Conformists Unite

Hi

Emily — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:54:37 +0000

Nice, simple spin on a ‘welcome’ sign on the front door of a coffee shop in Boise:

The Ugly

Emily — Mon, 30 May 2011 23:51:05 +0000

Here are two contests I’ve come across lately that highlight (and reward) the ugly.

The first is for a designer cabinet shop…

And the second is for In Focus projectors…

Both have built in humor and nail the product benefits (beautiful kitchens, beautiful presentations) without hitting you over the head with a cheesy sales pitch. And the first actually collects a bunch of potential kitchens that are in need of repair -how else would you get that info?

ps Here are few of the ‘winners’ of the worst Powerpoint slides:

Cat in Shop

Emily — Mon, 30 May 2011 05:43:50 +0000

Nothing like a cat in the store to make it feel homey. This one lives at Concentrates (an organic feed and fertilizer distributor).

Fast Food Drive Thru

Emily — Mon, 09 May 2011 23:37:58 +0000

There’s a fast food chain here in the NW that not only flips burgers, but also a finger at category norms. Today I bought a smoked salmon salad through the drive through and they let me use my own mug for my coffee order.

As I drove away, I realized that other chains would probably allow me to do the same thing -but I only thought to ask these guys at Burgerville because of everything else they do to emphasizes fresh, local and sustainable.

Bumper sticker walls

Emily — Fri, 06 May 2011 05:41:35 +0000

You see these in coffee shops -these collections of bumper stickers that live on a back wall. I love how a bunch of individual stickers somehow creates one unique statement.

Here’s one from a distributor of Organic fertilizers:

Carrot top removal

Emily — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:41:09 +0000

The check out guy at New Seasons offered to remove the tops of a customer’s carrots. He said they keep these unwanted greens for people who keep rabbits. Interesting little service.

Handful for a Dollar

Emily — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:18:59 +0000

Small Towns

Emily — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:12:33 +0000

I stopped at a big diner in a tiny town and found this little gem:

A coffee cup with ads for all the local businesses. It would be better if they also had ones with the names or pictures of locals but, in a small town where you probably know all the owners of those businesses, it’s a nice little piece of media.

Licorice Lover’s Club

Emily — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:28:28 +0000

“The only requirement is your photo”

Found at the ice cream shop in Parkdale, Oregon. Which one? Um, the only one. They have a licorice flavor that turns your tongue black.

Flight joke

Emily — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:02:17 +0000

“Please refrain from smoking until you leave the entire state of California” – stewardess announcement as we land in SFO from Oregon