Harvey Nichols: Fun For Fashionistas

London-based Harvey Nichols launches a charming print campaign that plays off their line of fashion accessories. The campaign includes six print ads, but two particularly struck my fancy.

In the first ad, Harvey Nichols warns you to buy a bottle of altitude sickness pills if you buy their leopard print mega-high heal shoes. With spikes this high, you may just need those pills.

If you buy the stylish coat pictured in ad #2, a can of pepper spray is suggested to ward off all the admirers that will flock to your side.

In case you are not particularly familiar with Harvey Nichols (as I was not), a look at their website quickly educates you on one clear fact: their designer clothes and accessories are not cheap.  A pair of high heeled leopard shoes ring up at 600 pounds, roughly $967.  And a coat that's similar to the one shown in the ad - about $959. Clearly, they're out of my league.

But, the high prices of their clothing and accessories only make this irreverent ad campaign all the more alluring to me. The playfulness of the ads suggests that Harvey doesn't take themselves too seriously; in a word, they're not fashion snobs. 

Something tells me that if I was playing in the same league as them, I might just be intrigued enough to take a gander through their stores ... online, of course, since I don't often find myself in London!

Michigan Assistant Attorney General Fired For Stalking Gay College Student

Andrew Shirvell, a Michigan assistant state attorney general, has lost his job. Shirvell made national headlines after he started targeting University of Michigan student body president Chris Armstrong. Armstrong is openly gay.

Believing that Armstrong was pursuing a "radical homosexual agenda," Shirvell stalked the student at his residence and at the University of Michigan. State officials conducted an investigation and concluded that Shirvell's conduct made him unfit for his position. According to a report of the investigation, Shirvell engaged in several inappropriate actions, including, that he:

Showed up at Armstrong's home three separate times, including once at 1:30 a.m. . .

"Engaged in behavior that, while not perhaps sufficient to charge criminal stalking, was harassing, uninvited and showed a pattern that was in the everyday sense, stalking."

Harassed Armstrong's friends as they were socializing in Ann Arbor.

Called Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, Armstrong's employer, in an attempt to "slander Armstrong and ultimately attempting to cause Pelosi to fire Armstrong.

Attempted to "out" Armstrong's friends as homosexual — several of whom aren't gay (boldface added).

Employees and Free Speech

Mike Cox, the Michigan attorney general, carefully distinguished Shirvell's conduct from activities protected by the First Amendment. As a public employee, Shirvell's speech is entitled to constitutional protection. Cox, however, rightfully concluded that Shirvell's conduct went far beyond protected activities for public employees. Furthermore, Shirvell apparently lied to investigators -- which clearly does not implicate a constitutional right.

Recently, Dissenting Justice has commented on several clashes between speech and workplace decorum. I believe that many recent discharges or suspensions of individuals -- such as Shirley Sherrod, Keith Olbermann, and Juan Williams -- reflect a desire to avoid controversy by any means necessary. I do not agree with this kneejerk desire to sanitize speech.

The Shirvell case, however, differs from the others in many important respects. Shirvell, as a state attorney, was responsible for enforcing state antidiscrimination law and for executing his duties without prejudice. Also, as the report concludes, Shirvell engaged in harassing and potentially slanderous conduct. Furthermore, Shirvell lied to state officials who investigated his conduct. Finally, Shirvell used state time and resources to stalk and harass college students. His pattern of behavior raises serious questions about his professional and mental competence. Accordingly, this is one case in which a discharge was absolutely warranted.

Restoration of Sanity Fails: MSNBC Suspends Olbermann Over Political Contributions

NBC has suspended Keith Olbermann for donating money to Democratic political candidates without receiving permission from the network. According to several media reports, NBC requires journalists to seek prior approval from the network before making political donations. Other reports, however, suggest that the network has selectively enforced this requirement or that MSNBC commentators (like Olbermann) are actually exempt from the requirement.

Because NBC is a private company -- rather than a government employer -- it can place restrictions upon its employees' speech. Accordingly, absent some state or federal law on this issue, NBC's alleged contractual provision does not deprive Olbermann of any rights he has. The First Amendment does not apply to private, nongovernmental restraints on speech.

Nevertheless, NBC's decision to suspend Olberman is very troubling. Recently, Dissenting Justice criticized NPR's decision to fire Juan Williams after he made bigoted statements about Muslims. Although I found Williams's comments offensive, I believe that the decision to fire Williams resulted from a growing intolerance of controversial speech and ideas among the media.

The dismissals of Shirley Sherrod, Juan Williams, and many other individuals for isolated moments of controversy conflict with the American ideals of political debate and free speech. Although many liberals cheered NPR's decision to release Williams, I argued that NPR's position was not necessarily progressive. NBC's treatment of Olberman demonstrates that progressives should not tolerate kneejerk and intolerant behavior.

Clearly, room exists for employers to fire individuals when their private views impair their ability to execute their job-related responsibilities. In many instances, however, the decision to discharge or suspend individuals results from capitulation to controversy and momentary passions, rather than rational deliberation and judgment. NBC should reinstate Olbermann (I suspect he will soon return to the airwaves), and Americans should grow a lot more tolerant of ideas with which they disagree.

A Request to Corona: Bring Back the Beach

For over a decade, Corona has made the beach their home. And the rules on this beach appeared to be iron-clad:

- No faces
- No music
- No rapid movement
- No voice-overs
- Only the sounds of nature

But, recent advertising has taken a decidedly interesting and bold turn away from this decades-long tradition, illustrating to viewers that your beach can be wherever you choose to create it.

The ad opens with soft instrumental music singing "Meet me by the sea."  The camera moves from scene to scene, showing a group of people enjoying Corona beer on a golf course, in the Grand Tetons, in Alaska, on a city deck, and in a field. It finishes with a traditional Corona moment ... on the beach ... with a challenge to Find Your Beach.

I both like and don't like what Corona has done. Let me explain.

I agree with the notion that the beach should be defined by whoever happens to be drinking Corona. Let's be honest - few of us ever have the opportunity to enjoy our Corona while lazily soaking up the sun in the Caribbean.

But, I must admit that I like the imagery of the beach, even if it is only in my mind. Since I do happen to be a Corona drinker, I'll tell you this ... if it's a wintry, blustery, 20 degree January day in Wisconsin and I choose to crack open a bottle of Corona, I don't want to think of that couple in Alaska with their stocking caps and parkas on. I want to transport myself to a beach in Cancun, where the sun is shining brightly, the palm trees are rustling in the breeze, and I can hear the roar of the ocean. 

I never looked at the Corona Beach as a physical place that I needed to recreate to enjoy my beer. I looked at it as a metaphysical place that I could go to in my mind. A place that would make my experience with Corona just a little smoother, a little softer, a little more enjoyable.

I also miss Corona's sense of humor. I liked the rug-pull that always seemed to catch me by surprise whenever I watched a Corona ad. I'm happy to see that it was still alive and well in a Corona ad that aired earlier this year.

Hopefully, we'll see a bit more humor and beach in the months ahead.

Election 2010: The Bloodbath That Never Happened

In recent weeks, the media have described today's election as a certain bloodbath for the Democratic Party. The results, however, look much more measured. As of 12:48am on the East Coast, it appears that the GOP will regain control of the House, but Democrats will maintain control -- although to a lesser degree -- of the Senate.

Several recent elections have brought about similar shifts in congressional power. In 1994, both the Senate and the House went to the GOP, along with many state governorships. In 2006, both chambers shifted to the Democrats. So, 2010 is actually a little better for the Democrats than recent election results.

Furthermore, historical data indicate that the president's party has performed poorly in midterm elections during most of modern US history. Also, considering the wretched state of the economy, the Democrats could have easily suffered from a complete loss of power in Congress. This, outcome, however, did not occur.

Needless to say, Democrats lost some tough races. Senator Russ Feingold -- probably the last remaining progressive in the Senate -- lost in Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, Joe Sestak lost to Pat Toomey by a very narrow margin. Also, in Florida, Charlie Crist lost the Senate race to Marco Rubio. Even though Crist led the three-candidate race immediately after he abandoned the Republican Party, Kendrick Meek (a Democrat) managed to pull enough liberal votes away from Crist, which threw the election to Rubio.

In Nevada, however, Harry Reid has defeated Sharron Angle. Angle, who is probably best known for her comical efforts to escape the media, ran as an anti-government, anti-social security, anti-Department of Education, Tea Party candidate. Surprisingly, despite her obviously limited intellect, she kept the race tight until the very end. Reid, however, is very unpopular among voters. Nevertheless, he has won close elections in the past, and he benefits from labor union support, which gives him a massive "get out the vote" machine. Apparently, the machine worked -- despite massive voter discontent.

The media will probably craft an electoral narrative designed to create drama and to draw traffic to their web pages. Ultimately, however, the election tallies (as exit polls indicate) likely result from one simple factor: voters' feelings of vulnerability about the economy. This same vulnerability caused them to abandon Republicans, elect President Obama and expand Democratic control of Congress in 2008.

In 2008, I warned exuberant Democrats that the election results did not mean that the American electorate had become wildly liberal. Similarly, the results of today's election do not indicate that the country is wildly conservative. Instead, partisans have voted for their parties' candidates, while moderates and independents voted against many Democrats because they are afraid of the economy. If the economy picks up by 2012, the election should provide for some very interesting and close races.

I will try to add more analysis later today -- time permitting.

The Ladder to Refreshment

Coca-Cola delivers its refreshing message simply and poignantly with its latest outdoor campaign. It beckons you to climb that ladder to take a sip.  But, wait ... the bottle is empty. It looks like someone beat you to the punch!

While I loved the above billboard, I didn't find the other three to be nearly as clever. Unlike the ladder execution, in which communication was instantaneous, it took me a bit longer to absorb the intent of the following ads.

Do Zippo Scents Make Sense?

What are some of the first things you think of when I say the word Zippo? Maybe you think of a lighter, a flame, or heat. Or maybe the words genuine or the Real McCoy come to mind. 

For me, those words are butane fuel.  I instantly get the sensation of a toxic, chemical smell that permeates my sinuses. It's not necessarily an awful smell but it definitely conjures up images of danger and the need for caution.

Given these visceral images, would it surprise you to know that Zippo has decided to introduce a men's cologne?  You know, a cologne that men put on to create an irresistible aura which attracts women to their sides like flies?

What? Really?

Yep, see for yourself. It's even packaged in a Zippo-like container.

While some may find the ruggedness of this brand alluring, my brain doesn't quite go there. I literally think of a man dousing himself in the smell of butane. Even this romantically-inspired new commercial doesn't help me draw the link between Zippo and men's cologne.

But, as I think about it, Zippo's intention may be to create a sense of danger with their new cologne. And, I must admit, I am curious .... curious enough that I may just take a gander through the fragrance section of Macy's to catch a whiff of this new cologne.

So maybe, Zippo has accomplished exactly what they intended to accomplish after all.