Why Italy didn't advance past the group stage

I’m right up there with the most passionate of Azzurri supporters. I bleed that cool, classy blue. After Italy won the World Cup in 2006, I decorated my entire room with Campione Del Mondo memorabilia. I bought jackets and jerseys; created a scrapbook of the games; and debated getting a 4 star Italia tattoo. To say I was happy...would be an understatement.

We were on top of the world four years ago in Germany. But boy oh boy, have things changed in four years. Now, Italy and all supporters are the laughing stock of the soccer world. I can’t eat, I can barely sleep and I haven’t been able to look at all those soccer posters in my room.

Whatever, we lost...it happens. But it shouldn’t happen like this! This World Cup was a nightmare for Italy and all its fans. Yet, I can’t say I’m totally surprised. I saw this happening. I knew the team and saw the weaknesses.
So without further fluffing about, here are the 5 reasons why Italy had such a horrible World Cup campaign:

1. Fabio Cannavaro

To say Fabio Cannavaro is still a world-class centre back would be a blatant lie. At 36, he proved to be too old to keep up with the quicker, younger strikers from Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. He was sluggish and timid. It’s almost like he knew he wasn’t capable of stopping any through-ball or speedy striker. His man-marking was brutal and he couldn’t command the back four like he once did. He had his worst season ever with Juventus this year and clearly, wasn’t able to return to ‘Cannavaro form’ in this World Cup.

The main problem was that the Italian defence relied too heavily on him. Cannavaro should never have seen the pitch in this World Cup; he just wasn’t capable of leading the defence. Salvatore Bocchetti had an amazing year with Genoa in Serie A this past season and should have replaced Cannavaro after the first game against Paraguay. And don’t even get me started on Chiellini’s play.

2. Poor offence

Italy has never been an offensive power-house, but this year’s offense was just plain garbage. Alberto Gilardino was a waste of jersey in this tournament. He was slow, lacked creativity and showed no passion. Vincenzo Iaquinta was old and slow. Antonio Di Natale tried his best, but he just didn’t have the strength to carry this offense. The one bright spark in the offense was Fabio Quagliarella who only played the second half in the last game against Slovakia. He had the speed, creativity and desire to carry the offense, but his skill and value was realized far too late in the tournament.

Further, Italy missed Andrea Pirlo (who missed the first two games with a calf injury). He is the quarter-back to the Italian attack and without him, Italy had no skill or creativity in the offensive zone. Riccardo Montolivo, coined as Pirlo’s future replacement, was too inexperienced to make a difference. Overall, the offense let the team down.

3. Mix of young and old players didn’t work

The critics said Italy was too old to do anything in this World Cup and they may have been right. But the real problem was that Lippi mixed the old with the young and didn’t have a set game-plan for them to work together. Through-balls constantly rolled out of bounds and nobody knew what the others were doing; there was no chemistry between the players. Lippi should have brought Grosso, Materazzi, Perrotta and Totti to South Africa. Even though these players are old, they are proven champions and at least we would have had experience on our side. Instead, Lippi mixed some experience with some youth and the results weren’t pretty; the two never meshed.

4. No dynamic game-plan

Whether you’re playing a young, fast team or an experienced, tactical team, you need to set out a game-plan that counters your opponent’s skill set. At times, Italy was working the ball wide and attacked the flanks. At other times, they attacked the middle and tried cheeky one-two passes. But the problem was that there was no method to this madness. Clearly, Italy didn’t do their homework or watch enough opponent game footage. They never looked dangerous in the offensive zone or dominant in their own. They needed to understand their opponent and adjust their game-plan accordingly. But with the same formation from game to game, Italy never knew how to beat their opponents. And going a goal down in each of their three games was their demise. They didn’t have the creativity or fortitude to battle back and win a game.

5. Losing Gianluigi Buffon

He’s arguably the best keeper in the world and once he went down with an injury, Italy never looked confident in their backup goalie. Federico Marchetti (the backup) never looked comfortable or capable in goal. He let an easy, wobbly shot get through him against New Zealand and looked tired and tentative in the three goals from Slovaki; two of which he should have saved. You can’t replace Buffon, but still, you should have a capable backup, ready to step in and make the easy saves. Marchetti failed...miserably.

All in all, it was a brutal World Cup for Italy. It’ll be interesting to see how Italian media handle this debauchery... and for me, I’ll have to find solace in my old videos from the 2006 World Cup.

Go Argentina Go!

The Best and Worst Father's Day gifts

I know it's been a while since I've updated this blog; I've been busy. But I think this post is fitting considering it's Father's Day.

First, let me just remind you that your father gets to celebrate today because of you; He is only a father because of you were born, so these gifts should benefit you in some way. Also, since your dad is a guy, chances are he has either forgotten your birthday, sold your dog at a poker game, or gambled away your soul for the chance of winning $45. Thus, you shouldn’t be too worried about whether or not he appreciates your Father’s Day gifts and rather, the most important thing is that you benefit from these gifts in someway. And for the record, there are only 2 WORST gifts because Dads really aren’t that picky and will like and or eat anything. So here is the list of Best and Worst gifts:

BEST GIFTS

Cheap Tee-Shirt

Dads love comfortable tee shirts and rarely care about size; it’s either ‘too small –but it’ll work’ or ‘too big – but it’ll work’. Either way, he will make it work. And chances are your dad doesn’t know the difference between Lacoste and LaWalmart, so don’t worry about style, just go real cheap! And I’m not talking about a 2 shirts for $20 deal; I’m talking about raiding a lost and found bin or giving him one of your old ones. Or better yet, find a decent shirt in his closet, then spray paint it a different colour and give it to him. Why? It’s free and Dads love the smell of paint – win win.

Gardening Gloves

This gift works for two main reasons. First, once you invest in giving him something that he can use in the garden, you will never have to mow the lawn or trim the bushes anymore. He won’t want you to touch his gloves or his fortress bushes – chore avoided! Second, this gift works because the gloves can be considered a fashion accessory and thus, if he ticks you off, just tell him his gloves don’t match his handbag. He will be so enraged by this comment that he will immediately question his masculinity from that point forth. Why is that a good thing you ask? Well, in order to reassure his ‘manliness’ he will rush out and buy a Camaro, Mustang, or Corvette and after a few weeks and his guard is down, you will be able to drive the car. Again, the gloves are a gift that keeps on giving.

A 24 of Beer

Let’s face it, Dads love beer! But who loves beer even more than Dads? WE DO of course. Thus, since he will be so happy that you gave him such a thoughtful gift, he will probably say: “what a great gift, please help yourself to some of these beers!” This is a crucial mistake on his part because by saying this, he is assuming that you will only take 1 or 2 beers, but we all know that when it comes to beer/alcohol, we lose all restraint and neglect all rational thought – so taking 15 or 23 of these beers isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Also, since your dad is an old-timer, he may have lost some of his drinking tolerance, so once he downs 2 or 3, the rest of the beers are fair game for you. You might as well trash the Father’s Day card and just give this present to you because that’s where it’s going anyways.

“King of the Grill” Apron

I give you full permission to stroke his ego with this gift. Why? Because if he has a “King of the Grill” apron, he will want to BBQ anything, everything, and at any time. Steak, Chicken, Sausage, your neighbour’s cat…. It’s all BBQ worthy for him. Thus, you will be eating delicious ‘neighbour cat’ in no time! It’s BBQ season – stay hungry friends.

A Sentimental Picture (you and him)

This is possibly the only gift in the world that can melt your dad’s heart. Not only is this gift really cheap, but it is all considered thoughtful, sweet, touching, yada, yada, yada. And why is all that ‘sweet’ stuff important? It’s important because it will act as your future “get out of jail” free card. Any time you are getting in trouble for something just quickly show him the picture. Don’t even say anything, just grab the picture and hold it in front of his face. Furthermore, this picture will enable you to do even stupider things in the future because you can always use it to get you out of trouble. Just watch:

You: “Dad, I smashed the car” (show the picture)
Dad: “it’s ok, as long as you are safe – and here with me, like you were in that picture.”

You: “Dad, I failed University” (show the picture)
Dad: “ahh so did I, we are one in the same – a beautiful family, just like in that picture.”

You: “Dad, I’m pregnant!” (show the picture)
Dad: “Hopefully it’s twins that look just like you and I…. in that picture.”

See, this gift always works.

WORST GIFTS

“Scarface” DVD

Before you even think of buying him this gift, think back to every single time you’ve heard some stupid kid/person say “say hello to my little friend!” It’s annoying as hell right? So then why would you even think of giving your father 3 hours of crappy Cuban accident’ed slang terms to recite? Think again, the lines aren’t original anymore and your dad isn’t a talented actor – this gift sucks in every way.

A Muscle Tee Shirt

Even though your dad will wear pretty much anything, don’t let him wear a muscle shirt. It’s the Worst gift for 3 reasons.

1. Your dad is probably not in great shape and seeing him in a muscle tee shirt does not benefit you in anyway. In fact, it will probably scar you in several ways.

2. He will actually think that since you gave him this shirt to wear, he IS in great shape! So he will be wearing it constantly – bustling around in it, looking a like bag of sand trying to smuggle a sack of hot pizza dough.

3. His confidence will be through the roof, which will probably turn your mother on in some sick perverse way. Thus, you will be dealing with disgusting sexual innuendo comments and gross sounding inside jokes every time he wears the shirt. And you know he will be wearing it often. Example:

Dad: “Oh man, this shirt just barely covers my rock hard body”
Mom: “You’re right it does….too bad.”

Dad: “I look like Zeus in this shirt”
Mom: “mmmhmm”

Dad: “Someone should test me for steroids in this shirt”
Mom: “Can I?”

Gross.

Hope you enjoyed!

Again, this is just for fun and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

#HumberPR looking forward

So the semester at Humber is coming to an end. Perfect time to reflect. Gathering at our 1C Social Media #Futurecamp class got me thinking; what are the 3 best things we learned about Social Media this semester?

So, keeping with my list-theme, here are the 3 best things we learned about Social Media this term:

1. Making Connections

Whether it be with fellow classmates or industry leaders, making solid connections is imperative to a successful online presence. Simply put, you can't build a network without making connections. And seriously, you've heard it all before; "it's all about connections, who you know not what you know."

2. Being Authentic

If you're not funny, don't try to be. If you're not trendy, don't even think about it. If you can't cook, don't pretend to be a chef and then take lessons. And if you're in love, get a room.

Ok, besides the last one, the same rule applies to these "authentic" do's and dont's. Social Media is about contributing to the convo and adding value to the discussion. So add something good or inspiring! Check out my man Johnny's blog: http://juantimetwotime.wordpress.com/ to see what I'm saying; he 'gets it', inspiring posts for need-to-be inspired minds.

It's like real life... if someone is boring or 'trying way to hard' to be your friend, you ignore them... Well, same thing goes for Social Media.

3. Contribute to the convo

Lame. I know.... but whatever, it's true! Follow your friends and contribute to their online convos. Get the ball rolling.

Here's some links to a few 'mazing blogs on this PR reflection:

caitlinmlamb.wordpress.com
missnadine-blog.blogspot.com
karasreview.blogspot.com
mllecaterina.wordpress.com

It's been a slice. The lists will keep coming though...don't worry.

Tiger's new Nike commercial

Nike = Genius. Tiger = Idiot.

By now I’m sure everyone has seen or at least heard about Nike’s new commercial. And I’m sure everyone has an opinion on it. Tiger aimlessly staring back at you while a voice-over, from his late father Earl, is heard in the background, has to make you think. I know it made me think.

I wanted to dislike the commercial, I wanted to dislike Tiger... but after thinking about it, I can only accomplish one of these. I love Nike’s commercial. I dislike Tiger. Are you lost? Does that make sense? Of course it does and here are a few reasons why:

1 reason why I love Nike’s commercial

This commercial generates great PR attention

Nike is the only major sponsor that didn’t drop Tiger after the sex scandals were exposed in November. So obviously, it’s in their best interest to rebuild his identity and brand. But with a commercial like this, they are doing more than just rebuild his brand. They are showing that they care about more than just products; Tiger’s actions affected people and Nike wants to help him starting earning back respect and trust. Essentially, this commercial is allowing Nike to be more than just a brand. It shows that they have a face and personality; good for any company.

Obviously it’s a marketing campaign, and Nike really only cares about selling more products; this commercial allows that to happen.

The media coverage and the buzz created by the commercial is astounding; a great success for Nike.

3 Reasons why I dislike Tiger Woods

Tiger desperately wants to rebuild his image. Doing a commercial like this, doesn’t help.

1. He’s not ethical

With this context, having your late father front and centre in a commercial is not ethical. Simply put, Tiger is exploiting his father for the benefit of his brand (Tiger and Nike). How is this remotely sensible?! Earl’s speech was not intended for this purpose. It has been cut and pasted into this commercial; taken out of context. How can we even know what Earl would say about Tiger’s transgressions? We can’t and therefore, shouldn’t be assuming that he would have these words to say to Tiger in such context. Earl’s speech is being commercialized in an attempt to sell more Nike products and restore Tiger’s image. Tiger had to ‘okay’ this commercial before it was produced and distributed and for that, this move is problematic.

2. Disgrace to his family and mother

Hasn’t Tiger done enough to disgrace his loved ones? Yes, he has, with about 20 women. This ad is completely commercializing Tiger’s transgressions. What did Tiger say to get permission to do this, or did he get permission? “Uh, Elin and mom, I’m going to make a Nike commercial that brushes over all of the damage I’ve done.” A commercial isn’t the proper context to talk about things you regret, especially when the sole purpose of an ad like this is to restore a brand and sell products.

Also, not to speak ill of the dead, but Earl can’t really offer a valid opinion in this matter; he cheated on Tiger’s mom as well. So not only is Tiger and Nike exploiting the situation, but they’re also commercializing the transgressions in attempt to sell more products and make Tiger likable again. What is Elin saying about this?! “Thanks for hurting me Tiger, and thanks for making an ad that exploits our family’s shared bitter past,” is probably what she’s thinking.

3. Stop being a brand



Honestly Tiger, do you ever stop ‘working’? Again, the sole intent of this commercial is to restore his identity and promote Nike. Sometimes you just have to man-up and take the loss. And while you’re still in hot water with those who trusted you (family, fans, kids), you shouldn’t be trying to re-brand yourself. Stop being a brand and move on Tiger.

He screwed up, we get that. Right now he should be transparent and sorry. We know he’s sorry, but making a commercial like this, so close to being exposed, shows that he really only cares about money and the brand. Not everything is about money and sponsorship; it’s time to put money aside and focus on restoring trust the right way.

But this is just my opinion, what do you think?

a social media campaign that works; Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta’s social media campaign leads the pack in driving buzz about an automotive product. Fiesta’s campaign is nothing short of revolutionary. For the first time ever, an automaker has successfully turned to social media to create a buzz around a new car. Billboards, magazine spreads and television commercials are so 2003. Social media is the new trending topic. Ford has recognized this and created a social media campaign that allows people to advertise their products. Right before our eyes on forums like twitter, people are leading the marketing campaign; turning twitter’ers and bloggers into Fiesta consumers.

This campaign gave 100 people “agents” the opportunity to drive a new Fiesta for 6 months at no charge. In return, these “agents” had to tweet, blog and post videos to create an online buzz about the car. They tweeted about how the ride was, what they liked about the car and their everyday experiences behind the wheel of Ford’s new product. The objective was to create a buzz around the car within the online social media community.

But this is only an overview, check out the whole campaign here.

The strength of this campaign resides in the fact that Ford has recognized the power of the online community and enabled “agents” to promote the car. Since these “agents” do not work for Ford, it is assumed that their tweets and opinions on the car were authentic and sincere. This campaign was so strong because it shifted the power of marketing from the old and tired paid-for-space advertisements to the online social media community. Simply put, Ford let people drive and promote the car because at the end of the day, it is people who need to buy the car for Ford to succeed.

Now, this is still my take on it... so in keeping with tradition, here are the top 3 recommended social media tactics that Ford could use for their next social media campaign:

1. Viral video contest
Ford could create a “Viral Video Contest” that would ask people to create a short 30 – 60 video promoting a new Ford vehicle. The person who creates the video that goes the most viral, would be given a brand new Ford vehicle. Ford can determine the details of ownership/leasing, but the most important part is that this contest would get people to promote the car.

2. 1000th person to re-tweet
The 1000th person to re-tweet a standard advertising message, produced by Ford, would receive a new Ford vehicle for 1 year. This contest would enable people to get the buzz out there about the car, with the potential to reach millions of twitter followers. Good promotion, good prize, good way to promote a new product!

3. Finish this tweet...
Ford could produce a standard tweet that would ask twitter’ers to finish the tweet in the most creative fashion. For example, “Finish this tweet to get a car: Ford Fiesta is ________________”. The person who creates the most innovative and creative finish to this tweet would receive the keys to a new Ford Fiesta for one year. Again, allow people to get in on the promotion of a vehicle so that the message reaches millions of twitter’ers in an authentic, buzz inspiring way.

For more takes on Ford Fiesta’s campaign, check out these reviews by these awe-inspiring people:

Mike Staniforth
Mike Thomson
Johhny Santilly
Jackie Clarke
Megan Vickell

3 reasons why Lady Gaga’s “telephone” video sucks

I like Lady Gaga. She’s eccentric and unique – both good in my books. Her music is catchy, even though it’s not my style. But nevertheless, she is a good performer. But this “Telelphone” video featuring Beyonce is just plain stupid. Here, check it out:



Wow... is all I can say about this 9 minute video. Well, I can say a few more things, but nothing nice. So rather than sit here and pretend to ‘get it’ I decided to say it’s brutal, for 3 reasons:

1. Pretentious art

I like unique, artistic videos and I think I can decipher good videos from useless ones (I have a degree in film). But the one thing I will not stand for is pretentious art videos. Basically, what I mean to say is “don’t make weird videos for the sake of making weird videos.” I’ve watched this video a few times now and still can’t figure out what Gaga is trying to say.

Mixing elaborate costumes and outlandish prison skits is not art; it’s just weird. Gaga’s costumes don’t stand for anything other than standing for insanity. The cigarette glasses mean what?! Do they speak to the inner jailhouse norm of smoking on one’s free time? Do they signify that Gaga has something the others desire? Or do they just present a crazy spectacle? I think the latter. But in that case, crazy for the sake of crazy is useless. Crazy for crazy’s sake is done, tired and really just comes across as pretentious art. You don’t fool us Gaga.

2. Too long

After 9 minutes of craziness, with no clear plot/vision, I feel shafted. This video was a twitter trending topics for almost 3 days and still, I don’t know why?! It was way too long, it was redundant and it robbed me of 9 minutes of free time. Not to mention that the constant breaks in the song made it impossible to listen to.

I like long videos, but when it’s 9 minutes of ‘hypno-crazed’ Gaga, I think I’d rather pass. Hypno Gaga has been done, face it, in all of her videos, she’s flailing her arms, clenching her hands and accomplishing nothing. What is the point? There is no point. Yet, people will still argue she is revolutionary and hugely inspirational... but why? Anyone can do 9 minutes of craziness.

3. If you’re not Tarantino, don’t try to be

Quentin Tarantino is an auteur, he’s eccentric and his films are thought-provoking. His films are his; nobody else’s. So then why would Gaga duplicate his decor and style when clearly, he’s already done it?! “Telephone” is not a Tarantino film and therefore, shouldn’t try to be. If you can’t make a Tarantino quality film, then don’t try because all of your feeble attempts will just be seen as second rate. And this video in this case, is third rate.

It’s like in hockey, nobody would dare to ever wear #99 again after Gretzky retired. His number was his, he owns it. Anyone else trying to wear #99 could never live up to Gretzky standards, which is why nobody wears it.



Fine, copy Tarantino, but leave the “Pussy-Wagon” where it belongs; in Kill Bill.

Agree, disagree? Let me know... I want to like this video but for now, have no reason to.

And hey, if you do like the video and disagree with everything I said just remember that this is my take on it.

Fit New You - The Plug

New blog on weight-loss, fitness, and nutrition.... check it out! ->

http://fitnewyou.blogspot.com/2010/03/cardio-myth.html