Madeup Word of the Week 1.1

Starviataion
noun (star-ve-a-shun)

The state of being ravenously hungry while trapped on an airplane with your only source of sustenance being two measly packages of pretzels.

Often accompanied by Food Envy, directed towards the person two aisles over that had the foresight to pack a sandwich.

Starviation is a direct response to the conditions airline passengers encounter while traveling. Travelers not only need to arrive at the airport two hours (minimum) before departing, but they must also stand in endless lines of security and are put through rigorous searches. Once finished with security, many travelers are tired and hungry and simply don’t have the time or wherewithal to grab food before boarding.

It's gotta be the shoe(less)

Living in a world where the average person is exposed to over 3,000 messages every day, you have to applaud the efforts of an advertiser that has found a unique way to break through the clutter.

I recently had the good fortune to travel back home and noticed this while going through security at SFO:Lo and behold, inside the plastic security bins used to hold your shoes (and other items) as they passed through the X-ray machine, was an ad for Zappos, an online shoe retailer.

Brilliant. The security line was one of the few places in the entire airport where I wasn't being advertised to. Sure, there were the countless warnings and restrictions (in a variety of languages), but not a single ad in sight. I'd say that 99% of my fellow passengers were just like me - standing barefoot and at rapt attention...just waiting to absorb some message.

And to top it off, the message was for new shoes at the exact moment when I’m staring at my old pair. Not only was the ad amusing, I’ll also definitely remember what it was for.