Miracle Whip's Marketing Team is not as Massively Dope as We Had Hoped
The Miracle Whip vs. Stephen Colbert controversy rages on; in reply to Miracle Whip’s attack at Colbert via print and purchase of all the commercial slots during his 11/12 show, Colbert thanked the company for buying his ad space, leaving him more money to buy more mayo – so much for “ in your face and massively dope”
Source: MediaFreak.com, 11/13/09

Housekeeping Goes Social (and mobile)
Tide has created an iPhone app that serves as a mobile stain-removing resource, listing tips on removing anything that might soil on your shirt while you’re on the go
Source: Adverblog.com, 11/13/09

A Gap Store Goes Head Over Heels (literally) for Rewards Program
To support their new “Sprize” program – a rewards program available in Canada that credits shoppers with the difference for merchandise if it goes on sale within a certain period – Gap turned a store in Vancouver upside-down and created a viral video to share the transformation with the social media-sphere
Source: BrandFreak.com, 11/17/09

Oxford's Word of the Year? 'Unfriend'
The New Oxford American Dictionary has named the popular Facebook term ‘unfriend’ as their 2009 word of the year
Source: Cnet News, 11/16/09

Elf Flash Mob
A mob of Office Max elves stormed Union Square to promote the seasonal evite www.ElfYourself.com
Source: BuzzFeed.com, 11/17/09

So, Tell Me Again Why Vampires Like Volvos?
Volvo has launched a new advertising campaign surrounding the Twilight series just in time for the launch of “New Moon”– in the books and movies, the lead character Edward drives a Volvo, and the car company is offering fans a chance to win his car by solving a puzzle at www.WhatDrivesEdward.com
Source: AdFreak.com, 11/16/09

The Little Red Chair That Could
Toshiba has put a red chair into orbit, filming its journey around the earth with hi-def Toshiba cameras, creating a viral video and the world’s highest recorded commercial
Source: AdRants.com, 11/16/09

The Ten Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade
The Webby Awards Web site has posted a list of the ten most influential moments of the 2000’s – all of which are tied to the Internet – including the launch of Wikipedia and Facebook and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election
Source: WebbyAwards.com, 11/09

Chase Commits $5 Million to Facebook Charity Campaign
Chase has partnered with Facebook to launch its “Community Giving” campaign in which users will be able to vote for their favorite non-profit organization through a Facebook application; the charity with the most votes, slated for announcement February 1, will receive $1 million dollars, five runners-up will be awarded $100,000, and the following top 100 will get $25,000 each; more than 12,000 Facebook members signed up for “Community Giving” page within the first day of posting
Source: Cnet News, 11/17/09

YouTube to Help Sites Gather News Clips
YouTube Direct will allow local media to pick-up videos posted by users in their area, integrating traditional broadcast news with user-generated content
Source: New York Times, 11/17/09

Colbert vs. Miracle Whip
Miracle Whip strikes back at Steve Colbert for his campaign against their product with full page print ads – the ads contain a letter from the brand communicating their feelings about his comments and how they planned to “dominate” him by purchasing commercials during his show
Source: Buzzfeed.com, 11/12/09

Hard Rock, Celebs Imagine There's No Hunger
USA Today reports on Hard Rock International’s “IMAGINE THERE’S NO HUNGER” campaign and “SERVE4” digital album – the article features interviews with Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Forest Whitaker and O.A.R., who contributed to the world hunger campaign which benefits WHY
Source: USA Today Online, 11/09/09

A New Look for the Public Library’s Lion Logo
The New York Public Library has redesigned their logo to be more online friendly – to generate media coverage for the new design, the library released a viral video explaining the thought process behind the change
Source: The New York Times Online, 11/09/09

ElfYourself Returns With New Features
Office Max’s Elf Yourself is back with new features for the 2009 holiday season – users can select pictures from Facebook to put on up to five elves in one of five different routines as well as the option to put your elves on mugs and other novelty gifts; check it out http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/vqO7zMFsTGCFnxsTIrdu
Source: USA Today – Pop Candy, 11/11/09

Discovery Channel – The World is Just Awesome
The Discovery Channel is asking viewers to create their own version of the new “The World is Just Awesome” commercial, which features Discovery Channel stars singing praises to the earth; the original version of the commercial, "Discovery Channel: I Love the World", won numerous awards, as well as generating more than 4 million views on YouTube
Source: YouTube.com, 11/05/09

'Rocky' Fans Storm Philly - Were You There?
To promote the release of “Rocky: The Undisputed Collection” on Blu-ray and DVD, local radio show host Danny Bonaduce led a parade of 1,000 robed Rocky fans through the streets of Philadelphia to the infamous “Rocky” steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Source: USA Today – Pop Candy, 11/09/09

Samsung Mobile Explorers
Samsung is challenging phone-wielding adventurers to become “Samsung Mobile Explorers” – a new viral video campaign released by the phone company features bystanders catching amazing events on their video phones while watching athletes train for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
Source: Adverblog, 11/09/09

Slow Work Day? Roll Out the Slip and Slide
Austin agency nFusion has created a viral video of a “slow day” at the office, featuring employees playing on a giant slip and slide to create some buzz for the company
Source: AdRants, 11/10/09

The Netflix for Designer Dresses
Stay fashionable without breaking the bank – Rent the Runway is a new online store which allows women to borrow designer dresses and return them via mail when they are done
Source: Adweek, 11/05/09

The Gap Cheer Factory
The Gap “Cheer Factory” allows users to create a personalized cheer e-card to share with others; check out the TV spot cheers at www.facebook.com/gap
Source: Gap.com, 11/13/09

CHECK IT OUT
The dancing Filipino inmates are back with a brand new routine; the original Filipino Prison dance video of Michael Jackson’s "Thriller", posted in July 2007, generated more than 35 million views

Source: Buzzfeed.com, 11/05/09

An Application to Help Scrub Those Regrettable Photos From Facebook
Wisk clothing detergent brand has created Wisk-it, a Facebook application which allows users to remove unflattering photos that friends have posted – the user selects tagged photos they would like to remove and Wisk-it sends a request to the poster asking them to pull the bad photos
Source: The New York Times, 11/01/09

Vegemite Contest Draws Protests
Earlier this year, Kraft Foods Australia launched a contest asking consumers to re-name spread Vegemite; they received 50,000 entries, resulting in the new name iSnack 2.0 which generated a strong negative reaction in the online community – four days after the iSnack 2.0 launch, the brand announced that they would hold another contest to determine the product’s new name by providing the public with six names to choose from, resulting in the name Cheesybite; the controversy translated into a 47% increase in sales for iSnack 2.0
Source: The New York Times, 11/02/09

Agency Wants to Get Drunk With Prospects
Ad Agency Northlich has created a Vodka Ad Generator, an online application which allows users to create their own alcohol ad by answering five questions about their made-up vodka
Source: AdRANTS, 11/03/09

Consider the Pothole
Artists Davide Luciano and Claudia Ficca have created a photo project called My Potholes, an online collection of photos showing people using potholes for daily activities like eating and doing laundry
Source: NBC New York, 11/03/09

Weezer and Snuggie Warm Up to Each Other
Rock band Weezer has partnered with Snuggie (the ‘As Seen on TV’ blanket with sleeves) to launch their newest CD, Raditude; fans can purchase the Weezer Snuggie, which comes with the CD, for $29.99 – promotion for the partnership includes a viral video of Weezer band members in a Snuggie infomercial
Source: AdFreak, 11/04/09

Finders Keepers
Soho furniture retailer BluDot has created the Real Good Chair Experiment – based on the “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” theory, GPS-enabled chairs were placed all over NYC, free to anyone who found them; BluDot plans to use the data collected from the chairs to create a documentary about the chairs’ voyage, which can also be tracked through the company’s Web site
Source: MetropolisMag, 11/04/09

What the Socialsphere Really Thinks About You
Social Mention is a new analytic tool which provides data on how a keyword (brand, name, product) is viewed in the socialsphere including passion, reach and online mentions
Source: Brandflakes for Breakfast, 11/05/09

Trivial Pursuit Ponders which Sex is Smarter
A new campaign for Trivial Pursuit taps into the oldest rivalry in history, the battle of the sexes – the campaign includes an online video featuring men and women doing stupid things and a microsite, TrivialPursuitExperiment.com, where users can log in and try to prove that they are the smarter sex by answering trivia questions
Source: Adweek, 11/05/09

When Should Xmas-Shopping Ads Begin?
AdWeek recently held a poll on when it was appropriate to start holiday campaigns:

• 8 percent felt holiday campaigns should start after Labor Day


• 42 percent felt holiday campaigns should start after Halloween


• 35 percent felt holiday campaigns should start after Thanksgiving


• 12 percent replied “never"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
KXVO-TV (CW; Omaha, NE) Pumpkin Dance!!! Yes, this was broadcast on the news. Enjoy!
Source: KXVO-TV (CW; Omaha, NE), 10/30/09

Nerds Spend $2,000 and Two Years on iPhone Halloween Outfits
Two Apple fans have created working iPhone costumes – the wearable iPhones weigh 85 lbs and took two years and $2,000 to build
Source: BrandFreak, 10/29/09

Burger King: BK Dollar Menu Banner
A new banner ad by Burger King utilizes webcams to promote their dollar menu – after clicking on the ad, users are brought to a microsite where by holding up a dollar they can see what menu items are available; the application will also allow users to transform themselves into The King
Source: Creativity, 10/29/09

Food Bloggers Cook Up Big Business
Food bloggers are the "pièce de résistance" for marketers, who are creating special events with foodies in mind – for example, Club Med is hosting "Food Blogger Camp by Club Med ," a week-long network where foodie bloggers and food writers can meet and network, and big-name wine companies are sponsoring events such as the Wine Bloggers’ Conference; not everyone is thrilled about the increase in food blogs, in the post “How Food Blogs Led to the Demise of 'Gourmet',” Newsweek’s Jennie Yabroff claims that the closing of Gourmet was partially the result of food enthusiasts switching from print to the blogosphere
Source: Marketing Vox, 10/23/09

Chipotle Continuing Green Push with Solar Panels at 75 Locations
As a part of its "Food with Integrity" campaign, Chipotle is installing solar panels on top of 75 restaurants in an effort to be “green” – the supplier of the panels has estimated that the panels will eliminate 41 million pounds of CO2 emissions
Source: BrandFreak, 10/26/09

Russell Athletic 80’s-IZER
The Russell Athletic 80’s-IZER allows users to insert their photo into one of four 80’s video sequences to create a back-to-the-80’s video, featuring Russell Athletic gear; users can share their videos via a variety of social media outlets
Source: Russell Athletic

A Campaign for Clothes by a Guy Not Wearing Any
In September, a number of popular blogs including Gawker, The Huffington Post and Gothamist, and CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” reported on sightings of “the world’s fastest nudist” – an unidentified man seen running through NYC in running shoes, socks and a fanny pack; the nudist turned out to be an actor creating viral videos for online store Zappos.com, and was not intended to be picked up by media
Source: New York Times, 10/28/09

Improv Everywhere Grocery Store Musical Pimps Trident Gum
Improvisation group Improv Everywhere has released their latest stunt, a grocery store musical about squishing fruit together – production was sponsored by Trident Layers Gum; the video has been viewed close to one million times since being posted on 10/20 and was aired on CNN
Source: AdRants, 10/28/09

Rockport Returns to NYC Marathon
Andy Baldwin of “The Bachelor” will be running the New York Marathon in Rockport’s new line of DressSport dress shoes; Rockport will release 500 pairs of limited edition marathon DressSports which will benefit the ING Run For Something Better program
Source: WWD.com, 10/28/09

Fox Builds Record-Breaking Ice Squirrel for 'Ice Age' DVD Release
To launch the DVD release of “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” Twentieth Century Fox created a 133,000 lb., 48-foot-8-inch ice sculpture of Scrat, a prehistoric squirrel from the movie – the sculpture took four days to create and broke the Guinness Book World Records for largest ice sculpture
Source: Brandfreak, 10/29/09

Movember is Coming. Is Your Upper Lip Ready?
The “Movember” campaign is asking men to grow moustaches in November to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer – to participate, ‘stache-growing men (and women who support the cause) must visit the Movember Web site and enter and donate; month end competition/parties will be held around the globe for participants to dress up and show off their ‘stache
Source: USA Today, 10/29/09

Nike 6.0 Team Takes Tunnel Jam
To promote Nike 6.0, a line of shoes and apparel for alternative sports, the brand built an underground BMX course in an abandoned tunnel in England; following the launch event, Nike turned the tunnel over to local bikers
Source: ESPN, 10/05/09

Your Charlie Brown-esque head could win you prizes
Legendary comic strip Peanuts is holding a look-a-like contest – fans are encouraged to send in a picture where they look like one of the characters to be judged by Jill Schultz, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Jo Frost; prizes include a family trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park and Peanuts merchandise   
Source: USA Today – Pop Candy, 10/19/09

#BeatCancer Sets Guinness World Record, Raises Over $70,000
The Guinness World Record for most social media mentions in a single day was broken last week by the #BeatCancer Campaign, which generated 209,771 online mentions in 24 hours; the campaign also raised $70,000 in donations from financial sponsors [eBay/PayPal and MillerCoors donated 1 cent for every tweet, Facebook status update, or blog post containing the #beatcancer hashtag]
Source: Mashable.com, 10/19/09

Create a 'Simpsons' character -- and it may get on the show
Ever dream of hanging with Homer? The creators of The Simpsons are asking fans to create their own character for the show – the coolest character’s creator will be flown to L.A. to help design the animation, which will be featured in the January 31 episode along with Coldplay’s Chris Martin
Source: USA Today – Pop Candy, 10/20/09

How to save your reputation from an online onslaught
A recent article in The Financial Times lists ways to survive a social media crisis; tips include acting quickly, utilizing traditional and non-traditional (social) media and setting up an internal communication plan prior to a crisis (login required)
Source: The Financial Times Online, 10/16/09

Coca-Cola campaign sends 3 bloggers around world
To promote the “Open Happiness” campaign, Coca-Cola is sending three bloggers to 206 countries – the three participants, chosen through online vote, will blog, tweet  and post while traveling the world, meeting new people, attending major events (like the Winter Olympics) and sharing the love of Coca-Cola
Source: Associated Press via Forbes, 10/21/09

Celebrate the Windows 7 launch with a 5-inch-tall Whopper
To celebrate “Windows 7 day,” the launch of the newest Microsoft operating system, Burger King restaurants in Japan sold “Windows 7 Whoppers” – a regular Whopper sandwich with 7 patties and a $17 price tag; in the US, the launch was celebrated in a more “animal friendly” way with midnight store openings
Source: Gadling, 10/22/09

P&G looking for bathroom bloggers
Charmin is looking for five TP lovers to spend five weeks in a Charmin branded bathroom and share their “experience” with others – requirements for the $10,000 position include greeting thousands of bathroom guests, posting on the “Enjoy the Go ” Charmin-branded Web site and social media sites and sharing family-friendly video; to auditions for the position will take place on November 5 at the New York Hilton
Source: Business Courier of Cincinnati, 10/22/09

Mom not pulling her weight? Just get another one, from Kleenex
Kleenex has launched a new microsite, Get Mommed, which allows users to pick a new “Mom” to take care of them and offer helpful advice during the cold and flu season; users can visit the Get Mommed website and take a quiz to see which virtual “mom” would be their best match – login is required to participate
Source: Brandfreak, 10/22/09

Google, Microsoft's Bing to Include Twitter in Search
Announced Wednesday, Twitter posts will now be included in Google and Microsoft Bing search results
Source: Advertising Age Online, 10/22/09

Your online photos could be product placements
Udorse is a “visual endorsement engine” which allows users to “endorse” products in their uploaded photos by adding tags that link to the product’s website – users will receive money (approximately $5 -$10 per month) for each person who clicks through to the product site; tagged products must be one of Udorse’s partners to receive compensation
Source: MSNBC Online, 10/08/09

Green walls taking root in green building design
PNC Bank has installed a living billboard on the side of their headquarters in Pittsburgh – the “green wall” is made up of 15,000+ plants arranged to look like the PNC Logo; according to the bank, their 2,400 sq ft installment is the largest in North America and will help to remove pollutants from the surrounding air
Source: Associated Press via Yahoo! News, 10/12/09

Why Email No Longer Rules…
According to The Wall Street Journal, e-mail is “over” and the future of communication is in social media; the article attributes the change to the consumer’s ability to access the internet – when access revolved around logging on, e-mail was the best way to receive information, but now that users are connected 24/7, the speed of social networks is more ideal for instant communication
Source: The Wall Street Journal Online, 10/12/09

FedEx drop-off boxes would love to chat with you about Nascar
FedEx wants you to know they are fast and they have enlisted the help of Nascar’s Denny Hamlin to spread the word – 700+ FedEx drop boxes have been enhanced with a sound chip that share a special message from Hamlin when opened
Source: BrandFreak, 10/13/09

Kellogg's will use laser to burn logo on to individual corn flakes to stamp out fakes
In an effort to set themselves apart from store-brand corn flake cereals, Kellogg’s has announced that they will laser print their logo on each individual flake of their Corn Flakes cereal
Source: Daily Mail Online (UK), 10/13/09

Seth Green isn't angry -- but how do his fans feel?
A “behind the scenes” video released this week revealed an angry Seth Green flipping a table over a stolen Butterfinger bar; the freak-out was revealed as a fake by Butterfinger, who created it as part of a new viral campaign, housed at www.DudeWheresMyBar.com
Source: USA Today – Pop Candy, 10/14/09

Schwan's will do everything but spoon the food into your mouth
Schwan’s, a home-food-delivery service is giving away free sample meals as a part of their “Let’s stick a fork in the recession,” campaign – the first 500,000 new customers to visit their site can choose one of their ready-made meals, priced at a wallet-friendly $10 or less
Source: Brandfreak, 10/14/09

Wild Things invade NYC in celebration of the Warner Bros. movie
NYC & Company has launched “Wild Thing Week” in New York City to celebrate
the new movie Where the Wild Things Are – special events throughout the week included exhibits, celebrity appearances and the renaming of Greenwich Ave
and Christopher Street, which were changed to Maurice Sendak Way and Wild Things Way
Source: Brandfreak, 10/15/09

Twitter in the wine business for charity
Twitter has partnered with Crushpad, an amateur wine producer, to create its own wine – part of the proceeds of the Twitter branded Pinot Nior and Chardonnay will go to Room to Read, a non-profit that promotes child literacy in third-world countries; to get involved with the campaign, dubbed the Fledgling Initiative, follow @fledgling
Source: Wine Brands, 10/16/09

Massive paint fight for Samsung Corby
A 200-person giant paint fight was staged in Sao Paulo to launch the Samsung Corby S3650 phone – the 40 minute brawl used 2,000 liters of paint and took 12 fire trucks 3 days to clean up
Source: USA Today – Pop Candy, 10/16/09