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

 

Culture Networks

Culture Networks (Lecture)

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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.

Understanding Gen Y Narrative: The Transformer Generation

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Air Force Reaching Out Through Xbox

The US Air Force is partnering with Microsoft to promote the Xbox LIVE "Horror Meets Comedy" original short film series premiering this November 19th. The series features eight well-known horror directors who will bring their comedic visions to life. Directors include James Wan & Leigh Whannell creators of the "Saw" franchise, James Gunn ("Slither", "Dawn of the Dead") Andrew Douglas ("The Amityville Horror"), David Slade ("30 Days of Night") and Lucky McKee ("May").

Air Force will create custom intro billboards that will run with each pilot and interactive media placements that will live across the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network and the Xbox.com website. Users can click on these custom units and engage directly with the Air Force Brand Destination which offers users the opportunity to learn more about the Air Force through video downloads, gamer pictures and theme packages.

Seems to me there’s a bigger picture to explore…

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.)

Teens Pitch in for Clothing Allowance

Last week a semiannual survey of 7,000 15- to 18-year-olds by Piper Jaffray, an investment bank and research firm, showed that annual discretionary spending by teenagers, whose money comes from allowance, gifts and part-time jobs, had dropped 27 percent to $2,600, from its spring 2006 peak of $3,560.

Interestingly, the survey showed that the amount teenagers allocated for clothes had increased 1 percent, but that they were patronizing stores with lower-priced labels.

So where’s the money coming from? Parental negotiations. As parents drop housecleaning and lawn services, they are asking their teenagers to pitch in, for pay.

This is classic back-to-basics. How much more fundamental does it have to get than: "This is your house too!"

Read the whole article.

Photo: Beanbags in Wal-mart.