I’ll be Drinking Pepsi at my Super Bowl Party!

Oh, lets face it, I probably won’t have a Super Bowl party. Might have watched if the Vikings had made it though.
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Nonetheless, I will be drinking Pepsi on February 7, and probably for some time after–and not just because UNI is a Pepsi campus.

Pepsi is doing something revolutionary for the brand–instead of sinking millions of dollars into Super Bowl advertisements, they will not but running a campaign during this year’s Super Bowl, but are instead working on a viral campaign using social networking. Why this is so awesome? Personally, I have a love for viral advertising, but, what is WAY MORE IMPORTANT, is that the campaign plans to give away $20,000,000 in grant money away to organizations which do good things for the community/world, in six different categories–health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods and education. Further yet, they want the consumers of their product to be involved in selecting what projects receive grants–both allowing users to submit ideas/suggestions as well as vote one what projects they like best (hint: this is where the social networking part I talked about earlier comes in). It’s kind of like American Idol but awesome. They will be giving our 32 grants a month. In order to become involved, visit www.refresheverything.com.

As someone who has always felt kind of uncomfortable with the amount of money our culture sinks into entertainment (I mean, Avatar was a movie that was pretty to look at, but imagine what else could have happened with $300,000,000?), I was really excited to hear about this move from Pepsi. For years, Pepsi has been a leader in advertising campaigns and has become an incredibly successful brand. If this move is successful, I would be surprised if other companies don’t follow in their footsteps.

Which is why, for the next while of my soda-drinking career, I will be choosing Pepsi, in hopes that a campaign with a good cause can last. It sure is refreshing to see one.

What do you think? Am I too optimistic? Do you think something like this could be successful?

Source: Yahoo!

Soc Club Event!

Meet us at 8:30 on Tuesday at the Honors Cottage!

The UNI Sociology Club will be meeting Tuesday, November 10 at 8:30 at the Honors Cottage. While there, we will discuss Adam Yuet Chau’s article “Drinking Games, Karaoke Songs, and Yangee Dances: Youth Cultural Production in Rural China.” If you would like to read this article before hand, it is available through UNI’s library website . After a discussion, we will head to The Hub (18 year-olds, bring your college ID, cover is free) to perform participant observation at a live Karaoke event.

Questions? Contact Natalie Turner at turnern@uni.edu

Senate Passes Hate Crimes Bill

The US Senate has passed a hate crimes bill that, if signed by President Obama, will “make it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.”  Obama has promised to sign the bill, which Joe Solmonese (President of the Human Rights Campaign) has called “our nation’s first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.” The bill is named for Matthew Shepard, who was beaten and killed for being gay,  and James Byrd Jr, and African-American who was dragged to death–both occurred in 1998.

CNN reported that earlier this month,

Obama told the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest gay rights group, that the nation still needs to make significant changes to ensure equal rights for gays and lesbians.”Despite the progress we’ve made, there are still laws to change and hearts to open,” he said during his address at the dinner for the Human Rights Campaign. “This fight continues now, and I’m here with the simple message: I’m here with you in that fight.”Among other things, Obama has called for the repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. He also has urged Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and pass the Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act.

Hopefully this legislation is the first of many new bills which provide equality for all.

What are your thoughts?

:( Hulu won’t be free in 2010

Hulu, a site whose slogan once read “Watch your favorites. Anytime. For Free,” is going to be axing that last part in 2010, as they plan to start charging a subscription for its viewers.

Today, an Entertainment Weekly News Brief stated

At an industry summit in NYC on Oct. 21, New Corp Deputy Chairman Chase Carey revealed that online video hub Hulu will begin charging users for content as soon as 2010, according to Broadcasting and Cable. Carey told reporters that a subscription system is likely, although some content will probably continue to be offered free of charge. “I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value,” he said.

I understand Hulu wants to make more money, but I’m just curious if there is a market for it. Netflix already offers a large selection in their instant queue for a monthly subscription, commercial free. Furthermore, many broadcasting stations already offer internet streaming after the episode has aired, very similar to Hulu presently, with commercials.

I love Hulu for exactly what its slogan says it offers–it has a very large selection, I can watch it anytime, and it is free. Cutting out the “free” cuts out a large reason why I enjoy it. As a college student with a busy schedule, Hulu has provided me with the opportunity to watch new shows or continue watching shows I love, even when they were at the same time as a scheduled class or meeting. Hulu being free allowed me to enjoy it more than illegal streaming sites or Netflix, because I could watch it without feeling guilty, both because I wasn’t watching it illegally and because I didn’t spend any money to do so.

What do you think? Do you think it’s fair they charge a subscription? Do you use sites like Netflix or Hulu? How have these entertainment sites changed our society’s leisure practices?