Seeing as I’m in the ad industry (to some respect), I’ve always enjoyed skimming Ad Freak and I Believe in Advertising every morning. It’s really fascinating to see what other countries can get away with as well as grab some creative ideas from the site for your own projects. Here are 2 I really, really loved this week:
To promote learning languages, they set up this billboard in a movie theatre. It said, in German, “Get a free cup of coffee at the concession stand.” Those who read German made their way to concessions. Once in the theatre and the movie began, with the translation of the sign outside and the message “You just missed a free coffee. It’s worth it to know foreign languages.”
When we were abroad, Amber and I stumbled into a pub upon getting off the bus in Galway. We then met a table of adorable lads who were there watching the rugby game. But not any rugby game, the All Blacks team from New Zealand. I still don’t understand rugby, but every time I think of rugby I think of this team. And this promo that they made for the upcoming season is crazy good.
The Frisky had this article a few days back about 9 Easy Strategies for making a move on a guy. And yes, the act itself is daunting and I truly believe it should be something that a man must do just like fixing a toilet and killing bugs. But seeing as I grew up in a woman-run show, I learned how to plunge a toilet (sort of) and kill bugs with Midwest Living. So naturally, I have made a move instead of sitting back and waiting. I’m impatient at times and quite independent, so I just view chatting up a lad as a normal thing. But apparently it’s quite daunting.
I’m not sure if it’s the independent vibes from Mom, Amy Spencer‘s How to Meet Your Orange Half or the fact I’m just very confident, but I’ve never once shied away from striking up a conversation and/or proposing a date. Correct, at times, definitely doesn’t go as planned. But generally I’ve met some interesting people along the way and have had some hilarious tales to tell because of it. Cases of point so you yourself can muster up the strength to forge your own dating future:
1)New Zealand guys in the Galway pub. When Amber and I took an impromptu trip to Galway, we went into a local pub for some grub and met ourselves a table of New Zealand lads watching the All Blacks game. So I eagerly chatted with them asking the ins and outs of rugby. We went our separate ways after the game and would run into them in a pub later that night. Amber and I literally had the time of our lives that night with these enormous rugby playing guys. Lesson Learned: The rule of “I’ll never see them again” doesn’t work all the time. So be sure you don’t make a fool of yourself the first go-round.
2) RedEye Bachelor #1. The RedEye here has a “Bachelor of the Week” of a single dude in the city looking for love. While bored at work one day, I decided to email the guy. I enlisted the help of Jessica to steal a page from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and copied a note one of the characters in the show writes to Chase Utley. Needless to say RedEye #1 thought I was hysterical and sent loads of compliments my way. Went on one date, realized he really was better on paper and we went our separate ways. Lesson learned: Compliments last long after the relationship.
3) RedEye Bachelor #2. Naturally after some success, I decided to try again. This time, scored two dinner dates out of the matter. Didn’t work out (I ran home in part because Glee was starting and because I just wasn’t feeling it), but I learned things that I like and don’t like about guys. Lesson Learned #1: It’s hard to compete with someone who loves their college just as much as I do, so I need to find someone who went to a college without D-1 sports. Lesson Learned #2: I wear my emotions on my face, so I really need to adapt a poker face and stat.
4) Prince Ali. The latest one at the moment ,who’s still shockingly around despite all of my weirdness and quirks, I met while volunteering at an American Cancer Society walk/run. Chatted him up after the event and we exchanged numbers. We’ve hung out a few times and things are progressing nicely, though instead of magic carpet rides, we soar over the streets of Chicago via the L. Lesson Learned: Some guys are just a little shy to make the initial connection, but then they take over eventually.
As a huge proponent of paving your own path, making your own destiny and seizing the day; I think more gals should be comfortable heading out of their shell and making the initial contact. And it’s so refreshing to meet dudes outside of the bar scene, so start volunteering! Molly informs me she’s already signed up for the KC BBQ event in October. Excited to hear what kind of beefy men she finds there. But some things, as Monica Geller shows us, a boy just has to do.
Hanna (Non)Tana 
