Most bumper stickers are just for fun.
Like the one I saw this past week: "What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?"
Other than a good laugh, the only residual impact I took away from this auto eye candy was having that song stuck in my head. Nothing more.
Is it possible others take the sentiment as something a little more serious, though? Hard to say. But for people without a solid sense of purpose, it seems that even a hokey pokey reference could throw them for a loop.
That could be the reason Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose-Driven Life," is such a huge seller nationally and internationally. Rick does a great job of matching our need to find purpose with solid, understandable direction from God's Word.
There was another "life philosophy" bumper sticker I saw this past week. This one was designed to look similar to Colorado license plates, with a green mountain range and a white sky background. The message simply read, "It's all good." Now, this one made me think.
I'm assuming the meaning (for the car's owner) was that everything was made good because he lives in Colorado. That interpretation came partly from the mountain range reference, but the well-worn SUV was the best clue.
I can see individuals living by such a philosophy. If you've ever been around four-wheeler enthusiasts, life is nothing but good when they are looking forward to a weekend in the mountains.
But I can't see that as an enduring life philosophy. In the first place, it's not all good And those things that are bad can't be made good by what is. Life is a mix. We take it as it comes; but the goal is to not let the bad "color" your life in the negative. We need to see the bad realistically, and deal with it in as positive manner as we can. Then, we need to enjoy the good as it happens, not allowing the bad to take away the joy of little pleasures.
I'm preaching to myself, here, folks. I've been allowing the bad to color too much of my world lately. It's an easy pattern to fall into. But how ridiculous it would be to drive around with a bumper sticker on the back of your car that reads, "It's all bad," allowing the bad in life to negate everything good.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Signs of the Time/Two
It is all about me, isn't it?
Well, in fact, it is, if we're honest about it.
Starbucks knows that better than anyone and proved it with a simple and effective billboard I saw this past week. The board had very little to it: simply a cup of coffee with the Starbucks logo on it, then the words "Reward Yourself" followed by a couple of addresses.
That was it. Actually, it was perfect.
Rule of thumb for outdoor boards is to have no more than eight words. I think it should be no more than eight elements. In other words, for me, a logo counts as a word. It has to be seen, understood, and translated into meaning, just like a word.
From a moving vehicle, most people only have about seven seconds to see, read, understand and respond to a billboard. Think of that the next time you see an outdoor board with 10 words, a photo, a logo, and a long address line.
In contrast, think of the Starbucks example: two words, a graphic and logo combined in one element, and two addresses. Plus, the meaning is quickly understood and easy to respond to. Why? Because it really is all about me!
How many times have you said, "I deserve some kind of a reward for this." Or maybe the sentiment was, "I don't deserve this! I need something good to happen to me to even this out." Starbucks just taps into that mind set, offering both the means and the opportunity to even the score.
We seem to keep a running tab in our heads of the pluses and minuses we experience, sensing that a truly just world would allow the positives to outweigh the negatives. But, alas, the real world crushes that dream. So we're left with a void that needs satiated: "I want justice. I want some payback, even if I have to go buy it."
If this sounds familiar, take note. There are other companies aware of this tendency in us, and they don't mind tapping into your need to "reward yourself" to sell their products.
Caveat emptor! (The buyer beware.) In most cases, you're buying only a temporary feel-good substitute for true justice. You won't find satisfaction in a cup of over-priced java. Likely, just more calories than you truly need.
Well, in fact, it is, if we're honest about it.
Starbucks knows that better than anyone and proved it with a simple and effective billboard I saw this past week. The board had very little to it: simply a cup of coffee with the Starbucks logo on it, then the words "Reward Yourself" followed by a couple of addresses.
That was it. Actually, it was perfect.
Rule of thumb for outdoor boards is to have no more than eight words. I think it should be no more than eight elements. In other words, for me, a logo counts as a word. It has to be seen, understood, and translated into meaning, just like a word.
From a moving vehicle, most people only have about seven seconds to see, read, understand and respond to a billboard. Think of that the next time you see an outdoor board with 10 words, a photo, a logo, and a long address line.
In contrast, think of the Starbucks example: two words, a graphic and logo combined in one element, and two addresses. Plus, the meaning is quickly understood and easy to respond to. Why? Because it really is all about me!
How many times have you said, "I deserve some kind of a reward for this." Or maybe the sentiment was, "I don't deserve this! I need something good to happen to me to even this out." Starbucks just taps into that mind set, offering both the means and the opportunity to even the score.
We seem to keep a running tab in our heads of the pluses and minuses we experience, sensing that a truly just world would allow the positives to outweigh the negatives. But, alas, the real world crushes that dream. So we're left with a void that needs satiated: "I want justice. I want some payback, even if I have to go buy it."
If this sounds familiar, take note. There are other companies aware of this tendency in us, and they don't mind tapping into your need to "reward yourself" to sell their products.
Caveat emptor! (The buyer beware.) In most cases, you're buying only a temporary feel-good substitute for true justice. You won't find satisfaction in a cup of over-priced java. Likely, just more calories than you truly need.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Signs of the Times/One
Are bumper stickers and billboards accurate measures of the state of the country?
If so, we're in bigger trouble than I would hope.
I've been spending a lot of time on the road, recently, and so have had time to catch up on bumper sticker philosophy. When I see a compelling message on the back of a car, I always have to catch up and look at the person in the driver's seat. But not in every case.
I saw a sticker on a domestic junker recently that seemed to speak to the political climate of the day: "I'd like to see things from your perspective, but I just can't get my head that far up my (bleep)!"
Well, all right then. The first thing that popped into my head was the condemning look of the church lady on Saturday Night Live years ago. My second thought was, "That pretty much sums up how people on opposite ends of the political spectrum think of each other nowadays."
Have you noticed this election cycle how vitriolic the language is getting, from both sides? We're in the last few days of the campaign and the airwaves are filled with fear-tactic messages trying to scare people away from either a candidate or a ballot issue.
How can people work together when they've shoveled that much dirt on one another? Even people within the same party disparage each other during the primaries.
The country is in deep trouble in a variety of ways. It seems we should be pulling together and trying to find ways to work toward the common good. But there's a definite "all or nothing" attitude at election time that carries over into the in-between times when legislation is supposed to happen.
We've been suffering, at times, from legislative gridlock that keeps us from having decent energy, environmental, and economic policies. Yet, everyone continues down the same ultra-partisan road that condemns us to inaction.
Hey, it's funny on a bumper sticker. But in real life, not so funny.
If so, we're in bigger trouble than I would hope.
I've been spending a lot of time on the road, recently, and so have had time to catch up on bumper sticker philosophy. When I see a compelling message on the back of a car, I always have to catch up and look at the person in the driver's seat. But not in every case.
I saw a sticker on a domestic junker recently that seemed to speak to the political climate of the day: "I'd like to see things from your perspective, but I just can't get my head that far up my (bleep)!"
Well, all right then. The first thing that popped into my head was the condemning look of the church lady on Saturday Night Live years ago. My second thought was, "That pretty much sums up how people on opposite ends of the political spectrum think of each other nowadays."
Have you noticed this election cycle how vitriolic the language is getting, from both sides? We're in the last few days of the campaign and the airwaves are filled with fear-tactic messages trying to scare people away from either a candidate or a ballot issue.
How can people work together when they've shoveled that much dirt on one another? Even people within the same party disparage each other during the primaries.
The country is in deep trouble in a variety of ways. It seems we should be pulling together and trying to find ways to work toward the common good. But there's a definite "all or nothing" attitude at election time that carries over into the in-between times when legislation is supposed to happen.
We've been suffering, at times, from legislative gridlock that keeps us from having decent energy, environmental, and economic policies. Yet, everyone continues down the same ultra-partisan road that condemns us to inaction.
Hey, it's funny on a bumper sticker. But in real life, not so funny.
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