Honda makes music - super cool

Check out this video from Honda - they designed grooves and laid them into a highway in Landcaster so that when you drive over the road (ideally, in a Civic going 55 MPH), you hear the William Tell tune. I think it the notes are a bit off, but it's definitely pretty close. I would have loved to be in whatever conference room that idea was tossed about in.

heartbreak

Anyone who knows me knows I truly obsess over the things I love. One of these things is Chipotle. However, when I use this nifty little online tool to find out the nutritional information of my trademark burrito, this is what I'm greeted with:

Today, my friends, is a sad day.

To-do

*image from an innocent Flickr user

I would love to collect the to-do lists of random people. I think it would be super interesting to see the variety of things people hope to accomplish in any given day or week.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion = great brand

The first time I went to Roy's, it was not an enjoyable experience. I remember not being able to find anything I wanted on the menu, my dad being super unhappy with his undercooked salmon dish, and I think I didn't end up liking my dinner, either. I hadn't been back after that, and even voiced my dislike of the restaurant numerous times.

Last night, Roy and I met again by way of my sister's 26th birthday dinner - all she wanted was their delicious butterfish - and I was happily surprised, not only with the food, but with the experience as a whole.

When we walked in and gave our name for the reservation, the hostess automatically wished my sister a happy birthday. We continued on to our table, where they tied a birthday ribbon around our candle (though this was probably more to signal "birthday" to the waiter than for decorative reasons). Our waiter thanked us for choosing Roy's for our celebration, and really didn't let us forget he knew it was a special occasion throughout the meal.

I was truly impressed when he came to the table with a digital camera, took a family photo, and brought us two copies (decked out in none other than Roy's-branded cardboard frames). Not only will I remember the experience I have from Roy's because I was so impressed with the way they treated us, but I also have a branded, framed photo to remind me. Smart move, Mister Roy.

AND they brought my sister a free dessert (something I ALWAYS appreciate from a restaurant on a birthday), complete with "Happy Birthday" in cursive chocolatey goodness.

I definitely won't choose to visit Mister Roy for my birthday dinner (I'm more of a Ms. Mantilini fan), but he has gotten me on his good side...

Blurring the line between television shows and ads

I was watching a show the other night, though at the moment the exact show is escaping me. No surprise there. What I DO remember, though, is the way in which they went into one commercial break, which was very very slyly. In fact, I didn't even start fast forwarding my DVR because I thought it was still the show. It was, in fact, not the show, and instead a Lexus car commercial.

There had been a big explosion of some sort (Oh! My memory has been jogged and I now remember I was watching Heroes) with flames and fire and debris, and the next frame that shows up is an SUV that is heavily damaged with debris surrounding it. There are sirens, flashing lights, the whole nine. Then all of a sudden the scene starts to change (as that Lexus campaign does) and--boop boop boop--a fast forwardin' I go. I felt a bit silly, but what can I say - it was smart of them. Though if I hadn't already known it was a Lexus commercial b/c I know the style of their ads, not sure a normal consumer would have stuck around long enough to hear it was a Lexus commercial.

I was reminded of this by an article in AdAge today (http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=131642) that discusses how TNT and TBS will test an ad model where commercials will be chosen more according to the content and context of the programming (to be called TVinContext. How creative.). One example they use is Victoria's Secret ads to run during What Women Want.

It'll be interesting to see if this sort of model picks up with other networks. And to see if it's successful in the eyes of the client.