Going Mainstream

I've had a few interesting bicycle sightings on TV and internet lately. You may have seen the Kotex ad, featuring an adorable woman with an even more adorable mixte, telling people she left her bike lock at home, and would they run in to the store an buy her a box of tampons? There is also a credit report service commercial, with what appears to be a sweet vintage Raleigh.

A recentMcDonald's commercial featured a perky woman bicycling to work and stopping for breakfast on the way. (Sorry, couldn't find any images). It makes a lot of sense for a fast food restaurant to promote active forms of transportation, since physical activity can help mitigate the effects of a high-calorie diet. If their customers stay fit and healthy through bicycling, the unhealthy foods served by McDonald's may not be vilified quite so much as they are now. McDonald's has also taken up sponsorship of the Chicago bike station in Millennium Park. Maybe, in addition to their playgrounds, we will start to see mini-bike-stations and bicycle parking pop up at some of their locations?

Lastly, I came across this ad for a new bike-share program in Miami Beach, called DecoBike. The imagery is very mainstream - it shows riding a bicycle as a totally normal and fashionable part of daily life. The emphasis is on convenience and staying in shape. And, well, let's just say sex sells! I hope their program is a success.