Twinkies. They’re Supposed to Last Forever

That's right folks. It is a sad sad day when your favorite sweet brand is closing. Not that I'm actually into Hostess all that much, but a lot of people out there are!

I'm sure you've all heard by now...but Hostess has gone bankrupt and is in the process of shutting down all its operations. Don't believe me? Just look at their website.

It's amazing how a brand that is 82 years old could just be disappearing. Maybe the higher ups should have been a little nicer to the worker bees and the other companies they were working with.

Well, it's not all bad. Though a lot of people are losing their jobs, look on the bright side, Hostess has a whole line of people just waiting to buy their assets including everything from brands such as Ding Dongs and Twinkies to baking equipment and real estate. So the snack caked will continue to live on, just under a different brand name. They shall still be known and Twinkies or Ho-hos. Rest easy sweets fans. 

Some other good news for the failing company was reported in the Los Angeles Times.

"..won approval Thursday from a federal bankruptcy judge to give as much as $1.75 million in bonuses to its executives. The money is intended as an incentive for 19 top-level managers to remain with the Twinkies and Ding Dongs maker to oversee its liquidation. The payouts will be granted only if managers "achieve a set of specific tasks and goals within a specified time frame that are designed to speed and lower the cost of the wind-down, Hostess spokesman Lance Ignon said."

Great, so the guys that you are apparently blaming for making unions angry at your company, get to keep their jobs for a while longer and get a bonus to boot. That's good news for them then.

My question is, what is the point in keeping up all the "positive" PR when your company is failing anyway? Oh, well we have plenty of buyers and everything is going dandy with shutting down our factories. Um, yeah. Because you have gone bankrupt. The only reason I can think to keep up the news is to keep buyers interested. No one wants a spoiled sweet, so make sure it's still good.

Though at this point I feel like the sweets have outgrown the overarching brand. They would probably sell weather or not Hostess itself had a good reputation, but that's just my opinion.

Anyway, if you want the snack, better stock up. The transfer and selling of all their assets could take over a year, and I don't care who says Twinkies can last forever, I am not eating year old sweet cakes. That's just gross. 

So I advise my readers to find another dessert for now, or maybe go the healthier root and eat a sweet apple!

The Susan Boyle Phenomenon

Susan Boyle. If you haven’t seen the video of this woman’s origins, then check it out here.

A woman, who people didn’t think much of at first because of her looks, amazes the crowd with her amazing voice. She puts well known and snarky judge Simon Cowell in his place with a beautiful rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream' from Les Misérables. That audition also moved her onto the next round of Britain’s Got Talent and into the hearts of the many people who watched her sing. 

That was back in 2009. After having a slight mental break down and a makeover Susan is now somewhat of a B list celebrity. She has singing career and performs around the world. She also recently has set to put out her own album.

However, her B list status does not protect her from grade A twitter failure. Even Susan Boyle needs a PR crew, and hers must have been asleep at the wheel when they let her tweet this lovely number. 

 Ah, the power of caps lock. What was supposed to be an album party quickly changed into something very different. They tried to fix it, they really did, but the damage was already done.

That's the danger of using social media. Every single tiny bit of information you put on there is then instantaneously available to the whole world. And most of the time there is no taking it back. 

This critical error found Boyle once again the target of ridicule. Hopefully it will last only as long as it takes for her to perform again, and her amazing voice can make people forget about her mistake. 

Also, maybe her PR team will look more closely at their hash tags next time. Well, lesson learned I suppose. 

Don't just look before you tweet readers, also look before you has tag.

#CyouLater

The Hot Mess Express

Now for all those tuning in who don’t know what a “hot mess “is, Urban Dictionary defines it as: A person, who is a handful, he/she is a piece of work, and or a colorful character….

Well, that definition is surprisingly on the nice side.

Why am I teaching you slang? Well, because this post will be talking about one Hot Mess in the form of Lindsey Lohan. Let's just take a look back at some of her wonderful decisions courtesy of the Examiner.

• May 26, 2007: Arrested for first DUI. Reinters rehab at Promises Treatment Center facility for a 45 day program. Voluntarily fitted for SCRAM bracelet to monitor her sobriety.
• July 24, 2007: Arrested for second DUI. Charges include: Felony possession of cocaine, misdemeanor DUI and driving with a suspended license.
• August 2007: Pleads guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence and was sentenced to one day imprisonment and 10 days' community service.
• November 15, 2007: Served 84 minutes in jail. The probation was extended by an additional year in October 2009, following several instances in which Lohan failed to attend the court-ordered substance abuse treatment classes.
• May 2010: Lohan did not appear for a scheduled DUI progress report hearing.
• July 6, 2010: Probation revocation hearing. The judge determined that Lohan had violated the terms of her probation and sentenced her to 90 days in jail, starting July 20; in addition, the judge ordered Lohan to check into an inpatient rehab program for three months after her release from jail.
• September 24, 2010: Lohan's probation was revoked following a failed drug test. She spent part of the day in jail before being released on bail
• February 9, 2011: Lohan was charged with the theft of a necklace reported stolen from a jewelry store in January. 
• November 6, 2011: Lohan reports to jail. She is released within hours on Monday morning, November 7, 2011.

Obviously this previously adorable child actress, who once played in movies such as the Parent Trap, has traveled pretty far down the wrong path. So, now I must ask you all who read this...

WHY WOULD YOU TAKE HER ON AS A PR CLIENT?

Who would be crazy enough to think they could do anything for this poor women's career? Maybe, just maybe, the people who have taken her on think they will become famous if they are able to change her reputation. Well, I say good luck, cause you are going to need. You will need luck, or magic.

Surprisingly, the firm that is taking Mrs. Lohan on as a client is Rogers & Cowen. They are pretty big name when it comes to PR and the entertainment industry and have plenty of awards. However, I can't help but question if that will be enough experience to help this case. 

I am all for giving second chances and trying to get back to your job. But Lindsay has to be on like her fourth of fifth chance and then it is just getting ridiculous. You can not help someone who doesn't first help themselves.

So, go ahead and cancel interviews with people who won't ask the right questions. Go ahead and try and focus on her acting and her job and not her personal problems. Then watch that all back fire as the audience, who is not going to be fooled by what I feel is trying to fix a gaping wound with a band aid, remembers that this is still Lindsay Lohan they are watching and isn't she that crazy chic?

I don't care how much shy is paying, that is so not worth it.

Classy ankle bracelet Lindsay. I know I now want to buy the products she is promoting. Or maybe I'll just steal it. I'm getting mixed messages.

Well, I'm hoping of this train. Say goodbye to the hot mess express because it is leaving the station, and I have a feeling it's going to be heading for major crash in the near future.

Electing to use PR

Welcome back all the voters and non-voters tuning in.

Well, elections are coming up and tensions are high, but that's not stopping people from marketing their products. People are taking the presidential election fever and using it to their advantage....or disadvantage.

First up in the election circus is Pizza Hut. They are offering pizza for life to anyone who asks the Presidential candidates if they like sausage or pepperoni on their pizza. This will be done on the October 16th debate that will be set up in a "Town Meeting" style. This will allow audience members to ask the presidential candidates questions themselves. The subjects are domestic and foreign policy.

How does pizza figure into that exactly? In this day and age I don't think anyone should be trying to make the Presidential election silly, which is exactly what Pizza Hut is doing. This question has no reason to be asked during the debate. If someone really does ask it, I will probably be a little upset. Taking time away from them for a stupid marketing ploy is, in my opinion, ridiculous and inappropriate. I am all for promoting your product along with the election, but not at the cost of bringing down the level of seriousness that should be incorporated with electing the president of our country.

Another company poking fun at the election is Jet Blue airlines. They are offering to give away over 1,000 flights to voters who have their candidates lose in the election, so they can "escape" the country.

Once again, I am glad they are taking interest in the election, and they are definitely not as bad as my previous example. However, something just doesn't sit well with me that they are joking about people escaping from our country. I will not post my political views here, but I believe both candidates have there good and bad points. No matter which is elected, they will both do their best to to do what they feel is right for our country. So, to mock that by saying that all the sore losers that don't get their candidate can just run away, is insulting. If someone is that upset over the election, or feels that strongly, they should either get more people to vote, or stage a protest. I understand that I may be taking this a bit seriously, and it's supposed to be poking fun, but I feel like some things need to be taken seriously. We joke about a lot of things in this country, but sometimes joking must be put aside. If you are only joking about who is going to lead our country to make a profit, then I won't be jumping at the chance to buy your pizza or a plane ticket from you.

Finally, "Cabbage Patch Kids maker JAKKS Pacific will be auctioning on eBay, via a fundraiser for Rock the Vote, a line of dolls that look like the two candidates — and their VPs. (There's also a Michelle Obama doll.)"

Rock the vote is an initiative to get the younger generation to register and vote.

That's why, this is probably the only marketing strategy that doesn't make me irritated. Are they trying to get money? Yes, but they are raising it for a cause that is trying to get people to really participate in our countries election process. I feel like that's a pretty good cause.

So, weather you think these are funny, silly, or absurd, there still will always be election style marketing around the Presidential elections.

My New Space

Good morning all you readers out there, and welcome. Today I was skimming around the internet and found something very interesting.

MySpace...

Yes, MySpace is not that interesting because it's old and outdated and everyone uses Facebook, or twitter, or blah blah blah.

But wait! There's a new MySpace? Preposterous! I look into it, and in fact, it is true. Myspace has been bought out by financial backer Justin Timberlake and Specific media for $35 million from News Corp. That's a lot of cash for a website that seems to be outdated and unused by a good bulk of social networkers. Now, this may still be old news for some of you, since it happened back in 2011. However, the fruits of the design team's labor are starting to pop up on the web.

You can see a welcome screen now. The welcome page features a spinning disk and a place to enter your e-mail address if you want to be a part of the new MySpace. Well, be a part of it if and when it actually launches. Right now, it seems they are focusing on artists. People who are into music, art, singing, acting, and all those types of activities are being targeted as the demographic for the new launch. MySpace wants those types of users to return, since it is who they feel made the site popular in the first place. This focus might also be why Justin Timberlake is involved, as he is always interested in promoting the fine arts.

There is also a short video on the new site.

The two top comments on this video right now are:

• Facebook seems more like an online contacts book, it is useful but you never meet new people. Twitter on the other hand, you always meet new people but there isn't much conversation and "friend making." Hopefully MySpace will give something that can be the best of both worlds.                     Josh Rado 1 week ago 37 (thumbs up)    

 

•   I couldn't really tell what was going on in most of that thing, but Facebook's Timeline sucks so bad I might just give MySpace a chance again.                                                                                     carlos valencia 1 week ago 37 (thumbs up) 

 

I find these two comments very interesting. Starting with the second one, people really have been complaining about all the changes Facebook has been making. It seems to be a trend now that the major Social networking sites are not listening to their users, and just doing what they feel will make them more mainstream, thus gaining them more profit. So, my bias may be against Facebook always changing its look. I know that they have probably done studies on this kind of thing. But when you implement something and there is that much backlash, sometimes you just have to admit to your mistakes! Facebook seems to be trudging through though. However, if MySpace plays it's cards right, then maybe they can snatch back some of their users.

Back to the first comment. Facebook is like an online contact book. Sure, Facebook as games and ways to keep in touch, but sometimes you get so many people that everything becomes cluttered and it's hard to tell what's important anymore. Also, twitter really isn't good communication. You are limited on words and once again can have so many followers that you can't tell where your twitter feed stops or starts. Maybe the new MySpace can bring back the conversation and sharing of ideas.

For now, the site looks like it's going to be very image oriented. It reminds me of a mix between Pintrest and Tumblr. These forms of social media can get cluttered as well. It will be interesting to see what the new MySpace will do to compete with the already existing and thriving social media sites. People may complain about these sites when they change, but that's because people don't like change. Some people's whole lives are on Facebook and Twitter. How willing will they really be to move their whole life to another site? If people really don't like change, it's going to be a long hard road for New MySpace.

I Think They Have an App for That

Hey there all you shenanigan lovers! This time I have a bone to pick with a certain something

When was the last time you went to the grocery store? Wait, wait! I know that's weird, but stay with me. The last time I went to the store, I needed to buy laundry detergent and dryer sheets. Now, usually I get the three in one sheets that I just move from washer to dryer. What can I say? I'm a busy college student and those are easy to use. Anyway, they were out of those. So, for the first time I had to buy my own laundry detergent AND dryer sheets. This would probably be easy for any normal person, but it was one of the most annoying experiences of my life.

Why? There were way too many choices! I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to buy! The one on the left was for fresh clothes and the one on the right was had a refreshing scent. Pretty much an entire isle in the store was dedicated to cleaning supplies for clothes. For what reason? There is no way we need that many brands of products. And then I got to thinking. It's not just dryer sheets. It's everything.

It is even seeping into our technology. The internet is free (*cough* to those who can afford a computer and to pay for it but free is a relative term anyway*cough). That means there is going to be a lot of information and a lot of choices. So I don't really have a problem with that.

My problem lies in the new phone app market. They seriously have an app for almost everything. Don't get me wrong. Some of them are very useful and others are great entertainment. But at some point the quantity increases as the quality decreases and we all become unbearably lazy because our phone does almost everything for us.

One thing that bothers me is apps for things that are already built into your phone. Why download an app for a calendar or an alarm clock when they already exist in your phone? That's pointless. There's also a jumbo calculator! Things like this don't really need to be created if they already exist!

Then there are the apps that are just lazy in my opinion. For instance, a coin flip app. Really? Just flip a coin in real life!

Finally, there is just the plain ridiculous app that I could never understand the purpose of. Number two on a list of the ten most ridiculous apps is the "make airplane noises" app. What is the purpose of that? Where could you practically use that?

I think our time and energy should be focused on improving useful apps and other things so the quality of the products will increase. I feel like everything else is just a waste of time and energy on the creativity and usefulness scope of things.

Excuse me while I mourn the loss of precious time on silly things with my new lighter cell phone app! Ha-ha ha.

Some Things Better Left Untweeted...

Anybody tuning in also tune in to the recent Presidential Election?

Well, if you didn't, here's a quick fact. "on Oct. 3. During the debates, President Obama referred to his deceased grandmother who had helped raise him." 

This one comment, which in the grand scheme of things doesn't really amount to much when it comes to a debate for who will become the President of the US of A, could be the downfall for a certain company.

There have been some major tweet debacles as of late. Such as the clothing store that used the fact the word Aurora was trending on twitter to try and advertise their product. More on that story here. What they failed to realize was that it was trending because there was a massive shooting.  Maybe they should have seen why the word was trending and read some of the tweets coming out first, before making this PR faux pa.

However, this next company doesn't really have an excuse. I am pretty sure there isn't anything to defend tweeting "Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! 'She died 3 days b4 he became president."

Ouch! Talk about harsh, insensitive, and great way to ruin the reputation of your company. KitchenAid, the company responsible for this tweet, is going to have to have some major clean up to do after this mess. The company sent out an apology tweet after major complaints, but this really shouldn't have happened in the first place.

Apparently, an employee of KitchenAid accidentally tweeted onto the companies account instead of his own. 

Two things. One, the fact that the employee could not tell his own twitter background from his own seems fishy to me. If he or she is that oblivious to detail, they probably shouldn't have a job involving the brand and reputation of a company.

Two, it is super important to remember to keep your personal and professional twitter responsibilities separate! Even as a student I've already encountered this problem. We have a twitter for our Relay for Life on campus, and sometimes the person in charge will tweet something they meant to tweet on their own account. Now, it hasn't been as bad as this. Usually it is something like "I have too much homework" or something. Still, it is important to keep track of all your social media. Have a list of all your accounts and passwords, and remember to LOG OUT every time you use one. That way there will be less risk of posting something in the wrong location.

As a final word of caution, look before you tweet!!!