Lately I’ve become obsessed with the number of plastic shopping/grocery bags that enter my household. I’ve been sticking them in a drawer to see how fast it takes to fill up.
Not.
Long.
I used to merely hate waste and packaging and so forth, but I’m learning to despise it.
To be aware and to take action when it comes to the little things automatically puts you in the “damn tree hugger” category. I see the looks, I know. Nobody wants to be the slightest bit inconvenienced. But enough is enough!
Lately I’ve been thinking long and hard about my little trips to the grocery store. Like maybe I could buy one of those canvas bags to stick stuff in. Not for the big shops, the Costco runs, but for the other 90% of the time when I’ve only got a few items.
Today I was out and about and had my huge ass purse with me so I figured let’s see how this goes. Barnes & Noble? “No thanks, I don’t need a bag.” Grocery store? Well, I kinda forgot about my plan by that point. I was buying fat free sour cream and fat free cheddar cheese and it was only as I was swiping my debit card that I remembered I was going to stop using plastic at the grocery. I could have fit a whole case of the stuff in there so I said, “Come to think of it, I don’t need a bag.” She gave me the look. Like I was seven types of crazy and how annoying that I inconvenienced her. She took a deep breath and mustered up the strength to take those whole two items out of the bag. I stuck them in my purse.
And then.
She crumpled up the bag that had been contaminated by my grocery cooties and threw it in the trash.
Blogging 2004, so much of the conversation was shaped on the web. Now, is it possible that democrats are getting it? Sure, the web has changed a lot in the last few years, but even back then the campaigns didn’t take full advantage of what was available. Everything was grassroots, a bit disconnected. We were talking, but they paid attention only when the web conversation crossed over into mainstream media. Candidates attempted to use forums and blogs to communicate, but we all know they were lame, impersonal. I didn’t see any political blogger with a campaign site on their blogroll let’s just put it that way.
Maybe there are some hipper, savvier marketing people involved this time. (Then again, not hard to achieve.)
Rather than just sending me HTML emails asking for money and giving me updates about how bad Bush sucks ... I am seeing positive signs that the candidates are attempting to understand the culture of the web, the power of viral marketing, social networking, blogging and the interactivity (key) that goes with it. They have the power to reach out in a more personal way, participate in the conversation, and they just may be smart enough to take advantage of that.
This morning the email from the Hillary campaign wasn’t about issues or begging for contributions, it was a plea to help choose her campaign song. On the surface a bit gimmicky, sure, but when the home girl is self-effacing, that’s good funny and from a marketing perspective, brilliant.
You know when somebody asks you to dance, but you’re really not feeling the beat of the song? Oh and you’re sober too. You may otherwise be a decent dancer and a pretty cool cat.
