Brand Noise

Transformer Generation: Cultural Context Required

The Transformer Generation from scenarioDNA on Vimeo.

We're launching our position statement on the Transformer Generation. The gist is this:

 

For the kids who played with Transformers twenty-odd years ago, the story has fluidly evolved into a tale of open-source collaboration, new globalism, a currency of culture, eBay economics and mash-up. In this new narrative, the impact of technology blurs the lines from urban/suburban and east/west making cultural context more critical now than ever before. The Transformer Generation is a game changer. They won’t become us. They’ll change us.

 

Go to the site.

http://www.transformergeneration.com

 

Download the press release.

http://tinyurl.com/n3srk7

 

Repercussions of a Sheltered Generation Await

This, from AdAge on PepsiCo's post-BBDO Generation Optimistic campaign:

"It feels like bullshit to me," said Ray Graj, principal at Graj & Gustavsen. "It's like putting your head in the sand. People are scared about their jobs; they're getting reduced bonuses. It feels contrived to go down that path, regardless of what market surveys they're reading."

Mr. Graj went on to say that, while there certainly is some optimism around the upcoming inauguration of Mr. Obama, it will be short lived. "What we're facing is a real deep bad thing, and that's settling in slowly," he said. "[People] are confronting the reality of the situation."

Couldn't have put it better myself. We're at the tip of the iceberg, guys. And the kids are always the last we let know.

Read the whole AdAge story.

Food: Simple, Fresh, Economical--On Message

On the West Coast, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has introduced a new line of ready-to-eat products that can be mixed and matched to create over 200 meal ideas. The line includes 30 different varieties of fresh pastas, sauces, meat and vegetarian dishes, and sides which pair to create meals for two for about $10.  All Fresh & Easy products contain no added trans fats, no artificial flavors and colors and only use preservatives when absolutely necessary. At roughly 10,000 square feet, Fresh & Easy markets are smaller than the typical supermarket to give customers a faster, easier shopping experience. In addition to fresh, prepared meals and produce, Fresh & Easy offers national brands and household items at everyday low prices. (Photo: Oakmonster.)

Counting Calories Gives Control Back

When all else is failing, it beckons the need to gain control wherever you can. We're seeing it across the board. One way they're seizing the opportunity is by counting calories. It's do-able.

"For the last few decades, the most popular diets were complex formulas that promised abundant eating with just the right combinations of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Now those regimens are starting to look like exotic mortgages and other risky financing instruments. And just like a reliable savings account, good old calorie counting is coming back into fashion...New Yorkers got a harsh dose of calorie reality this summer when restaurants with 15 or more outlets were forced to post the calorie content of food next to the price."

Read more.

Army is Watching Twitter

Recently, Wired’s Noah Shachtman first blogged that the Army’s 304th Military Intelligence Battalion report details three Twitter scenarios:

1. Terrorists use phones with Twitter to relay real-time updates of troop movements in order to coordinate an ambush.
2. Terrorists use cell pics and tweets to coordinate the timing to explode a device.
3. Terrorists follow a soldier’s tweets and use Twitter to obtain logistical information.

A ZD Blogger put it this way: "Twitter is just communication. If it didn’t exist, terrorists would use plain SMS. Or whatever. In a perfectly secure world, there would be no communication."

From our perspective, the key is to understand the power behind the networking and its underpinnings...Twitter today, something new tomorrow. That holds true for military ops, as well as any other brands. The future is filled with opportunities for grassroots movements to gain global reach--which should be a good thing, but there's always another side. It's a study in behavior. You can build stop gaps in, but human nature is to work around it. The issue poses a deeper mindset issue.

Social Credibility Among Artists for Obama

From now until Election Day, an artist in Brooklyn is calling on peers to simply circle round public objects (manhole covers, storm drains, pipe caps, etc.) making them into large Os, and then chalking the letters 'bama' to the immediate right of the object in the street or sidewalk, so that it looks like [ROUND OBJECT]bama. The point? Get people to think "OBAMA!" whenever they see an O-shaped object in public.

(Photo: O for Obama in NYC.)

Heart condemns McCain-Palin use of 'Barracuda'

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart said Thursday night that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease and desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign over their use of 'Barracuda.'

"We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored," the group said in a statement that said they "condemn" the use of the song at the Republican convention.

Read more.

The Big Red One Licenses Its Mark

Sears, Roebuck & Co. has signed a deal with the U.S. Army to launch the All American Army Brand's First Infantry Division clothing collection. It marks the first time the U.S. Army has officially licensed its marks and insignias; licensing fees will be used to support military programs for troops and their families. (The “Fighting First” led the way for American troops in World War I.)

The brand will be prominently featured during the retailer's Fall Forward fashion exhibit at next week's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York...The collection dovetails with Sears' "Heroes at Home" program, which provides home renovations to military families.

Curious to know just how authentic the line will be...my Uncle Sal used to tell us stories about how he had his mother pimp his Boy Scout uniform to replicate the Fighting First uniform so he could pick up girls at the Roseland Ballroom circa 1942 when he was an under-aged 15. Apparently, it worked like a charm.

Read more.

Mobile Consumer is an Understatement

After this, maybe a change to kinetic consumer is more appropriate?

(Image: Part of Bruno Taylor’s series “Playful Spaces")

For iBeer Tie Ins, Networks Need Strengthening

So the Carling iPint from BMB is currently one of the most downloaded free applications on the App Store. It's top ten in the USA and I don't think you can even buy Carling here. There's also iBeer.

Cool apps, yes. They've created a lot of chatter about the need for geo-locators for pubs and ecommerce/loyalty ties. That said, two things come to mind:

1. What's the common denominator that drives beer consumption? Its social aspect.
2. How reliable is the availability of a particular beer brand at any given moment?