Advertising on Underbelly

Ever since I can remember, I was always looking up.  Up in the sense that, as I heard the roar of a plane fly above, I would always look up. I'd wave to the plane as my mum would tell me and my siblings to, "say hi to Granny", even though Granny would have flown back home 3 months ago. Slightly older, my brother and I would play the 'guess what plane' that is game. Ah, some things never change, I still play that game, with or without my brother around.

When Emirates started flying to/from Australia it was literally a game changer.  Not only did Emirates have their identifiable tail, but they also had emblazoned on the plane's belly, EMIRATES.

Of course, this also made the 'guess the plane' game so much easier.  No more waiting for the plane to turn, no more tilting my head at awkward angles.

However, after all these years, the only other plane that I see often that also has an inscribed underbelly is JetStar.  In this day in age where all spaces are for sale, how could such a prominent place on a plane be so under utilised?

I did some research and found that only a handful of airlines capitalise on this space.  These include: Emirates, JetStar, Air Berlin, Virgin Atlantic, Fiji Air, Solaseed Air, Qatar Air and Air Asia/Air Asia X.

Utilising this space on the underbelly of the plane would be a marketers dream!  I know that it costs money to paint and maintain it, and that paint is heavy, detracting away from the cargo/passengers it could carry, but it seems priceless.  The brand would exposed to so many people in so many countries.

Surely I can't be the only one in the world who looks up every time a plane flies overhead.  What a missed opportunity!




References:
http://m7.i.pbase.com/g4/89/584089/2/52450667.Emiratesnewunderbellylogo.jpg
Had a little help from my mates who helped me I.D. what other planes have their name on the plane's belly

I designed my "Air Ayesha" at the following site - http://www.skies-unlimited.com/conceptdemo.aspx#/?mode=&item=0

Fitness Clothes and Workout Wear

Correct me if I am wrong, but the reason the fitness industry exists is to (financially) capitalise on the motivation people have, to lead a healthy life through various exercises and activities.


If this is the case, why do SO many companies only make gym clothes for the people who are already converts, and not to those who actually need to be engaged with regular exercise?  We're a country (and world) that is getting larger and larger around the waist. 

It seems that fitness clothes made by the larger corporations are only made for those who would look good wearing the brand.  Is it a case or conspiracy that these big corporations don't want larger people to wear their clothes?  Will the fact that a size 20 woman or a 4XL man wearing a fitness logo detract from the brand image these companies want to uphold?  Is it a shaming thing? The fact and irony is, only if larger people lose weight will they be then able to fit into those clothes.

There are some fitness and exercise companies like Lululemon and Lorna Jane that are all about the raaahh, motivating people to get moving and also try to take away the fear or instill a no holds bar attitude. Their t-shirts have emblazoned slogans such as, "Never give up" and "Live Life Love Life". The tragedy is, both these companies only make sizes up to an Australian women's 16, and its not a very generous sized system either! I'm not normally a 16 in clothes and yet I have great difficulty in fitting into the largest size in either of these brands!

Programs like "The Biggest Loser" make me feel uncomfortable and I also feel a sense of shame for the individual 'on display'. How much more motivated would they be to exercise if they had fitness clothes that made them feel good and confident?  Why is it that the coaches and trainers get to wear all the latest branded apparel and the contestants are either in a cotton 'Biggest Loser' t-shirt or they're bare?  I suppose shaming people is one way to lose weight, I like to think that you can motivate people to do that too.

Exercise is exercise.  One persons 1-minute mile is another persons walk to pick up the kids from school.
One of my main motivators to get fit and stay active was investing in good quality gym wear.  It was about feeling good and confident while exercising.  If only we could only pass that opportunity on to all people.


P.S. The only company that I could see made much larger sized clothes was Nike (available in the US). 


Images taken from: 
http://info.lululemon.com.au/education/info/sizes?mnid=mn;education;size-chart&icid=cars2;wk24;sizeguide;2013
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/03/26/4140623/729-biggest-loser-kevin-620x349.jpg

Where the Loyalty Lies

With the re-appointment of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister, I slept well for the first time in 3 years and 3 days.  There is now a new hope for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to climb back up the polls and possibly win the next election. (after ex-Prime Minister Julia Gillard stepped down and retires after losing yesterday's leadership ballot).

Now we all know the environment in parliament is quite different to the environment of our workplaces.  However, one thing that both parliament and our workplaces have in common is navigating that fine line of loyalty.  Our loyalty to the party, organisation or employer and loyalty to the leader, CEO or our manager.

Political loyalty over the last 24 hours has been raised many times (even more over the last 3 years!) and it was clear that some politicians really struggled with their decision on who should be leader of the ALP, thus becoming Prime Minister.

By nature of who we are and the psychology under which we operate, we humans are social and loyal creatures. We thrive in an environment surrounded by other like minded people. We all want to belong to something and by belonging to something, we want to pledge an allegiance and our loyalty to that person or group.  In the workplace, we ideally work for an organisation who mirrors our values, surrounded by similar thinking people, channeling the same values, vision and being a team player.

What the ALP party members faced yesterday was a tug-of-war in the loyalty games.  Either loyalty to the incumbent PM (their manager) or loyalty to the ALP (organisation, employer).
It was a choice of either; a) Stick with Julia Gillard, the present PM, someone who is good with her team but has alienated the public and may greatly lose seats in the election.  Or b) Vote for Kevin Rudd, ex PM who was disposed of 3 years ago, someone who may not be the best with their team but will have a greater chance to win around the public and not lose so many seats or even possibly win the election. Ultimately, it was also a choice in age old, 'flight or fight' - fight for a chance for the ALP and their own seat's survival or flight, flee reality and continue pledging loyalty to the then PM, Julia Gillard.

In today's ever changing workplaces, our loyalties are constantly being tested. Redundancies, downsizing, mergers and takeovers, no one is really secure where they are and in some professional environments and circumstances, the only person you can really count on is yourself.  There have been many times when I have demonstrated loyalty to the organisation and or to my managers. Many times, my loyalty did not really count for anything.  Regardless of my attitude, regardless of my hard working nature.  Unfortunately, it seems to me these days that loyalty counts when money and business doesn't, or at least when budgets are not that tight and jobs are not in jeopardy.

So what did we learn today?
We all want to be loyal, we all want to be part of something bigger and want to be surrounded by like minded people. However, when the times are tough and people are scared, we retreat and question what we need in the search for self-preservation.  In tough situations, we too would question our loyalty.  We also need to remember that where you place your loyalty can determine your own success or failure. It's no wonder that loyalty is not lauded as it once used to be.



Image from: 
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/06/27/4524205/spruddspeaks27-20130627121936747447-620x349.jpg

Vision for Sydney

I got a little outraged today.
The front pages of today's Sydney Morning Herald was an ad for "The Star" and the casino's full spread on their "vision for our city".

The Star wanted to tell us Sydneysiders how they will aim to provide us with world-class attractions, (I.E. a bigger casino) connecting us (I.E. building a new footbridge) and making an economy out of Pyrmont, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo (I.E. where another casino is being developed).

Welcome to Sydney's Las Vegas district!
It's bad enough Crown Casino/the Packer family are pretty much doing what they want in the Barangaroo site, now The Star has decided that they want to further profit, albeit from the misfortunes of others.

I also found the ad was posted in poor taste. Immediately above The Star's ad for opulence and pie-in-the-sky ideas was Mr and Mrs Mia who barely make any money per day. The Mia's work sewing clothes in Bangladesh for major fashion houses.  The money spent on this ad could have gone in improving WH&S, training and better infrastructure for their buildings.

It's fairly obvious that more development and infrastructure is needed for Sydney, but should we Sydneysiders be dictated to by massive corporations? Should casinos and business at least work hand-in-hand with local council and state government to build new developments? How expensive will it be for the local to access this area?

There are some of us living in Sydney (the world) who are ethical, who don't want to do business with casinos and organisations promoting gambling.  I try to avoid visiting casinos and pokies in clubs and my investments are invested in a socially responsible manner. 

I think that the people spending hours at a time at establishments like this, hoping for their luck to turn is very sad. It's poor form for casino's to capitalise on this and to dictate what developments they want to make to OUR city, especially when the buildings, parks and hotels are built at the profit of these wishful hopers, gambling addicts and misfortunes of casual punters.

Card Games

Someone call rummy!

Everyday we hear from the government, opposition, minority parties and the media that the "race card", "gender card" or the "tax card" are being played - I'm just waiting on someone to call full house.

Why can't issues be brought up? Why stay silent? Why is it that it is generally areas that we haven't got right that people accuse others of playing 'that card'?  "Discussing gender issues isn't playing the 'gender card', like how discussing tax isn't playing a 'tax card'. These are actual issues, bros." (J.Alice)

We currently have gender inequality, not just here but around the world. Pay disparity, access to education, reproductive rights.
We currently have a tax system that allows those super wealthy to squirrel away and hire accountants who know the loopholes. We haven't implemented all of Ken Henry's tax recommendations.
We currently have cultural and religious intolerance.  With our first Australians, our newest Australians and second and third generation Australians.  Injustice, intolerance and vilification.  All based on where we originated from, what we look like and insulting them by not really knowing them.

I want these cards played!  I don't want these issues trivialised with an eye roll. These are the issues affecting us daily. We will be a better country if we can discuss this in a mature way. 




References:

Tweet from: Jessica Alice, @jessica_alice on 11/06/2013

Image from: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyLtOWPOo3iuuGDmqifgg4KoumqKdZUsKfx1pQcaER9Dpk2y-x

Safety - The #1 Value for Organisations

It's becoming more and more evident the importance of organisations handling Workplace Health & Safety matters.

Workplace Health & Safety (WH&S), re-named from Occupational Health & Safety, is more than just picking up boxes with correct posture or wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

We all have a duty of care to each other.  WH&S is reporting spills and near misses, it is checking to see the 'slip' factor on the lobby floor when wet, it is knowing the signs of fatigue, it is letting employees know that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated.

SAFETY IS EVERYONES RESPONSIBILITY.

The recent Telstra/NBN roll out is just the latest in a long line of safety scares and concerns. Lend Lease at Barangaroo, the clothing factory collapse in Bangladesh, tornado chasers in Oklahoma (who died in pursuit of 'the big one'), the truck driver ploughing into a building early in the morning, etc, etc.

I've been very fortunate with my previous employers. They have all had safety as a priority.  It is reinforced and communicated all the time, it is included in their values, it is keeping WH&S top-of-mind when pursuing strategy or undergoing any changes.

Focus on safety should not just be reserved for your immediate environment, but throughout the whole supply chain. 

The prioritisation of safety is one of the values I look for in a new employer.  Do you? 

We all need to ensure that our employer places great value on safety.  If not, challenge them, start the ball rolling yourself or leave. 

Compromises in safety is not acceptable!



References;
Summary of our WH&S law from Australian Industry Group

Images from:
http://signforce.com.au/images/s725.jpg