New Persuasion

The Lyrics They Are A'Changin'

Listening to the radio over the weekend, I heard two songs - both #1 hits in their times - that struck me as a perfect example of how women have come a long way. 

The first song was Gloria Gaynor's 1978-79 hit "I Will Survive"  about a woman who barely made it through the first breakup with this man.  Now he's back and she's telling him to get out. She proudly declares:

Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
you think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
and I'll survive
I will survive

Now, I don't know about you, but simply surviving doesn't seem like the best goal for a woman to have.   

Move forward 28 years to 2007 - to Beyonce's "Irreplaceable." Here's another woman telling her man to get out.  But the tone has changed:

So go ahead and get gone
And  call up on that chick and see if she is home
Oops, I bet ya thought that I didn't know
What did you think I was putting you out for?
Cause you was untrue
Rolling her around in the car that I bought you
Baby you dropped them keys hurry up before your taxi leaves
Standing in the front yard telling me
How I am such a fool - Talking about
How I'll never ever find a man like you
You got me twisted

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I could have another you in a minute
matter fact he'll be here in a minute - baby

Okay, so now the woman is in complete charge.  She owns the house, the car - she's not  only going to survive, she's going to live well and be able to replace him in a minute.  Now that's a woman who thinks highly of herself. 

So what's my point?  We've gone from women struggling to even say "I Will Survive" to a woman making sure her ex knows just who's calling the shots.  Gloria's song showed the beginnings of women speaking up for themselves.  And Beyonce's demonstrates a power shift - the woman in control.  You've come a long way, baby.

I sort of feel that Beyonce's song is about as far as you can go without becoming a callous, self-centered person who only uses the other sex - in other words, a man - so it makes me wonder what's next. 

Customers Tell Their Story

Customer World points me (via John Winsor) to this post on Room 116:

Came across this over the weekend at Rockefeller Center. JetBlue setup this area with a booth that records people's experiences and thoughts about JetBlue.  The theme is based on the new JWT/NY campaign that launched with a spot from the JetBlue CEO.  If you've seen it, you'll recognize it by the funky animation. ..There was also a booth with postcards that visitors can send to their friends about Jetblue.   

Jet Blue based their booth on NPR's StoryCorps, which has a booth in Grand Central Station and a mobile one that goes around the country collecting stories.

I love this idea.  I had this idea.  A couple months ago I tried to convince a client to do this very thing.  Oh well, great minds and all that.  The reason this is such a good idea is that it puts the customer in control, gives them a fun experience, and allows them to share who they are with the company.  The company is passive here, just listening - a reversal of traditional roles.  It also goes beyond that one day experience.  The tapes can be used for marketing and advertising - and since we're paying more attention to peer reviews these days, that makes sense.