Brand Noise

Embracing Eating Alone

The TV dinner has evolved - well at least in attitude.  I was kind of surprised to see the positioning on the latest launch by DiGiorno, "DiGiorno for One".  Microwave cooking has taken some time to get in touch with the lonely reality behind it.  Embracing it seems like a smart strategy.  Implied sharing is built into so much of other heat and eat food messaging.  How long has advertising lied to us pushing those frozen foods as still connected to some ideal picture of home.  Is this really what works?  Are people who eat alone expecting some reminder of a more social eating experience? 

Good Technology Makes Good Pictures, Not Smiles

Why is a smile synonymous with a good picture? Sony has been banking on the connection with its new Cyber-Shot camera with its Smile Shutter technology. Yet reviews are less than favorable: “Smile shutter sounds appealing in theory…But it strikes me as a work in progress.”

My own favorite photos of my six-year-old daughter are when she’s at her most contemplative. Maybe they can fine-tune a camera for me with a Brood Button? This is a case of where technology is not keeping up. The smile thing as good photography is something that lives in the realm of boomers and silents.

Not such a provocative concept considering that the first successful picture was produced in June/July 1827 by Niépce required an exposure of eight hours. Who could have possibly smiled that long?  Things didn't get snappy until about a century later.

(photo: Sabine demonstrates that pain makes a great picture.)

NYC Gets Drive-ins This Summer

“Drive-ins have been disappearing for decades, declining to about 400 today from a peak of more than 4,000 in 1958, largely because of rising property prices and changing movie-going habits. After today, there will be 30 or so scattered across New York State, two in Connecticut, and just one, the Delsea in Vineland, in all of New Jersey, the state where drive-ins were born in 1933.” —The New York Times
                   
                    DRV-IN, a pop-up drive-in at 139 Norfolk that ends this week, will partner this summer with area parking lots, car rental companies, and car manufacturers to produce a spectacular series that will bring back the drive-in: Cars Under the Stars.                    

                   

Tate Gallery Distributes Ltd. Ed. Cains Beer

The man who created the Sgt Pepper album cover has designed a beer bottle label to celebrate Liverpool's Capital of Culture year. The label by artist Sir Peter Blake features a Union Jack with his signature, and is featured on Cains' Best of British lager bottles. Cains Beer, based in Toxteth, Liverpool, plans to produce 250,000 bottles. The specially-labelled beer will be available until December. It is available in the Tate Britain and the Tate Modern galleries as well as supermarkets.

Read the whole story.

Christian Teens Descend on Times Square

Some 300 young Christians gathered in Times Square for the first Teen Mania event this year, the Recreate ’08 rally, to reject the mainstream culture that they say is destroying their generation.

Teens during the rally showcased how they plan to “recreate” entertainment, fashion, the arts, and the Internet by featuring original graffiti art, dance, art mosaic, and videos they created that send positive messages.

In addition to the mini-expo, teens also tried to change the culture by sending a list of their top eight concerns to all the presidential candidates after the rally.

Among the top concerns of Teen Mania teens are: youth exposure to Internet pornography; the AIDS pandemic; human trafficking, media glamorization of drugs, sex and alcohol; abortion; and freedom to practice Christianity.

Following the rally, more than 10,000 teens gathered at New Jersey’s Izod Center for a two-day Recreate ’08 event featuring New York Yankees’ pitcher Mariano Rivera, six-time Grammy Award winner Kirk Franklin, the David Crowder Band, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and Teen Mania founder Ron Luce.

Read more.

Kid Robot Sponsoring Dunny Trading Parties

Some of the most incredible talents in the world have done Dunny over french. The new 3-Inch mini series appears world-wide on February 21 featuring collaborators, Superdeux, Genevieve Gauckler, 123Klan, SupaKitch, Easy Hey, Tilt, Mist, Der, Tizieu, Ajee, Doze X Secretlab, Nasty, Jack Usine, Koralie, Onde X Trbdsgn, Koa, Oktus the Woodboy and Skwak.

Now, they're holding trading parties to swap them, but the parties are not limited just to Dunnys. You can bring beaucoups of items with you to trade with other toy fans during the events.

Svedka_Girl on the Election Bandwagon

To ensure that No Cocktail is Left Behind, Svedka_grl and her inner circle will host exclusive invitation-only, election results viewing parties in New York City with comedy news site 236.com at Merc Bar as well as in Washington D.C. on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. Additionally, post-voters in New York will be invited to "Join The Party" up close and personally on Svedka_grl's Straight Shot Express bi-partisan campaign party bus. Svedka_girl was introduced a few years ago.

Microsoft Stays Out Of The Ring, Smart Move

Microsoft will not launch a product that competes directly with Apple's iPhone, Chairman Bill Gates said in an interview with Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. On the other hand, Verizon hasn't been shy about pitting its Voyager against the iPhone, with a direct mail campaign claiming the Voyager as "the phone everyone wants." Why keep going there?

Read more.

Catching Consumers On the Downslide

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart announced Tuesday that it will chop prices between 10 to 30% this week on groceries, electronics and other home-related products in an effort to keep its cash-strapped consumers excited about shopping.

While its rivals, including Target (TGT, Fortune 500), have seen sales decelerate dramatically in recent weeks from a consumer spending slowdown, Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) has been benefiting from more shoppers trading down to its discount stores.

I don't know about you, but after I've gone and spent all my lipstick money wildly at a discount store, usually it's Filene's or Burlington or TJ Maxx, once the morning after comes I'm not liking what I bought anymore and I usually toss it.

Not so good a feeling for a retailer to leave behind with a consumer. A much better place is when I've gone hunting and found the one thing I really wanted even if it's $1 more.

(Photo: View Askew)

Influencing Only Looks Easy

Somewhere between Malcolm Gladwell and Duncan Watts lives the truth in what we all hope for as influential marketing, like it or not. Part of their disconnect is in the interpretation by marketers who hope for a quick fix to get people to talk about their stuff. Critics are plenty. Malcolm talks influencers. Duncan talks timing. We see both angles as legit.

The problem? Social media is not a direct line. Just like the kids’ game “telephone,” information gets morphed as it moves from person to person. The product that gets moved through the grapevine has to be a strong one. Without a solid product to begin with—uh, ain’t nothing going nowhere. Essentially, if you have the right product to start with, position it correctly and introduce at the right starting place, then it can trickle and explode through the grapevine. That’s a three-step process, and it’s not easy.

Read more in Fast Company. (Photo: Ishiku)