Word up

Polish joke
If you're going to alter an image to reflect the ethnic make-up of a region, please remember to change all of the image. White face, brown hand. D'oh. Microsoft has withdrawn the image from its Polish business site, but it's so not gone from the interweb. (source: Ad Age, 8/31/09)

Surfin' colonel
You've got to go where your customers are. In this case, Lake Michigan. KFC did drive-up sampling for boats and jet skis in the waters near Chicago to coincide with the beach volley ball championships which KFC sponsors. (source: PROMO Xtra, 9/1/09)

Ad pop
I thought I'd seen a pop-up store for pretty much everything, but this one's new. For a week in August, RKCR/Y&R did a pop-up ad agency to support small businesses in their part of London, including a dumpling maker, a bar, and a rock band. Their motivation? Too many empty storefronts where once were none. (source: Ad Age, 9/1/09)

Toshiba asks, "What if?"
Cool product. http://www.mediapost.com/media/?f=ToshibaBachelorPics.mov

Dalai latte
Being served outside the hotel where the Tibetan holy man is staying during a visit to Taiwan. (source: Christian Science Monitor, 9/3/09)

Advertising: don't try it at home
While watching the Martha Stewart Show for the first time (wow she's creepy, never again), I heard the words "with that kind of vertical integration" pop out of a Bath Fitter ad. Something about how their product is measured, made, and installed by their own people locally, so it's got to be great. Somehow Martha's mac ‘n' cheese plus PowerPoint lingo don't seem like a match made for boffo sales.

Rhapsody in BFlat
Since all of these videos are in the same key, any combination you choose will sound...like you have talent. Curated from YouTube postings. http://inbflat.net/ (source: Ryan H. Thanks, Ryan)

Dead trees and gum
Buy Altoids and Sudafed, get a 2-foot-long receipt with your change. Check out these insane paper trails http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB125175363135673825-lMyQjAxMDI5NTAxMjcwNTIzWj.html

Distain is so pre-recession
On high-fashion runways, bored, frosty vampirettes are out. Innocent, approachable, slightly less skeletal girls-next-door are in. According to an exec at IMG Models, in good times, designers are willing to experiment with weird looks. In bad, they just want people in stores buying. And currently doe eyes are more saleable than heroin eyes. (source: Wall Street Journal, 9/3/09)

I want to be the man (ma'am)
70% of today's high schoolers plan on starting their own companies. (source: Iconoculture)

Oh, are you on Facebook? I hadn't noticed
A new study of women who use social networks indicates that brands and female consumers may not be connecting online as strongly as marketers might hope. 75% said their use of social nets did "not really" affect their purchase decisions or did "not at all" influence their buying. 22% said their shopping was "somewhat" affect by what they found on social networks, while only about 3% said they were "greatly" influenced.

So what are they doing out there most of the time? About 34% send private messages to friends, and 13% share photos. 12% chat with or IM other members, and 11% post public messages to the community. Less than 9% get product information, including coupons or discount offers. Only about 2% post reviews about products they've used. 7% play games. 6% go to meet new people.

And what networks are they doing all this on? 64% Facebook, 16% MySpace, 5% Twitter. http://promomagazine.com/news/women-use-social-nets-0901/

6 richest charities in the US
Salvation Army, Shriners Hospital, the Nature Conservancy, Mayo Clinic, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Red Cross. (source: Ideal Bite, 9/1/09)

Sorta transparent doesn't cut it
Why do people buy pricey Sigg bottles? Because they don't want BPA anywhere near their bevvies. Despite messaging that said their products were BPA-free, Sigg's CEO just let everybody know that's not true after all. Until 9/08 their bottles did contain BPA, but because Sigg's testing didn't show any leaching, and at the time they thought consumers were only concerned with leaching, not with the presence of the chemical in general, they didn't think it counted. Will the unprompted mea culpa and a promise of replacement bottles be enough to keep Sigg's meteoric rise on track? Will Camelbak and Klean Kanteen kick their BPA-denyin' butts? Stay tuned. (source: Ad Age, 9/1/09)

U-Haul's got it locked up
One of the biggest reasons people refuse to evacuate during a natural disaster is that they don't want to leave their stuff unattended. U-Haul is offering 30 days of free storage to people who have to leave their homes due to California's wildfires. It's a nice example of doing a good deed and meeting a consumer need, all while building the brand. (source: Marketing Daily, 8/28/09)

Web blind
A survey of marketers reports only 12% are monitoring customer comments on blogs and social networks. (MediaPost, 9/3/09)

Indulge me
Two of my favorite people: Jim Lehrer interviews Word Girl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlu77RHNZtg