..well lets just say if they offered condos I would be tempted to buy one.  Its brilliant.

My experience with Virgin goes beyond air travel.  I also had the misfortune to ride Virgin Train from London to Manchester 5-6 years ago.  That experience was also disappointing as the train was run down and dirty.  I sense pattern emerging.  Virgin has a tight game around their brand and marketing.  They really make you think that traveling with them is going to be akin to a “Catch Me if You Can” esque Mile High Club Bonanza.  However, when it comes to executions, they FAIL.  Kinda reminds me of that cheerleader in high school that liked to talk a big game but when it came right down to it, knew as much about sex as the Virgin Mary.

So Mr. Branson, before you even can count on me to ever consider spending money on your new venture, Virgin Galactic, you may want to focus on your earthly possessions and really deliver what you promise in your ads.

In the words of Edward Dahlbert “What men desire is a virgin who is a whore”.

A great example they provide is The Icecreamists, UK ice cream brand that has positioned itself using premium, X-rated flavors. The Sex Pistol is the most recent flavor, which is available exclusively at The Icecreamists’ pop-up shop (named God Save the Cream), open in London’s Selfridges department store from September to November 2009, it is deemed so potent that sales are limited to one per customer.

Thankfully, R/West out of Portland Oregon has come up with a series of syndicated commercials for the Suburban Auto Group of Sandy, Oregon that breaks the traditional mold of some middle age guy guy screaming on his lot about all of his fantastic car deals.  Instead, the agency struck word of mouth gold by adapting a concept originally created in January, 2000 by Sean Sosik-Hamor, for the automotive group of Subaru enthusiasts in the New England Subaru Impreza Club, or NESIC. According to Wikipedia, the original concept of a “Trunk Monkey” was a small stuffed animal placed in the trunk of a vehicle which came alive and jumped from side to side to help distribute weight during “spirited driving maneuvers”.

There are more then 10 hilarious ads the have been produced that generally involve the intercession of a chimpanzee to solve a problem when a “trunk monkey” button on the dashboard is pressed.  I have embedded some of my favs below for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy!

Road Rage System

Anti-Vandalism System

Theft Retrieval System

Pediatric System

Chaperon System

Anti-Abduction System

Well played DDB Chicago for this great ad concept for Bud Light Lime!

This entire set with my taken with my iphone. The Black and White photos were processed using the “Old Camera” iPhone application.  I took a shot at the beginning of each set and live-casted updates to my Facebook Account via Tweetie.

Click here to view the entire set via Flickr.