So heading into the holiday season, with the eyes of the world on Times Square, kudos to Ricoh Americas for taking an aggressive step in the right environmental direction. Ricoh announced that its Times Square billboard will become the first green billboard along the Great White Way, powered soley by wind and solar energy. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081116/ap_on_fe_st/odd_green_billboard)  It'll go live across the street from where the Big Ball will drop on New Year's Eve.

Now I haven't read Ricoh's CSR report, but I'm certain that like most other enterprises, Ricoh is looking at greening itself up - both in image and in operations; and this billboard is a great manifestation of its philosophy.  The company is planning an offical "lighting ceremony" on December 4th; then will likley grab the spotlight again on Dec. 31 due to its lcoation.  And that's not counting the eyeballs that will pass by every day.  Great effort...and one that deserves to be copied.

 I'll admit it - I'm a Guns N' Roses fan. By that I mean, the original lineup with Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steven Adler. Appetite for Destruction is a classic, reintroducing America to slash and burn rock and roll with a chaser of screaming Gibson Les Paul power chords (raise your hand if you wore out the Appetite cassette tape on the Varsity football bus traveling to away games). It’s always in my iPod.

In any event, the band’s trials and tribulations over the years have been well-documented, but no storyline is perhaps more engaging than the saga of Chinese Democracy - the band's first new material in 17 years. The Internet for years has been buzzing about the release of the album - which to those uninitatiated has been delayed countless times for a variety of reasons. And hardcore fans have waited for it in almost messianic anticipation. But finally it's here - set to be delivered exclusively to fans through Best Buy stores on November 23rd (a HUGE get for Best Buy).

But the buzz -- or fizz I should say - is not necessarily about the album's release, but the great move Dr. Pepper made to snag the spotlight. The brand made an offer to the nation that they would buy everyone in the United States a Dr. Pepper when Chinese Democracy finally came out. http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USTRE49N00320081024

It's a new spin on an old trick - play the odds, and if it comes in, the publicity will far outweigh the cost to pay the debt. Well, the long shot came in, and Dr. Pepper is now on the hook. And in the end, I think it was a great move - the reach into the GN’R fan base alone will make it worthwhile for the company if they convert even a portion of the market.

I’m already a Dr. Pepper fan, so I’m in the brand boat. I’m looking forward to the music. And if the album is any where near as good as the hype, I'll pour my Dr. Pepper over some ice, toss in a splash of Jack, sit back and rock my a** off...

This past weekend, an artist named Chris Burden built a 65-foot tall temporary building in Rockefeller Center out of pieces of an Erector Set.  According to published repoprts, the display -- aptly named "What My Dad Gave Me" -- paid homage to Burden's father, who was an engineer; and how approppriate as we head into Father's Day weekend.  I first saw the story in a big feature piece with photo in the Sudnay New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/nyregion/08rockefeller.html?em&ex=1213070400&en=99d7a703b34e374b&ei=5087%0A) and as a PR person thought "Bravo to the Erector Set people".  However, the interesting thing is that there was no overtly commercial messaging in any of the media coverage (eg "the display was sponsored by the company that makes the Erector Set.")  I'm not entirely sure they had anything to do with it.

The story was the fascination, simplicity and innocence of the toy itself, wrapped up in an entertaining and emotional package just in time for Dad's Day.  If the Erector Set people weren't behind this project, they should be - get to other cities, challenge kids of all ages to build replicas of their own cities structures and skyscrapers with their people who inspire them, parents and children building dreams together - what a great opportunity.

Whether or not the toy maker was behind the project, the story accomplished something that brands so often try to do - connect with consumers on an emotional level.  I had an Erector Set when I was young, and hadn't thought about it in years; but that story immediately conjured up images of Saturday mornings on the livingroom floor building all sorts of marvelous structures with my father, learning the intricacies of basic engineering and design from a guy I thought had all the answers (by the way, he wasn't an engineer or involved in construction or building trade of any sort - but I still thought he knew everything).  The memories were so powerful that I found myself envisioning a similar scenario as a father - sitting on the floor building "stuff" out of Erector Set pieces with my two daughters -- so much so that I nearly went to Toys R Us to pick up a Set (until my wife reminded me that those teeny tiny screws probably aren't great for 2 year olds).  So I'll put that thought on hold for a little while...but thanks to this great event, the makers of the Erector Set can rest assured that sooner or later, they'll secure a new customer so I can build some memories with my own kids.

Filed under the heading "events I've never seen": for the launch of a new baseball glove, consumers catch cans of corn for World Series tickets.