The hype around the release of Google Glass has been excruciating for much of the public. From bazillionaire Sergey Brin being “accidentally” spotted wearing the connected eyewear on New York City’s subways to the absurd, hip credentials and bank accounts early adopters must demonstrate before proving themselves worthy of an untested commodity, the whole Google Glass buzz machine has become tedious.

Enter Saturday Night Live and Fred Armisen and Seth Meyers, who, via a hilarious skit late Saturday night, nailed public sentiment. The Google Glass public relations blitz started strong but fell victim to its own unwieldy inertia by inundating the public with ubiquitous marketing efforts while only allowing select individuals access to the product. Backlash was inevitable.

While regular commuters use New York City’s (in)famous subway system to get to work, the rich and the famous often use the subway when working in a public relations capacity.

For example: Jay-Z took the R Train to his own show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center (a.k.a. Chez Jay-Z), and now Google co-founder Sergey Brin has been spotted on the 3 train sporting Google Glasses, which are basically the Internet on your eyes. Are they “everymen” now? Of course not. But we love them for it.

Though the public often has a complicated relationship with fame, we appreciate it when members of the more glamorous classes do “regular people” stuff like riding public transportation. Savvy PR professionals know that with the limitless social media platforms and digital devices out there, it doesn’t take long for someone famous on the subway to end up trending on Twitter. That’s valuable publicity for a mere $2.25.

Taking the subway demonstrates a connection with the public and the realities of our lives. Even star-struck commuters don’t reach for a pen and paper and ask, “Can I have your autograph?” They ask, “What are YOU doing on the subway?”

Read more