The Sociable Slug

A Wedding e-RSVP?

2009-03-22T19:17:00.010-04:00

My brother was invited to two weddings last week and guess what? Both invitations asked him to RSVP by e-mail (or phone in one case) only.

Weird, eh?

At first, all I could think was that the bride and groom must be on a real cheap budget. I mean, paying for postage isn't exactly going to make or break your wedding day costs.

Then I started thinking, maybe it has something to do with the recession?

When my husband and I got married in 2007, we loved getting wedding replies back in the mail. Every day we'd come home looking forward to seeing who else we'd hear back from.

I also favour tradition, which is probably why it never occurred to me to ask guests to RSVP by e-mail or phone. And my parents are more the old-fashioned type so I know they wouldn't have approved my asking guests to RSVP any other way than by mail.

Really other than for our wedding, I seriously cannot recall the last time I used Canada Post to send someone a letter, card or other. With the popularity of e-mails, hand-delivered mail has become almost second-fiddle to the Internet for communicating. I mean, people aren't even sending birthday cards by mail anymore - they send e-cards instead!

Going back to my brother and the whole wedding "please RSVPs by e-mail only" instructions he received, I now find myself wishing that I had at least considered this option for my own wedding.

Although it's not fair to assume all people have access to the Internet, practically everyone I know has at least one e-mail address these days, if not two or three others. So why not take advantage of that in the context of a wedding RSVP? (It kind of makes more sense financially too.)

I imagine it's only a matter of time before couples nix the whole wedding invitation altogether in favour of a Facebook invite ... now wouldn't that be something?

I am ... me?

2009-03-18T12:20:00.007-04:00

Apparently branding yourself is not as easy as you'd think.

Try describing yourself in say, um, 20 words or less. I'll give you a second ...

Difficult right? But don't worry, you aren't the only one struggling to figure out what you are all about.

For an assignment due in career management this past week, fellow students and I had to prepare a one page "Brand Me" snapshot of ourselves, including a SWOT analysis on what we felt were our biggest strengths and weaknesses.

I set out to start the assignment Saturday but didn't end up doing it until Sunday. I just didn't know where to begin.

Several questions were running through my head: How do I define me? What skills do I offer? What should my personal brand focus on?

As it turns out, Google is a great resource when it comes to finding the answers. Within seconds, I had hundreds of valuable articles addressing personal branding at my fingertips. One of particular use was Fast Company's The Brand Called You. It was great because it helped me put things into perspective and identify what makes me, as a brand, different from the rest.

After spending more minutes than I'd like to admit developing my one sentence brand, I feel satisfied - almost liberated - that I could sum myself up in oh so few words.

So what did I write you ask?

"I work like I run marathons: I set the course, commit to the plan and put all energy into finishing ahead of the pack, every time."

It may still need some tweaking but hey, at least it's a good start.

Living the Recession

2009-03-10T20:05:00.010-04:00

I heard more news yesterday about family and friends who have been let go from their companies. It really hits home when you actually know the people affected from lay offs instead of just reading about it in the paper.

Colleagues have recently lamented they find the growing amount of recession stories too depressing to read. Some are even refusing to buy the newspaper anymore in fear that it's only filled with bad news. Truthfully, I am glad with the continuous coverage; it has caused me to be more diligent and conscious in my shopping and spending habits.

I started compiling a list of all the ways I've been cutting back since January. While I haven't given in to making an "Economy Cake" yet, I've discovered that being thrifty can be pretty nifty.

Here's my Top 10 List, in no particular order:

Shampooing my hair every three days (I heard having oily hair is better anyway!)
Using a three-in-one facial cleanser, scrub and makeup remover (saves on the bathroom clutter too!)
Washing larger loads of laundry (and using just a bit less detergent each time)
Changing my phone plan (who knew a bit of complaining could save me an extra $15 a month ... better yet, why was I paying so much in the first place?)
Buying more food items on sale (and using coupons!)
Showering at the gym instead of at home
Having dinner at the in-laws more often
Bringing my own tea bag and mug to school (hot water is free in the cafeteria!)
Using baking soda instead of antiperspirant as deodorant (it actually works better!)
Having more game nights with friends instead of going out

Being frugal can be fun, and efficient too.

Now it's your turn to share. How are you saving in this economic downturn? I would love to hear the ways!

The Revival of Clean-Eating

2009-03-09T17:47:00.006-04:00

I read an article about Tosca Reno today and I have to say I am annoyed. Why is it that someone can be so celebrated for having a novel idea about eating that isn’t really their own?

Reno is the author of a book I bought last year called “The Eat-Clean Diet”. In it, she describes the principles of clean eating: eating five to six small meals a day, every few hours and eating foods as fresh and natural as possible. While the book gave some great tips and recipes, I must say this stuff wasn’t exactly rocket science. And now, Reno is being celebrated as this famous clean-eater extraordinaire. Celebs like Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman are crediting her book for their great bodies.

I shake my head in dismay because I can find dozens of nutritionists out there who have preached these eating principles ... years before Reno lost all of her weight, years before she married Robert Kennedy (big-time publisher of several magazines) and years before she became the supposed “expert” voice of today’s clean-eating followers.

Maybe doctors back then didn’t use a clever term like “clean eating” to describe good eating habits but I guarantee they knew that eating refined, unnatural and preservative-loaded food was counter-productive to flattening the belly too.

I also find it puzzling that no one questions Reno's credentials. Is she a registered dietitian? Did she study food science? I know I wouldn't just pay anybody who looks good to give me advice on nutrition.

I've come to accept the fact that the only reason she even has published books is thanks to her second husband. Apparently he has no shame in capitalizing on his once-unfit wife's age and beauty to build his publishing empire.

Here's to you, Tosca: May you be "Fabulously Fit and 50" forever!

Oh my, Barbara!

2009-02-25T13:26:00.027-05:00

The reaction: Disbelief & discomfort!

The show: The annual Barbara Walters Oscar Special on Sunday evening.

The cause: a 30-second segment with Hugh Jackman.

Here's why:

I am watching the respected Ms. Walters innocently interviewing Hugh Jackman. No big deal. No questions out of the ordinary. But then, as the interview is wrapping up, Walters gives viewers this confusing brief recollection - as in you aren't sure where she is going with her story - before enticing Jackman to give her a lap dance. And he does! Convincingly well at that.

Personally, I would have appreciated some more advance notice on that. I sure as heck don't care to watch Walters get turned on by a man half her age.

As for the reactions of others in the room? Well, my husband changed the channel before it finished because it was that awkward to watch. And my mom, she became concerned for the hundreds of children who might have also been watching it with their parents.

Nielson Media Research estimates 11. 6 million viewers were tuned in to Walters' Oscar Special. It leaves me to wonder: What were the producers thinking? Was it thrown in last minute for comical relief? Is she that desperate for media attention?

Jackman's lap dance could make sense happening on The View. But during a special Oscar interview? I just don't understand how the two connect. More puzzling is the fact that Walters agreed to air it.

Here is a link to the segment in case you missed it Sunday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdWEXuoLL5A

What's your take?

Kiss your face? Not with that smell!

2009-02-23T19:00:00.001-05:00

My husband Adrian and I enjoy being "green". We avoid parabens in creams, use energy-efficient light bulbs and eat organic when the weekly grocery budget allows. So when we came across an all-natural deodorant in the health section of a Loblaw Superstore in January, we got all excited like two kids in a candy store.

The brand? Kiss My Face. The product? Active Enzyme Deodorant. The promises? No parabens and p.g. free!

I knew that the brand had a good reputation. It was featured in major 2008 U.S. and Canadian magazines and is currently available in steady supply at several natural health stores.

That's why we went ahead and agreed to spend the extra $4 premium for the product. But much to our dismay, day one of Adrian wearing his new "'peaceful patchouli" deodorant was anything but "peaceful". He probably stunk worse than if he had gone to work wearing no deodorant at all! (It was so bad I suggested we get his suit jacket dry-cleaned for safe measure.)

So that was the end of that. My own untouched stick quickly went into hiding in our bathroom cupboard and Adrian returned to using his old faithful Degree stick.

But even as weeks passed, we still couldn't shake the feeling of being cheated - and out of pocket $14. Kiss My Face was supposed to be a good brand. It was supposed to "neutralize and eliminate odour with its baking soda and clay formula and last all day."

When I couldn't take it anymore, I decided to place a call. Someone at Kiss My Face needed to hear about my poor husband's day-long embarrassment wearing their product.

At 1 p.m. on Feb. 16, I left a phone message at head office in New York. Like a true PR pro, I not only voiced a brief concern about the product, I ended with a clear call to action: I expected to hear back from a company representative within two days. Sounded reasonable enough, though I wasn't counting on a call back. (Kiss My Face reps could have all too easily deleted, misplaced or pushed aside my complaint "accidentally".)

And yet, they did call back. Two hours later at that.

The rep admitted that other customers had voiced similar concerns and explained politely that not everyone's body chemistry reacted well to the product we bought. She also told me I could still return the items for full refund back to the Superstore (used or not), but I had long since thrown away my January bill.

As an alternative, she offered to send me not one, but two of another deodorant product called Liquid Rock. I was guaranteed it would work better. And with that, I felt satisfied that my call had not been a waste of time after all.

Kiss My Face's handling of my complaint reminded me of a marketing lesson from a Ryerson University course I took last year. I was taught that on average, for every one satisfied customer, another three people will hear about that good product experience. Yet, for every one dissatisfied customer, another 10 or so people will learn about the bad product experience. (For the record, since our bad experience last month I've not ranted about the product to a single person - until now that is.)

Stats from Joint Venture Marketing also indicate that:

96 per cent of dissatisfied customers don’t complain, they just stop buying;
Of customers who register a complaint, between 54 -70 per cent will do business again with the company if their complaint is resolved; and
The figure goes up to a staggering 95 per cent if the customer feels that the complaint was resolved quickly.

This type of information proves that it's really in a company's best interest to deliver on customer service, especially when one of its products fails miserable in the eyes of its customers - like us.

It also explains why I received a small package in record time today from Kiss My Face. Seven days from my initial call to be exact. Shows me that the company values what I have to say and I appreciate that.

To be fair, I will give this other Kiss My Face product a second chance. They haven't quite lost a customer for life in me yet.

Stay tuned.

Getting Lucky with Booty Texts?

2009-02-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the battle of a new social reality: the Booty call vs. the Booty text.

I assume we all understand the term booty call. But what's this new "booty texting" business about? Don't both require the use of a phone?

According to the Urban Dictionary, (a dictionary I did not know existed until reading Carly Weeks's Mass booty texts: 'Come to my room') a booty text is: 1. The lazy, low-commitment version of the booty call or 2. Getting laid, some oral sex, or whatever else imaginable ... all at the ease of your cell phone and text messaging.

So you see, there is a difference. Don't be mistaken.

The website further explains that "drunk booty texting is more common due to loss of inhibitions and the inability to speak coherently."

Since the opening of the romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You last weekend, the idea of booty texting has been popping up everywhere. Movie critic Peter Howell writes in a Toronto Star review:

"From amidst the dialled-up din of He's Just Not That Into You, a tiny voice laments 21st-century romance: "People don't meet each other organically anymore." It's a home truth from Drew Barrymore's pigtailed protagonist, Mary, who doubles as the narrator in a movie that is fitfully funny and occasionally wise. She's the only person within this circus of love seekers and booty callers who sees the big picture: hookups of all kinds have never been easier, thanks to cellphones, text messaging and shifting mores, yet people today miss connections more than ever."

I am not here to promote this movie. Nor do I intend to promote booty texting or the Urban Dictionary for that matter. It's just interesting to see how writers and bloggers are soaking up new booty terminology.

My next booty predication? A new cellphone capitalizing on this booty trend. If it's not already in the works with Rogers Wireless, then don't forget you read this here first. The campaign ad would sound something like this:

"Introducing the new BT 2009 cellphone: It's Booty-Texting at its finest! Click with ease and discover how this revolutionary new texting phone is designed with your needs in mind. Complete in white, red or black, this phone will unite passions like never before. Guaranteed to make your wildest dreams come true!"

Marketers would be all over this. But I am a more traditional type. I'd never buy into it because I prefer speed-dial over speed-text. And long walks on the beach.

If someone wants to get a hold of me (wink wink, nudge nudge), they know that text messages don't work because notes disappear in my cell inbox before I've even opened them.

And yes, I've probably missed more booty text opportunities in my single days than I'd like to realize. But back then, you'd also never catch me ignoring the sound of my ringer when certain someones simply tried calling instead.

In my world, booty calls prevail.

The Cellular World We Live In ...

2009-02-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

I went for a skate tonight at Nathan Phillips Square. These milder temperatures make it much more pleasurable.

It struck me funny to see not just one, not just two, but three people chatting away on cellphones while making circles around the rink - my husband included.

Makes me wonder whatever happened to the days when we didn't have cellphones ... not that I don't remember the day I first got mine. My entire social life changed. I could catch up with friends while driving home from work, on the bus, you name it.

I had loved this world of instant connection more than anything. Now, not so much. It's almost as if people can't enjoy just doing one thing at a time anymore.

The distractions of cellphones, text messages and e-mails really do take over our lives. I think back to our skate earlier ... did my husband really need to take his phone with him? Probably not. It wasn't as if he were expecting a call from work at 9:30 p.m. Yet, not once did it occur to either of us to leave our phones behind.

These days wherever he and I go, our cellphones go too. It's so normal to us it's sad. And what's worse, when we forget to bring it somewhere, we feel incomplete. Like our lifeline has been severed.

I recently read about Dalton Conley's "Elsewhere Society" in the Star. He explains:

"It's a society in which we are increasingly anxious that we should be somewhere where we are not. If you're at the office late, you're stressed out that you should be at home with your kids and spouse. If you're home with the kids, you're very conscious of the five messages on your BlackBerry that require immediate work attention."

It's an interesting thought. One that brings me back to earlier tonight. There we were, the two of us physically exerting ourselves, but mentally checked out somewhere else.

Can you relate?

Does this sound right to you?

2009-02-05T00:24:00.000-05:00

For those that don't know, I am a corporate communications and public relations student at Centennial College.

This semester I am enrolled in some interesting classes, particularly a design and layout course and an online PR class - hence the reason for starting this blog.

The other day in one of my classes I discovered an instructor on twitter, 'tweeting' away while us students worked in pairs on an assignment. (For the record, this was not during an online PR class, otherwise it might have made more sense to be doing that.)

At first, I didn't think anything of it. I figured it was a good thing to see our instructor so actively engaged in the whole social media thing.

But after giving it more thought, my opinion on the matter changed. Here's why:

All throughout university, I worked a part-time job to pay my tuition expenses. It cost me close to $6,000 each year. So I knew that skipping a class essentially meant I was throwing $100 or more right into the garbage. But because I was paying for them, I had the choice to decide whether I wanted to be there or not.

I think about this when I think back to my teacher using twitter in class. I paid $2,000 this semester alone to be taught by professionals. Though I am not sure what cut they get directly from my tuition, I can assume it can't be that bad. But this is really besides the point.

I guess I am a little bewildered to know that an instructor of mine thinks it is acceptable to be browsing the Internet on student time - and still get paid.

Am I out to lunch on this one?

New You = New Gym Membership?

2009-01-30T15:59:00.000-05:00

When I go to the gym, I go to work out. Break a sweat. You know, actually work out. I'm not there to socialize. Not there to make new friends and definitely not there to look pretty.

You'd be surprised how uncommon I am, especially in January when new members are joining the gym faster than I can sprint. These are the same people who, during this one particular month, hog the cardio machines and overcrowd the gym.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like people setting goals to be healthier in 2009. In fact I congratulate them on this move. But why does “getting fitter” mean you have to buy a gym membership?

I read an article on myvillage.com last week indicating one in three people will have already broken their New Year resolutions a mere three weeks into them. What’s more, fitness resolutions are supposedly the hardest to keep.

So here’s my thought: Have a plan. Be realistic. Figure out your budget.

Ask yourself:

Are you really able to go to the gym four days a week?
Are you setting yourself up for failure?

Sometimes other factors, such as children, commuting and careers don’t make gym memberships a great option to stick with.

When it comes to your health, don’t be impulsive. Think about your ultimate fitness goal and do some research. Short-term and long-term goals will fall into place soon after.

You wouldn’t just buy a car without first considering insurance and maintenance costs, so why would buying a gym membership be any different?