Hilarious & Controversial New PSA "Sex and the Kitty"

Using the popularity of the new Sex and the City movie as a launch pad for a new public service campaign entitled "Sex and the Kitty", PETA created the following PSA to promote the spaying and neutering of house cats.

Unfortunately, the cats shown in the video below get so, well "frisky" that most networks, including MTV, (hello: pot, kettle, black!) have pulled the spot. One brave network in Seattle, KSTW-TV, is apparently still airing the clip at this date.


"The women of 'Sex and the City' have nothing on our kitties," said PETA VP Daphna Nachminovitch in a statement. "When you consider the millions of unwanted cats and dogs born each year, it's clear that the purrfect solution is spaying and neutering companion animals."

Well, this certainly gets that message across. Although as a cat owner and lover, I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit. :)

This Takes "Personal Branding" a Bit Too Far...

Yet another wonderful and mildly terrifying product launch to be filed into the category of "only in America." Not only the land of the free and brave, but most importantly (judging by my mailbox), the land of stuff!

Featured in this week's Williams Sonoma emailer as the ideal Fathers Day gift (for the Dad that has everything) I find this Monogrammed Steak Brand a little creepy. Who really wants to cut into a big juicy piece of chicken or steak emblazoned with someones name or initials? Um, not for me, thanks! I'll have the salad.

Dad, if this happens to be your dream Father's Day gift, I hate to be a spoiler, but you will have to look elsewhere. I think this takes the whole concept of "Building Your Personal Brand" to hilarious new level.

However, if you are so inclined to purchase one, they are also available at RedEnvelope.

The Internets Are Watching

Last week on Twitter, a prolific user tweeted their social security number in a completely nonchalant way. "My Social Security number: 555-55-5555." You get the drift. I would go back and find the post and poster to give this person props if Twitter had better search archive functionality, but I can't. Twitter, are you listening?

Whether or not it was their real social security number, I do not know. However, I almost fell out of my chair from the sheer genius of it. Twitterville is (currently) a trusting and open community, with people posting often intimate details of their daily lives. Was this person testing the waters to see what the implications of tweeting their social would be? Were they making a commentary about how our personal information really is available for anyone to find? Were they being snarky? Perhaps a combination of all of these things.

Lately there has been talk by some major bloggers (Tamar Weinberg and Danny Sullivan in particular) about the transparency of social networks such as Twitter and FriendFeed and the implications for daily life. Some of the blog posts were concerned with the implications for the safety of their children, and rightfully so. Someone can easily "know" Mommy or Daddy very well online and be a complete stranger. FriendFeed is very useful, yet it also allows everyone to see exactly what you are doing on the net. Let's call it "FriendSpy" if you will.

I think the trust and community we place in our social networks allows us to sleep at night. They are cyber-neighborhoods. However, by putting our lives on display for public consumption, we are essentially enabling stalking on a global scale, are we not? As a non-celebrity, I don't let this worry me. Stalkers are more likely to find you in person. :) If I had children, I am sure I would be more concerned. Plus, if someone wants to see what I am bookmarking, I am OK with that because I try not to go overboard with it.

Telecommunication providers keep all phone and internet records on everyone for a minimum of two years. In many states, public documents that include your social security number and home address are readily available online in public databases. Once indexed by search engines, every blog post, website, picture, Facebook entry, etc., can be dug up after it's deleted by anyone who really knows how to find these items. I am not trying to fear monger. This is the reality of the internet and public communication today. We need to get used to it, and next generation needs to understand the possible repercussions of posting all their crazy antics. If a thief wants your social security number, they will get it, whether you tweet it or not. It is much better to open your eyes, realize that everything you do today is on display, and act with full intention.

Frankly, I am mostly glad that the antics of my college days came before digital cameras and Facebook. Someone would have to search hard for silly photos of me, in actual albums. Political campaigns are going to get a lot more interesting when Gen Y starts running for office and everyone's dirt is public domain.

Only in America... Tanning Beds for Your Pet

Live in a cold, cloudy climate? Is Fluffy or Spot suffering Seasonal Affective Disorder along with the rest of the household? Either this new product is a sign of the pending Zombie Apocalypse or Genuis Marketing, or both. It is getting tons of attention on the interwebs... Gizmodo, Buzzfeed, and Trendhunter all have the scoop. Behold the SunSpa Tanning Bed, meant to simulate a relaxing nap in the sunshine for your cat (or dog, okay I'm partial). Officially launching at the Pet Industry Spring Trade Show May 16-18 in Baltimore, it is available for pre-order at the show... Run, don't walk folks!

A is for Accountability

In life and in work, I am a big believer in under-promising and over-delivering. When I worked in account management, I was the fixer. Give me the surliest, most difficult or frustrated unhappy clients and within six months, they were usually very pleased and back on track. Why?

Very simply stated, I was accountable for my actions, and for the work of our company. I put a human face on our work, reached out, built relationships and created a rapport with my clients and did my job to the best of my abilities. If something went wrong, I was then able to tell them we would fix it quickly, and we did. If I promised something by 5:00 on Wednesday, they got it by 4:55. They began to trust us, and often times the account would grow.

I don't profess that I was always able to win over every unhappy client. However, it never fails to shock me how rare personal accountability is in the business world, in customer service and in life. When things go wrong, everyone is always quick to point the finger and blame someone else, which accomplishes nothing.

As an individual, you can't always solve every problem on your own. Yet it can be disarmingly refreshing to hear a simple "Your right, I'm sorry, let me take care of this for you," and then to actually see the person follow through.