Am I a statistic?

We recently participated in a Bay Area hip-hop festival: KMEL’s Summer Jam (more on this to come later). When I say participated, I don’t mean that we were up on stage with John Legend and Kanye West (please). We set up an info booth and let people know what we are all about. But here’s the thing, we also gave away our new slogan bracelets that lets people express how they feel about drunk driving. The bracelets read, “I Am Not A Statistic.” Think about that for a minute.

I think the roots of this bracelet can be found in what we have been talking about in the office lately. Basically, we are all kind of fed up with either the 1) faux-hipster or 2) childish language used when addressing teens. From what I can see, this happens more often in places where people are trying to sell teens unoriginal products: crappy teen magazine ads, unsuccessful online clothing stores, and other houses of shill.

When I was a teen, I wasn’t dumb, but I wouldn’t call myself the brightest bulb in the bunch either. But I did know one thing; I had x-ray vision when it came to ads. Middle-aged ad men using what they thought was the freshest urban slang trying to sell me the latest pimple cream or microwavable pizza? I couldn’t connect. But I am in no way a spokesperson for everyone. However, I still think most people are tired of that weird sort of approach.

Is it just me? I think teens are smarter than that. They certainly need guidance and major decisions – especially when it comes to purchases. But teens are pretty savvy about a lot of things. Now, think about that for a minute.

Enough of my rant.

Something to think about – that is all.


Posted by Stephanie P. - "Middle-aged ad men scare me."

Melodramatic Reflections on Street Racing

Working with teens at DriversEd.com gives me a lot of chances to look back on when I was 15. One of the biggest events that occurred around the time I got my license was the pilgrimage that surrounded The Fast and the Furious.

It broke the news of the street racing scene to the rest of the world. You heard mufflers everywhere. Lowered cars scraped painfully over speedbumps. Type R decals splattered everything from common Civic or Prelude models to 350Z’s. Plainclothes cops sat in modded white Mustangs, trying to entice itching racers on the streets.

Then there was the backlash. All our underground racing spots were unearthed and bagged by PO’s before we even knew our time was over. Today, even passively witnessing a street race makes you liable.

Despite the virtual disappearance of underground races, the culture and spirit of modding lives on. It manifests itself in newer, more socially-acceptable mediums, like Pimp My Ride. While stocking your car with cool extras like PS2’s and subwoofers, West Coast Customs discreetly avoids any under-the-hood modifications.

There’s also the customizable Scion movement. The Scion is the ultimate blank-slate vehicle. Almost everything about it can be adjusted, upgraded or added-to at a cost far lower than you’d pay if you were trying to mod your tore-up Civic at home. Having the dealership pimp your ride is a lot more efficient than buying your parts bit by bit off EBay.

Still, speed to me has always beat pretty features. I miss the days of lowered hatchbacks laced with intake. In terms of souping up our cars, though, parents and authority figures alike prefer that we focus more on aesthetics than performance.

Why can’t they feel the same way about school?

-Faithfully inscribed by Angela, the Soul of Marketing

"I'm Not a Statistic!"

There have been a few more dramatic developments since we last spoke. What’s was the most interesting thing to happen today? Try this: someone pulled the fire alarm at our office building this morning. Most of us the DriversEd.com staff made a speedy exit down to the lower level. There, we watched the fire department zip in while drinking coffee (that would be us drinking the coffee – not the firefighters). They discovered absolutely nothing that would harm the building and left looking somewhat dejected. I have to say, firefighters rock.

Now how could we top excitement like that? Well, we have unveiled a new course demo with an enchanting animated hostess – Kelly. Everyone in the office had a bit of input in her creation, so it is a bit like she’s everyone’s child. I think she’s precious, but perhaps that’s just my maternal instinct kicking in. You can judge for yourself. Check her out on the homepage here. What do you think?

Written by Stephanie Pullen - Content Developer/Coffee Drinker

It has been pretty exciting around here lately. We are getting ready to officially announce the launch of FahrSchuleOnline.de, a website that lets new German drivers prepare for their driving exam. On this site, users can try out practice tests aimed at preparing students to pass the exam the first time. Tests are composed of actual questions found in the official written examination developed by TÜV (the German equivalent of Department of Motor Vehicles) . Basically, it offers some functions that are similar to the ever popular DriversEd.com (only this time, everything is in German). I could make a lame joke about writing content without a speed limit, but I will spare you.

Tobias (or as we like to call him around here - "German Dude") is working feverishly on some cool content as I type away at this blog. I always knew that someday I would be working for a hip, international corporation. And some people say that globalization is a bad thing...

Written by Stephanie Pullen: Content Development Diva