Priming

As a resident of North Providence, Rhode Island, I was shocked to see that Pauly DelVecchio, from Johnston, Rhode Island (my town's rival town), was going to appear on an MTV show...which I am sure you all know is "Jersey Shore". I told myself I would not let myself watch this show because not only did it make New Jersey look trashier than it already is, it would also make Rhode Island appear to be a smaller scale of Jersey. I stayed strong and can honestly say I did not watch the show for the entire first season...well maybe an episode here or there when they were on late night. However, recently, I feel like everyone around me is talking about "Jersey Shore", whether they are using the "Jersey Shore" lingo, or discussing the latest drama that has happened on the show, I feel like I cannot escape this "Jersey Shore" mania. So, two weeks ago I finally gave in. I actually sat down on a Thursday night to watch the newest episode of "Jersey Shore". It wasn't as bad as I had expected, although I found myself laughing AT the show more than WITH the show. Clearly, I was primed to watch this show based on word-of-mouth, because I know if it wasn't constantly talked about by those around me, I definitely would not have taken the time to watch "Jersey Shore" and see what all the talk was about.

Joining In/Staying Out

The brand with which I feel to be part of a community is the Blackberry brand community. Just as Walker discusses the brand loyalty and community surrounding the Apple brand, I feel that same emotional attachment to Blackberry, having had a Blackberry for about four years. The Blackberry community is held together by their phones (obviously), members of the Blackberry community understand each other's phone dilemmas, chat about the latest Blackberry phones, and most importantly use Blackberry Messanger (BBM), which is used by every teenage girl in the country with a Blackberry. This brand allows me to feel as though I am a part of a community, although only a community of cell phones.
In other words, I feel as though I am completely disconnected from the Apple iPhone world. Several of my friends own iPhones and always talk about the latest applications they've downloaded or how awesome the camera on their iPhone works. As a Blackberry owner, it seems as if their are two teams...the Team Blackberry and Team iPhone, and I am on Team Blackberry. Therefore, its almost a competition between Blackberry and iPhone owners, each will criticize the other.
It is amazing how by simply owning a product by a certain brand one can create such a sense of community and emotional attachment to that particular brand. I am proud to say I am a member of Team Blackberry.

The Pretty Good Problem

About two months ago I purchased the brand new Blackberry Curve. The Blackberry Curve is a smart phone which allows you to access the internet, download an infinite amount of applications that that range from helping you pick a restaurant to eat at to checking your horoscope, and of course, make phone calls and text at insane speeds with its full keyboard. While I was obviously sold on buying the Blackberry Curve long before I entered the AT&T store, I asked myself...why the Blackberry Curve and not any other smart phone? What makes the Blackberry Curve so remarkable? Based on Seth Godin's ideas on what is "remarkable", I have realized that although many other smart phones have the same abilities as the Blackberry Curve, it is the brand name and reputation surrounding the brand name of the Blackberry that had me sold on buying one. As far as the advertisements for the Blackberry Curve are concerned, they make the phone appear to be the best option when it comes to smart phones, utilizing very creative commercials and print ads. The media coverage of the Blackberry Curve is what made it stand out as remarkable to me, and led to my purchase of the Blackberry Curve. If I had walked into the AT&T store not having any idea what kind of smart phone I wanted to purchase, I am sure I would have looked at the Blackberries first simply because of brand recognition. This, in my opinion, surely makes the Blackberry Curve a "remarkable" product.

Teach you how to WHAT?

After spending the weekend with my boyfriend and his family, I had the opportunity to spend time with a group of young 16 and 17 year old girls (lucky me!). I felt comfortable at first, as we were able to discuss the new hot celebrities, what was new on the Real Housewives of New Jersey, and the new sandals I just purchased. However, it was when they began to play music that I started to wonder, what are younger kids listening to these days?? One of the girls put a song called "Teach Me How to Dougie" on and all the other girls around her began to follow her with a dance, I'm assuming was the "dougie". I watched in amazement as all the girls began to do the dance all together, each adding their own little flare. They would tug on the shoulder of their shirts, then have their foot trace a circle on the floor, and don't forget about the hip circles that they did. They tried to teach me, but I told them when I was younger the only dances we did to popular music were the "Cotton Eyed Joe" and the "Macarena", none of this crazy "dougie" stuff. After much begging, I finally gave it and decided to have them teach ME how to dougie.

My Brand New Pair of Leopard Pumps

I went to TJ Maxx one day this summer without any desire to buy anything in particular. I walked around the store with my friend as she looked for a new outfit to wear out that night. I kept my cool, and although I saw many different shirts and dresses that I would have loved to make mine, I kept walking and shopping with only my eyes. We walked through the womens' clothing department, the juniors department, the accessories department...and finally we made it to the department that is my ultimate weakness....the SHOE department. I walked down every single aisle looking at every single pair of shoes to see if any shoe was worth swiping my good ol' debit card. After searching through almost every single aisle, I spotted the shoe of all shoes: black patent leather with leopard covering the peep toe, with a black leather strap around the ankle, and a 4 and a half inch heel to top it off...these shoes HAD to be mine. Plus, they totally matched my outfit that I was going to wear out that night. I checked the price tag and they were a not-so-bad $40, marked down from their original $90. Being a bargain shopper, I obviously had to jump on these shoes! So, without any remorse, I walked up into line and purchased my new shoes and let me tell you, they were a hit that night!