B o l o g n a

Beer and circus
North Koreans will be thrilled to know that the Taedonggang brewery is certified ISO 9001. And that "the pride of Pyongyang" also relieves stress and "will become part of your lives." So claims the first beer ad ever to run above the 38th parallel. Long and lousy, yet fascinating, it initially aired during the latest missile tests. Best of all, Taedonggang has received the coveted despot seal of approval. No, really. He likes it. Hence the commercial. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8132199.stm (source: BBC, 7/3/09)

My song
If you want to hear indie artist Sufjan Stevens' latest song, you'll have to ask Alec Duffy. He won exclusive rights to it in a contest. Alec has been hosting private parties around the country where guests listen via headphones, so no secret recordings can be made. He believes that sharing the song with a small group of friends and fans is the best way to bring people together and truly appreciate the music. To hear some other songs http://www.myspace.com/sufjanstevens (source: Iconoculture)

iMommy
62% of moms now participate in social media, a 462% increase from 2006's 11%. (source: BabyCenter/Promo 7/7/09)

Dollars and friends
Ya know how we say that our long-term, intimate client relationships help us be more efficient and effective? Well, finally a group of economists and sociologists proved it. Granted they studied law firms, but you can't say that attorneys aren't creative problem-solvers. The scientists also determined the billable value of your network. Read all about it courtesy of Mr. Strauber. http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/index.php/Kellogg/article/the_price_of_a_billable_hour/

Le freak. C'est chic
96 babies got funky for this new Euroasian Evian ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs . Funny, creepy, cute.

Bloody bad drivers
Apparently Kiwis forget how to drive over the summer, too. However, this PSA has managed to reduce road fatalities to zero since installation. Wow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlSyieFqql4 (source: Gizmodo via Gretchen)

July is national cell phone courtesy month
I'm dying to use these note cards, but fear being beaten with a Blackberry. http://mobpeeve.webs.com/MobPeeve%20Index.pdf

A little bit of Harris
36% of Americans are going to their hair stylist less often to save money
47% are bringing their lunch (to work, not to the barber)
19% have stopped buying coffee at DD and the like
Over 1/3 think TV ads are the most helpful in making purchase decisions
More than one quarter think no kind of advertising is helpful
46% ignore banner ads
(source: Harris Poll Weekly, 7/7/09)

Now from Nickelodeon
74% of families are spending more time cooking together
57% are playing together more often
43% are having movie-night-in more
38% are playing more video games
(source: Starcom/Nickelodeon/Adweek, 7/6/09)
This is what they say they're doing...

Now for the reality check
U.S. families are spending less time together, due in part to a rise in internet use and the popularity of social networks. A USC study found 28% said they have been spending less time with members of their households. That's nearly triple the 11% who said that in 2006. (source: AP, 6/15/09)

Epic or lame?
Hollister's opening a giant experiential store in SoHo. This is supposed to be their story as written by a SoCal dude visiting it for the first time. I see a 40-ish copywriter from New Jersey checking talking points off the brief and looking to Bill and Ted for inspiration. Think it'll click with the kids, or score mad eye rolls? Typos copied as they appear on the site.

"I was headed out to SoHo to see what the EPIC Hollister store was all about. Born and bred in Southern California, I was curious to see what's up. As soon as I came in I was like-oh, this is gonna be big. What hit me first is the smell-which is awesome. The place is off the charts-it's huge with a lot to see but it's cool, I didn't feel like I had to rush or anything, real chill vibe and all the clothes are way soft. I picked up some tees I liked before anyone else could get em. I'm wearing one now. Everyone who works there is hot as hell-it looks like how you wish everyone looked on the beach. No grumpy old ladies screamin' at kids. The place is hooked-up, it's got everything. Dude, its pretty spot-on to SoCal-they even have these live feeds of Huntington Beach on these sick flat screens. I got all mesmerized-tryin' to see if I could see my friends out there surfing. I called me friend up and was like, "Hey Man, where you at. I'm watchin' the beach right now. You there?" He was all freaked out because he knew I was in New York. Pretty sweet. Anyway, there's a whole lot of stuff going on there. I'm going back because I wanna make sure I didn't miss anything. Check it out for yourself. Seriously, it's at: Broadway & Houston in SoHo, big old-school lookin' brick building with five stories of tons of cool stuff." http://www.hcoridethewave.com/

We schmeer
Rochester is the 6th biggest market for cream cheese. Philly, no surprise, is number 1. (source: MRI)

Raise a wiener for Mr. Mayer
One effective marketer. Even vegans know their boloney has a first name. And he lived to 95 eating it.

You've got what?!
Have you heard? The gout is the word. Once known only from old novels, the debilitating arthritis disease is now growing apace with our waistlines. So put down those cheese fries, or add horrifically deformed joints, pain, and ulceration to the long list of obesity-related illnesses in your future. (souce: Iconoculture, 7/10/09)