Brand Noise

Mountain Dew Vehicle Repurposed for Nike?

Hub Strategy's first assignment for the Nike 6.0 Extreme Sports Group led to the creation of an action-sports urban assault vehicle -- actually a converted 1959 amphibious tank-like truck -- initially tricked out by the agency for the Mountain Dew's Action Sports Tour.

What's up with that? A repurposed vehicle?

Read more.

Texan bets on Cricket 2.0

(from Time) Allen Stanford, the wealth-management billionaire from Mexia, Texas, is forking out $20 million in prize money for a single winner-take-all game of Twenty20 a faster form of cricket that takes about 2 1/2 hours to play.  It is far and away the largest purse for any team sport, and Stanford is betting the match will attract a TV audience of 700 million. His primary motivation is to revive cricket's fading fortunes in the Caribbean, but he's also hoping it will stir up interest in the final frontier: the U.S. His countrymen, Stanford says, "are going to see a form of cricket they can completely identify with."  Stanford, who fell in love with cricket when he moved to Antigua in the 1980s, radiates the enthusiasm of a convert.

Red Bull's DNA of Sport

(from Adweek) MEN7, a multiplatform lifestyle and entertainment network that debuts July 3, has partnered with Red Bull to create a branded entertainment Web series, DNA of Sport. The series take a soft-sell approach, and the integrations don't showcase specific Red Bull products or overtly push the brand. Instead, interactive contextual overlays give viewers the chance to explore the world of actions sports and -- hopefully -- forge deeper bonds with Red Bull, said Darren Chuckry, COO at MEN7.  read more

Zombies Hold Universal Appeal

This is the third straight year of Zombie Kickball. Typically the pastime of elementary schoolers (and occasionally low-watt thrill-seeking 20- and 30-somethings), kickball has an unknown appeal to the soulless mind of a zombie. Local Maine filmmaker Andy Davis of Emptyhouse Film said it all started for him with a copy of "Night of the Living Dead" his grandparents bought him when he was 9. When he made "2," a zombie movie shot in Maine, he found he wasn't alone in his zombie fascination, as hordes of volunteers showed up – some already in zombie makeup – for crowd scenes in the film. People feel like they can identify with zombies, unlike other movie monsters, he said. "I know speaking with a lot of the zombies in our film, many of them felt like zombies, having the same schedule every day, doing the same thing over and over again." Read more.

Runner, Running Free--From Marketing

The Star Tribune reports that this autumn will mark Dean Laiti's 27th Twin Cities Marathon, nearly all done without shoes… it was nearly 30 years ago when Laiti left his shoes behind for a run. "I do it because I can," said the 115-pound runner. "It psyches people out." Dr. Paul Langer, who works at Minnesota Orthopaedic Specialists and is a clinical faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School, said misinformation in the 1980s started the myth that cushioning in shoes is always better. "It became more about marketing and less about biomechanics," he said. But sneaker culture has already responded to the reports. Nike's Free line, for example, tries to mimic the manner of a bare sole striking earth, eliminating arch support and reducing heel padding to provide a pliable sole that lets the foot flex. On the extreme end, Vibram released its FiveFingers "foot glove" in 2006 with articulated toes and a thin sole...Yet Laiti and runners like him continue to run barefoot.

In Utah: Speedos, Okay; String Bikinis, Not

A ban on bikinis at the city pool [in Kanab, Utah]  is expected to be revised, ending a short-lived prohibition on the popular two-piece pool attire, reports the Chicago Tribune. But that does not mean that lifting the G-rating is going to lead to poolside G-strings.

"My recommendation is going to be no thongs or string bikinis," said City Councilwoman Nina Laycook, who called the original dress code an oversight.

Bikinis that don't reveal too much will be allowed, as will Speedos for men when the new public pool -- known as the Cowboy Water'n Hole -- opens July 4 in the community just north of the Arizona state line.

Dodge Ball Chic

I was never really much of a dodge ball fan as a kid. My elementary school even had a dodge ball cage for the kids to play in. I invariably was the girl the guys aimed for, probably because of my propensity for distraction--The boys on the outside of the ring were always far cuter than those inside. But times have changed...My guess is that the bullies and the jocks have left the ring, and a far cooler class has taken over. Check it out, as reported by the LA Times: A little vintage, a little quirky, but completely full throttle.

Growing Pains: As Networks Intensify, Roles Evolve

We here at scenarioDNA love the roller derby. It’s an amazing source of girl power. Not just in the sport itself but in its underpinnings. It takes extraordinary team effort to sustain the operation. That said, there’s been some chatter of late talking about junior league roller derby. The first brat league was formed in Tucson by a group of kids who had been following the Tucson Roller Derby adult league. The girls are from 10 to 18 and they play by modified rules.

What’s interesting is that the girls enjoy the same solidarity as their elder counterparts. Yet, one thing has come up for discussion during our own visits with New York’s Gotham Girls: the emotional impact of injuries.

It’s fabulous to see young girls enjoy the solidarity and empowerment that the older girls find in roller derby. They’re practicing at least twice a week, playing once and socializing in-between. They live and breathe the sport. Even at work or school, they txt and IM their derby friends.

The network is pretty intense, which is something hard to find today. But because of that intensity, the impact of an injury hits very hard. Suddenly, a girl is jolted out of her element. That in itself is difficult for women of age, and further complicated for girls in their teens and pre-teens who are in the formative stages of their identity. It singly steps the issue up for the big sisters who now play yet another role.

The trick is how to maintain the authenticity of the younger set without losing the essence. (Image: Arnicare waiting for derby girls at practice.)

Good Placement Fat Boy

I managed to catch the new film by David Schwimmer called Run Fat Boy Run this last week.  Pretty harmless and amusing with some cameos from top Brit comedy folks like David Williams and Stephen Merchant.  Another cameo I didn't expect though was Nike.  The film focuses around the Nike River Run and places the brand rather well in the story.  There is even a scene in which the main character is given a pair of top Nike trainers to motivate him to run.  A small story - but a very simple human story that places the brand in a less "pumped up" context.  This is good - and it left me liking the brand in a different kind of way. 

Kellogg's & Tyson Head to the Summer Olympics

In preparing to take a delegation of more than 600 athletes to the Summer Games in Beijing this year, the U.S.O.C. faces food issues beyond steroid-laced chicken. In recent years, some foods in China have been found to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, and the standards applied to meat there are lower than those in the United States, raising fears of food-borne illnesses.

It has made arrangements with sponsors like Kellogg’s and Tyson Foods, which will ship 25,000 pounds of lean protein to China about two months before the opening ceremony, but will hire local vendors and importers to secure other foods and cooking equipment at the Games.

Tyson has provided all United States team members with duffel bags containing a hot pot, a power adaptor, recipes and replenishable pouches of chicken that they can take to international qualifying events over the next few months.

Kellogg’s has been asked to supply cereals like Frosted Flakes and Mini-Wheats, as well as Nutri-Grain bars, because those products are not readily available in China.

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