This week I have been mostly waiting for a parcel.  Was waiting parcel #1 on Saturday, it didn’t come.  Went out in the afternoon.  Got home had a card to collect parcel #2 from another company.  Told them I wanted to collect parcel #1 from the depot and parcel #2 from the post shop round the corner.  Went to the depot on Monday.  Parcel #1 was on a van already, destined for the hoose.  Got home, had a card to call for a parcel #3.  No sign of parcel #1 yet, but it eventually turns up at 5pm… it’s not even for me!  Called to ask company 3 to re-deliver parcel #3 on Tuesday.  On Tuesday lunchtime, no sign of parcel #3 yet.  Calls them up… oh yeah, parcel #3 will be delivered in a bit, but plenty of time to go out for urgent chores including picking up parcel #2, Christmas presents from sis!  Waited in for the rest of Tuesday, no parcel #3.  Ruined my day, cos I was going to go to the cinema to see a film at 7pm, but as they don’t finish till 7pm I had to wait in until then.  Today, gets email at 7.37am to say parcel#3 with courier will be delivered today.  I’m thinking it will come in the morning.  Till then I eat my one remaining egg on my one last bit of bread which I have toasted, and think great parcel #3 will arrive and I can go out for summat for lunch.  No!  By 2:30pm still no sign of parcel #3… ravenous I order pizza delivery from Hell which turns out to be the most heavenly pizza ever (bar my own amazing garlic mushroom creation).  In increasing panic I scoffle pizza.  Is parcel #3 going to go back to the depot, and will they try and deliver it again tomorrow when I have moved out?  Think parcel #3 is quite important, don’t want this to happen.  4:30pm parcel #3 arrives!  I only notice cos I have the bedroom door open and see someone lingering outside the front door… dubious they have actually knocked.  Good news, parcel #3 is my passport… pheweeee glorious reunion.

Quite a complicated time for my poor wee brain which is currently supposed to be revising for my final exam for module 1 of my masters, which I am taking in less than 1 hours time.  So, doing nothing, waiting in, also involved a wee bit of sunbathing, painting my nails bright pink, packing, cleaning, chatting online and loads of tea. 

Campervan time tomorrow – woohoo!  I can get out of the city and see some of the lovely lovely green ferny countryside.  I repeat, woooohooohoooohooohooooooo!

Alright, I know I fell off the wagon VERY early on but the last three days have been MENTAL as we were sort of on a mini holiday for the weekend. Cue getting an hour of sleep on Thursday before waking up super-duper early to cram a day of work into just a few hours before catching a flight, meeting my sister, going to a show, blah-di-blah!

Influx of posts in the next few minutes!

<3

LS

Saying you are sorry is a difficult task for almost everyone. Saying you are sorry as a company is not only admitting you made a mistake but for most organizations admitting that you have a weakness. Recently I received a daily newsletter from Grammar Girl that was sent from “FSG Poetry” rather than the usual Grammar Girl friendly from: grammargirl@mail.macmillan.com.

Being an Email Manager, I quickly realized that a mistake had been made. I chuckled to myself because I have a fear that one day I will do the same thing. I mean we’re all human and make mistakes. It’s how we acknowledge and deal with those mistakes that is important.

Within a few hours, I received another email from Grammar Girl with the following message:

A Message from Grammar Girl’s Publisher

Earlier today when we sent out the Grammar Girl newsletter, we made an error and it appeared as if FSG Poetry had sent you the daily grammar tip. We want to reassure you that this was an error on our part and that you are not subscribed to newsletter updates from FSG Poetry. Please do not click unsubscribe in the original message from FSG Poetry or you will be unsubscribed from the Grammar Girl newsletter. Our apologies for any confusion this has caused.

I was very impressed with the speed at which the publisher moved, the simplicity of the message, and the overall tone. In researching material for this blog post, I found some company apology letters. Here are some of the examples I found.

JetBlue In 2007, JetBlue had one of the worst weeks in airline history. Nine JetBlue aircrafts were stranded on the tarmac at the airport for more than six hours each. Many customers stranded on those planes felt as thought they were being held hostage. As a result, JetBlue issued an apology and developed a Passenger Bill of Rights.

Hell Pizza, a New Zealand based pizza chain, was forced to pull and apologize for a tasteless add that features Health Ledger, the Queen Mother,and Sir Edmund Hillary and dancing on gravestones. According to Times Online

Hell Pizza apologised to the family of Sir Edmund for the clip in which caricatures of the revered mountaineer, the Queen Mother and Mr Ledger, the Australian actor, emerged from graves and danced to Michael Jackson’s hit zombie song Thriller.

However they have refused to apologise to the Royal family or relatives of Mr Ledger, because, according to a spokeswoman for the chain: “unless they are in touch with us I am not convinced they want to hear from us. They probably won’t even know who we are.”

I use these two examples to show how each company dealt with admitting they made a mistake. I realize my examples aren’t an apples to apples comparison. JetBlue was operating as normal and then had a severe storm to deal with. They should have allowed customers to leave the plane after an hour or so after sitting on the tarmac. But they didn’t. They did however, realize later that they had made a HUGE mistake and took steps to ensure this mistake wouldn’t happen again.

Hell Pizza created the tasteless ad and then, in my opinion, didn’t really sound like they were sorry when they finally apologized. Reading their statement, I didn’t get the sense that they had learned anything.

All companies make mistakes. Its the grace and humility that companies portray when dealing with them and the steps they take to ensure these type of mistakes don’t happen again that customers want to see. Mistakes shake customer and investor confidence but handled appropriately, they can provide an opportunity to show the human side of a company. But companies must act quickly and respectively with a plan of action that makes sense and addresses the issue.What’s your favorite example of a company mistake?

I don’t really know what to say. Again.

I’ll try and stumble through some thoughts and get some of it out.

Currently: I am listening to the latest Muse album – The Resistance (it’s really good) and sitting in bed on my laptop, writing this and talking to Brook on Facebook Chat. He just joined the Facebook craze. And I was just writing him a comment as he sent me an IM. It was quite cool. Seeing as how I just blogged last night about probably not having much to do with him anymore. It’s rather weird timing. Rather funny.

I’m nervous about my Hell Pizza interview tomorrow. But once I’m there I will be fine. It’s deciding what to wear and what to do with my hair that will be interesting and time consuming. And then I’ll probably ready far to early and be sitting around clockwatching untill it is a reasonable time to drive in.

And then I’m going to do it all again next tuesday. I got a call back from Inland Revenue, I applied for a Customer Contact Call Centre position or something. Had a phone interview this afternoon. I’m suprised I still got invited to the tuesday thing tbh! I was making shit up on the spot and gesturing with my hand untill I realised she couldn’t see it, and then I couldn’t think of the words I wanted so had to use at least another handful more. God it was almost painful. This is all while I have an iceblock in my hand wondering what the hell to do with it. And then I dropped it. So it sat on the floor and then the dog came and ate it and I had to supress my laughter. Anyway, there is an assesment day on tuesday. Take about 3 hours. There is a numeracy/literacy test thing and then a tour of the call centre, and roleplaying phone situations. I should be good at that, what with my recent roleplaying experience! Lol.

I’ve actually been wondering lately, if it would be wrong or silly to roleplay certain life situations. As in, if it’s something I wouldn’t do, or would have trouble doing, to pretend I’m playing a character that would do it, with ease, or would jump at the chance etcetc. But then I laugh at myself and imagine all the trouble it could get me into.

Speaking of trouble, I feel like I’ve walked into a battlefield, and everything is snowballing into one big mess. Perhaps I’ve walked into the middle of a snowfight.

And the worst thing about it is that I can’t talk about it here. Well that’s not entirely true. I can. But I don’t want too.

I just wish that it all made a bit more sense.

And that it hadn’t  got to where it is now.

And that I actually knew where it is now.

I don’t know what to do.

I didn’t think this would happen. I thought I handled it well enough for once, that everything would be fine. But it’s not. And I seriously don’t know if it will be. Certainly not like it was before. At least the one thing I don’t feel for once, is guilt. Because this time I haven’t been indecisive and accidentally teasing. Turns out straight up and honest doesn’t work either. I don’t want to deal with this. I

Job interview in 11 hours 14 minutes. I’m going to try and get some sleep.

Night.

Oooh also, I paid for the St Wolfgang’s game. Pretty stoked about that. Will be a mean weekend.

I want more larp in Hamilton. Auckland gets everything. So I’m going to have a think. And maybe talk to Jared. About ideas to get more Hamiltonians into LARP so there can be more games in Hamilton.  I wouldn’t mind running a game, or attempting to, but need the player interest first. I think. At the moment I know of very few Hamilton players. There’s maybe a handful I know of. It sucks. I’m thinking, if I get in touch with my geek contacts, see if any of them do table top gaming. See if I can  persuade them to do a noncombat larp. Not that that’s nearly as much fun. But still, could be better than nothing. Or even just the guys who play WoW. It’s just convincing them to get off the freaking computer and out of the net cafe. Hmm.

By Deepti
Cadbury is back with cocoa, and its back with a bang. After settling the palm oil controversy, it is now trying to make consumers go sweet on it again. The chocolate brand is looking at having its Dairy Milk chocolates sold under the Fairtrade logo by next Easter. This is following its international commitment with Fairtrade, which ensures fair minimum prices for farmers. The timing is impeccable. The brand goes on to show that it not only cares about its consumers but also the community at large. Can’t complain anymore or can you?

Next up is BNZ. It is closing down on November 4 (yes all 5000 of its staff!!!) but for good. BNZ is asking people to make suggestions about community projects that it can help them for. Online and phone banking will still be available but most of the staff will be out there helping people like you and me. BNZ has created a whole website to promote the day and is also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It does sound like a great idea and at least I feel a little better about having a BNZ account. Thumbs up or down…what say?
Now for the ones that didn’t quite get it right. Microsoft had to bow its head in shame when it digitally altered a black man’s image on its Polish website. So far Microsoft has only said that it will ‘investigate’ the matter and has apologized for the ‘mistake’ (read ‘blunder’). It’s funny how US can have Obama as the president and a leading IT company promote racism at the same time. Not good…and surely not good for Microsoft’s so far international image. Your take?
And finally we come to Hell. Not literally. Hell pizza thought it was being really witty by putting up an ad that says, “at least our brownie won’t eat your pet dog”. An anti racist group, Socialist Aotearoa, obviously didn’t see any irony, pun or wit in this and launched its own anti Hell crusade. The outlet on Auckland’s Quay street will face a blockade and picket on Friday, 28 August and they have even marked the event of Facebook. Ouch! Let’s see where that one goes…but personally I did feel that this ad was in particularly bad taste and clearly bad PR for the brand otherwise known for its clever stuff. That’s it now for the good CSR and the bad PR…till some other brands don’t do anything superb or silly.

No, Hell Pizza.. not funny, not clever. Just racist and ignorant.. Shame on you. Why is this OK in New Zealand?! Not good enough!!

Make a stand!
Boycott Hell Pizza!!
This special brand of New Zealand ignorance and racism is not acceptable even if we’re not your target market!
Make a stand against racial slurs and crap pizza!!

Read about this billboard here.

Dog-eating advert a stunt for TV show
By Michael Fox - Stuff.co.nz

A “racist” advertising campaign by a pizza restaurant chain was part of a stunt to promote a reality-TV show.

The Auckland billboards promoting Hell Pizza’s gluten-free brownies read: “At least our brownie won’t eat your dog”, in a reference to the recent outcry over a Tongan man who was found roasting his pet dog.

But the adverts which have prompted 12 complaints to the Advertising Standards Complaints Board and a protest planned for today are not a straightforward promotion for the chain. The chain is involved in trying to produce a TV show called Pitch produced by Pitch Television, which is owned by two of the people who are behind Hell Pizza.

In the show, 20 18-to-25-year-olds who want to break into advertising will compete to win their own business.

The Hell billboard was designed by four students applying to become contestants on the show. The billboards have now been changed to read: “Lighten up. Hell Pizzas are 90 per cent fat free. Like dog.”

Hell Pizza and Pitch spokesman Matt Blomfield said Pitch would turn the “old advertising model on its head as we go about creating an advertising agency specialising wholly on selling to the youth market”. Mr Blomfield said TVNZ had expressed an interest in screening Pitch.

Hell Pizza chief executive and Pitch owner Warren Powell said he expected the contestants to push boundaries but all ideas would have to be signed off by “a custodian of the brand”.

The campaign has been criticised by anti-racism groups and an industry expert.

Socialist Aotearoa plans a blockade and picket at Hell Pizza’s store in Quay St, downtown Auckland, today.

Protest organiser Tania Lim said: “I am opposed to companies like Hell Pizza exploiting racism for the purposes of profit.” The change to the billboard was insulting: “Don’t tell us to ‘lighten up’. You’ve already insulted our skin colour once.”

Paul White, programme leader for advertising creativity at Auckland University of Technology, believed the billboards did nothing to promote the pizza brand. “If this sets the benchmark of what they [the show producers] want people to do, it’s very stupid.”

He said putting young advertising staff under pressure and expecting them to push boundaries was normal, but pushing for outrageous advertising stunts to cause controversy was not suitable.

Racist Humour is Ironic?
GO TO HELL!
Join the Blockade of Hell’s Pizza
530pm Friday 28th August
2/8 Queen Street, Auckland

Good news: Hell Pizza’s kūmara chips are safe for vegans (pre-cooked in canola, cooked in canola, no extra ingredients).

Bad news: they taste like cardboard. Vegan cardboard, but still.

Delivery food is lazy, too much junk food is unhealthy, their website doesn’t work for blind people. They’re a guilty pleasure, for sure, but Hell Pizza are great for one reason: because of them, you can find a vegan pizza in practically every suburb in this town. They’ll even bring one to you without charging a delivery fee on Tuesdays.

There’s only one vegan pizza officially on the menu, the “Sinister”, which is covered in refried beans and chillis and a bit difficult to deal with. But Hell lets you customise your pizza fairly extensively, so you can mix up the ingredients and invent your own “vegan special”. The web ordering interface is appreciated here, as I don’t think I could order “a double Sinister, plus pinenuts and capers, with sundried tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes, caramelised onions instead of regular onions, and no jalapenos or capsicum” over the phone without feeling neurotic.

Hell Pizza in New Zealand have hit the headlines again with more controversial advertising. The latest is a Halloween pizza promotion that was on the microsite www.backfromthedead.co.nz. The animation depicts Sir Edmund Hillary, Heath Ledger and the Queen Mother emerging from graves and dancing to Michael Jackson’s song Thriller. People have found it offensive and in bad taste. The site has been taken down.

According to the BBC News, they say the firm’s marketing director Rachael Allison told New Zealand media that the latest animation was part of an e-mail campaign targeting existing customers and that around 5,000 people saw the advert before it fell into the hands of the media.

Mash-up on YouTube
A search for the animation on YouTube comes up with only one video posted. I’m not even going to bother to insert a link to view this video because the video clip doesn’t actually show anything of the animation and it doesn’t deserve anymore views.

When I begun my research on this latest Hell Pizza controversy, this YouTube video had been viewed 15,371 times. Looking at it the following day it had received 17,177 views. So, around 1800 views in one day. For a crappy, dud mashup that doesn’t show the animation, thats not bad in terms of views for that amount of time. And of course the only reason why it has had so many views is because it is the only thing you can find relating to the advert.

I am amazed that no-one managed to get the actual animation onto YouTube, as this is where a lot of banned advertisements end up. Okay, so now you’re curious and probably want to go and check out the mashup video anyway. Honestly, I wouldn’t bother.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A New Zealand pizza chain has withdrawn an advertisement showing the corpses of actor Heath Ledger, Britain’s Queen Mother and Mount Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary dancing on a grave.
The animated Halloween promotion advertisement on the Hell Pizza website shows the three decomposing celebrities emerging from graves and dancing to Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller”.
Ledger and Hillary died this year and the Queen Mother passed away in 2002.
Hillary’s son Peter said the ad was in “extremely poor taste”.
story is HERE

New Zealand’s Hell Pizza chain has buried an ad “showing the corpses of actor Heath Ledger, Britain’s Queen Mother and Mount Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary dancing on a grave.” The ad on the company’s website had all three emerging from graves and then dancing to Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller.”

FWIW, “Last year, complaints forced [the company] to withdraw billboards showing Adolf Hitler clutching a slice of pizza in a Nazi salute.”

As David St. Hubbins put it, ” It’s such a fine line between stupid, and clever.” Except in this case.

That said, I was amused by the Sell Your Soul offer on the website:

Your soul doesn’t do much. You can’t feel it. You can’t see it. It sucks at making coffee, and when you’re buggered after a hard day, it’ll never have dinner on the table. So give it to us. Then you can begin your descent into HELL. The deeper you go, the more retribution you’ll receive for your measly soul. The retribution could be anything from free morsels of food to exclusive access to random stuff. That all depends on how good you are at being bad. And if you make it right into the darkest depths of HELL, then you’ll receive free pizza for life. So sell your soul to us.

Hell Pizza’s advertisements showing a skeletal animation of Sir Edmund Hillary dancing on a grave have riled his family.

TPF Group retail operations manager Glenn Corbett said the company, which owns the Hell Pizza chain, had not intended to offend the Hillary family or the general public.

Really? That sounds like a Tui truth to me.

The company has pushed the boundaries with its ads before and doing this just 10 months after Sir Ed’s death shows a complete lack of taste and sensitivity.

Oooh…. look what I just read on Stuff.co.nz (it’s from last month but I just saw it today), Hell Pizza is coming to Ireland!!!!!!

The company is to finalise a master franchise agreement for Ireland this week, with the first outlet expected to open in Dublin this year.

A master franchise agreement for Canada is also about to be signed, with the first restaurant to open soon.

We love Hell Pizza, we make our own copy of their vegan pizza Sinister, but the chance to have it for real, it’s so exciting, it’s almost 4 years since I’ve had a real Sinister pizza.

Although my homemade one is great too of course (there it is in the photo)

I’d like to extend an extra special “Thank You” to the person who searched for “hell pizza ireland” today, I was bored and looking through my stats page when I saw it, and thought “no waaay”, but indeed “yes, way”, so thanks searching person, now I want pizza!

Digg this :: stumble this! :: share on facebook :: kirtsy this

An interesting story on the true value of a franchise.

• From a strictly financial perspective, most franchises have a negative net present value (ie. they actually produce a decrease in capital rather than an increase).
• Investors are for the most part, very very inaccurate in their appraisal of franchise offerings. They are successfully encouraged to deceive themselves.

This follows up on my original August 8th posting called Tied buying creates a Hidden franchise fee.

Hell has been torture for Matt Blomfield – so he’s auctioning his $830,000 Auckland store for a $1 reserve.

Mr Blomfield, a Hell Pizza franchisee, is so fed up with the New Zealand owner TPF Group’s handling of the business that he’s willing to take a loss selling up his five stores.

“I just want to get the business sold, pay all the bills and move on with my life.”

The reporter Errol Kiong goes on to mention:

The Herald has also sighted emails from franchisees complaining of the lack of support from TPF, the high cost of ingredients – which they can only purchase from TPF’s own supply and distribution operation – and what they say is unsatisfactory marketing.

Ineffective marketing, lack of support and franchisors gouging franchisees on supplies are very, very common problems cited around the world.

This is an interesting article from Kiwi’s Sunday Star Times.

Journalist Greg Ninnesson reports in Marriage made in Hell for upset pizza franchisees that some of Hell Pizza’s franchisees are not pleased with the new mandatory supply arrangements.

No wonder: A monopoly is bad for the whole economy because it leads to inefficient allocation of capital and unjustified profitability [economic rent] based in deceit.

A meeting of several dozen franchisees held in February expressed dissatisfaction with the supply arrangements for their ingredients and other goods.

Previously, each franchisee bought ingredients such as flour, cheese, meat and vegetables directly from independent suppliers on a contract basis.

But in February, TPF set up its own supply and distribution operation and its outlets were required to buy most of their ingredients through that.

The franchisees were concerned about the transparency of the new supply arrangements and the effect it could have on rising food costs.

Maybe forming an independent franchisee association would be a good first step. But you better chip in a few $1,000 each [to start] for the best franchisee-only lawyer you can find.

• Compare the cost to a 1% increase in your Cost of Goods per year. [You don't honestly think this is the start of the blood-letting, do you?]

This is how I coded the article as it went into the Information Sharing Project:

• Advertising fund put into general franchisor’s coffers,
• Advertising fund use disagreements,
• Franchisee revolt,
• Franchisor owns more than one system (subsidizes loses from cash cow)
• Gouging on supplies,
• Monopoly,
• Profits from one franchise system sucked out to subsidize another one,
• Supply margins are a hidden added royalty payment,
• Must buy only through franchisor (tied buying), and
• Veil of secrecy.

Kickbacks, listing fees, volume discounts, co-op $, etc. are a beautiful thing to behold: If you are the franchisor.

• Were you promised that volume buying through a franchise would actually save you money?

See the American Franchisee Association’s, The Twelve Worst Franchise Agreement Provisions which include:

• Sole Sourcing Requirements
• Lack of Accountability of Advertising Fund
• Kickbacks

Would you like to order a new soul with a side order of pizza while in New Zealand??

Well apparently the chain of pizza restaurants called “Hell Pizza” is in the soul buying business.  And who knows – maybe for the right price – you can purchase from Hell Pizza, a new soul while ordering your double cheese pizza.

Read Here

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Having problems ‘getting it up and keeping ‘the snake charmed’’ … and can’t afford Viagra???

Eat some Watermelons.  Just don’t expect to keep it going all night long… unless of course you have a plate of the stuff on your bed stand or coffee tables – you know, nearby all the action…

Just remember… the downside to eating all that watermelon … it’s a diuretic.  Yeah – can sorta put a damper on things.  And all that sugar… can and will put a cramp in it.  Oh.  And you will need to eat the rinds of the watermelon.

On second thought – you might just want to stick to the lil blue pills…

Read here

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Feeling a little bumbed out and spiritually repressed?

Well… try a little magic mushroom.

Have addictions?  Maybe Cancer related depression and/or anxiety?

Nothing like the magic of ‘magic mushrooms’ to increase your overall well-being.  The study funded by the US Institute of Drug and Abuse did a study on this illegal substance and concluded:

“This is a truly remarkable finding,” Griffiths said in a statement. “Rarely in psychological research do we see such persistently positive reports from a single event in the laboratory.”

“This gives credence to the claims that the mystical-type experiences some people have during hallucinogen sessions may help patients suffering from cancer-related anxiety or depression and may serve as a potential treatment for drug dependence…”

I can just imagine explaining this to a judge… “I swear Sir – I was really depressed (giggles)… you should try some – you look a little irritated.  These will surely help!!!“

Read Here

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Becareful… if your child doesn’t invite everyone to his/her birthday party… human rights and discrimination charges can be filed against your 8 year old.

A case in Sweden has the community in an uproar when a school teacher confiscated an 8 yrs old boys invitation when he failed to invite ALL but two of his classmates, in violation of the school’s policy.  The two uninvited children in question: one bullied the 8 yr old for months on end and the other didn’t invite him to his birthday.

This resulted in a claim filed with parliament.

Yeah.

Damned if you do.  Damned if you don’t.

Read Here.

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Oh and one more thing…

Men – you need a little surgery on your… errhhh… ‘boys down there…”  don’t go to to Romania for the procedure – no matter how inexpensive it is.

You might want to read this first before filing for your passport and catching that flight….  He COULD be a distant relation to Lorena Bobbitt…

Just saying… THINK TWICE… you could be left a little short handed… if yah know what I mean…

As you probably do not know, I have been on a door prize drought at Tuesday Night Run Club (“the Loaded Hog 5k Race Series”) for four months now.  As you should know, we have a radio on most of the time in our open concept office.

When the bosses disappear during the day, I am apt to make repeated phone calls to local radio stations in vain attempts to win a prize of some sort.  I usually don’t know what I’m even trying to win most of the time.

Today, my luck changed.  After my usual accomplice in calling had left for the day, the Five O’Clock Knock Off contest on The Rock came on.  Here, the radio station plays two songs and the first caller through has to guess what theme the song is communicating.

And I won.

The song was Green Day’s “Holiday” off of the fantastic, essential-to-own, modern rock opera American Idiot.  I figured the theme was that the morning show team was away on holiday for the week, but the phone kept on ringing so I put the call out to the office, “Hey, who’s on holiday this week?  Did somebody’s vacation start?”

After about ten seconds, our newest hire mentioned that most school students started a school holiday this week, which would explain why I’ve been seeing more teenagers around lately.

To my shock, the radio station actually picked up and said, “So, mate, what’s the theme?”  I said, “It’s a school holiday!”  I was right.

I won $30 in pizza vouchers to Hell Pizza, which is like Little Caesar’s I imagine (we have Domino’s here).  They should arrive in the office mail on Thursday.

Hooray for me.  In other news, my cellphone is still on the fritz.  I’m not impressed that my provider has yet to mail through my new SIM card to me.

Jako, że ostatnio jestem zawalony robotą (naprawdę pisałbym częściej, ale po 14h w pracy – uwierzcie mi – nie mam siły), po drodze do domu zatrzymałem się, żeby kupić pizzę w Hell Pizza

Hell Pizza to takie fajne coś (Google twierdzi, że raczej nie hamerykańskie), co serwuje pizzę “w klimacie”. Otóż można sobie kupić jeden z siedmiu rodzajów pizzy nazwanych od 7 grzechów głównych, oprócz tego pizze bywają: “przeklęte” (i to na dwa rodzaje: cursed i damned), podziemne, z Mordoru czy Otchłani. Wszystkie “przybytki” są bardzo fajnie klimatyczne – w środku dominują czerń i czerwień (głównie w postaci ostrych neonów), a obsługa nosi czarne koszulki z fajnymi tekstami w stylu: “Providing oral pleasure since 1996“, “Bitchin in the Kitchen” czy “Eat me“.

Nawet numer telefonu mają odpowiedni: 0 800 666 111

Teraz (znaczy do końca kwietnia) mają promocję, ale jaką – nie udało mi się jeszcze rozszyfrować, bo obsługa, po kiwusku, nic nie wie. Znaczy wie, że jakaś promocja ma być, ale warunki są zmienne, bo oni się nie orientują

OK, wracam do swojej  pizzy z awokado, camembertem, orzechami nerkowca, szpinakiem, suszonymi pomidorami, czarnym pieprzem, pieczarkami, cebulą i ananasem

La catena neozelandese “Hell Pizza”(Pizza Inferno) ha avuto la brillante idea di pubblicizzare le proprie pizze con cartelloni pubblicitari su cui era impressa l’immagine di Hitler. Sul cartellone compariva il fuhrer che eseguiva il saluto nazista con una fetta di pizza, reclamizzando il prodotto con queste simpatiche parole: «È possibile far credere alle persone che il paradiso sia l’inferno». Subito giu polemiche.
Il giochino di fare campagne così forti e provocatorie è sì pericoloso, ma intanto in tutto il mondo parleranno di te, anche se il rischio di farsi una cattiva immagine è molto alto. Ma non è la prima volta che la catena “Hell Pizza” fa cose di questo genere: negli anni passati ha infatti prodotto sette diverse pizze chiamate come i sette peccati capitali; la campagna più hard era però legata alla pizza del peccato della lussuria: la Hell Pizza spedì ai potenziali acquirenti dei preservativi (che non servivano a condire la pizza).
Così il buon vecchio Hitler è stato immediatamente sostituito dall’immagine di Benedetto XVI. Era fin troppo scontato; dopotutto il ragionamento logico, il collegamento tra i due non fa una grinza. Nella nuova pubblicità si vede il Sommo Pontefice con un pezzo di pizza in mano che dice: «L’inferno è reale ed eterno». Come dargli torto? È da poco infatti che il papa ha abolito il limbo, diamogli tempo per arrivare anche all’Inferno.

Alla Hell Pizza sono furbi, hanno fregato tutti quanti tenendo lo stesso messaggio con una trovata comprensibile non a tutti.
Secondo voi quindi, cosa cambia tra i due cartelloni? Secondo me niente.

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