It's about the shoes
These days, Stephon Marbury is playing for the Chinese coal mining city of Tiayuan. The most "Ma Bu Li" is allowed to earn in the government-owned league is $60K/month - clearly not why he's there. He's there to sell shoes and other Starbury gear to the estimated 300 million Chinese basketball players. The NBA didn't like his attitude, but if his kicks take off in China, (And how could they not? He's one of their best players and he's got the brand logo tattooed on his shaved head.), he'll be getting the last laugh. (source: Wall Street Journal, 1/28/10)

Hard times call for hard liquor
In 2009, value brands of distilled spirits were up overall 1.4%, mostly taking share from more expensive brands. However, the category also took share from wine and beer. Irish whiskey was they biggest winner, growing 10%, with tequila at #2 (up 5%), vodka (4.9%), and brandy/cognac (3.3%). Canadian whiskey, blended scotch, and liqueur/cordials were down slightly. High-end tequila held its own against the lower end because, well, yuck. (source: Wall Street Journal/Distilled Spirits Council of the US, 2/2/10)

Rumbly
There have been over 1,600 tiny earth quakes in Yellowstone National Park since January 17. Although they're keeping close watch, geologists say the swarm of quakes is not a sign of an imminent eruption in the park's massive caldera which last blew a few tens of thousands of years ago. The park record is 3,000 quakes in 3 months in 1985. When it does pop, the blast is expected to blanket nearly half of the US in ash. (source: NY Times, 1/30/10)

Manned up
For managing to make dorky-cutie Peyton Manning look tough and soulful, almost grizzled, Wheaties Fuel package designer, I salute you.

You'll want to eat the whole thing
I've been following this guy's blog for about a year and not only are the recipes fantastic (yet not too complex), but the photos are to drool for. http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/

Cocoa crack
Today is world Nutella day. Slather up and celebrate 47 years of hazelnutty deliciousness. (source: Fast Company, February 2010)

Your carbon footprint is tearing us apart
According to Iconoculture, eco-awakening is becoming a bone of contention for friends and couples. Instead of infidelity, refusal to recycle could be grounds for a divorce.

Let's hear it for the humanities
Some business schools are restructuring their programs to be more liberal arts-like. The big R made them realize that numbers alone do not an ethical, critical-thinking corporate citizen make. (source: NY Times, 1/9/10)

YouTube is the world's #2 search engine behind Google. Wow. (source: Ad Age, 2/1/10)

Be afraid in Colorado
Men's Health published its annual Drunkest Cities report. This is no party guide. The study tallies stats like binge drinking, crashes, DUI, and liver disease. Denver's most drunk. Durham's least drunk. ATL, you'd better watch yourselves at #12. And Rochester, you're #25, but I wouldn't advise driving I-90W ‘cause Buffalo's #3. Go Bills. Interactive map here http://www.menshealth.com/drunk/

Product of the Year awards
It's the Oscars of the CPG set. This teeny one-time-use tooth-brush-and-gel combo won in the "oral care" category. http://tinyurl.com/yesmweqhttp://tinyurl.com/yesmweq (source: Fast Company, 2/2/10)

My ever shrinking Valentine
This year Americans are expecting to spend about $63 on their honey. Last year it was $67. Before that $102...$223... (source: National Retail Federation)

Kid power
Finally somebody's figured out how to harness the energy of those little perpetual motion machines. A group of Harvard students has created a soccer ball that stores energy from the kicks it receives (3 hours of LED light for every 15 minutes of play). The Soccket prototype has been tested in South Africa. They may do a buy-one-share-one program in the West to cover the cost of getting the balls to people in developing countries. Now the kids will be able to do homework at night after they play. (source: Springwise, 2/4/10)

Tarp pants
No, not trousers purchased by bankers with fat, tax-supported bonuses, but pants made from an actual tarp. More specifically, a Sony billboard tarp. The one-of-a-kind jeans were hung back up where the billboard had been and guys in rock climbing gear brought down ones that buyers selected. The profits were further recycled -- Sony donated the money to preserve world landmarks. Full story here http://creativity-online.com/news/behind-the-work-sony-recycle-project-jeans/141754 (source: Creativity via Elaine. Tx, Elaine)

Shoe whisperer
Can't find just the right pumps? A NYC clairvoyant and part-time shoemaker will help you get that perfect pair out of your head and onto your feet by sketching what's in your mind and then assisting you with the construction. One recent customer created a pair of ruffled silver brocade mules fit for Louis XIV for his wife for their wedding anniversary. (source: NY Times, 2/4/10)

Smacked down
There are two more victims in the brutal Walmart vendor-reduction cage match. After an ad-blitz showdown, the chain's decided that Hefty and Glad food bags and containers have no place on their shelves. Ziploc and the store brand, Great Value, survive to fight another day. (source: Ad Age, 2/4/10)

Mr. Salty looks for love in more places:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdP45YMfIhI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0-IHSWn9yU

Maybe he can work at Hollister
Retail sales are expected to grow about 2.5% this year according to the National Retail Federation and a bunch of other researchers and pundits. Last year was minus 2.5%. (source: Marketing Daily, 1/28/10)

Pop yourself happy
Bubble wrap celebrates its 50th. The inventor was inspired by clouds which seemed to cushion the jostling of the small plane he was in. Not only does it keep stuff from breaking, but a psychological study find that the popping sound reduces stress and leaves the popper feeling less tired. KO your tension here http://www.bubblewrapfun.com/assets/games/bubblePop.html (source: NYTimes, 1/25/10)

One-buck Chucks
Adidas is planning to produce sneakers that sell for 1 euro. The shoes will debut in Bangladesh. It's a marketing double play: Invest in good publicity in developed markets today and brand integration in developing markets for higher-priced sales tomorrow. (source: Trendwatching)

Holy cogitating polyphletics, Batman!
To test the problem-solving ability of slime mold, Japanese scientists challenged one to recreate a super-efficient human system, the Tokyo railway. They placed 36 pieces of food (white specs) where the region's cities are and plopped the mold (yellow spec) in Tokyo's place, then waited to see how it would build its feeding tubes. Instead of the many years humans needed to perfect the system, old slimy managed the task in just 26 hours. And the pattern was nearly identical to the human version. (source: Science, 1/25/10)

The Whopper hangover
Burger King is trying out a new concept, an adult Happy Meal of sorts - a Whopper and a beer from A-B or MillerCoors for $7.99. If all goes well with its debut in South Beach, the Whopper Bar will roll out in NY, LA, and LV. (source: USA Today, 1/22/10)

Can't beat ‘em, buy ‘em
The Humane Society has purchased an undisclosed amount of stock in Dominos, the world's #2 pizza maker. Their hope is to change from the inside how the pigs and chickens the chain uses in their food are treated before they become pepperoni and hot wings. (source: Pizza Marketplace, 1/25/10)

Whew, dodged another one
Statistically, the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year. British behavioral scientists developed a mathematical formula taking into account weather, debt, monthly salary, time since Christmas, time since failed quit attempt, low motivation levels, and the need to take action...and presto change-o, by that day (1/18 this year), we're kicking ourselves for spending too much money on presents, not following through with our New Year's resolutions, and counting the days til the next holiday. So cheer up, the worst is over. (source: MSNBC via Ashley. Tx.)

Coupons a-leaping
The finally tally for 2009 is +27%. This is the first time in 17 years that coupon use grew. (source: Marketing Daily, 1/26/10)

Service
A JetBlue passenger at JFK tweeted that he thought he'd left his sunglasses at a security gate. Shortly, somebody from JetBlue located him, though alas not the specs, to let him know they'd checked it out. (source: The Consumerist, 127/10)

Origami app
Map Squared has employed some nifty geometry to lick the awkwardness of paper maps. Any way you open it, you get all the detail without all the fuss. They started with London; masochists clearly. Photo's boring, design solution's genius. More folding details http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/very-low-tech-zoomable-map
(source: Fast Company via Coolhunting.com via Ryan Haigh. Tx.)

Same ole same ole
Last year food and beverage new product launches dropped 30% due to the economy and just too many existing products in some categories. Side dishes, like veggie steam bags, were one of the few categories that grew (16%). (source: QSR/Mintel, 1/26/10)

Wheeeeee
Base jumper and all-around crazy man Felix Baumgartner will attempt to break the world parachuting record by jumping from a balloon at least 120,000 feet. He expects to also break the sound barrier. A pressure suit should keep him from swelling up and blacking out. Stay tuned for views from the helmet cam. Sponsored by Red Bull, of course http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8475288.stm (source: BBC, 1/22/10)

So not "Goodnight Moon"
For all you creative, subversive types, some not-so-usual kid lit. I'd add to this list my personal twisted favorites, "Half Chick" and "Struwwelliese" (also available in English). http://curiouspages.blogspot.com/ (source: The Very Short List, 1/21/10)

Conflicted
Augmented-reality Hallmark cards: a great way to keep snail-mail greetings relevant or way too much work for a "Happy Birthday"? After all, modern grandmas don't have all day.

I am so screwed
According to a new Australian study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, TV kills. Not the appalling programming, but all that sitting. Adults who watch television four hours or more per day are 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who watch two hours or less, and 46% more likely to die of any cause. Overweight or not, doesn't matter. The study was adjusted for risk factors like smoking and poor diet. (source: NY Times, 1/19/10)

Ad ticker
Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners has set up a mini-mutual fund (through their client Vanguard) of their publicly traded clients' stock which agency employees can buy into, and profit from, or not. How much do you believe in the idea you just pitched? Would you bet your retirement on it? (source: NY Times, 1/18/10) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/business/media/19adco.html

I'm lovin' it
Cool OOH http://adsoftheworld.com/media/outdoor/mcdonalds_steaming_transit_shelter . (source: Mediabistro via JZ. Tx, Jeff.)

Mother of invention
When you live on a tiny atoll in the middle of the South Pacific, you have to be creative to survive. The needlefish that the residents of Santa Catalina Island eat have mouths too small for hooks, so the fishermen have devised an ingenious way to capture them.
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2009/08/spider_web_fishing_in_the_sout.php

Oxy-shoe-on
Jimmy Choo UGGs, coming in October, $495-$795.They will be sheepskin. (source: Marketing Daily, 1/19/10)

What really matters
Everybody's played "what would you bring to a desert island," but what do you cherish when your daily life is that island? Photographer Susan Mullally's portraits of the down-and-out who congregate at the Church Under the Bridge in Waco, TX, are both somber and inspiring. (source: The Very Short List, 1/19/10) http://www.susanmullally.com/photos/wik_photos/index_3.html

From the Winter Fancy Food Show
Top 5 trends for 2010: Good-for-you foods, coconut, gluten-free, exotic citrus, and nostalgic foods. More hot flavors: Indian sauces, hibiscus, chocolate with spices, and "bacon in new places." Read more http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=120960&nid=110234 (source: Marketing Daily, 1/21/10)

Ambulance chaser makover
Old ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4uGHY0bKzc&feature=related
New ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Eck-dlk0n4
And funny-but-thank-goodness-he-was-disbarred ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5hn8bhEpMY&feature=related

Mini maxi
What do you think of the new Mini Countryman? It's about the size of a Honda CR-V. This feels like a Porsche Cayenne to me - Mini sales: "We need an SUV." Design: "But that's so wrong." Sales: "Let marketing deal with it. Just build it."

Brutal, yet brilliant
The agency for an Israeli packaged dessert manufacturer decided the best way to boost its client's sales on a teeny budget was to look for broken hearts in need of sugary mending. They partnered with an online dating site to target members who came back to the site after an absence/presumably failed relationship. The rebounders got personalized messages inviting them to seek solace in a free sample of their new chocolate pudding. (source: Ad Age, 1/21/10)

Operation skatin' Stephen
An update: The Colbert Nation has raised over $300K for the US Olympic speed skating team. That's more than they would have gotten from their former corporate sponsor, a Dutch bank, which went bankrupt. Colbert managed to piss off one of the skaters (imagine that) while poking fun at his sport. The two will be racing to settle their differences. (source: NPR, 1/19/10)

A nugget of wisdom from Howard Schultz
"The big issue I think was that growth is not a strategy, it is a tactic, and if growth becomes a strategy I don't think it is an enduring one. I think growth covers up mistakes." As somebody whose company grew from 3 shops to 16,000 and then shrank by 1,000, he's learned a thing or two about the importance of strategy and commitment to the culture that got you there. Starbuck's latest financial report shows they've turned the corner with 4% revenue growth. (source: GuardianUK.com, 1/20/10)

Give a pint, get a pound
Blood for coffee til the end of the month. Some donor restrictions apply.
http://www.redcrossblood.org/news/nyp/american-red-cross-and-dunkin%E2%80%99-donuts-launch-%E2%80%9Cgive-pint-get-pound%E2%80%9D-campaign

Let's shop
42% of Americans are looking forward to spending freely again, but they're (59%) going to try not to go overboard this time. (source: Synovate/Quirk's, January 2010)

Misery loves soup
Campbell's uses a "misery index" algorithm to buy winter media. If it's unusually wet, cold, snowy, or just plain depressing in particular city, the radio airwaves will be filled with ads for warm, salty comfort. A 5% score triggers the blitz. Atlanta you've been nearly 20% miserable lately. Rochester, buck up, you've been doing fine. They're also tracking the flu. (source: Ad Age, 1/11/10)

The new food trends are here!
McCormick's 2010 forecast. Bitter, warm, and earthy -- high-impact flavor combos. Canned, pickled, frozen, and dried also hot -- keeping all flavor possibilities at your fingertips no matter the season. Meatless meals. Ethnic grilling. Integrity in ingredients and cooking techniques -- real food, cooked with respect.
Their top-10 flavor pairings:
- Roasted ginger & rhubarb
- Thai basil & watermelon
- Caraway & bitter greens
- Bay leaves & preserved lemon
- Almond & ale
- Turmeric & vine-ripened tomatoes
- Pumpkin pie spice & coconut milk
- Roasted cumin & chickpeas
- Creole mustard & shellfish
- Chives & fish sauces
(source: Gourmet Retailer, 1/7/10; photo: It's turmeric)

Put your left foot in
How do you convince people to buy your socks over your competitors' socks? Create a problem no one knew they had. Keen sells pairs with a left and a right. Not that long ago humans didn't realize they needed different shoes, so who knows, maybe it does matter. Oh, and they're marked L & R, that's how. http://www.keenfootwear.com/sox/

Your brain on 3D
You might want to hold off on that new 3D TV. Scientists at the U of Rochester, among others, are looking into the effects of watching the new technology, including severe headaches. (source: ABC News, 1/11/10)

Who needs the Super Bowl
Subaru will run at least 7 ads during Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl." The spots feature shelter dogs in human situations like driving a car, and complement Subaru's sponsorship of the ASPCA and nearly 200 shelter adoption events held at dealerships. Don't laugh, the company's sales were up 15% in 2009. This is serious business. (source: Automotive News, 1/12/10)

Everybody on demand
Temping isn't just for file clerks and mall Santas anymore. Last year Kelly Services placed more than 100 high-income professionals, including lawyers and scientists, in interim jobs. One marketer was even temp CMO at both POM Wonderful and Godiva. Temp and contract employees, who now make up about 26% of the US workforce, have been found to have a higher risk of developing mental health problems like depression, no matter their income bracket. (source: Businessweek, 1/18/10)

Feelin' pretty
Hey Atlanta, you've got the smoothest feet in the country. You're number one for getting mani-pedis. (source: MRI)

Marketers' pet networks
Where media buyers, both clients and ad folk, plan to put more money in 2010: ESPN, Discovery Channel, TNT, TBS, Food Network, ESPN2, HGTV, Comedy Central, Bravo. (source: Mediaweek, 1/12/10)

Long-haired hippie types need not apply
Four-year-old Taylor Pugh of Mesquite, TX, has been suspended from pre-kindergarten because he likes to wear his hair long, sometimes in a ponytail. The school board's holding firm, and though he misses his friends, so is the boy. Rock on, Taylor. (source: Dallas Morning News)

I'm goin' mobile
Mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web access devices worldwide by 2013. Better get cracking on that network, AT&T. (source: Gartner/Media Post, 1/14/10, via Sarah. Tx, Sarah.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxoO5yrabfc Couldn't pass up a The Who opportunity.

Just beachy
Pantone's color of 2010 is turquoise (PMS 15-5519) for its "deep compassion and healing, a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky." Iconoculture is also predicting that everything about water will be hot. They're looking at it from a sustainability perspective. (source: Marketing Daily, 1/2/10)

The tasty picker-upper
American's bought 2.6% more chocolate in 2009 than 2008. We eat about $55 of the sweet stuff per person per year on average. The numbers were even higher outside the US, with the UK coming in at +5.9%, Ukraine +12%, China +18%. But the Swiss still have us all licked at $206 per person per year. No wonder Kraft wants Cadbury so very badly. (source: Mintel)

CEOs that suck
Arrow Trucking let its 1,400+ drivers know they were out of a job by disabling their gas cards. When the truckers called the office, all they got was a recording telling them to turn their rigs in at the nearest dealership and catch a bus home. The kicker is that since the company hasn't formally fired them or filed for bankruptcy, they can't apply for unemployment. Truck leasing companies as well as other trucking companies and their drivers helped what stranded drivers they could with rides home and new job opportunities. (source: Christian Science Monitor, 12/24/09)

What the
Oddest product I saw advertised during holiday break https://shakeweight.com/ver5/index.asp
(source: probably WGN)

Sufferin' succotash
Plants don't want to be eaten. And they work hard at staying intact. For example, when a caterpillar begins dining on its leaves, one plant will convert CO2 into a chemical that attracts caterpillar-eating dragonflies. Brussels sprouts' response to having a certain kind of butterfly's eggs laid on it is to chemically summon a wasp that will lay her eggs inside the other eggs. Larva 2 devours larva 1, but has no taste for sprouts. We may not be subtle enough to hear it, but greens scream. (source: NY Times, 12/21/09)

What's my motivation?
Contrary to popular opinion (and management surveys), recognition for good work is not the best employee motivator. It's progress. A new scientific study shows that when workers see that they're making headway or overcoming obstacles, their emotions are at their most positive and their drive to succeed peaks. (source: Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 2010)

Unbling your life
According to the Wall Street Journal, this year we'll be marketing inconspicuous consumption. Americans will still buy -- consuming is our nature and our identity, but we don't want to be seen as flashy or wasteful. So here's what we'll be buying and the rationales we'll be selling: things that last a long time, things that help the environment, things that help other people, and things that improve consumers' lives without showing it. (source: WSJ and Ad Age, 1/4/10)

Green apathy
Only 54% of consumers would buy more sustainable, green products if the price wasn't higher than non-green products. Maybe saving the Earth through your choice of toilet paper doesn't seem real enough to trigger purchase. (source: Mintel)

If you think you're having a bad day, click here
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/world/asia/07yamaguchi.html?em (source: NY Times, 1/6/10)

New at CES
Dashboard web. This version from Audi. But not to worry, a reminder to drivers flashes on the screen: "Please only use the online services when traffic conditions allow you to do so safely." What is wrong with you people?!!! (source: NY Times, 1/6/09)

If you're tired of Big Money
Join the movement and move yours. http://moveyourmoney.info/

Potty auditions
Thus continues the search for the Charmin ambassadors who "really really enjoy going to the bathroom" http://www.charmin.com/en_US/enjoy-the-go/index.php

Healthy lojack
Mobile fitness trackers are a nifty idea, especially one so tiny and sophisticated. But this version is being marketer to employers. Tracks every move you make and reports back online. Will meeting fitness goals become part of your review? http://www.directlife.philips.com/

Scenes from the LA Auto Show
It's a big hit on YouTube. Sadly, not because it's good. Chevy, Chevy, Chevy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvwTMZNWGuk&feature=player_embedded# (source: Flint Journal, 12/20/09)

Hangin' with the hoopers
The Nike NBA Muppets are a hoot whether or not you give a hoot about the game. A few in the series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvdWm-MoqLw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMzi-FcWQow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj6RXpmcziI&feature=related

How does motherhood make you feel?
For moms with kids 0-12 at home, the answer is: 80% happy, 65% content, 63% confident, 55% exhausted, 47% worried, 45% organized, 38% powerful, 32% frazzled. 70% say that since they've become moms, they've become better multitaskers, and 62% have gotten better at prioritizing. The folks who conducted this survey said moms pride themselves on how well they cope with all the demands on their time. They may say they're frazzled, but they don't want anyone to portray them that way. They also need reassurance that it's ok to make time for themselves and for tending to their own health and wellness. (source: Parents Network/Adweek, 12/21/09)

Eat to live
Over the years, Whole Foods has drifted from its original "food as health" platform to "food as indulgence" and now it's ready to go home. Owner John Mackey, wants his stores to help America get healthier. They don't plan to turn their backs on foodies, but will be devoting much more money, effort, and store space to healthy eating and education. They will soon be the only chain to provide nutrient-density labeling. Mackey hopes his employees will take the lead by submitting to cholesterol and blood pressure testing. Those with lousy scores are offered voluntary health-improvement immersion programs. They also get bigger store discounts based on their health scores. Would be sweet if that extended to shoppers tool. (source: AP, 12/19/09)

The Hasselhoff of beverages
Remember Tang, that weird orange powder? Believe it or not, it's still alive. It comes in 38 flavors and has a huge following outside the US, mostly Brazil, Mexico, and China. The reason Tang made it to space? Bad tasting water from some onboard reaction that the astronauts needed to drink, but wouldn't. Ta-da! Less bad tasting orange water. The guy who invented Tang also invented Pop Rocks. (source: The Big Fat Marketing Blog, 12/16/09)

A very last minute gift
Adopt something big and tasty, like Freston the pig who was found stranded on a levee after the Mississippi flooded. Once a ham in the making, he's now free-ranging with other lucky clucks like Francis the chicken rescued from a life on the streets of Harlem. A thoughtful stocking stuffer for your favorite vegan. (source: Daily Candy, 12/22/09) http://farmsanctuary.org/

Apropos Christmas
82% of American adults believe in God. 59% are "absolutely certain." 38% think God's a man, 1% a woman, 34% none of the above, 11% all of the above. (source: Harris Interactive)

What we're looking forward to this Xmas
- 62% spending time with family & friends
- 8% holiday dinners & parties
- 7% finding & giving presents
- 4% holiday music and TV shows
- 3% putting up & taking down decorations
- 2% getting presents
Since it sounds like most of us hate the trappings, why not just skip them this year? Go ahead, buck convention. Break out the Xbox and have some simple merry down time. (source: Harris Poll, 12/15/09)

Unusual holiday gift
Sponsor a sutra at http://www.bl.uk/supportus/idp.html . The Dunhuang Project is an international effort to conserve and make available online a cache of tens of thousands of manuscripts, textiles, and paintings from between 100 BC and 1200 AD discovered in a cave in China along the Silk Road. The document at left is a 9th century apology to his host from a sloppy-drunk guest who is "ready to sink into the earth with shame." Rice wine or Jaeger shots, nothing really changes.

Plug ‘n' power
Lowes now sells DIY solar panels. So far 21 stores in CA. (source: Fast Company, 12/14/09)

O as in optional
According to a new study, in 2009 there was no growth in the number of Americans who bought organic food and beauty products. (source: Marketing Daily, 12/10/09)

Not talking about your brand
63% of Americans have never promoted a brand on their social networking page. 9% are doing it more often than last year. 4% follow a brand on Twitter. (source: Synovate/Center for Media Research, 12/17/09)

Crowd sourcing, Indian style
The rupee has long been a currency in search of a symbol (currently Rs). We have the $, England has the ₤, India has the TBD. The final symbol will be announced soon, after a yearlong contest open to all Indian citizens. (source: The Economic Times, 12/18/09)

No paper
After more than 300 years, the UK is doing away with paper checks. Starting 11/1/18, only plastic, electronic transfers, or cash will be legal tender. (source: Slate, 12/17/09)

Clunker sticker
A tad belated, but I love this bit of bumper humor from Mini.

Tweets in the hood
Gangs use Twitter to plan and boast about attacks. (source: NY Post)

DD USA
High schooler Patrick Streckert of Portland, OR, believes it's important for him to take the responsibility to study civics and learn how the government works because not enough other people do. Says Patrick: "It's like being the designated driver for a country." Sigh. After 40 years of moldering, civics is making a comeback in curricula. BTW: 68% of Americans think "most Americans do not live up to their responsibilities" as citizens. (sources: Christian Science Monitor, 12/10/09 & Harper's Index, 1/10)

Wrinkles and all
If you could zoom in on this display, you'd see Brooke Shields' crow's feet. How cool is that? Not that she has crow's feet, but that the company selling age-fighting, skin-repairing product didn't feel the need to Photoshop them out. Nice job Schering-Plough.

Move yer stinkin' cart
49% of Americans want nothing more from their supermarket than to get in and out as quickly as possible. 50% would grocery shop online if they were sure it was secure and the quality would be ok. (source: Quirk's, 12/09)

I am so great
Among social media users ages 30 and older, 29% of males and 45% of females believe "most people are interested in what I have to say." The survey didn't cover what "most people" really think. (source: eMarketer)

Ad Age spots of the decade
I still don't get the gorilla http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=56282081001&title=56340414001

Ad Age non-TV campaigns of the decade
http://adage.com/article?article_id=141011

Robo-elves
How your holiday orders from Gilt, Zappos, and other e-tailers get filled http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI_YQp3zoo8&feature=related
The ‘bots wish you a Merry Christmas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdmtya8emMw

Plastique
This is what happens when two Parisian designers get bored with their kitchen - 20K Lego blocks covering an Ikea island. Notice the matching Lego-head cookie jar. They also built chairs. (source: Inhabitat)

We ROC the arts
Rochester is #7 in the US for people who contribute money to arts and cultural organizations. (source: Scarborough)

How about some reflective, winged cuff grips for your favorite 2-wheeler? http://aplusrstore.com/

We go
A spirograph of flight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ystkKXzt9Wk . Now imagine this as a the giant museum installation it is. Maybe a little William Orbit on the iPod. Ooooooo.

From Craftsman to Rimmel
Sears is adding beauty departments to their stores. (source: Instoremarketer, 12/8/09)

Buying indulgences
According to Iconoculture, we still crave indulgent purchases, but we need an excuse to make buying them ok. Whether it's good for the planet, will benefit the whole family, or provide water to villages in Sudan, there has to be more to it than just "me."

She's back
The Chiquita chica is reemerging after a 20-year sabbatical. But you can't beat the 1944 original.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDOI24RRAE&feature=player_embedded . Hard to image a time when Americans didn't know what to do with bananas.

Food for promo
85% of women would rather win a $5K room makeover than $5K diamond earrings. Men would take the garage or deck improvement over a fancy watch (source: Iconoculture)

China is rebranding
"Made in China" has come to mean off-shoring of US jobs and "cheap crap" or, more recently, "cheap toxic crap," so the country has hired a Mad Ave PR firm to change that perception. The new concept is "Made with China," the notion being Chinese manufacturing makes it efficient to produce items that were designed or invented elsewhere. Globalization as hero. The campaign is targeted to US consumers, but also Chinese workers who aren't so sure what they make is worthwhile. (source: American Public Media Marketplace, 12/8/09)

Hit me
Terrance Watanabe clearly doesn't know when to fold ‘em. In 2007, he blew $127 million in Las Vegas. His losses accounted for nearly 6% of Harrah's total gambling revenue that year. Now he's suing, claiming workers at his favorite casinos gave him booze and pain pills to keep him playing. They're countersuing, saying he still owes them $16 million in IOUs. In case you're wondering, Wantanabe made all that money from Oriental Trading Co, a party favor and novelties import business in Omaha-plastic spider rings 144 for $4.99. After selling in 2000, he said he was going to devote himself to having fun. (source: Wall Street Journal, 12/5/09)

ROI?
What's the point of spending big bucks on celebrities if nobody can tell who they are? Even after finding out that Kate Beckinsale and Zooey Deschannel are the new Absolut girls, I still can't see them in these photos. (source: MediaPost, 12/8/09)
http://www.mediapost.com/media/?f=otlAbsolutTonicBeckinsale.jpg
http://www.mediapost.com/media/?f=otlAbsolutDeschannel.jpg

Make it stop!
I'm including this little number in an attempt to exorcise it from my brain. It's been pinging around up there for months. So freakin' sticky -- although it hasn't convinced me buy Pop Tarts yet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_ZXtRGlegE

No Pop Tarts for you
Now available, a bathroom scale that auto-tweets. Weight, % fat, BMI -- it's out there for all to judge. (source: Iconoculture)

LoJack your kids
iCurfew iPhone app combines GPS and Google maps to show you where your little darlings (or at least their phones, if they're clever) are at all times.

Face up
82% of consumers believe that, to be successful, corporations of the future will need to show a more "human" face by caring about people (employees, customers, suppliers) and taking a more active role in community and social causes. 74% believe businesses bear as much responsibility as government for driving positive social change. Are you ready to face scrutiny? (source: Euro RSCG/Ad Age, 12/8/09)

$53 trillion
= The current combined net worth of all Americans (up slightly from last year)
= The total financial liability of the US government

Brown pedals for you
This holiday season, 45 UPS routes in northern CA are being covered by bike. It's not a green initiative, but a financial one. The move is expected to save UPS up to $50K in fuel and the cost of renting about 25 Budget trucks usually needed to handle the gift ordering rush. The bike-trailer set plus helmet and reflective vest runs about $700 each. You get to ride around all day AND get paid $10 per hour for it. This guy says he's become a local celebrity. People run out of their houses to take pictures with him. (source: Mercury News, 12/10)

The new blue
Scientists at Oregon State U accidentally discovered a new way to make the color blue. While trying to create compounds that had unusual electrical properties, they stumbled across a very bright, durable, non-toxic substance. They're now figuring out how to replace one of the components to make it cheap enough for mass market. Big whoop? Indeed. Blue is America's favorite. (source: NY Times, 11/25/09)

Who's using Facebook best?
According to Slate, the top 10 are:
Coke, Starbucks, Disney, Victoria's Secret, iTunes, Vitaminwater, YouTube, Chick-fil-A, Red Bull, and TGI Friday's. The rest of the top 50 here along with Slate's thinking http://www.thebigmoney.com/ . They also have a Twitter 12.

There's money in germophobia
Americans are clean freaks. We'll take the 2nd package in a display of batteries because it may have been touched less than the first. According to Martin Lindstrom, marketing guru, long before H1N1, our need for sterility started permeating every product category, and affects how we spend our dollars. So, even if you're not selling food, it's smart to keep sanitation in mind. (source: Fast Company, 11/25/09)

Champagne of beers
All of The Bruery's brews are packaged in 750ml champagne bottles, with a traditional metal beer cap. Pop and share.

It's what's for dinner tonight
Think you know who uses food assistance? Wrong. Even 4% of The OC needs help these days. Stats by county
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/28/us/20091128-foodstamps.html?hp

Who wants to be a billionaire?
I've been wondering why all the fuss about Oprah leaving daytime network TV. She still has her own cable channel and magazine after all. Then Stuart Elliott of the NY Times asked this question: "When will they figure out that "Oprah" is not really a talk show but rather a reality show about Ms. Winfrey?" From local chat show to international fame and fortune, for 25 years she's been a one-woman "Truman Show" and her fans, including a lot of the uncabled, are heavily invested and want to see how it turns out.

Coke is out
Costco has kicked all Coca-Cola products off its shelves. Something about pricing. Power to the retailer. (source: Ad Age, 11/30/09)

Cleverly designed interactive healthcare graphic
Click away to follow the money http://www.ge.com/visualization/health_costs/index.html

Wanna buy a brewery?
Pabst is looking for a new owner by the end of the year. In fact, about 60 million owners. The brewery is currently held by a not-for-profit that, according to US tax law, isn't eligible to own it. Two ad agencies have set up a campaign to get 60 million Pabst fans to buy $5 each in shares toward the $300 million goal. So far they have $11 million pledged http://www.buyabeercompany.com/ (source: Springwise, 12/3/09)

Shoes are a girl's best friend
Sales of shoes are up 8% for October over last year. Some say they're easier to rationalize than a new purse. Others say it's a sign of "frugal fatigue." Then there's the shoes-are-more-fun-than-clothes-because-they-don't-make-you-feel-fat camp. Zappos has been selling a lot of bright colors. And JC Penney says boots, not just single pairs, but "boot wardrobes" are hot. If anybody sees Santa, I want these, silver, size 4. (source: NY Times, 11/5/09)

$$off.com
Online searches for coupons and offers increased a whopping 58% this year. (source: IPG/e-Commerce Times, 12/4/09)

Million dollar baby
A new Australian study says the current "how much does it cost to raise a child" figure is waaaay off because it doesn't take into account things like adult offspring living with their parents (the old number assumes financial independence at 18), the consumer sophistication of tweens, and all the optionals like digital gizmos, college, and vacations. By their reckoning, a kid born today will leave the nest when she's 24, requiring just over a million Aussie dollars to fledge (that's about $917,000 in current US dollars). (source: Reuters, 11/27/09)

We download
Movies that is. Rochester is #3 in the nation after the Brownsville, TX area and Honolulu. The rest of the top-10 are also warm locales, so it's not the weather. No wonder Time Warner tried to get feisty on us. (source: Scarborough Research)

May the dunk be with you
Adidas storm trooper sneakers coming soon. This is the back of the shoe. (source: Fast Company, 11/25/09)

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without you
Dorcas Reilly invented the green bean casserole in Campbell's kitchens for a magazine article in 1955.

Global warming goes thud
Horrible, but sure makes its point. (source Creativity) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Ae__MHG-U

They're ba-ack
Direct mail credit card offers. Up 34% in October vs. September. The 29.99% question: Are we going to accept them? (source: Mintel/Marketing Daily, 11/23/09)

Most interesting old man in the world
The Dos Equis guy is 71, and his name is Jonathan Goldsmith. When he's not convincingly playing a hot-and-cool Latino, he's had bit parts on Matlock, MacGuyver, Murder She Wrote, and a host of other series nobody ever noticed him on. TMIMITW: clearly also his most interesting character. (source: IMDb & MediaPost, 11/23/09)

There's another life
Selling products and keeping people in jobs is an admirable goal, but imagine talking terrorists into defecting? That's what marketers at Lowe Columbia do. They spend weeks hanging out with former members of FARC and other militant groups to understand the lives they lead in the jungles and their motivators for breaking free. The radio and TV spots, which usually feature testimonials from former guerrillas, run during soccer matches and have been quite successful. (source: Ad Age, 11/16/09)

New mindset
Iconoculture sees, emerging from the recession, a desire by consumers to work collectively. Not for the common good, but because working together will gain the most benefit for ME. It's still every man for himself, but all together.

Finance your pants
In India, Levi's jeans are an aspirational product. Something that shows you've made it. To help more Indians realized their denim dreams, Levi's is working with a number of banks to make interest-free microcredit available. Choose your 501s today, pay in 3 installments. (source: The Hindu Business Line, 11/24/09)

I know what you're watching
Researchers at a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience showed they could create a crude reproduction of a movie clip that someone was watching just by viewing their brain activity. Unless, of course, they're watching a SyFy original movie and there is no brain activity. (source: Iconoculture/New Scientist, 10/28/09)

Gobble
Would you like fries with that? Atlanta, you're #3 in the US for eating fast food-behind Birmingham, AL and Lexington, KY. Interestingly, every city on the top-10 is southern. (source: Scarborough Research)

Rube Guinness
Not saying I like this ad, but it's fun to think about what went into producing it. (source: Creativity) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHURiTjidrI