McDonald's Coke Target

In some ways, I actually look forward to seeing certain companies' commercials. "Why" depends on certain factors, whether it's creativity, humor, or whatever. (Anyone remember the early "Energizer Bunny" ads?) McDonald's, Coke, and Target come to mind as three examples of companies whose commercials I like and admire.

One thing about their television ads is, aside from creativity, none of them tries to put down their competition.

Take McDonald's. All of their advertising, for as long as I can remember, has always been "fun" and otherwise positive. While that's the goal of generally all advertising, it stands out for the fact that it attempts to persuade the viewer to associate eating McDonald's food as part of an overall fun experience, whether at their restaurant, or as takeout.

In their pursuit to generate sales, nowhere in any of this advertising does McDonald's denigrate their competitors. They don't belittle, say, Wendy's, to make themselves appear "better." They let their products speak for themselves.

While McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's all have good food, I'm not impressed by Burger King's restaurant decor, because it usually looks dated (at least in the area where I live), and my disdain for Wendy's has to do with that chain's replacement of a Roy Rogers restaurant (remember them?) a number of years ago, down the road from where I live. That's my sole, uh, beef (no pun intended) against Wendy's, ridiculous though it may be. While I've eaten at Wendy's from time to time, it's far less frequently than "Les Arcs d'Or."

Similarly, Coke's ads are also noteworthy for their fun themes. They never try to put down Pepsi, instead relying on fun and creativity to promote their flagship product, and the advertising is often tied to seasons or certain events, such as the Olympics or Christmas. Going hand-in-hand with that is the packaging, which often sports graphics keyed to the season or event.

Coke also has great customer service. On two or three occasions, I've opened a twelve-pack of their product, only to find one of the cans empty, its contents having leaked out. I called their toll-free customer service number, and after providing them with certain codes, I was sent a coupon for a free twelve-pack to make up for the inconvenience, along with a letter of apology. (This is why it's helpful to retain the packaging for reference in such cases.)

Target's commercials are also fun, hip and creative, and like Coke and McDonald's, don't mention their competitor(s), nor seek to bring them down. The creativity shown in their ads makes me want to know HOW they do them, i.e., the behind-the-scenes stuff that fascinates me.

I'm also impressed by their stores. The stores of a certain discount chain have bland decor (sterile white), the merchandise arrangement is poor, and the service is nonexistent. In contrast, Target, from their founding in 1962, spent the money wisely in developing their signature look, and it shows. Not only is it appealing and inviting, it entices shoppers to linger. I also like how the merchandise is always neatly arranged, and that help is always nearby, either as a live person, or a call button away.

I decided to contact their home office through their website to compliment them on these points. While my comments reflected my experiences at on particular store, they were meant to apply to all of the Target stores I'd visited over time.

I expected to receive a reply a day or two later; instead, it came from Katherine in their Guest Relations Department about a couple of hours or so later.

"Great products. Great value. And great guest service - every time you visit our stores. That's what shopping at Target is all about, so I'm really happy to learn that you enjoyed your recent visits…," she wrote.

She went on to say, "I shared your comments with the Store Team Leader so that our team members can be recognized for providing outstanding service." This last point pleased me, because it showed people get feedback, which is especially valuable in any organization. (Of course, it was also "fluff," but hey, it made me feel good.)

"You've been Dieterized!"

Hello.

Where do I begin, for my first ever blog post? Hmm...I suppose telling you about myself might not be a bad idea. The only question is, as I'm not accustomed to doing so, how do I begin?

Well, I'm a forty-something guy who was born in New York City to a Lithuanian father (now deceased) and a German mother, and I'd basically grown up in New Jersey. All my formal education took place in the Garden State, including college. I'm not married, though I'm currently in a relationship.

What do I do? Well, for the first sixteen years of my working life, I worked in various retail jobs. In 2000, I hired on with CSX Transportation, a "faahn, suthin' rai'roa'," as a conductor, to work on their share of the former Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) lines in New Jersey. It was the realization of a longtime dream. Eight years later, though, I resigned for personal reasons. While I've had the occasional temporary job, I've generally not been working steadily, and I do miss "my industry." As of this writing, I'm "between carriers," and I would most certainly love to be able to return to that industry.

I have two "primary" hobbies: model railroading and photography. I've been interested in both for about as long as I can remember, and for about as long. (Did that make any sense?)

The model railroading started with the legendary Lionel layout, then a mere figure-eight, sometime in the early 1970s, one Christmas. In time, my interest shifted somewhat to HO scale, where my current interest lies. I don't have a layout yet, given that I have neither the space or money to be able to build one, though one's been in the design stage since 2001. And, for other reasons, my modeling has been put on hold as well.

I kinda "fell into" photography. I recall, way back when my folks were shopping for a house, their discussion of building "a darkroom for Dieter" in one corner of the basement of the house they eventually bought. That corner originally had a walled-off "workshop" where it was to go, but for reasons unknown to me, it was knocked down by the time we moved in. While that darkroom was never built, my folks' suggestion stuck in my head, and it remains a hobby to this day. I started in 35mm, and ventured into medium format four and a half years ago with the purchase of a used Hasselblad 500C/M. It is now my preferred camera of choice because its larger area - four times that of 35mm - has spoiled me.

(In some ways, it seemed inevitable that I would take up some kind of visual art, as would my sister: our father had studied art before embarking on a career in the computer field, and I suppose in some way(s) that interest was passed down to us.)

So, what's my purpose in finally starting a blog? Well, aside from "everyone's doing it, so I'd better get on the bandwagon," the Web represents a platform from which one may share thoughts, observations, and opinions with others. I'm no different in that regard. I have certain ideas that are stuck in my head, whether they be opinions, observations or whatnot, and in today's world, ought to be shared. In other words, they're my two cents.

Before I close, I thought I'd share the background behind a couple of things, in case you're wondering about them, both the title of this post, and the name of my blog, KarnyDoc's Thoughts.

The title, "You've been Dieterized!," comes from my training period on CSX one bitterly-cold winter day. I turned an angled cock (valve) after making a hitch, and because I'd turned it too quickly, it quickly released ("dumped") the air pressure in the trainline. The engineer keyed the mike and said, "I've been Dieterized."

What does it mean? You're interacting or associating with me on some level. Is it "good" or "bad"? Your guess is as good as mine. :-)

(An aside: on the railroad, if people tease you, it means they like you. By that measure, I was well-loved.)

So, where'd I come up with "KarnyDoc"? It has two sources.

"Doc," or "the Doc(tor)," again came from early in my railroad career. Employees' names were shown in the computer with initials and last name. One engineer, looking in the computer, misread mine, "DR Zakas," as "Doctor Zaius," from The Planet of the Apes, and it stuck. I personally had no objection to it, so I adopted it as my nickname.

"Karny" is more straightforward. My home terminal on the railroad was Kearny, New Jersey, and that's a railroad's phonetic spelling of the name.

Finally, you can follow me on Twitter, at http://twitter.com/karnydoc.

Regards,

Dieter Zakas