More Updates (Shoprite)

Shoprite in the Oxford Street Mall has completed its attempt to do something about its fly problem. The plastic sheets covering the refrigerated shelves have been pulled down (that really did look awkward and I'm guessing was awkward for shoppers too) and the flies really are just roaming free (on the fruits, veges, in your face, etc.).

Shopping there really just makes me feel like I'm in some local open space market with flies flying on the food and in your face. Maybe that's the kind of feel Shoprite wants its shoppers to have (we are in Ghana after all). Well then in that case, feeling more than achieved (they just need a dumpster next to some of the food, maybe an open gutter too) and I'll complain till I'm blue in the face (not sure that's possible, I'm African and got skin to show for that) and nothing really will be done about it.

Thinking up a copy line for Shoprite (they just might need a different one for their Ghana shops). That should make sense, I'm supposed to have a Master's Degree in PR and Advertising (though the advertising bit seems to have fallen away somewhere. that's what happens when you don't practice what you learnt).

So here goes (after completing school how many years ago and not doing anything advertising related since)... Drum roll...
"Low prices, a local feel, the Shoprite way"
And I'm thinking for the television and print ads, when the "a local feel" bit comes up, pictures of flies and roaches can be shown. For the radio ad, the sound of flies and roaches can be played. Of course no one knows what the fly or the roach says, but if someone was able to figure out what the fox says, well, we can come up with what the roach and the fly say too.

So? Do I have a shot in the advertising industry?
If not, in my defense, I wasn't given a brief, "tweaa".

Updates... Missing Kwaku Doe...

The "Deadly Billboard" I've been going on about has been removed. I'd like to think my writing about it had something to do with its removal (I seriously doubt it).

The "Active Advertising" billboard was taken down not long after my post. Again I'd like to think my writing about it had something to do with its removal (seriously doubting). The ad has been replaced with another, advertising a prayer summit, and guess what? The advertisers don't want us to actively guess when the summit is taking place (somebody wised up or different advertisers).

At least this one tells us the programme is in June (no more guessing)

I stopped watching "Twisted Tips". I guess I got tired of criticising plenty. And then the Saturday before last Saturday, I happened to be watching the station that shows "Twisted Tips", at the time "Twisted Tips" is supposed to be shown, and guess what? It didn't show. They rather showed a programme about people with weird eating habits. There was something about a guy that ate raw meat (imagine that). Interesting thing is, I figure I'd enjoy eating raw meat myself more than watching "Twisted Tips". After the weird eating thingy, there was another Ghanaian series that didn't exactly blow me away, but was so much more refreshing than what I'm used to from Gh. That was my first time ever watching "xoxo". I must admit, it wasn't bad at all (for once I'm not critiquing some programme out of Gh. if it's good, I'll say it). What really got me is, that was my first time watching, and though it's a series, I was able to follow (just hoping it wasn't a one-off thing and I just caught them on a good episode).

I came across another garbage truck a couple of weeks ago, and in my estimation, what I saw seemed a whole lot more dangerous than the first one I wrote about (this one was so much smaller). Still makes me wonder how safe it is.



At least the truck was moving real slow.

 I MISS KWAKU DOE!



Took this not too long ago, and guess what? He's still in the same business.



Updates... Billboards, Twisted Somethings...

I almost didn't make it this week (at least one post a week).
Doing it over the weekend will probably not happen, so I've got to do it by Friday.

Ok, so what do we have by way of updates (I almost feel like a news anchor)? The "Definitely Deadly Billboard" is still where it is, in the same condition and it appears it'll be there for a while like that (frankly, I'm tired of talking writing about it). So, to a related topic, I spotted this one just across the road from the entrance (not the Spintex side) to the Accra Mall.

Flexi's still on so I guess it's safe to say, it fell

Yeah I know, still has to do with billboards. Seems this really is nothing new in Gh (appears I'm the only one that's shocked. can you blame me? they are huge). Hopefully, there were no casualties or hopefully, the company pulled it down before it naturally fell (any other ideas?).

I watched "Twisted Tips" again last Saturday, and they didn't spend another 30 minutes doing a recap of the last episode. It appears there might be a storyline (if you can call it that) but it appears "dark and twisty" (picked that line up from Grey's Anatomy). Why do people watch programmes they say are uninteresting (like I keep doing with "Twisted Tips"), cos this time, I went out of my way to watch. Well, maybe it's cos we want to have something to criticise (any other ideas?).

Next week, I'll talk write about something else (that's a promise). Interesting stuff just can't help but happen around me (even if they don't, I'll make my own interesting stuff happen).

Update & then some...

I almost didn't make it this week (at least one post a week), but I did make it (whew!).

This is very hurried and will be pretty boring, maybe a little bit repetitive, (at least the first part).
So, the frame of the deadly billboard remains as it has been for a while now.



I guess it'll remain like this for a while (maybe until it causes some havoc)

Earlier this week, I was driving to work when this garbage truck joins in ahead of me. I was so fascinated by what I was seeing behind the truck that I deliberately missed my turn and went all the way to the end of the road (I really just wanted a picture, and I was willing to risk my new baby, but not enough to hurry up and get off at my exit).

What was so fascinating? There was the usual guys (2) hanging behind the truck, but there was this one other guy sitting, and he was actually napping behind the truck (I'm not kidding). Sad thing is, when I finally got round to taking that picture, he'd woken up :(

was he just hitching a ride with them or was he actually working?

I'm just wondering. How safe is it? Even for the 2 hanging guys? I know we got to have hanging guys at the back of garbage trucks (somebody has to carry the bins to the truck) but really, isn't there an alternative. As for the guy napping, (I really don't know what to say).

And it wasn't like the truck was moving at a slow pace. There's virtually no traffic on the Oxford Street that time of the day, and I had to speed up to keep up with the truck (you should've seen the speed with which the truck exited at its turn. it was so fast and sharp that I couldn't follow even though I'd wanted to).

Updates...

Curiosity got me using routes I've not used in ages, and routes I usually wouldn't use in the morning (cos of something called traffic).

Kwaku Doe is still exactly where he's always been (since I started writing about him at least). Since I was just being curious and wanted to just see, I ignored him when he knocked on my window (to ask beg for money). Yep, I got a new car that has constant air conditioning (windows perpetually rolled up).

For the love of my new car, I dint risk taking a picture of my next update, as it was next to impossible to get one without having my car mangled. The metallic frame of the billboard is still in the same shape it has been for a while now. The flexi/sav (printed material) is still removed and I can't help but wonder what is going on. Of course, possible possibilities have run through my mind.

There are companies that construct metallic frames for billboards, pay AMA to have them sited (as well as monthly rental charges) and charge advertising companies nice sums to mount their printed material for a certain time period. Organisations hire advertising companies (or companies that profess to do just that) to do some advertisement for them. It is very possible that:

1. the poorly constructed/poorly situated dangling metallic frame is the fault of the company that constructed it. Has absolutely nothing to do with the organisation being advertised, so that company has had its advertising company retrieve its flexi/sav, which can be reused (dint seem damaged to me).
2. the organisation being advertised owns the metallic frame (very possible, very possible) and has removed its flexi/sav and will get to removing/fixing the metallic frame (I wonder how long that takes cos its been days weeks and trust me, there's no work going on there).
3. a different company does own the metallic frame, it removed the flexi/sav and will get to fixing the metallic frame (most probably leaving it at the same place in the same position) in due time.
4. the time period for the organisation's ad to be displayed has expired and that coincided with the collapse of the metallic frame, so, for both parties, "why bother?" (I guess the metallic frame constructing company will bother when another organisation or even the same organisation shows an interest in mounting an ad on this frame.)

Any other possible scenarios?

Updates...

Remember the drive through food joint that wasn't really a drive through? Guess what? The building has a banner hanging up front that says "Pharmacy Opening Soon" (I wonder if it'll be a drive through pharmacy :D). I really wanted to take a picture of that yesterday and then today, but I'm staying safe now. No picture taking while driving.

Saw another traffic camera around Mateheko, and guess what? The traffic light wasn't even working. Matter of fact, the traffic light wasn't working yesterday when I passed there (been using different routes to work. Trying to explore Accra a bit).

It's been about four days of Glo in Gh and guess what? There's still a swarm of people in front of the Gloworld shops. I checked out one of their shops before they even started work this morning, and there were all these people outside waiting for them to open. The network must be that good. I must get me some Glo before they decide their freebies should be paid for.

Yeah, I would also have loved to have had updates on Kwaku Doe but these new routes I'm using lately, take me in the opposite direction of his "office".