A Serial Love Affair (Photo credit: Instant Vantage)
As pest control guys we find a lot of great material that may never make it to the public’s eye. Rightfully so, as no one wants their dirty underwear they left out discussed. But today’s comment was too good to pass up, and it’s not about what an exterminator found under your bathroom sink.
Funny Comment for today:
Thinking the knocking at the door is your roommates so you begin meowing & really it’s the pest control guy, that’s an awkward moment.
We were right there with you… glad that the exterminator resisted the urge to bark back.
Got any awkward pest control moments that you want to share?
We could go on and on about yesterday’s Super Bowl commercials. Truth be told, on an overall scale of quality, there wasn’t really one particular ad that stood out above the rest. A few were funnier than others. Others stood out because of star power or just random creativity.
But since we’re a pest control company, our vote goes to Chevrolet’s “Joy” commercial.
Every other day of the year we take quite a bit of pride and gratification in killing insects large and small around the house. Heck! People even pay us to do the deed. But yesterday we let them have their day of fun on the grill of Chevy’s new Sonic.
We hope you enjoyed your fun, our little friends. Today is a new day!
YouTube’s Official Statement on Rebecca Black’s Friday Video:
"Rebecca Black - Fri..." This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Rebecca Black. Sorry about that.
As a follow up on our Failed Pest Control -Most Successful Failure In America Rebbecca Black is fighting Ark Records for copyrights. Apparently Ark records was not satisfied with the amount of money they were already making off of her video. But, don’t be dismayed.. you can now find a slew of knock of videos to treat your Friday FUN FUN FUN taste buds.
And comments are still flowing in at about 1 per second! How long can this last?
To the song’s credit the percentage of likes has increased as former stats from first post 11% Likes to 89% Dislike. We have also considered that fact that most billboard hits per genre of music are probably not liked by a huge percentage of the overall population. There are those that will never listen to a rap song to even give it a vote. So, despite our cynicism, she has a target audience that can carry her song. We don’t know exactly how many times Friday has been downloaded, but she is currently at 72 on iTunes chart, down from her position at #20. So have a Good Friday!… Got to go. Got to get some cereal… I now need to decide which seat I can sit iiiiiiinnnnnn!
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If you have already heard this tune before, then I must apologize in advance. You know what I’m about to inflict upon you.
If you have not heard this song before, then it is your responsibility to humanity to partake in the horrific and graphic reality that I am about to describe that the rest of us are having to endure like yokes upon our backs.
First, the horror.
On February 10, 2011, Ark Music Factory posted a YouTube video that would help redefine the viral industry forever. No other music video has drawn as much attention and ire as Rebecca Black’s “Friday” single. From the lyrics to the video itself to the tone of her singing is, as a good friend of mine put it on Twitter, “like nails down a chalkboard and knives into my eyes.”
The song lashes out at you with lyrics such as “Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Friday…Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards.” That is followed up by the brilliance of “Fun, fun, fun, fun!” Oh, the humanity!
It has been mentioned and scoffed at by almost every radio station across the country. Sports commentators are evening weighing in.
She is still a trending topic on Twitter and has been at least since sometime last week. That has to be some sort of Twitter record.
At the time of me typing this sentence, of the 47,706,751 million YouTube hits on her official video, there are 706,886 “dislikes” and 83,491 “likes”. Comments are literally being posted at more than one per second. The pace is astonishing.
So what’s all the rage about? …the song making the waves by Rebecca Black, Friday…
Again, I apologize to you, the viewer, but discussing this issue must be a group effort.
*10 Minute Update: Since I recorded those figures 10 minutes ago, the “dislikes” have climbed to 708,585 (1,699 difference) and “likes”, heaven forbid, are now at 83,689 (198 difference).
Now, the harsh reality…
Although iTunes does not disclose their sales numbers of songs, she is currently ranked on iTunes.com at #23 in the Top 100 of downloaded songs. On PopVortex.com’s release of their iTunes Top 100, she currently ranks #19, two slots ahead of Pink and well ahead of Usher, Katy Perry and the original YouTube sensation himself, Justin Bieber.
Forbes and Billboard differ in their estimation of just how many times “Friday” has been downloaded, but most estimate that it has been downloaded well over 2 million times. As iTunes scratches a check at $.70 on the dollar, Ark Music Factory has presumably cashed in over $1 million.
With 47 million views on YouTube, Ark Music is also cashing in on paid advertisements. As a pest control company on our scorpion video, we average about $.71 per thousand views. For us, this is enough to pay for fountain drinks at the gas station down the road. If we calculate that her video even earns $.50 per thousand views, Arm Music is still banking over $23,000. That will be enough to buy Rebecca a car when she turns 16 three years from now.
It is hard to know how many royalties she is earning, since Ark Music Factory produced and released the video. Since she is the one putting herself up on a pedestal for every American, minus 83,000 of them, to take shots at, we certainly hope she is getting the vast majority of those checks. Annoying voice or not, she is taking this all the way to the bank. Horrific lyrics or not, we are the ones filling up her bedazzled pockets.
Ark Music Factory is the engine that is driving these young teens to completely defame their own character and reputation at such an early age. We’re sure their cut of the pie is quite large, sadly. Is the Ark Music Factory business model the American version of sweat shops? Pesty indeed.
We pride ourselves on doing quality pest control, but there are some pests you just can’t get rid of.
For it being a Monday, there’s a lot of love in the air. Valentine’s Day is the day that divides friends and family in all different directions. Everything about today hinges on one’s relationship status. Elderly couples have paid their dues. They’ll just hit Applebee’s a little early this week with their sweethearts. Middle agers will just hire their own kids so they can hit dinner and movie. Newlyweds will spend half the month’s paycheck on the occasion. College kids will miss class today and spend enormous amounts of money on a girlfriend or boyfriend. High schoolers don’t have enough money to do anything, and they don’t even know what love is. It’s all about infatuation at that age. And elementary school kids are excited to pass out Justin Bieber valentines with candy hearts to all their secret crushes.
And that’s just assuming all those people even have a valentine for the day. If today’s not Valentine’s Day for one, then it’s “Singles Unite” Day for another. If singles haven’t called in sick today to work, or just all together ditched classes, for sure they are masterminding a large singles event later tonight. No married people allowed! What better way to “celebrate” your single…ness than to throw a party with other singles and watch a movie that has nothing to do with romance. Like…Live Free or Die Hard. That’s a perfect movie. The antagonist even looses his girlfriend to a Ford Explorer falling down an elevator shaft.
I’m not here to delve too much into the who’s and how’s of our relationships. But I am here to ask why. Why can’t pests get love to? Not that we need to save them all or anything. We are still in the exterminating business. Rather, our love for our local pests can come in the form of a basic understanding of who these little critters are, and what type of role they play. Some aspects of our little friends can even be quite admirable. We’ll just stick to the common pests for right now.
First, the ant. Ants are known the be the janitors of the world. They can feast on almost anything – dead animals, other dead insects and dead leaves. One dead insect is another ant’s fortune. In the work place, the work and dedication of one ant colony is enough to make even the best CEO marvel. Each ant knows its role. Each ant has a purpose. From sun up to sundown, the ant’s life is work, work, work. No holidays. No sick days.
Next, the spider. Believe it or not, spiders are somewhat family oriented. They care for their young. As icky as the webs may be, they serve as both a home and a trap for food. In the grand scheme of things, they are a major player in keeping the ecosystems in check. They help maintain the food cycle by controlling the general populations of their prey. They are the “For Us, By Us” pest controllers.
Crickets. For every predator there is prey. Crickets, in a sense, take one for the team. They serve as a valuable food source to many other insects and rodents. As today is Valentine’s Day, we will highlight a common mating practice. You know that chirping sound? Sounds great when you’re camping, but not so much when it’s in your wall? Well, it’s actually the male’s mating call. In fact, the exact chirping sound differs from species to species, allowing the females to determine who specifically is on the market. How romantic!
Cockroaches. Moving away from the ecological value of these critters, cockroaches have recently become the center of study in the advancement of robotic limbs. Scientists are mimicking the body mechanics of cockroaches to improve the speed and effectiveness that robotic hands are able to grasp and react to the surrounding environment. While cockroaches have their place in the food chain, they are now being observed for the cause of science.
Make no mistake about it. There are no good reasons you should have to battle pests in the comfort of your own home. But just for today, take time to learn something about our little visitors. Most of them are just trying to make their way in the world, just like the rest of us.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all the married folks, single people and insects around the world.
In all honesty, Who wants a roach named after them? On Valentine's day or any other day of the year? If you want to save this species or learn more about them then go buy one online. Yes, you can buy one online, an for a cheaper price then naming one.
Flowers Wilt. Chocolates Melt. And you better not invite Bulwark Exterminating over to ruin your forever Roaches.
Now that’s we’ve had a few days to digest all the chicken wings and baby back ribs from Sunday’s Super Bowl, we’ve also had time to digest the onslaught of new commercials from our nation’s advertising giants. What were your favorites? Funniest? Commercial that might actually affect a future purchase?
Being at a party with tons of food, 5 other couples and a handful of kids running and crawling around (including my own), it was a bit tough to catch all the commercials like in previous years. One of the first ads I remember seeing was the “Guy obsessed with cheese Doritos” ad.
“Hey, are you going to finish those?” “Sorry. They’re already gone.” “No they’re not. You left the best part.” Guy abruptly jams his co-workers cheesy fingers into his mouth. “Mmmm, cheese!”
Another good one was Snickers’ Lumberjacks spot. Richard Lewis and Roseanne Barr make the cameos in this one. All we really need to know in this one is that Roseanne Barr gets absolutely mowed down. Describing it wouldn’t even do it justice.
Hahahahaha! Oh man, that doesn’t get old!
I was a little disappointed in Mercedes Benz’s ad featuring P. Diddy. Diddy historically does great commercials, Super Bowl or not. I still think his Pepsi Truck commercial from a few years ago is my favorite Super Bowl ads of all time. This years’ Benz commercial seemed really anticlimactic. Once Diddy came in the picture, I was hooked, but only to be let down by the featuring of the new car line. I wanted more Diddy!
Our favorite commercial here at the office comes with good reason. Being a pest control company, we thoroughly enjoyed Volkswagen’s ad for the new Beetle. I didn’t even know it was for VW until the very end, but for 25 seconds I was really, really interested and entertained by this little beetle’s race through the forest as he slid past Mr. Centipede and raced by the praying mantis boxing match. The rest is history.
Sure, we might be a little bias, but it was an awesome ad. It grabbed your attention from the beginning. The music definitely helped. The race scenes along the ground were creative and humorous. For being a commercial with no dialog, it was fabulous.
To our defense, we’re also not the only ones that think so. In a study just released by Alterian, an international marketing group, Volkswagen has had the most social media conversations dating back to Dec. 1, 2010. Of those conversations, VW is also ranked #1 in both highest positive sentiment (22%) and lowest negative sentiment (3%). More than two-thrids of those conversations and mentions happened on micro-blogging sites. We’ll safely assume Twitter was the main channel.
I’ve since gone back and taken a look at some of the ad spots that I missed and I have to say there are some pretty good ones. But I’m sticking with my first impression on this one that Volkswagen’s ad was the highlight of this year’s Super Bowl ad wars.
National Cockroach Race Day is Wednesday, Jan. 26th. To honor this absolutely fabulous day, Bulwark Exterminating is sponsoring its first ever #RoachRace on Twitter. What exactly is a #RoachRace you ask?
It’s actually quite simple. Sponsors (Contestants) will claim a specific cockroach species. German Cockroach. Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. American Cockroach. Etc, etc.
Sponsors will then be assigned a corresponding hashtag. #BulwarkGermanRoach. #BulwarkHissingRoach. #BulwarkAmericanRoach. Etc, etc.
That assigned roach hashtag will be coupled with the hashtag #RoachRace
Now comes the race. Contestants will have the task on Wednesday to see how many tweets and retweets they can get with their assigned hashtag. The contestant with the most mentions of their hashtag…wins!
What’s the prize? Well, since we’re not really in a position to take bets and disclose odds and spreads and stuff like that, we’re giving away one of @tshirtSEO’s famed and highly coveted t-shirts. These shirts were recently featured on ABC’s Now@9 morning show in Phoenix.
All sponsors will receive a Roach Pest Control t-shirt, featuring our super cool roach logo. We’ll also throw in a 10-pack of glue traps from PestProJoe.com. And of course they will get lots of props, mentions, and thank you’s. This is all stuff money can’t buy, folks!
And if you happen to be in the Phoenix area, we’ll even treat you to a nice lunch.
Last but not least, don’t forget to follow us on twitter and like us on facebook.
So, we here at Bulwark tend to fancy ourselves at social media geeks. We all have facebook accounts. We all have twitter accounts. Naturally, we run the Bulwark accounts on a regular basis. We always check in with Foursquare when we go out to lunch. Whenever we get the chance, we always try to attend any local twitter events that A. sound interesting and B. interest us. We went to #SunsTweetup a couple weeks ago vs. the Portland Trailblazers. Both interesting, and of interest.
This week we had another fabulous experience at a local tweetup. ABC15 here in Phoenix hosted the first ever live and on air tweetup event during the Now@9 morning show. We documented the experience from start to finish, and this is how it looked.
Before we even got to the station, this is how the morning started as we got off the freeway in Phoenix…
High Voltage Warning Sign
Despite the warning, we pressed on, and within minutes found ourselves at the ABC15 studios. After a brief waiting period our group of 100 tweeps was escorted into the filming studio. We were lucky enough to get first row seats in front of the news desk where the anchors sit. The majority of our group was parked behind us at a different angle, facing big monitors and some green screens. The anchors soon made their way to the set and began all the last-minute prep work before showtime.
ABC15's Amber Sullins and Susan Casper
Camera #2 at ABC15's Studio B
ABC15 Tweetup Audience
Before we knew it, the show was off and filming. This was how the show began…
Our esteemed head honcho, Thomas, aka Thos003, has a thing for printing custom twitter shirts for the host of that particular twitter event. We look for a humorous tweet from that person (or people) and put it on the front chest of the shirt. For SunsTweetup, we printed one for Jared Dudley. We think he liked it! So of course we made shirts for the show’s anchors: Susan Casper, Rebecca Thomas, Amber Sullins and Kirk Yuhnke. We even made a couple for some of the producers. Here is Kirk showing his shirt on air and giving a little love to Bulwark and yours truly.
“Net Neutrality” was the big topic of the morning across the country, and Now@9 took time to read a few Facebook comments regarding the issue.
Next national controversy of the morning was the decency of Hooters Restaurant girls. The business model is a little too liberal for places like San Francisco, and apparently there is a pending lawsuit against the famed restaurant. The anchors weighed in…
The hour went by rather fast. After the anchors closed up the show they glad-handed all the tweeps and snapped a few photos with us. As planned, each anchor got their own shirt with their own tweet on the front.
Steve and Thomas with the Now@9 anchors
Big thanks to ABC15, Susan, Rebecca, Amber and Kirk for holding the tweetup and allowing us to come share the morning with them.
Christmas is in 8 days. All of the “12 Days of Christmas” lists started 4 days ago. We’ve purposely waited a few days to give you the “12 Days of Christmas You DON’T Want To See Under Your Tree”.
I mean, come on! How enraged would you be if you actually got an ant farm!? Unless your name is Thomas Ballantyne, then it might look good next to your scorpion aquarium.
Ant Farm
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bulwark Exterminating. Your Loco Pest Control – Tulsa, OK.
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