It Does Require a Vote: Elections and Advertising

And So, it is just past Super Tuesday and the polls and rumors are going insane. In my home state, the democratic primary is kind of like a mystery. Everyone has heard of it, but very few people see it. The majority of this state votes red; and then there is me: a very well educated 20-something with a bleeding heart for all things helpful toward my fellow person.

(This is a photo of how OK voted in the 2012 presidential election; the first presidential election I voted in!)

Because I'm not going to turn this blog post into some sort of "all republicans are wrong, and all liberals are right" (or vice versa) finger-pointing fest, I think now is a great point to introduce the point of the post! 

I'm going to critique some political advertisements! I will start with local (Oklahoma) spots and end on national spots for the presidential nomination. To make things a little more interesting, I will separate them by color/political affiliation. I will also only be reviewing political advertisements I have actually seen, so I am sorry if there is a candidate I might miss out on.

Local Okies: Republicans

So, here we are. The only local election we had during the primary was an election for court clerk in my county. Rick Warren had the only commercials I saw, and I can't even begin to tell you how obnoxious they are. I watch the local news channel for 4.5 hours every morning, and for the past few days, I have probably seen his commercial 20 times a day. I can't even show you, because the commercial is not online. I can't let it go though, and I had to make my thoughts known.

Editor's Note: I saw no democratic advertisements for the court clerk office.


National: Democrats

Bernie Sanders:

Well, I voted for Bernie. I guess you could say I #FeelTheBern, that had nothing to do with his commercials, and everything to do with how he communicates with and encourages unity and younger voters. We the people, right? 

My favorite commercial, "Together". It is quite the emotional visual, all about making things happen in our country together. Being a united people, not segregated by age, experience, wealth, passions, or skin colors. It matters to me, because unless we stand united, we fall divided. 

Hillary Clinton:

I didn't vote for Hillary because she didn't do well at collecting the "young" vote. She reached out to us, but she reached out in a way that was more "Netflix and Vote", than "People working 40 hours a week, shouldn't live in poverty".

I really love Morgan Freeman, and I need to know how to get him to narrate my life. So, props to Hillary for getting this really interesting thing to happen for you. Nothing to do with Hillary for me, it is everything to do with Morgan Freeman!

National: Republicans

Ted Cruz: 

I had to use the "butter cow" image, because to be honest, I find it hilariously American that it exists. Butter sculptures aside, Ted Cruz is America's evangelical candidate. He has the support of the Tea Party, and the majority of the Christians. 

In all fairness, I am not as creeped out now by Ted Cruz as I used to be. I don't like the support he receives from the extremes, and I don't really get it. The commercial is a pretty boxed response. The lens flares, and the music is basically it, as far as political commercials.

Donald Trump:

Donald Trump. Where do I even begin? The spray tan? The hair? The wall? The sheer racism? Who knows. Apparently we are building a wall and Mexico is paying for it. Trump and I don't share a lot of ideals, mainly because I have them. I haven't actually seen an ad for Trump, here in Oklahoma. But I have seen Trump's campaign miss spell my state's information each time he has come here. 

Three Times... THREE. Spell Check must not be for the 1 percent. 

Marco Rubio:

He is actually kind of cute, right? In this photo though, he kind of looks like he is in pain/trying not to poop his pants. Not that it bothers me, but I would have voted for him had I been a registered Republican. He seems like the least insane one. 

I didn't actually see this one, but I refuse to post the American/Canadian morning commercial. I don't know, I hope you enjoy it.

So there you have it. My review of a couple of political advertisements, and some of the candidates. I hope you all get who you want, unless you want Trump. 

A Snowball's Chance in Hell: Ads That Give me Feelings

I really love advertising. There are constantly ads that pull my heart strings, and inspire me to be more awesome. I have a "Top Ten" that constantly changes and grows as new content becomes available. I have seem some great ads lately, and I want to share them with all of you.

GE: A Snowball's Chance in Hell
Okay, so I am no engineer, but I am really obsessed with the idea of living with an "un-impossible" mindset. BBDO produces some really amazing advertisements and I love the work they do in experiential marketing as well. They are coming to a career fair I will be at in a couple of weeks, and I hope to make a great connection.

Extra Gum: The Story of Sarah and Juan
Energy BBDO brings it again with this commercial. I love this love, and even more that it represents people of color and brings up inter-racial relationships. Energy BBDO is a wonderful company who will be at a career fair I am attending in a couple of weeks. I hope to make a new connection, because that could be a dream job. I also really like their experiential department.

Honey Maid: Unconditional Love

Okay, listen. I am obsessed with this commercial, because I love seeing more exposure for "non-traditional" families. I love seeing homosexual relationships and people of color featured in commercials because it doesn't happen enough. Droga5 brings us great feelings of hope and love, and this is definitely a commercial for graham crackers. 

A Year in Search: Google's Heartwarming Video

I love reflecting on the previous year, accomplishments and some heart-stopping pain. The hope that comes after a tragedy, and the banding together of human beings to be human beings. 72andSunny brings us the real questions; what we search for defines who we are.

Angel Soft: Happy Father's Day, Mom

Deutsch hit me with a ton of bricks on this one. I was sobbing in an office alone after this commercial came across my YouTube ads. As many people know, my mom was a single parent, and she passed away when I was 16. This ad really gave me something to hold on to, and brings tears to my eyes again, as my biological dad passed away last July. 

Advertising is really an outlet for me. I put creativity and feelings in, and this is the kind of thing that comes out. I am so glad to have found my calling/passion so early on in life. I truly believe this is what I was meant to do. 

"I would rather die of passion, than of boredom." -Vincent Van Gogh

Gun Control: Controlling Ourselves

I really do try to stay away from political things online because I know there are several views out there, but I saw this gem on Twitter today, and I have some things to say about it. 

1) College is the time of your life when your world view should be dumped on its face. College and education as a whole is the time where you should "go there" and push the boundaries of all you know. 

2) Someone shouldn't have to stop teaching a subject because someone is butt hurt by it. My roommate didn't stop eating pizza when I went on a diet, I just don't eat the pizza (that often). If you can't control your emotions about a topic, don't take that class. If it's required? Suck it up. Life is full of things that you won't like. Get over it. 

3) Educators shouldn't be asked to censor themselves for fear of being KILLED. You should teach your children to grow up and not kill people. 

4) Yeah, mental health is a problem, I agree it needs to be addressed. The stigma and affordability and accessibility to aid for mental health isn't exactly the best. That being said, my parent(s) also raised me to understand that things don't always go my way, and I learned to accept "losing" at an early age. 

5) I'm not after "your" guns, but something needs to be done. And yes, criminals will get them either way, but that doesn't mean we should just sit and wait to be gunned down. People are going on killing sprees frequently. Okies want to complain about earthquakes, but we can't complain that people are dying everyday from gun related deaths?

6) I am a firearms owner. I have had 3 firearms passed down to me by both of my parents. I am responsible with them, and I respect them enough to know that if I fire one of them, I better have a damn good reason. 

And finally,

7) Please. educate yourself and your children to not kill people. I don't want to die because I rejected a man, or because someone is pissed off, and I damn sure don't want my friends to get killed because they are black, and I don't want my friends to die because they practice a certain religion.

Respect one another enough to let them live. Respect one another enough to not kill them in cold blood. Be a human being. That's all I ask. 

10 Things Keeping Me Alive Right Now

It was the best of times (college), it was the worst of times (college). Things are confusing and scary, and sometimes I don't even know what day it is. For all these reasons, I decided to make a list of all the things keeping me together right now. Here you have it; 15 things keeping me alive right now:

1. Sleeping- it seems stereotypical, but my 8 hours and I are super close. I need them, and so does everyone else around me for fear of me being a terrible human being. 

2. Netflix- also cliche, but also totally necessary. Whether it's background noise for a project (OITNB), or getting into the next episode of Mad Men, yes Netflix, I am still watching. 

3. Best Friends- cheesy and cliche, but sometimes having a random emoji BF with a fellow exec member, or reaching out for some words of wisdom keeps me grounded. 

4. Working Out- it feels odd to write about this, because I haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks, but working out makes me feel better, and it gives me a good social network. 

5. Texting My BFF- No matter what is happening, I'm guaranteed a good reaction gif or capital letter excitement from her. I love Laura, she's my

Life. 

6. Travelling- nothing keeps me grounded and ready like exploring the world. I can't begin to tell you how the pieces of my soul float back together when the plane takes off. 

7. Looking at #Goals- Keeping in mind what I want in life, and browsing it regularly, reminds me of where I want to be. 

8. Taking a Minute- taking time out when I'm frustrated or emotional has really helped me keep my cool when things get hard. It's a good life, sometimes you have to remember that. 

9. Keeping a Countdown- Sometimes all it takes is something to remind you there's only so many days until your next adventure. 

10. Chips and Salsa- I love Chips and Salsa. They just make me happier. 

Drive Me Home: When to Say When

I love to have fun. I am almost always down for a good time, and I am always open to spend quality time with friends. Sometimes, that means going to one of the most upscale bars in Oklahoma City, and having a bar tab that could have paid for most of your cable bill. On this particular evening, one of my professors, the amazingly talented and wonderful Dr. Terry Clark, was set to give the midnight toast at Ludivine OKC. Now, Clark is a funny guy. One of a kind, spunky, and filled with a wit that will burn you if you get too close. So, naturally, he compliments my personality well. When you get an invitation to have a drink with your friends (shoutout to Mason and Harold!) and to witness a college professor rapping, you don't turn it down. 

So, I pulled up the bar about 2.5 hours before midnight, and told the bar back Connor, that I wanted a drink and that I didn't care what he brought me. 3  rounds later, just before midnight, my other friend Justin came in to the bar. He immediately asked me if he needed to take me home. I said yes. That becomes more important later on in this story. 

Justin and I are close. He knows me pretty well, and after 4 years of friendship, I trust him to take care of me. He got me home safe, and even got up early this morning to take me back to my car and get breakfast with me. It is important to note that I was pretty obviously intoxicated. I knew it, my professors knew it, the bar back knew it, and my friends knew it. If I am too much when I am sober, I am even more of a handful drunk. But, I know where I stand. 

I don't drive when I have had too much.

I don't get behind the wheel of a car and endanger lives. I always have a DD, and the backup of buying an UBER if someone can't come get me. I believe in owning where you're at, and I think to be a truly authentic person, you must understand that sometimes, you're going to drink too much, too fast, and you need to have something to fall back on. People were concerned about me last night, and while I am a little embarrassed, I also know that it means that people care and don't want to see me get hurt or hurt others. Drinking and driving is serious, and while I am not necessarily the poster child for the Moral Compass that points due-north, I appreciate that my life or someone else's could have been ended. 

I urge you to always have a plan. I didn't go to the bar last night with the intention of turning up too hard. I didn't go with the intention of interacting with my peers a little intoxicated, I went to have a ton of fun with my friends. And I did, but fun can come at a cost. So please, make sure you're safe. Make sure you have a plan, and if you're looking for me, I will be the one at the end of the bar, nursing a Moscow Mule, or a whiskey neat. 

Official Review: The Best and Worst of Super Bowl 50

It was a slightly chilly evening, but the bar was warm. I was looking pretty cute, and I was ready to see some action in the commercials and in the football game. I had picked up my friend Barbara, and headed out to a local bar. A Moscow Mule and some beer-cheese dip later, I found myself with a pleasant buzz and a great view of a TV. While I brought my friend Barbara for the moral support of not sitting in a bar by myself, it turned out to be a visual joke of the evening. She was yelling at the football games, I was yelling at the commercials. I love football, but I love commercials more.

I live tweeted the Super Bowl with the hashtag #AshleyDoesSuperBowl50, and I shared a lot of thoughts as they were happening, so if you would like to check that out, you can do so here!

So, here we go, my feedback on the best, and worst of Super Bowl 50:

Top 5:

1) Jeep- I have always wanted a Jeep Wrangler with a detachable top, and Jeep really brought the emotional side of Jeep ownership to the forefront this year. I enjoyed it, and I can totally get with it.
2) Wix- I really enjoyed the "Adception" here of including some of the most popular ads in recent history. Really fun to watch.
3) Mini- Okay, so I don't know why the car commercials this year had all the feelings mixed in with them, but I am really loving it. Mini "bucked the stereotypes" and I love it so, so much.
4) T-Mobile- I like the play off of Steve Harvey, and I think it is really funny that he is making so much money off his mistake. I just thought it was a lot funnier than the Kim K commercial last year.
5) Hyundai- First of all, you can sign me up for anything that includes looking at Ryan Reynolds for any period of time at all. Second, I think Hyundai might be making a transition from family car, to target the child-less millennials. I love my Hyundai and I have to congratulate them on a commercial that grabbed attention.

Bottom 5:

1) Mountain Dew Kickstarter- Puppybabymonkey is going to haunt my dreams. 100%. It caught my attention, but I probably won't ever buy it as an open form of protest.
2) NFL Super Bowl Babies- The only thing that scares me more than puppybabymonkey, is babies. Also, it should be a federal offense to remix "Kiss From a Rose."
3) Doritos- First of all, Doritos are really good, but this commercial really wasn't. Everyone was trying to be weird and it just didn't work for anyone really well.
4) Skittles- This is mainly here because I am bitter that "Dream On" was stuck in my head for days after the Bowl was over.
5) PayPal/Quicken Loans- Both of these were aimed to be about tech savvy millennials, but really to me, PayPal (which I use all the time) was trying too hard, and Quicken Loans cam off a bit like "let's do 2008's financial crisis again, but with an app!" Just missed the mark for me. 

Honorable Mentions

1) Audi- I can appreciate anything that gives me good feelings and nods to David Bowie. RIP Starman.
2) Heinz- The best part of this commercial is the kid dressed as a ketchup packet. It's perfect and a visual gag and it is wonderful.
3) Prius- It was a good effort, and I appreciate the funny they put into it. Not good enough for the top 5, but worth mentioning.


Let's Talk Sh*t:
There was more than one commercial this year that offered the audience of Super Bowl 50, an opportunity to learn about Super Bowels. That's right, I am talking about poop. Two different companies had commercials for two different issues: going too much, and not going enough. So, whether you can't go at all, or if it feels like Taco Tuesday took your lower intestine too seriously, they might have a great suggestion for you.

Physics: Breathing at 30,000 Feet

I love flying. I love airports and traveling. I love TSA security checks and I even love baggage claim. I don't know if this feeling will ever go away, or if I am going to have to travel many more miles before it wears off. I love flying. 

The idea that I can get about 500 miles away in about 3 hours absolutely fascinates me. I'm even writing this post on a S80 American Airlines flight from DFW to STL. But even with the thought of spending time just sitting, being served a drink, and listening to TEDTalks, my favorite part of flying is enjoying the view. Between attractive business men and the photogenic plane wing against a sunset, the "friendly skies" have a lot to offer. None of this is compared to the view of night flights and the ground below. On a clear night, I feel like I'm looking down into the galaxy. The cities below glitter like stars and constellations, and the darkness around them is dotted with small lights, like a cosmic runway for me to get lost in. It's truly beautiful to me.

I didn't always deal this well with flying, in fact, it used to absolutely terrify me. I blame an early life exposure to "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", an episode of The Twilight Zone featuring one of the scariest monsters I could imagine. It also features William Shatner as a younger man plagued with a fear of flying. The episode ends like most, with a mind boggling mystery, and Rod Serling saying "something something something, in The Twilight Zone". The monster used to make me cry, and I still sometimes think I will see something on the wing of the plane, but these days, it's going well. 

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By the end of March, I will have logged a lot of miles since August 2015, traveling from OKC to Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago (again), and finally New York City (and back, of course). So, bring on the TSA checks, bring on the cramped seats, and bring on the airline food, because at the end of the day, the destination is so worth sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the flight.