Waffle shnitke with Grandma

Not so invisible copywriter
Cole describes his favorite way to eat Eggos. "My Eggo Cole's Jam Session: Eggo Blueberry waffle sandwich with a quick schmear of strawberry and blueberry jam, because after school, the band's waiting!" Schmear? Are ya sure? A 10-year-old boy whose dream is to "go on tour" and whose hobby "is making noise." (source: USA Weekend, 9/20/09)

Rebel
In honor of Banned Books Week, read something subversive, like Huck Finn or Harry Potter. http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

It's about beer, really
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBWGQ-vLkII

Martian opera?
Years of extreme drought plus high winds equaled Sydney and Brisbane blanketed in thousands of tons of Outback dust, the worst pollution the cities have ever seen. Another reason to be kind to your Mother. (source: Christian Science Monitor, 9/23/09)

Beavers in Times Square
If you were standing there the day Henry Hudson came to town, instead of the Marriott Marquis, you'd see a swamp. Type in an address or landmark and learn what was. A painstaking scientific recreation of the diverse habitat before it was poked, prodded, bulldozed, and turned into Manhattan. http://themannahattaproject.org/explore/mannahatta-map/

Serious competition
There are 1.4 million charities in the US. More than one for every 300 Americans. (source: Christian Science Monitor, 9/24/09)

DIY Camels
To fight the rising cost of cigarettes, many people have taken to growing their own. One tobacco seed seller has seen a 20% increase in demand since the newest tax increase went into effect. From potted tomatoes to the City Chicken Club, Americans everywhere are cutting out the middleman. (source: Iconoculture)

Craftsman in my stocking
First layaway came back, now Christmas Club. For those of you too young to remember, there used to be savings accounts specifically set up for holiday purchases. Fill them all year, empty them in December. Now Sears is offering a modern, reverse debit card version. The best part: If you join by 10/31, you get 3% interest on whatever you deposit. Beats the banks by a mile. (source: Springwise, 9/24/09)

Vindicated
A UK study finds that an unmade bed is less appealing to dust mites because the linens retain less moisture than a tidy, mother-approved bed. (source: Ideal Bite, 9/24/09)

That's not what I ordered
How many times have you been sorely disappointed by the frozen lunch shown on the box vs. the one that came out of your microwave? Yeah, always. Well, these Germans have had enough of food fraud and are chronicling maxed out misrepresentations. Scroll to the bottom and click the chart. http://pundo3000.com/werbunggegenrealitaet3000.htm

Go pink
Despite being 60% more expensive then store brands, Pepto Bismol grew share over the past year. Way to beat a trend-the branded OTC category has been one of the CPGs hardest hit by the recession. Pepto credits their agency's work, like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W21Rq_wSXYc for the increase. Things sure have changed since 1955 (left). (source: Ad Age, 9/21/09)

Foodie UN
Newspaper ads for the Sydney international food fest.
http://www.mediapost.com/media/?f=otlSydneyfoodfestival.jpg

iConsume
20% of all tweets contain company or product names. (source: BtoB, 9/16/09)

People with high expectations don't watch ads
Viewers of "Mad Men" fast-forward through commercials 83% of the time. The average for dramas is 73%. My point, however, isn't the irony of how little viewers of ad fiction enjoy ads. It's about a study that says the higher the quality of a show (critical acclaim, Emmys, etc), the more likely viewers are to zap the ads. Are we aiming too low? Does marketing fatigue grow proportionally with IQ? Or is viewers' expectation for our work simply that sad? (source: TiVo/MediaDailyNews, 9/25/09)

En inglés
Learning English is hard, especially when you're trying to work, raise a family, and generally get used to life in a new country. So, in addition to a free Blockbuster rental or mobile horoscope updates, MyCokeRewards, a frequent-drinker program, is offering members something truly useful - "Inglés sin Barreras" materials to help them learn or improve their English. Certainly there are healthier ways to grow your grammar, but at least this option shows that Coke understands what a lot of their US Spanish-speaking consumers really need.