Right there is a picture I snapped this morning of the cup used to drink my chai. Galaxy says it all.But as much as I loves me my Persian Tea blend, sometimes it simply coffee neest. I realized it last summer on Chicagopalooza weekend when I had this mind-blowing cup of "earl grey créme" from a new cafe chain called Argo.
I drank that creamy concoction around the Water Tower downtown, which was steps away from the headquarters of Leo Burnett, now one of the world's largest ad agencies after Paris-based Publicis Groupe made them a subsidary. The first job I ever had was working for them while a senior at GBN, jaunting after-school to their small call center in suburban Bloomingdale.
There I spent eons of happy commision-based hours calling commoners in commonwealths like Kentucky, asking people over 18 what their thoughts were on luminaries like Tony the Tiger, Chester Cheetah, and the Pillsbury Doughboy -- mascots conceived by Mr. Burnett until his death at 80.
Some of the most popular mascots the last few years have been from Aflac and Geico, with the latter showcasing my favorite 30-second spot of the moment, ex-Cabbage Patch Kid Ben Winkler.
Here are a couple of 15-second web-only specs I made today for POM's new Tea line....
POM is based in the westside of Los Angeles, which happens to be the location of the Pac-10 school my desi supervisor at Leo Burnett had just graduated from. He kept me inspired back then as I'd overhear him describe his newfound adventures in SoCal, which I had never been to. So beam me up again, Scottie. I'm on stand-by and my getaway ride is ready.
