Trend: "Don't Panic" Redux

Perhaps we are trying to control the tensions of the times: war, natural disasters, pandemics...




Following on Lachlan's post a week ago about the "Don't Panic" tone of the news, I notice the same theme of fear and panic throughout our entertainments. Are we having fun, or what?


"We got muthafuckin' SNAKES!"


A thin line between safety and calamity.


In order to face our fears, we must dissect them.


"Ooops." Shit done hit the fan now!


Remember the old-school nuclear basements during the 1950's "Red Scare"?

Precautionary security is a new normal, the signs are all around us…

Trend: Big Companies Buy Smaller Values Brands REDUX

Following up a previous post about the trend of the majors buying up the smaller "social responsibility" brands

BODY SHOP SUFFERS BACKLASH AFTER L'ORÉAL DEAL

Ethical beauty retailer The Body Shop's enthusiastic oui to the €940 million ($1.14bn; £652m) takeover bid by French cosmetics giant L'Oréal has dented its caring credentials.

UK market researcher YouGov's BrandIndex shows Body Shop's 'buzz' rating and 'satisfaction' scores among consumers have dropped significantly since the sale was announced [WAMN: 27-Feb-06].

Animal rights campaigners called for a boycott of Body Shop's products because L'Oréal has not abandoned animal testing, while other consumer lobbyists objected to Nestlé's 26.4% stake in the maker of brands such as Garnier and Lancôme.

Body Shop's celebrated founder, Dame Anita Roddick, defended her personal £130m 'sell-out' by claiming L'Oréal wanted to be taught about community trade.

She opened the first store in Britain thirty years ago, and the company made its name and reputation by rejecting animal testing and selling natural products in recycled packaging.

It now has more than 2,000 stores in 53 countries but faced financial setbacks in the 1990s and recently lowered its profit forecast following disappointing UK and US sales during the 2005 fall/winter holiday period.

via WARC

Priceless: Mac ad archive

GUIdebook have posted full scans of the Mac 39 page insert that originally appeared in the November/December special election issue of Newsweek in 1984. Beating Target by a full 21 years, Apple bought the entire issue's advertising.

Not only is this a great piece of advertising archiving but it's also a godsend to planners who are asked (sometimes daily) to go back to Apple's Mac launch and "give us a mission like that."

It should also put an end to the constant debate about what platform Apple actually launched on. Was it creativity, empowerment, a computer for the rest of us...?

Read on and see.

Via Gizmodo

Trend: Outsourcing: McD's Drive Thru Call Center

I am not sure that most Americans fully understand the impacts of globalization on local market production.

McDonald's is experimenting with Drive-Thru service that outsources the order taking to a 40-person call center in Santa Maria, CA then sends the order back to the local restaurant.

No more local teen employment, and another strike at the economic stability of the working poor and middle classes.

According to a feature in NY Times:

The people behind this setup expect it to save just a few seconds on each order. But that can add up to extra sales over the course of a busy day at the drive-through.

While the call-center idea is in place at over 40 locations throughout the US, and has received some attention since a franchises began testing it 18 months ago, most customers are still in the dark.

The new service, currently experimental, reduces costs by centralizing customer service operations within a set of skilled and more precisely trained individuals.

The remote customer service center is subject to typical efficiency pressures. "Software tracks [their] productivity and speed, and every so often a red box pops up on [their] screen to test whether [they are] paying attention. [They are] expected to click on it within 1.75 seconds. In the break room, a computer screen lets employees know just how many minutes have elapsed since they left their workstations. During peak times, operators can take anywhere up to 95 orders an hour.

Money saved through this cost efficacy can be re-directed towards other facets of customer service and superior product innovation, like...hmn. Um. Well.

McDonald's is joined by the owner of Hardee's and Carl's Jr., CKE Restaurants, which plans to deploy a similar system later this year in restaurants in California.

And for the operators, another bonus. One worker said after work, "I don't smell like hamburgers."



AKI COMMENT: Ironically, the current McD's commercial campaign features celebs like Carl Lewis and Macy Gray thanking McD's for their first jobs when they were kids.

Industry: State of the Blogosphere

Blog, Podcast, RSS Advertising to Grow to $49.8 Million

Blog, podcast and RSS advertising are among the fastest growing segments in the alternative media industry, accounting for $20.4 million in 2005.

And this year, more brand marketers plan to explore those segments as blog, podcast and RSS advertising is expected to soar another 145% to $49.8 million, according to Blog, Podcast and RSS Advertising Outlook, the new report by Stamford, CT-based custom media research firm PQ Media.

Blog advertising accounted for 81.4%, or $16.6 million, of total spending on blog, podcast and RSS advertising in 2005, but will comprise only 39.7% of the total in 2010.

Podcast advertising, meanwhile, reached $3.1 million in 2005, and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 154.4% from 2006 to 2010, when it will be larger than blog advertising.

RSS advertising, non-existent until mid-2005, generated spending of $650,000 in 2005, but will be the fastest growing segment over the next five years.


via Promo Magazine

So who do you believe in the DVR wars?

According to a recent study conducted by Millward Brown on behalf of the TV networks here in the US, DVR ownership and usage does not significantly decrease ad recognition. This is being touted by the networks as proof that advertising effectiveness has not declined in the last 2 years. The problem is that this flies in the face of research conducted by Ipsos that showed 90% of DVR owners skip ads.

Admittedly the Ipsos research was conducted in the UK vs. the US but it seems unlikely that viewing habits would be that different. I looked into the MB study and found that their POV was based on two facts: 1. even at 30X fast forward, ads are still recognizable and generate an emotiona reaction. 2. Fast forward viewing is a lean forward experience and therefore, attention will be greater (presumably compensating for the fact that ads are whizzing by at 3x normal speed).

I know which one I buy, any other opinions?

Newspapers get dedicated blog rss feed.

A new service from a company called Blogburst is going to play aggregator and middleman to bloggers and mainstream media. It will deliver a proprietary feed of up to 600 top blogs to help inform the stories of newspapers like the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman and San Antonio Express. For their end, bloggers get wider distribution, fame and fortune (ok maybe not). Sign up here if you want to be invited.

you're in line after us.

This is a pretty interesting angle, I don't know why the papers can't just configure their own rss readers but if Blogburst is doing a lot of filtering for them it could be worthwhile.

Via Wired

Irony: Disney turns to the Web to force you to watch commercials

The NYT reports that Disney will release some of its shows on the web the day after they're aired. The catch, in order to watch them you have to watch the commercials.

This seems like a back to the future move which is so counter-intuitive it may actually make sense. I think that advertisers might actually look more favorably on full attention from a web-savvy audience even though it may be smaller, over being ignored by a mass audience on TV.

DVR for the Web

A new company Webaroo, lets you cache bits of the Web to your hard drive for offline reading. We all think about the web being updated constantly, but according to them, most of the Internet's pages are fairly static. They are creating packs that they'll offer including: city guides, restaurant reviews, Wikipedia, the day's news and a FIFA pack. Soon they'll cache searches of a subject for you. Sounds pretty cool. Everything is updated when you get to an internet connection.

All of this is free and sponsored by advertising. It's early days but if your target includes frequent business travelers, this might be an interesting way to connect.

Via Seattle PI

Red Hot Chili Peppers iPod

Continuing the use of the iPod to revive once great bands, Apple is launching a new version around the Chili Peppers' new album. This one can't be bought (yet), you have to download the album and then be entered into a drawing to win.

Somehow I think this is an insight into Steve's music tastes more than anything else. Tastes formed during the 80s.

Trend: User-Created: Web Video Reality Show

The New York Times reports that Steven Spielberg will join forces with Mark Burnett to find the "American Idol" of unknown movie directors.

According to Burnett, the FOX reality TV show, “In the Lot,” will “take advantage of the enormous number of self-made video and film shorts all over the Internet.”

The prize for the winner will be a studio deal at DreamWorks; all the partners in the show, including Fox, will retain a stake in whatever is produced, Mr. Burnett said.

AKI COMMENT: Once again, I refer you to "jumping the shark". Yeah, I get it, lots of web directors, lots of creativity unbound. I am the User-Created cheerleader if there is one. BUT THE FLAWS HERE:

1) Web movies are an interesting couple minutes of refreshing diversion and humour (or even insight) from hundreds (millions) of alternative voices. I know all these tools have created so much transparancy and empowerment...but a webclip about a guy flipping a bird at the McD's wearing a BK mask is sorta-kinda the extent of the message - GOING "BEHIND THE SCENES" FOR THIS IS LIKE VIEWING A POWERPOINT DECK FOR YOUR KID'S KNOCK-KNOCK JOKE.

2)THE PRIZE. Let's be real...awarding what will be a TRADITIONAL STUDIO DEAL AT DREAMWORKS is lofty and all, but DREAMWORKS IS JUST NOT EQUIPPED TO MANAGE OR EXPLOIT WEB MOVIE ENTERTAINMENT NOR DEVELOP THESE TYPES OF CREATIVES. Sure, they know how to put excerpts of Shrek on the internet (maybe some behind-the-scenes clips?) BUT THIS DON'T MAKE ONE FLUENT AT BEING A WEB-DIRECTED STUDIO. THE MERE FACT THAT THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD EVEN THINK TO BROADCAST A SHOW ABOUT PIONEERING WEB MOVIE PRODUCTION IS ON PRIMETIME TV IS OUR FIRST WARNING SIGN! THERE IS LITTLE TO SUGGEST THIS KID CAN DIRECT A TRADITIONAL STUDIO MOVIE (NOR SHOULD HE), AND DREAMWORKS DOES NOTHING SMALLER THAN PUSH BIG STUDIO LEVEL WORK...so why create a misalignment when we know better? Everyone, Stay In Your Lanes!

THE LEAPS AT TRYING TO EXPLOIT SOMETHING THAT IS ORGANICALLY BLOOMING IS CLEARLY VERY SEDUCTIVE - AND POTENTIALLY DOOMING ITSELF TO FAILURE. BUT IMPORTING TRADITIONAL FILTERS AND METHODS ON TOP OF SOMETHING THAT CLEARLY DON'T FIT IS JUST DUMB. Let's use users responsibly!

Anatomy of a Gatorade Bottle

Is the Gatorade bottle phallic?



Seth and I have recently run some semiotics of water and sports drinks, yet this one completely escaped our consideration.



I caught this ongoing debate and respons over at Darren Rovell's Gatorade Blog(author of First In Thirst) who responds with the official explainer about the classic bottle design: "Gatorade's bottles are built the way they are because of the fact that the plastic has to hold up under extremely high heat without being permanently warped. The E.D.G.E. ergonomic bottle is made so that it can be optimally gripped."

Aight. I could buy that logic.



He also offers the perspective that since the majority of Gatorade's bottles are purchased by men and boys, it seems counter-intuitive to intentionally shape your product like a piece of male anatomy. Right?



But the argument and imagery provided by the blog Basketbawfulis not only humourous, makes you kinda go 'hmnn'...suddenly EVERYTHING looks like Gatorade porn after you filter the world thru this suggestion.

This is like when I was a kid and read Bryan Scott Key's Subliminal Seduction in the school library. Suddenly we were all seeing sex in the ice cubes and bottles of Sprite and J&B ads!

Decide for yourself: conspiracy, or dirty minds (Basketbawful's orginal captions and additional photos are quite amusing, though).

Measurement: A new entrant in the people meter market

WSJ has an article about IMMI, a new entrant in the increasingly crowded people meter biz. This one uses a special cell phone that listens in on your life every 30 seconds and transmits it, "mathematically altered so your conversations can't be understood" back to a server where it is supposedly analyzed and stored. The findings from all of these programs have yet to be reported so I remain skeptical about what they'll actually deliver.

A poster over on Slashdot says the deal here is free cell phone service. This doesn't strike me as the most useful demographic for researching. The vast majority of the other posters hate the idea and I agree. I'd rather pay the $50 a month than subject my life to monitoring - so (I think) would anyone else I'd like to reach.

Scientific Evidence: "Airlines Suck"

The Airline Quality Rating study is based on Transportation Department statistics for airlines that carry at least 1 percent of the passengers who flew domestically last year. The research is sponsored by the Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and by Wichita State University.

Among the study’s conclusions:

Travelers increasingly are unhappy with airlines, ranking lost luggage among their biggest complaints, according to an annual survey by university researchers that rates carriers’ quality.



Passenger complaints increased 17 percent last year over 2004 and the rate of mishandled baggage jumped from 4.83 per 1,000 passengers to 6.06 in 2005.

Customer satisfaction last year was the lowest since 2000, said Hedley, an associate professor at Wichita State University in Kansas.

The height of delays, cancellations and anger over being left stranded in terminals was reached five years ago, partly because of weather woes and passenger volume.

Passengers are now returning to pre-Sept. 11, 2001, levels, but there are 200,000 fewer airline employees to serve them.

Southwest Airlines had the lowest rate of complaints, 0.18 per 100,000 passengers; US Airways had the highest, 1.86.
ATA had the highest rate of denied boardings, 2.75 per 10,000 passengers; JetBlue had the lowest at 0.
AirTran had the best baggage handling rate, mishandling 3.43 bags per 1,000 passengers; Atlantic Southeast had the worst, mishandling 17.41 bags per 1,000 passengers.

Jet Lag Management

On the back of a study they commissioned from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, BA have built a Jet Lag advisor tool. It suggests combinations of meals and exercise, as well as light management, using sunglasses to reduce the effects of jet lag.

It's a pretty cool idea and a great reminder of how powerful it can be for brands to conduct their own primary research and own intellectual property.

Playboy "Interactive"

On the note of Maxim inserting into the real world, noticed this clever guerilla campaign featuring Playboy Towels on beaches. The real person serves as the cover model. Cheap and simple and on-strategy.

Maxim creates a billboard on Google Earth

To celebrate its 100th issue, Maxim "printed" this cover of Eva Longoria in the desert. It's visible through Google Earth.

Nice going Maxim.

Google Earth has so much potential as a medium, the examples people come up with will only get better with time. The funny thing is that Google knows this and is just waiting for the really creative uses before it jumps in and starts monetizing it. Here's a quote from Adage:

Tim Armstrong, Google’s VP-advertising, said: “Google Earth specifically has opened itself out and not from an advertiser standpoint, but from a user-mash-up point of view … Google Earth is something that has no specific plan right now for monetization and may never have that. But it’s something that the ad community should be interested in because it’s a wonderful opportunity.”

Google knows there's a great idea waiting and hasn't figured it out yet, but it's smart enough to realize someone will. I think this is why they are such a great company.

Via Cnet

Trend: Information Aesthetics

Map the world on your terms. Visualizing readily available data is becoming more democratized. Once, access to this type of tool was limited to elite think tanks, governments or wealthy corporate subscribers. This type of information has huge potential for expanding the average person's understanding of our planet. That seems like a good thing. This is a map of rail passenger traffic by country. Countries are scaled. For those critical of mass-transit development in the U.S., check out South American and Africa. Small comfort perhaps. Sites worth checking out:

http://www.nationmaster.com/, http://maps.maplecroft.com/, http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/index.html

Also regularly visit http://www.infosthetics.com. Often fascinating examples of new forms of data visualization.

Bazooka Joe Gets A Facelift

I am always fascinated with brand archeology and their renovations+updates, particularly of their aging character icons. Some of the euros here may not be familiar with Bazooka Joe (short version: utterly useless+nasty 1cent gum wrapped with cartoon strip adventures - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazooka_Joe).

But something about this update seems a bit overly strategized and bordering on cheezy - particularly with his new "female environmentalist friend Cindy", and his gnarly "guitar-weilding German exchange student friend Wolfgang". I think this stage of development is referred to as "jumping the shark".

Bazooka Joe holds no heartfelt place with me that demands sticking to the past, but I am always concerned about most branded attempts at youth contemporization. I mean those unnecessary "Fo'shizzle" slang cliches and ball caps turned backward skaters breakdancing and holding drink packs and being generally "in your face" with their young attitude and carefree "you can't categorize me" spirit. I don't think most youth are so dumb as the average snack-pack ad seems to image them. But I could be wrong.

Article highlights from Boston Herald:

The eternal kid is getting a fresh look as executives plan a $4 million relaunch of the iconic brand in an effort to entice a new generation of bubble gum chewers. Next month new Bazooka Joe products will hit store shelves. Everything from the bubble making capacity of the gum to the comic strip wrappers are being retooled.

The eye patch wearing Bazooka Joe will look modernized with wilder hair and ripped jeans. In the comics, Joe will run with a new gang, including female environmentalist Cindy Lewis and guitar wielding German exchange student Wolfgang Spreckles.

Topps faces the challenge of maintaining Bazooka Joe’s nostalgia inspiring feel among adults, while appealing to a younger market of hip-kid consumers.

“We would hate to tear down what is a tremendous equity,” said Paul Cherrie, managing director at The Topps Co., which owns the Bazooka Joe brand. “But clearly we do want a freshness to go forward with kids.”

Fo'sheezy.



Here is an interesting compile of Bazooka Joe comics arranged by their subliminal social message themes here

Gender cliches hold even among literary types

Apparently even among lovers of literature, gender cliches reveal themselves. A survey of 500 men and 500 women reveals that men like dysfunctional lone wolf stories like Catcher In The Rye and The Outsider. Women, however, prefer emotional novels by authors like Emily Brontë, and Jane Austen. Men and women also differ in how they use and view literature with men saying that non-fictional works are just as likely to have been watershed works for them as novels. The researchers say they were shocked by the results...

Check out the full story in the Guardian.

Bravia Index

Our Sony Bravia ad is quite popular...

Just Ranked #1 Ad of 2005 in Creative Review magazine

It is Ranked #1 - Most Viewed Commercial and Ranked #23 -Most Viewed All-Time on YouTube, where it has pulled 2,323,425 views in five months since being uploaded.

Trend: Mobile Phone Use Statistics

Highlights from the new Pew/Internet+American Life Project's Report on US Mobile Phone Use

No "stop the presses news", but you'll need stats for your decks.

Fully 74% of the Americans who own mobile phones say they have used their hand-held device in an emergency and gained valuable help.

Another striking impact of mobile technology is that Americans are using their cell phones to shift they way they spend their time. Some 41% of cell phone owners say they fill in free time when they are traveling or waiting for someone by making phone calls. And 44% say they wait to make most of their cell calls for the hours when they do not count against their “anytime” minutes in their basic calling plan.

At the same time, there are new challenges associated with cell phone use. More than a quarter of cell phone owners (28%) admit they sometimes do not drive as safely as they should while they use their mobile devices. Among cell phone users, men (32%) are more likely than women (25%) to admit they sometimes don’t drive as safely as they should.

Furthermore, 82% of all Americans and 86% of cell users report being irritated at least occasionally by loud and annoying cell users who conduct their calls in public places.

Indeed, nearly one in ten cell phone owners (8%) admit they themselves have drawn criticism or irritated stares from others when they are using their cell phones in public.

For some, the cell phone has become so central to their communications needs that they lose track of the expenses associated with their phones. Some 36% of cell owners say they have been shocked from time to time at the size of their monthly bills.

Download the full report here

More consumer-created marketing madness

Now McDonalds adds to the overdone consumer created campaign morass. They are running a contest to have your portrait on a burger wrapper. 25 lucky individuals will be immortalized in grease and partially hydrogenated oils. Yummy.

Smug Alert!

So in all fairness to Chevy and the flaming critique from the pro-nature demographic:

New study: Full-size SUVs consume less energy over lifetime than hybrids

The results of a new study conducted by CNW Marketing Research Inc. is sure to generate some arched eyebrows. The firm's report stems from their two-year effort to collect and analyze data on the "energy neessary to plan, build, sell, drive and dispose of a vehicle from initial concept to scrappage." CNW then assigned their findings a new comparative metric - "dollars per lifetime mile" - or, said another way, total energy cost per mile driven.

The findings? America's most expensive vehicle in calendar 2005 was the Maybach (presumably a 62), tallying up at a staggering $11.58/mile. The thriftiest? Scion's boxy xB, just $.48 cents/mile.

But here's where it gets interesting: CNW's findings indicate that a hybrid consumes more energy overall than a comparable conventionally powered model. It showed that the Honda Accord Hybrid rang up an Energy Costs Per Mile of $3.29, while a gas-powered Accord was significantly cheaper at $2.18/mile. The study concludes that the average of all 2005 U.S. market vehicles was $2.28/mile.

The reasoning goes that hybrids use up more energy to manufacture, as well as consume more resources in terms of the assembly (and eventual disposal) of things like batteries and motors. By CNW's reckoning, the intrinsically lower complexity of, say, a Hummer H3 ($1.949/mile) actually results in lower total energy usage than any hybrid currently on the market, and even a standard Honda Civic ($2.42).

While the study's findings don't take issue with what vehicles are more financially economical to own (read: those with better mileage), it does pose some interesting questions about total energy usage in hybrids.

Obviously, in order to best judge the merit of CNW's findings, a clearer explanation of the study's criteria and processes is in order.

Sources: CNW via Yahoo Business, QCNetwork.com


AKI COMMENT: To decipher the headline joke, last week's South Park episode highlighted an increase in "Smug" in the atmosphere as more self-satisfied people presume to be better than others simply because they drive the trendy "Pious" brand Hybrid. The cleaner air emissions results in increased pleasurable smelling of one's own farts (cuz their shit don't stink presumably), and the Smug cloud builds to become yet another new environmental danger. Check it out here

Trend: User-Created: Assessing the Oops-a-Daisy

The saga of the lame Chevy Tahoe 'User Co-Created" stunt continues as predicted: most blogs repeat the critiques and spread the parody versions, not the fan versions (if any really exist). I have yet to see anyone in the blogosphere to proclaim this idea to be fresh - certainly nothing from Tahoe drivers (who, ironically, are probably clueless to the whole affair anyway).

So what exactly does this campaign do - reinforce Tahoe fans as an active and engaged community? Convert views and perceptions from those unfamiliar with Tahoe? Get great buzz and align the Tahoe as a pop-culturally significant idea? Cleverly dramatise a unique brand positioning idea or functional benefit of the product? Not sure, really. Not even really sure what it has to do with The Apprentice or how it enriches your show viewing experience... But I figure the footage was laying around anyway, may as well give it to kids with little intent to buy and every intent to joke and snicker.

Just to keep the case study thorough, here are some further parody examples at CNET here and some coverage in NY Times here and Autoblog here, or here, where treehugger.com has made clowning on Chevy an Olympic sport, or get the dedicated wiki directory here or...

Trend: Airline Perk Fees - Jet Blue Spa Services

JetBlue takes an interesting challenger path during these times of increasing airline perk fees for simple things like aisle seating or even on-board luggage (see prior post here ).

JetBlue Airways Corp. will offer spa products on its redeye flights.

JetBlue and Bliss have begun giving overnight passengers kits that contain eye masks, earplugs, moisturizer, lip balm and a promotional offer from the spa company. The kits are distributed only on flights between Western states and the East Coast.

The airline has also started offering a self-serve pantry filled with snacks and hot towels on the flights — part of what JetBlue is calling "Shut-Eye" service.



"We thought this would be a unique way to differentiate ourselves from our competitors," said Eric Brinker, JetBlue's director of product development and customer experience. "JetBlue is not going to be the airline to nickel and dime its customers."

JetBlue — which recently reported its first quarterly loss — didn't say how much the new services will cost. But the New York company believes selling an extra seat or two will make a difference.

New York-based Bliss has spas in the United States, London and W Hotels. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., which owns the W brand, bought Bliss in 2004.

Such innovations can matter greatly in terms of building, or retaining, market share. On Monday, JetBlue ranked first in a national survey of airline quality.

Aviation consultant Michael Boyd said innovations like the redeye kits have helped distinguish the New York-based airline from its competitors.

"They've always moved in a different direction," Boyd said. "That's why they've stayed alive. This is another out-of-the-box marketing play. It cost them almost nothing and it gets people to think JetBlue."

Get Jet Bliss here http://www.blissworld.com/jetblue/

Culture: Research Zeitgeists

Deborah turned us onto a website called http://www.43things.com/ a few months ago, wherein users post their desired goals they seek to do with their lives . I have since found it very useful to guage the cultural zeitgeist for goals and dreams with relation to some of our branded initiatives. While this isn't super-scientific, it is an interesting indicator of the cultural pulse - and consumers are here sharing openly and voluntarily - not being asked a poll question at the mall.

I have since noticed a spinoff called http://www.43places.com/ which ranks the most desired places people want to go to.


Read more about the founders of 43Things here:http://www.current.tv/google/GC01148



Also fast-rising is a site called http://www.allconsuming.net/ which does the same for books/music/food and other things people are consuming at the moment. Not as full as the 43 Things sites, but could be useful as more members sign up.

Culture: Everyday "Reality"

Stop worrying about whether or not the producer of that Reality TV show you're on will pixelate your carefully chosen t-shirt logos. Beat them to the punch with these pre-pixelated products!



http://www.cafepress.com/ironicsans

via diablogue

Trend: User-Created: Operation McFly

This week in User-Created...

There seems to be a global movement to petition Nike to manufacture the fictional Marty McFly Nikes from the '80s film Back To The Future 2. Nike originally created the gray "moonboots" sneakers for the film, but they were never made available to the public (technically, the film takes place in 2015...so perhaps they are waiting to maintain complete accuracy!).

Over 7000 signatures so far...Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/future2/

*i notice George W Bush signed the petition at #7815. good going Geo!

via diablogue

Brand Value: China Mobile #4 Brand

According to a Millward Brown study, China Mobile is now the world's #4 ranked brand, behind Coke, GE and MSFT, but ahead of brands like IBM and our own Citibank.

This isn't just a financial ranking like Interbrand's study, instead, according to one of the MB execs, "This is the first study that goes beyond financial data and 'expert opinion' to include in-market insights about a brand's strengths and momentum from potential customers."

The Top Ten, ranked in $ millions are:

1. Microsoft Corporation ($62,039)
2. GE ($55,834)
3. Coca-Cola ($41.406)
4. China Mobile ($39,168)
5. Marlboro cigarettes ($38,510)
6. Wal-Mart ($37,567)
7. Google ($37,445)
8. IBM ($38,084)
9. Citigroup ($31.028)
10. Toyota ($30,201)

Via Warc