Did the ad go too far?

DirecTV has been running a commercial promoting its TV service that takes a classic movie scene from the Poltergeist. It features Craig T. Nelson, who played the dad in the 1982 movie, and Heather O'Rourke who played little Carol Ann. 

This hilarious, yet controversial, ad has been trashed with being exploitative, given that O'Rourke died tragically at age 12.  On the other hand, O'Rourke's mother actually approved the concept and though the finished spot was a "wonderful tribute to her daughter."

When I first saw this commercial I laughed and then started thinking about how it was kind of pushing it. Although her death wasn't attributed to the spooky encounters the cast claimed to happen on set, it is a little much for me. Despite the fact that I don't really like it doesn't mean the ad wasn't original, catchy and thought-provoking. 

Obama/Axelrod

I found an interesting article over Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod.

The article highlights the connection between Obama and Axelrod, both professionally and personally. It's interesting to read the opinion over how this type of relationship differs from the traditional relationships between presidential hopefuls and their campaigns officers. It also describes where and how they met, and sketches out a few plans they hope for in the future.

The article even compares this duo to other famous pairs such as Bill Clinton/James Carville and George W. Bush/Karl Rove.

I found this article to give a fresh perspective on political campaigns and showing a different side of politics that isn't necessarily always business, but includes a healthy dose of genuine camaraderie.

article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/us/politics/27axelrod.html?em

Diesel does an elephant act

Diesel worked with Fingerprint Communications to generate press for its New York XXX party. This party was to celebrate its 30th anniversary with a rock circus theme. Fingerprint Communications promoted the event with series of suspense. They first distributed racy videos. These videos got viewers curious. Then, the location of the venue was a mystery each time information was released. This kept viewers checking back to the site and searching other sites for more information, eager to learn where this event was and why everything was such a mystery. The turn out was 6,5000 people! 1,500 of them had to stay outside the tent because maximum capacity was reached.

Fingerprint Communications developed a great strategy in promoting Diesel's anniversary party. I think a mystery promotion is an awesome tactic. This keeps people curious, on their toes, and anxious for what is next to come. It also gets people talking, trying to figure out what is next; or talking about the racy video and what they saw. Good job Fingerprint!

Anti-Smoking Warnings Make You Want to Smoke, Claims Study

Ad-industry pundit Martin Lindstrom busts commonly held beliefs about marketing, asserting that subliminal advertising does exist and maintaining that cigarette warning labels make smokers want to smoke more, not less.

Buyology: Truth and Lies About What We Buy," published by Doubleday, lays out the findings of a three-year, $7 million neuromarketing study by Mr. Lindstrom, who is chairman-CEO of Lindstrom Co. He and a team of researchers in Oxford, England, used the most up-to-date neurotechnologies. on 2,000 people from five countries in an effort to better understand consumer behavior.

Mr. Lindstrom said one of the most surprising findings of the study involved warning labels placed on cigarette packs. When project researchers asked test subjects if the warning labels worked, most said "yes." These were the subjects' conscious answers. But their subconscious answers told a different story. When researchers repeated the same question and flashed images of the labels while subjects underwent an fMRI, the images activated "craving spots" in the brain, indicating that the warnings made the smokers want to smoke more, not less.

I think this is a great way to understand consumer behavior. Neuromarketing is a tool that will help improve interaction with customers and will make it easier for marketers to understand their target market. A brain scan can tell you if a customer is truthful, telling you what you want to hear, or influenced by peer pressure. It allows you to get an uncensored initial reaction to something, as opposed to the censored version a customer actually speaks.
Click here for full article!

Bold Move by AT&T

After quite a few delays, AT&T has finally announced the Blackberry Bold launch date: November 4th. This high-tech handheld device will be $299.99 with a two-year contract.

Hmm, isn't there something else going on that day? I swear, I feel like...oh ya, its election day! Smooth move AT&T.

Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility said:

"The BlackBerry Bold is the best BlackBerry smartphone ever, backed by the nation's fastest 3G network and the hands-down best international coverage of any carrier. The BlackBerry Bold is the complete package, providing customers with an absolutely outstanding mobile experience whether doing e-mail, browsing the Web, viewing streaming video or simply making a phone call. And it is being introduced in the U.S. only from AT&T."

Well congratulations Ralphy for a new and improved Crackberry. And congratulations on your bold decision to release the phone on election day. I am not really sure if this is going to help or do anything positive for the sales of the phone. I would hope people would be more interested in who is the next to be top dog of America, as opposed to getting a new phone.


http://technologyexpert.blogspot.com/2008/10/at-be-bold-on-election-day.html

Industry consultants forecast tough 2009

As the economy has turned bad and companies are beginning to cut costs in their operations, many jobs, even PR jobs, could be headed south. With major costs to be reduced, Ad and PR companies are some of the first industries to begin making cuts. There haven't been too many PR industry cuts reported yet, but experts are predicting 2009 too be a rough year for everyone. “I think any agency that says things are hunky-dory is living in a fantasy world,” says Bob Feldman, CEO of Feldman & Partners. “Virtually every... area of spending is coming under scrutiny.” The amount of cuts will depend on the size of the firm whether it be corporate or private. Experts are recommending that PR agencies do a lot for their clients and take a proactive stance in the next few months before the new year starts in order to ensure continued business with their clients.



This is definitely not good news for the PR industry but with the economy in the shape it's in, this was somewhat expected. Hopefully PR companies have been proactive and can afford to take a hit without losing employees. At least the PR and Ad agencies aren't in near as bad as shape as other industries are in right now.



http://www.prweekus.com/Industry-consultants-forecast-tough-2009/article/119781/

Sony does their part to support the war on terrorism... By setting us back 50 years

Sony announced that it will delay the release of its much-anticipated new Playstation 3 game, Little Big Planet. The game was scheduled for release this week, until it was recently discovered that two songs on its soundtrack contain passages from the Quran.

This goes past the issue of political correctness. Whether Sony knows it or not, all they are doing is sending the message that the Quran has no place in our country - not even in a video game.

How long are we going to indoctrinate our country that all Muslims are terrorists? I feel ashamed that our country has created a culture of fear about anything in media associated with Muslims or any people from the Middle-East.

All racism aside... The irony is killing me. Its funny how a game like Grand Theft Auto, one that rewards point for killing police, buying prostitutes and stealing cars, can make its way onto the shelf; yet a game that features two passages from the Quran on the soundtrack are pulled from release.

PR Industry taking a beating in the blogosphere

An article on the PrWeek website cites several examples of prominent bloggers making derogatory statements of the Public Relations industry. Lois Paul, the founder of Lois Paul and Associates and the author of the article, goes on to list several beneficial aspects of the industry which the bloggers may not have considered.
The article then poses the question of whether or not the bloggers are simply jealous of the revenue that the PR industry recieves.
I must say that after reading the list of beneficial things PR does for journalists and businesses it seemed like most of them are either vague, abstract, or should be common sense for corporations. Now I realize that some large corporations need someone to tell them how to handle the media but as the media fragments into hundreds of new and unknown formats (as the last post referenced) will the public relations industry gain or lose revenue?


http://www.prweekus.com/Blogosphere-attacks-on-PR-unwarranted/article/119695/

Emerging trends point to what comes next in marketing world

PRWeek, the public relations industry's leading trade magazine, will soon celebrate its 10-year anniversary. This significant moment has a lot of PR practitioners reflecting on how the industry's trends have changed throughout the years. According to a PRWeek.com article, these changes will be the focus PRWeek's upcoming Next Conference on Nov. 19. Industry experts will discuss the future of content, the in-house PR team, talent and more. Predictions on how the PR world will change include:
1. a chaotic future where there are millions of media, all with a small number of readers
2. traditional writing will decline and computer-speak will likely be the next evolution
3. a lot more will be expected from educational institutions in their methods for preparing students for a PR career

The article then says its important for the industry to adapt to these changes in order to continue to succeed.

I generally agree with that. However, I think a lot of those changes are currently (or have already) taken place. There's already multiple newspapers, TV stations, blogs, Web sites, radio stations, etc. strictly for Austin news. Computer-speak is the underlying definition of Twitter, which is used by some of the top PR practioners and media members. Universities across the country are undergoing a "face lift" of sorts to enhance the PR degree. Maybe instead of discussing these so called predictions at the upcoming conference, PRWeek staff and other PR practitioners simply need to accept these changes as reality.

Dear Joe the Plumber

After last night's presidential debate, Joe the Plumber was made famous. The media is now hounding him for interviews. The once unknown plumber that was worried about his small business should fret no more.  

"This is the kind of PR that's more valuable than low-interest financing to a small business, " says Carl V. Natale from MaineBusiness.com

 

Carl is right. This is the best PR Joe could have ever have got for his business. Banks now will be wanting to help finance his business because it could become an instant campaign for the bank.

The article goes on to encourage other small business owners to contact the presidential campaigns explaining how their policies could help.

You could become the next Sally the Electrician for the Obama campaign!

http://mainebusiness.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html?id=8472

Celebrity Support of Political Candidates

Is our celebrity-obsessed society, it is considered the norm to preoccupy oneself with the lives of the rich and famous. Magazines and television shows reveal just about all there is to know about any respective celeb. It is possible to know all: form favorite books and movies, to popular shopping and dining destinations, to diet and exercise habits.

With the presidential elections looming near, it only seems natural for the public to be interested in what side of the political spectrum celebrities associate themselves with.

It may only be my imagination, but it seems like all the positive press is in favor of Barack Obama. Celebrities like Chelsea Handler and P. Diddy are very publicly showing their support for the democratic hopeful. Justin Timberlake and girlfriend Jessica Biel have also lent a helping hand by participating in a rally for Obama in Las Vegas. Timberlake has also caught attention by “remaking” his infamous SNL song D**k In a Box and renaming it Vote In a Box.

The only news worthy attention McCain’s camp seems to have received is the recurring SNL spoof on Palin which, other than the reference to her former beauty queen status (which implies that she was formerly and/or is currently physically appealing), provides not one ounce of positive outlook.

7-Eleven Election

7-Eleven has launched a political campaign with coffee cups. Customers can choose a "McCain" or "Obama" printed coffee cup and support their candidate. Votes are tallied weekly in USA Today and can be viewed on the 7-Eleven election site. Customers have successfully predicted the last two elections with more information about the past on the 'fun facts' page.

I was unaware of this campaign, and my brother told me about his 7-eleven coffee experience. He wasn't even paying attention when he bought his morning coffee and was criticized as he sat down in class. His classmate said, "Your'e a McCain supporter? Ewww!" My brother said he had no idea what was going on until the guy pointed at his cup.

The results page is quite interesting, showing McCain rating lower than Obama in all participating states, but I am not comfortable with stating my politics on my daily dose of caffeine. For starters, it is simply too early for a political debate. However, I give props to whoever led such a clever and effective campaign. The cups are trendy and the Web site is easy to navigate. So if you want to predict the results of the 2008 election, stop by your local 7-Eleven.

Ikea Goes To Hollywood

Ikea is funding the newest form of entertainment, web television, with the new series Easy To Assemble. This new show is broadcasted by CBS via the web on the site TV.com. There is also a blog specifically dedicated to gossiping about the show called Spazzy Sheraton's Gotcha Blog. Some worry that a show entirely based on product placement may curb viewers but in reality this has not yet been a problem with viewership.

I found this to be interesting as we are now in the digital era and each and every media outlet is turning to the web. And apparently Dara is not the only blog lover as there is one dedicated to this show that has generated a lot of popularity among viewers. I think it will be very interesting to watch the media evolve as it is forced to keep up with the technology changes our society is going through and to see the ways the media will go about doing so.

Hollywood Lounge Goes Green

Tokio Hollywood has almost completed its transformation to Ecco, Hollywood's first and only eco-friendly lounge. Designer Beau Robb, who has also designed Los Angeles-based venues such as Area and Privilege, is turning Ecco into the nation's first eco-friendly L.E.E.D. certified venue. Ecco is set to open its doors in November.

Some of Ecco's features:

- Multi-colored state-of-the-art LED lighting.
- Neutralized carbon emissions through LivClean. http://livclean.ca.
- Green energy supplied by L.A. Department of Water & Power's Green Power resources.
- Certified organic cuisine and beveragges without fertilizers, pesticides, hormones or antibiotics.
- Energy efficient insulation, saving 20% more energy than standard insulation.
- Eco-friendly bathrooms with flushless toilets, Dyson "Airblade" hand dryers, and organic cleansers and hand soaps.
- Free valet service for hybrid vehicles.
- Paperless event ticketing, table and bottle reservations provided by UpCode Solutions USA/Mobile Access & Interaction technology (MAI)(TM).

This is great. I love this idea and can't wait for other businesses and companies to follow suit. I know there are some out there who are already involved in going green, and they do make a difference. Imagine if everyone was like this.

I've worked with the Austin Marathon and have seen first-hand the benefits of going green. I've also seen the benefits that going green brings. Media outlets want to cover events that are green, it's the newest thing. Companies, who give money and sponsorships, love to give to events who are green, it makes their comapny look good for supporting it. I'll have to double check what magazine did this ranking, but the Austin Marathon is the #1 ranked green marathon is the country. We just found this out last week and have let our PR firm, TateAustinHahn, know this so they can get a press release out. All this leads to positive coverage that benefits the event tremenduously. It increases our customers (runners), number of volunteers, media coverage and number of companies who want to be involved in the race.

Going green is the next big thing, while benefitting the earth at the same time. But if used properly, the act of going green can benefit your event or company in a truly positive way.

Palin Booed as "America's Hockey Mom"

Thinking Governor Sarah Palin could be a lucky charm for the Philadelphia Flyers in Saturday night's game was a mistake. In the successful "NHL Rocks" campaign, they took an extra step by inviting Palin to drop the opening puck at the Rangers-Flyers game for the promotion of finding the "Ultimate Hockey Mom." They thought this would be a solid move for both the Flyers and for Governor Palin. They thought that with a Flyers win and possibly a successful season, Palin could be the lucky charm the team has needed for a while now.
However, that wasn't quite the case when Palin was booed dropping the ceremonial puck in Philadelphia. Many people thought of this as tacky and classless. One person stated that we are a "me/first, everything goes" country and we have no standards due to Palin showing up for this event. Another person said never to throw your politics into the face of a Philadelphian. This event was despised by many and a bad idea for the "NHL Rocks" campaign. Someone said that Philadelphia fans boo everyone, from Santa Clause to a handicapped kid who bounced a ceremonial first pitch. Even so, this was a bad, but funny mistake and not a bright idea as a person working on this PR campaign.

US Navy Seals signs with Gallup

The US Navy Seals signed a $500,000 contract with Gallup Consulting.  The 6-month contract states that Gallup will help the Navy with their marketing strategy and branding.  "We're looking for some professional help in defining the right audience for field recruiting," said Greg Geisen, NSWC commander and public affairs officer.  Geisen hopes to recruit individuals who can withstand both the mental and physical rigors of training.  It is reported that only about 25% of participants make it through the entire program.  With only 2,400 Seals currently, Geisen hopes to increase the number by 500 in the next few years.

The 6-month contract requires Gallup to draw up a marketing strategy, but not execute it.  In my opinion the Seals and Gallup could have picked a far better time to do this contract.  With the presidential election in November and all the drama with the war, I'm confused as to why this story even made the news.

http://www.prweekus.com/US-Navy-Seals-choose-Gallup/article/118643/

Full Throttle Fury

Dominating the beverage scene apparently isn't enough for Coca-Cola, so they came out with the energy drink Full Throttle. There are many flavors to choose from and the latest is the orange-flavored Fury. Coca-Cola decided to make the can orange and promote its latest drink by having Big Boi from Outkast as the face in an effort to reach the target audience of... African-American males?

I'm assuming they are targeting African-American males because they are generally good athletes and are hoping for black athletes to drink Fury during sporting events. However, from a health perspective energy drinks are horrible for anyone, much less an athlete. The amount of sugar and caffeine in those drinks is not good for the heart. On top of that, I didn't even know Big Boi was still around. As far as I am concerned Outkast was a semi-popular group of the 90's. Then again I am just a white girl.

JP Morgan Chase Aims at Consumer Confidence

JP Morgan Chase, concerned with customers' decimated confidence in the banking industry, are using messaging in ads to buoy confidence in Washington Mutual, which it recently acquired, reports The New York Times. 

Chase is deflecting the bad buzz and branding questions with tongue-in-cheek headlines, like "We love Chase. And not just because they have a trillion dollars," and more direct tags, like "WaMu & Chase. Safe & secure."

The ads successfully steadied the flow of deposits from WaMu, Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JP Morgan told The Times.

Edelman's US president and CEO, Matt Harrington, told The Times, "It's more comforting to be treated candidly: 'We're in uncharted waters. We're doing our best. We want to hear your questions. We're here to help you...' You gain a lot of credibility."

From a PR student perspective, I think the quote added to the short article from a prominent PR agency (Edelman) gave the content of this article some value. Each and everyday the financial crisis makes us consumer more and more apprehensible about spending, finances, etc... With all of the financial distrust, now is definitely the time to shine for PR agencies and financial institutions' internal PR!

Hello, Good Buy

Just a couple of years ago, Target was the darling of discount shoppers. The retailer profited from exclusive, stylish goods created by such big-name designers as Issac Mizrahi and Michael Graves. But in today's rocky economy, Target seems out of fashion. Same-store sales are down, and net income is sinking. Even Target executives pin the troubles in part on the widespread perception that the chain is more expensive than Wal-Mart because of its focus on trendy clothes and home accessories.

So how is Target revising its sales strategy as it heads into the holidays? It is actually ramping up its designer collection, with more labels than ever. But the $63.4 billion company is also recalibrating its marketing pitch to highlight low prices. In other words, customers can have hip brands and afford them too.

If you know me at all, you know that my name is synonomous with daily trips to Target. Besides the advertising strategy of Target being (in my opinion) complete genius, I think the PR/Marketing efforts to direct consumer attention to high styles for low prices is a strategy that can almost guarantee success. With our economy being in the lows, consumers are cutting back on their spending; perfect opportunity for Target to promote their affordable, stylish clothing. 

New Poll Indicates That Democrat Ticket Is Benefiting From Financial Crisis

Independent voters are starting to swing behind Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who continue to benefit from economic turmoil and the public response to their debate performances, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

The survey, conducted over the weekend, was full of good news for the Democratic presidential ticket. Sen. Obama increased his advantage over Republican rival John McCain when voters were asked which candidate they prefer to handle economic issues. At the same time, a growing percentage of voters said the economy is their top concern heading into the election.

I agree with the voters who said that the economy is the top concern heading into the election this year, but this is also just a poll that WSJ and NBC News did, and with another debate tonight and one more month till the polls open I'm not sure what the outcome of this election will be. Whatever candidate wins, I hope that the plans will succeed because the future of this country depends on it.

Oprah's being sued

Oprah sued for defamation by ex-school head

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx/?news=333722&GT1=28103

Oprah Whinfrey is being sued for defamation by the ex-headmistress of her school for girls in South Africa, Nomvuyo Mzamane. She is saying that Oprah tried to cover up abuse at the school and that she knew about it all along. Mzamane is seeking more than $250,000 on five defamation counts against Whinfrey

Former dorm matron Tiny Virginia Makopo is charged with abusing six students at the school. Makopo allegedly tried to kiss and fondle the victims and is also accused of kicking and hitting some of them. Makopo has plead innocent to 14 charges of indecent assault, assault and criminal injury.

Due to Oprah's stature and how easily all this is accessed on the internet, Msamane has not been able to find work in this field.

I'm really hoping Oprah had nothing to do with this and had no knowledge of what was going on at her school in South Africa. I hope this is just a sad attempt by a disgruntled ex-employee. That would be the most hypocritical thing for Oprah to do if she in fact knew what was going on. 

The fact that the dorm matron, Tiny, was allegedly doing all these things to the girls just makes me sick. It's really disgusting and terrible. 

Somethign else I have to wonder is how were two women that were so important to that institution, so horrible. Was there not a proper background check? Did they just randomly hire these women? Or is this all just a big lie?

Gillette Sharpens Pitch For Expensive Razor

As the economy seems to be pulling toward a recession, customers and consumers are pulling back spending on many of the items that inhabit their daily routines. Gillette, maker of the very common razor blades, is hoping that although many are cutting back, that people will still stay brand loyal by purchasing their blades. On Sunday Proctor and Gamble introduced a new ad campaign that focuses on getting shoppers comfortable with the some-what high prices of the blade replacements. As it stands, the price for 8 of Gillette's replacement blades are on average $25.03, which is considerably high when you compare them to other brands. Gillette's new launch of their Five Blade Fusion has a memorable ad which is trying to show customers how the price of the razors relates to their pocketbooks on a weekly basis. The advertisement as written is:

"In the world of high-performance, what machine can you run for as little as a dollar a week?" an announcer says amid close-up shots of one of the shavers in the line, "Fusion Power," which vibrates via battery. Nascar driver Carl Edwards's reply: "That's money well spent." (The dollar-a-week calculation is based on the price of Gillette's Fusion Power replacement cartridges and average consumption.)

Although this seems to be a tough situation for companies like Gillette who are selling name brand products at a higher price than competitors, they are hopefull that this campaign will stabilize their customer base and furthermore increase their sales.

Article to read -- HARO vs Profnet

This is a must-read article. Both of the services help match reporters to PR folks. I would encourage you to check out HARO -- it's free and will be impressive to an employer (if going to wor for an agency) that you know about it.

Brita Goes to College

Clorox's Brita is launching a new campaign targeted toward college students. Their "College FilterForGood Eco-Challenge" effort is supported by AOR Edelman.

Brita's on-going campaign "FilterForGood" targets the general audience with a goal to reduce bottled-water waste. It's college campaign's goal is to put a fire under kids to come up with solutions to on-campus environmental issues. The top 5 winners will receive $10,000 each.

Personally, I love Brita. I use my water-filter everyday and haven't purchased bottled water in a really long time. I think it's important to reduce waste when and where you can. Brita was smart to target college kids because they know people recognize their name. That, in general, will cause a stir and get kids motivated to compete in this campaign. That, and the large grand prize. Brita's timing is good too. More and more people are becoming aware of the environment and are making it more of a priority.

The campaign's tactics are very well thought through as well. They're putting their information into 100 college newspapers, getting their campaign onto Facebook and announcing the winners at the spring 2009 Earth Day.

Bernhard's Palin gang-rape joke

I read an article from MSN.com called "Bernhard’s Palin gang-rape joke shocks shelter."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26982470/

To summarize, it stated, "Bernhard said Palin would be “gang-raped by my big black brothers” during a diatribe in which she also criticized Palin for opposing abortion rights."

Bernhard, the comedic performer for a women's shelter, was cut from their annual benefit after she pitched that "joke."

I am one to stand up for laughter and the use of comedy most situations but in order for things to be funny they must also be tasteful. It wasn't as much the joke being utterly offensive as it was the context of the joke and the environment in which it was used. Bottom line: if you are offending everyone in the room, it's not going to be funny.

Saying something like that may be funny at a comedy club but she should have known better than to say it at a women's shelter benefit. I'm not sure that people representing a women's shelter would want to laugh at a joke that involves 'rape' in the punchline. While some may argue that it was only a joke, I think there might have been a better time for a controversial line like that.

700 Billion Dollar Bailout

Today, Wednesday, October 1, the Senate voted to go through with the $700 Billion dollar bailout. The vote was 74-25 and both Senators Obama and McCain voted for this bill.

Senator McCain said, "If we fail to act, the gears of our economy will grind to a halt."

I am unsure of what to think of the bailout, I trust the senate has had good financial advising but at the same time I wonder when they will stop bailing out companies in financial crises. I would like to put my faith in the government, but it is still hard when the number is this big.

I think company representatives and senators need to reassure the public that this is the right thing to do and it will only help our economy.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-10-01-washington-bailout-wrap-Wednesday_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Is morality natural?

I read the article, "Is Morality Natural" on Newsweek.com and found it very interesting.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/158760

Science is tracing the biological roots of our intuitive sense of what is right and wrong. It is suggested by studies that an unwritten moral grammar has been implemented in our universe. The studies also imply that this "moral grammar" has been designed to generate fast, intuitive and universally held judgments of right and wrong.

I found this article to be one of the most interesting articles I've ever read. Honestly! I was not surprised that the three hypothetical situations generated similar responses across diverse groups of people. I think humans as "individuals" have a whole lot more in common with each other than we want to admit.

Einstein once said, "Our seperation of each other is an optical illusion of conciousness."

In my opinion, we are all one. I'm not sure in what way I mean that but I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're all in this together for one reason or another. This article is definitely something to think about. I'm not sure the human race will ever discover the meaning to life or spirituality but studying the topic definitely expands our thought process!