Trick or Treat

Beggars' night in the country means getting in the car and driving around to relatives who may actually be expecting trick-or-treat'ers and then parking in a subdivision to take advantage of the generosity of the people who live there.

This year we went out as Spiderman, a princess and our sole homemade costume: John Deere Tractor, complete with official stickers purchased at the dealer.
I originally made the tractor costume for Ryan. Justin was a baby that year, so he was the pig, of course. We even took the tractor costume to town and won a contest--all the judges must have been farmers. This year we didn't fare as well at a MUCH more crowded event in the same town.
Justin was a real trooper and carried the tractor around all evening. He got beat out by an OSU cheerleader wearing fake curly pigtails. Even my husband the rabid Buckeye fan couldn't believe it.

In a totally unrelated matter, I have this announcement:
FOR SALE Foamboard JD tractor,
Some post-Halloween damage due
to wrestling cousins, two-legged
powertrain not included.

PR Idea of the Week

Have you heard about the new Pepsi logo? What a case study in social media and branding.

Pepsi launched their new logo by sending the new look first to a select group of only 25 bloggers (my package must have gotten lost in the mail). Oddly, they sent three packages in twenty minute increments. The first two boxes included empty cans with old logos, the third box was branded with the new logo and contained six full cans (the contents are still the same).

Besides counting on the bloggers to post about these packages, the online component to the launch included a spot on FriendFeed.

Did it work? Well, my last Google of "Pepsi new logo" generated 287,000 hits. Of course, the Web is abuzz with branding experts and other critics who aren't sure this is the right move.

But I am fascinated with the method they chose, mixing courier deliveries with blogging. I have to think they accomplished exactly what they set out to do. The select bloggers felt special. Others jumped in to share the news and offer commentary. The fact that not all these marketing experts and branding gurus liked the logo is irrelevant. Pepsi wanted to create online buzz and anticipation of their new launch--which actually rolls out in 2009.

I think it's important for PR people to note that not a single part of this strategy involved trying to get on the front page of USA Today. I think it's a lesson for all of us in how important connecting with influencers--whether online or offline--is becoming just as important, or maybe more important than connecting with media.

Winning Ticket

I would like to officially endorse my Maverick-y island-dwelling Palin-in-law and her age-challenged running mate.
NOTE: This is not actually an endorsement of any look-alike candidates. I agree with Charles Schulz - There are three things never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Pig-holder

Growing old is never easy. Your skin isn't as taut as it used to be, your hair loses some of its radiance, and the toll that childbirth takes--well, you really make sacrifices for that litter of babies you had. On top of it all, you have to worry about being replaced with a young showy little miss.

Here on the farm, the old sows don't worry about such things.

All I did was gently suggest that her skin might feel smoother if she did not take naps in manure. See the look I got. Is she sticking her tongue out at me?

This old gal doesn't have time to do her hair. (She's starting to get a little nappy.) But how many of us didn't put on a few pounds and let ourselves go when we're days away from giving birth.

And finally, my heart goes out to this old sow who sacrificed her body and the shapeliness of her tits to nourish her growing brood.

Being the female of the species is never easy. But it's good to be married to a man who knows how to appreciate a female whose award-winning county fair days are behind her. A man who can look past the changes that childbirth has wrought and see strong genetics. A sensitive guy who knows that your State Fair profile shot from when you were a young gilt is the preferred photo to use when touting your son's latest State Fair win.

Farm Wife of the Decade

I would now like to introduce you to the farm wife of the decade.

I haven't met this beautiful couple but I have to say they are off to a good start. Think of the negotiations that must have led to this photo.

Her: I want the groomsmen to wear pink.

Him: OK, but then the entire wedding party is going to pose with a Yorkshire gilt and we're going to use the photo in our farm's ad in a national pig magazine.

Her: They also have to wear thongs.

What Farm Kids Do for Fun - Part II

They may not have sidewalks for their bikes or any neighbors under 50 in a five mile radius, but kids in the country know how to have fun.

This weekend our kids and their country cousins hosted a fall party at the farm. Thank goodness we invited our teacher mother and teacher mother-in-law for crowd control, because we did not know how to manage 19 kids. We did some things right like planning lots of activities, but the very challenge of keeping the attention of that many kids while you give instructions and organize them--that's why teachers make the big bucks (oh, wait...).

You MUST click on this photo to see the full cuteness of these pumpkins.

They decorated pumpkins using "Mr. Potato Head" branded kits with plastic pieces. If such things existed when we were kids, they would have come equipped with sharp points, probably metal, for stabbing into the pumpkin. I'm not sure how the people at Hasbro think that their rounded plastic tipped parts are supposed to pierce a raw vegetable, but having done this before, we were prepared with screwdrivers with which to stab Mr. Pumpkin Head repeatedly until all 13 parts were added.

While I handled all the invitations, cleaned the house, made the cupcakes, weeded the flower bed, and procured two dozen Mr. Potato Head kits, my husband had one main job for the party--the straw maze. And while he did grumble about getting 50 bales out of the barn, I think he had fun making the maze. All the kids LOVED it.

What party on the farm is complete without a hay ride. Note: all regular readers of this blog should know that we don't really use hay.

This was Morgan and Justin's first opportunity to invite their own friends to a party. Morgan invited "big girl" friends of the family and Justin invited friends from pre-school.

In two hours we played in the straw maze, went on a treasure hunt around the farm, made sand art in a jar, ate a snack, decorated pumpkins and went on a hay ride. Whew. Try doing that on your cul de sac.

PR Idea of the Week

Get with the times, New Roman. If you've ever designed a publication, or even just sweated through the drop-down options in Word, you will love this.



Mailbox, mailbox, mailbox!