Brand Noise

Sackboy: Homespun Spin on Gaming

Sony is banking on the inauspiciously named star of its new video game, "LittleBigPlanet," to boost sales of its PlayStation 3 console this fall -- and the homemade-looking Sackboy just might pull it off.

Sony also plans to create about 1,000 "LittleBig billboards" -- about the size of a small yard sign -- to stick in the ground in and around San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Unlike typical cardboard yard signs, however, the minibillboards will feature working lights and ladders and other high-end art and design. The idea came from the game's agency, Deutsch. While the size of the boards almost ensures that at least a few will be stolen, that's OK with Sony. A spokeswoman said some pilfered signs posted on eBay may even add to the hype.

A man-sized Sackboy made a public appearance in Japan.

The line from gaming to crafting is a fluid one...we've been watching it...it thrives on a multidimensional consumer.

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Obama: A Study in Brand Management

Obama's brand management, unprecedented in presidential politics, shows pitch-perfect understanding of the keys to appealing to the youngest voters.

Perhaps inevitably, among the first apps introduced for Apple's new iPhone -- the latest success from another millennial mass marketer -- was an Obama "Countdown to Change" calendar that ticks off the seconds until Election Day.

Obama sticks very well to his script...And that hasn't gone unnoticed in most quarters. Wrote Newsweek's Andrew Romano, "Obama is the first presidential candidate to be marketed like a high-end consumer brand." His rising-sun logo echoes the one-world iconography of Pepsi, AT&T and Apple. Read more.

(Photo: Obama in MO.)

Apps: It's not the Quantity. It's the Quality.

Facebook took a step toward standardizing the wild world of Web metrics by switching its engagement rating for applications from reporting daily usage to measuring monthly active users...The goal is to help developers focus on "longer-term engagement" and show them "the number of users who visit [their] application over a longer time frame than just one day."

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(Photo: Me and my 542 bestest friends.)

Toast Art?

Follow this photostream on Flickr. But don't do it when you're hungry.

There is Strength in Network Niches

Of the $920 million spent this year to advertise on social networks in 2007, 8.2 percent went to niche sites. That is expected to grow to 10 percent in 2008.  Niche is big! There are over 300,000 niche networks on Ning alone. We have niche networks being used as tools in the 2008 election.  And networks, such as LinkedIn (career) and imeem (music), are growing so quickly that it seems strange to even call them "niche".

Clearly, there is a growing case for the success of niche social.

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LesserEvil Offers Snacks to Election Boards

LesserEvil, the snack food company that makes better-for-you snacks, launches its "Vote the LesserEvil '08" campaign, declaring itself the Official Snack Food of the 2008 Presidential Election, and offering its snacks at cost to election boards across the country.

Could this company name have better timing?

(Photo: Fancy Food Show)

      

Spam: Not from India

India has emerged as the country generating the least amount of spam mails among BRIC nations and this volume is a fifth of that originating from the US, reveals a report...The lower percentage of spam mails generated is attributed to a higher presence of well-educated internet users. Read more.

(Photo: Mumbai Bar Camp)

BRIC Seeking Entertainment

Nielsen shows that entertainment-themed websites are the most popular with mobile Internet users in the growing Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) mobile markets. This stands in stark contrast with the more mature American and European markets, where information and news draw the most mobile Internet browsers.

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School Administrators Get Their Due

Show I'm most likely to secretly watch this season: truTV's new series THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, premiering with two back-to-back episodes Thursday, Aug. 21, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). School administrators make for great viewing.

I'm envisioning a FOX News U-Report component, that lets kids catch their own administrators on the fly.

(Photo: Somerville School)

      

Wal-Mart & JC Penney, Laced with Steve Madden

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. is expanding its l.e.i. franchise by signing an exclusive license agreement with Steven Madden, Ltd. which will design, manufacture and distribute a collection of junior and girls footwear under the l.e.i. brand. l.e.i. footwear is the first of many planned category extensions intended to leverage the strength of l.e.i. as a branded resource across relevant categories together with Wal-Mart. The l.e.i. collection is distributed exclusively to Wal-Mart stores. Taylor Swift is the current spokesperson.

Steve Madden whose sales have reportedly declined 27% also signed a deal with Kimora Lee Simmons to create shoes and accessories for the Fabulosity brand. Fabulosity is a JC Penney exclusive.