"zero proof moonshine" According to Brandweek, extreme is so not. Mountain Dew is undergoing an extreme makeover, scrapping its 13-year-old "Do the Dew" theme and dumping its "extreme" positioning, which many now consider tired. Frank Cooper, vp-marketing put in charge of the PepsiCo brand less than a year ago, is leading the charge, challenging the company's agencies and consultants to come up with a new plan, per …
There’s A New Blog On The Communications Block
Conscious Media Maker is a blog for entertainment, media, advertising and public relations professionals who are committed to bringing about more realistic, three-dimensional representations of people of color. [HAT TIP to High Jive] …
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Yahoo Bets On “The 9”
LA Times looks at Yahoo's Media Group in Santa Monica and their search for DIY video talent. "The 9," an online show that features sites and videos from across the Web, has become a quiet hit for Yahoo since it launched in July. As many as 6 million viewers a month watch host Maria Sansone's rundown of nine wacky sites, then click away to photos of yawning rabbits, YouTube videos of slow-motion face slaps and …
10 Shares And You’re A Millionaire
USA Today reports on another milestone for The Oracle of Omaha. For $100,000, you can buy a high-performance Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG coupe, a 74-day round-the-world cruise in a Royal Suite on the Queen Mary 2 — or one share of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) stock. The price of a share of Warren Buffett's company Monday became the first stock to ever close at the six-digit mark at $100,000, says Ned Davis Research. No …
North Korea Ain’t Trying To Hear That
This is a picture from space of a country that does not allow its citizens to go online. A glimpse into a black hole, courtesy of The New York Times: [T]he stark realities of life in North Korea were perhaps most evident in a simple satellite image over the shoulder of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during an Oct. 11 briefing. The image showed the two Koreas — North and South — photographed at night. The South …
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From A Land Down Under, Where Women Glow And Men Plunder
Aussie expats living in America are bumming. According to NEWS.com.au, the island-nation's favorite spread will no longer be available for purchase in the U.S. The US has banned Vegemite, even to the point of searching Australians for jars of the spread when they enter the country. The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite has been deemed illegal under US food laws. The great Aussie icon - faithfully …
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Wave Your New Credit Card And Wave Your Money Goodbye
Somewhere, right this minute, some ad agency people are working on a credit card or retail store account creating ads touting the benefits of new credit cards that you don't have to swipe through a machine. Here's hoping they don't sucker too many people into believing that these are secure transactions. From The New York Times: The card companies have implied through their marketing that the data is encrypted to …
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Why It’s Not Rocky VI
The new Rocky movie is called "Rocky Balboa," not Rocky VI, for a reason. Of course, the Rocky character has been resurrected so many times now that the story is absurd, but the marketing behind it is interesting, if only as another example (as if one were needed) of how everything we consume is elaborately constructed to maximize profit. The New York Times explains how best to name sequels: Movie audiences prefer …
