Buzz Worthy
Archive for February, 2010
Tweet for Obama, Tweet for the World
01210 days
by Brandon
in Promotional Items
Why do we tweet?
We tweet to connect. We tweet to make friends. We tweet to reach masses. We tweet to have fun.
We tweet for our friends. We tweet for our employees. We tweet for ourselves. We tweet for each other.
We tweet to find answers. We tweet to share answers. We tweet to gain knowledge. We tweet to share jokes.
Inspired by one of the top twitter users around, @GuyKawasaki and created by @ngonews, this awesome “Profiles of a Twitter User” helps to catogorize the most present Twitter personalities around. Click to enlarge and check out the spot-on descriptions. Where do you fit in? I think I’d classify myself as a NewBraVen. haha
Profile of a Twitter User Created By @ngonews
Now that you know where you stand in Tweetdom let me offer you a special spot on Twitter. No matter if it’s a personal account or a company account, we tweet. And we tweet well. So why not tweet for the President of the United States of America?
President Obama’s current social networks manager will be stepping down, leaving an opening for a Tweet happy, Facebook fluent, MySpace savvy individual. Is that you?
Obama Tweets
You can apply for the position with this Social Networks Manager Application. The qualifications are as followed:
- Excellent writing and editing skills with strong attention to detail; your writing is strong, sharp, and personable
- Strong organizing and campaigning instincts; you can craft messages that move people to act, and you know what actions will achieve the right impact at the right time
- Strong familiarity with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.
- Ready to work hard; this isn’t a 9-5 sort of job
- Ability to work under deadline pressure
- Ability to manage multiple complex projects
- Passionate about engaging millions of Americans in advancing President Obama’s agenda and changing the country
- Candidates must be willing to relocate to Washington, DC
(Qualifications original source Organizing for America.)
This is certainly a buzz happy opportunity. You can really break down the walls between President and citizens by taking charge of the @BarackObama account. Essentially, you’ll create a bold brand out of the Presidency, leading to greater support for our country and special place in White House interweb.
While you’re researching the @BarackObama account, get buzzed with me @PromoItemsBuzz !
What Google will do for You
01210 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
Google landed the 7th spot in the Best Global Brands of 2009. In honor of the branding super powers 25% climb up the list, I’m going to share the top 3 things that Google will do for you.
1) Google will hook you up On-the-Go without a Smart Phone.
Almost 50% of all phones sold in 2000 were smartphones, but I’m holding on to my standard cell phone. You may think life can’t go on without your smartphone, but I’ve got a secret to share. You can get many of the same perks a smartphone has by using Google SMS.
- Google SMS
I use Google SMS a few times every week and in some cases, daily. Among its many features, you can get directions, sports scores and updates, movie times, weather forecasts, product details and flight information. For a complete list of Google SMS features check out the Google SMS Interactive Demo.
Using Google SMS is a breeze. Just type in the information you’d like and send it to GOOGLE (466453). That six digit number has gotten me home from Brooklyn at 3 a.m., has prepared me for an unexpected snow storm and has even directed me to the closest gas station when I was tiptoeing on empty.
I feel that Google SMS gives me all of the special features a smartphone has without distracting me. Applications are offered on phones to make life easier, however, many of them seem to take away from life. With Google SMS, I get the information I need when I need it, without the temptation of updating my twitter or searching the web.
Google Earth Flight Simulator
2) Google will give you a Pilots License and send you Soaring.
When Google Earth was first launched, people worldwide were mesmerized. Satellightes allow you to zero in on your actual home. I’ve enjoyed searching addresses and finding hot spots like Disney World and Mount Rushmore. However, not until I discovered the Google Earth Flight Simulator did I get the full affect.For a full list of commands for your personal flight around the world, check out Google’s Flight Simulator Keyboard Controls. Getting into the pilot seat is simple. Just press Ctrl + Alt + A on a PC or + Option + A on a Mac. This will send you into flight mode and allow you to create your own course. Increase thrust, tip the nose down and even come down for a landing. This is an amazing feature on Google Earth and I suggest you fly high right now.
3) Google will pay you $20 Million.
The last two things that Google will do for you, required only the click of a few keys. However, as generous as Google is, they won’t be giving you $20 million for a text message or flight around the world. In 2007, at the NextFest in Los Angelos, Google announced a contest in partnership with the X Prize Foundation. The, Google Lunar X Prize will be rewarded to the first team that created a robot that will land on the moon.
Google Lunar X Prize
Google Co-Founder, Sergery Brin said, “Companies today spend more on stadiums and sailboat races than we will spend on this. Expanding science and technology is a far better way to reflect Google’s values.”The robot must be able to launch, navigate 500 yards once on the surface of the moon, and send high-definition images back to Earth. Competitors have up to 2015 to complete the task. Good luck!
The Best and Boldests Brands
01212 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
Popular brand names like Google and Disney didn’t find fame over night. Through advertisements, commercials, product placement and endorsements, their dedication to branding is evident. Earlier this year, Interbrand compiled a list of the Best Global Brands 2009. The top ten brands of 2009 are:
The Disney Logo
10. Disney
9. Intel
8. Toyota
7. Google
6. McDonalds
5. Nokia
4. GE
3. Microsoft
2. IBM
1. CocaCola
Google Homepage Logo
The top five saw no change at all since 2008s rankings but Google did make a 3 spot jump forward while Toyota took two steps back. Google’s growth, especially over the last year had led many people to ask, “Is Google taking over the world?” It might just be.
Their smart branding welcomes users and the Google logo is an inescapable image. Their smart Google bar image is specially customized depending on special occasions, current events and historical events. While they alter the logo, the coveted Google logo maintains the same strength. In fact, with each unique design, users are able to relate to the logo and Google in effect gains greater notability.
Google Hompage Logo Olympics
On the other hand, Toyota has been having a fairly catastrophic year thus far. Today, James Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales in the U.S. issued an apology to Toyota customers saying, “In recent months, we have not lived up to the high standards our customers and the public have come to expect from Toyota. Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our good faith efforts.” There drop from spot 6 to spot 8 showed their struggles and with over 8.5 million vehicles recalled globally in recent months, they might slip even further away from the number one spot.
CocaCola Logo
As for the number one spot…who can argue with CocaCola? They’re signature logo was created when the famous concoction came into being in 1886. Businessman Asa Griggs Candler bought the rights to the business for $2,300 and became the company’s first president. The company remained the world’s number one brand with an approximant worth of $67 billion. A couple grand to 67 billion? Now that is brilliant branding.
Celebrity Endorsements
21215 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
Love them or hate them, celebrity endorsements help to popularize products and services. My face on a cereal box might look lovely in you kitchen cupboard, but who wants a bowl of Jenn-Os? I’m sure you’d much rather a Daytona 500 star telling you to eat those Wheaties. And “telling you what to do” is exactly what celebrity endorsers are paid to do.
First on my list, is the golf star Tiger Woods. If you’ve been watching the news lately you may prefer if I call him the cheater. But even after countless admitted affairs, a leave of absence from the sport he dominates and the break up of his marriage, he’s still one of the most popular celebrity endorser. Tiger brings in around $110 million a year through endorsement spots with companies including Gatorade, Gillet, Pepsi and most notably Nike.
Right...like "seeing less" women on the side.
After a six year relationship with Tiger, Accenture a global consulting company dropped his advertisements due to his negative news hype. However, big timers Nike stated, “Tiger has been part of Nike for more than a decade. He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era. We look forward to his return to golf. “He and his family have Nike’s full support.”
It’s hard to tell if Nike is being compassionate to a long time endorser of theirs in expectance of a successful return to golf or if they’ve put too much money into his recent campaigns to pull them and re-advertise. Tiger’s friend, famous tennis star Roger Federer said, “The tabloids are going crazy, sponsor contracts are falling apart. … I’ve always been aware that the image you patiently construct for an entire career can be ruined in a minute,” Federer said. “It scares you a bit, but that’s the way things are.” Either way, Tiger Woods is, was and will remain one of the greatest celebrity endorsers world-wide.
Catherine Zeta-Jones for T-Mobile
Catherine Zeta-Jones also makes my list because of her charisma and effective advertising with T-Mobile. It’s important to choose a celebrity that can relate to your brand, and after paying her a whooping $20 million for her 2006 T-Mobile commercials they invited her back saying, “T-Mobile [We] never got over her. She has tremendous credibility as a spokesperson for T-Mobile. Catherine brings that extra oomph of branding.”
Fabio's gets a nice dye job and some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.
This next celebrity has been added to my list just so that you can reminisce of the time he went on a roller coaster and a bird collided with his head. Oh no, those lovely blonde locks are all bloody! Thankfully Fabio wasn’t filming a commercial for Busch Gardens on that day. However for 11 years, Fabio was the spokesperson for “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.” I feel as though he may have been a better candidate for a hair care products. “I Can’t Believe It’s Not a Wig!”
Super model Fabio collides with a bird while on the Apollo's Chariot roller coasters at Busch Gardens
Finally, and equally as corny as Fabio is the celebrity endorser extraordinaire, William Shatner. Since 2006, he’s been the face of Priceline.com. No one parodies themselves better than Captain Kirk himself. Not to mention, I really dig his song Common People.
William Shatner shows off his kung fu for Priceline.com.
Did I miss your favorite celebrity endorser? Tell me about them!
Sounds of Success:Promotional Music Trends
01218 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
I remember the first song I fell in love with. I was sitting in my older brother’s room and watching MTV as the video for “I don’t want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith flashed scenes from Armageddon. I’d loved songs before…but at the age of ten, hearing that song made me want to own it. There was something about going to the CD store, glancing through the A’s and peeling the tricky plastic off of the CD that really intrigued me.
In fact, throughout the years, I have the same appreciation for CDs. While the music industry has changed lanes to MP3s, nothing can take away the tradition of putting in a CD, pressing play and singing along with the included lyrics. It’s magical.
Compact Disc
However, with music pirating and alternate music sources on the rise, the production of CDs is rapidly decreasing. So how can we bring back the age of CD Discman? With promotions of course. By rewarding loyal CD buyers with promotional shirt and customized bumper stickers, the allegiance to compact discs can increase. Still, with iPods taking over, it’s safe to say that even promotional items can’t bring them back to stardom.
Cue current awesome music giveaways.
Now, record labels are turning to social media to garner the attention of music lovers and prevent them from downloading illegally. The Denver Post Music Critic, Ricardo Baco recently released some of the best names on Twitter to follow for free music downloads and tickets.
Check out:
twitter.com/livenationco for free tickets to shows and concerts.
twitter.com/amazonmp3 for main stream music daily deals and free songs.
twitter.com/gigbot for indie artist ticket contests.
A Cake Fan poses with the peach tree she won at a concert in 2008.
Now get a taste of some of the sweetest band promotions I’ve seen. At a concert last year in Maine, the band Cake gave an audience member a tree. Some got an apple tree, others got a peach tree. There have even been spruce trees and cherry trees. They use this concept to promote eco-friendliness and fan appreciation. Check out their collection of tree photos submitted by their fans at the official Cake Tree Gallery.
In an effort to raise funds fo Haiti, the Dave Matthews Band has released a 5 track CD including all unreleased tracks. For just 5 bucks, all the funds go to Haiti and you get a cool promo CD to groove along with.
Dave Matthews Haiti Relief Project CD
For a more electrifying giveaway, check out Lady GaGa’s, “Just Dance” hit. In 2008 these USB powered mini dance pads were mailed out. You stick your fingers through the paper cut out of Lady GaGa and let the finger dancing begin. Get it? Just Dance.
Lady GaGa Just Dance Promotion
Have you seen any great music promotions? Send the sweet tunes my way.
DC Comics Presents, Megan Fox’s Bust
01219 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
DC Comics has securely fastened a place in promotional products history. They first lured us in with their Brightest Day ring promotion, and after tying the knot, they’re offering us all the sweet body of Megan Fox.
Sex Robot Roxxxy
However, unlike the new sex robot Roxxxy, Megans body will not be re-positionable. Her legless bust may make it into some people’s beds, but it won’t be performing any acrobatics. In fact, Megan Fox’s bust was created purely for display purposes. Her upcoming film, comic come to life, Jonah Hex, has created busts of her in character as Leila and Josh Brolin in character as Jonah Hex.
Megan Fox Leila Jonah Hex Bust
The elaborate promotional items were revealed at the New York Toy Fair last week and created a buzz. Comics Alliance is showcasing photographs of the gun-totting prostitute Leila and scared face Jonah and hopes they help create a great buzz about the new flick. It hits theaters June 18th but you can give Jonah an
d Leila a test ride before its release with either of these out-of-the-box promotions.
- Josh Brolin Bust of Main Charachter Jonah Hex
Hot Promotional Items at the 2010 Winter Olympics
11222 days
by Brandon
in Promotional Items
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Vancouver winter games begin tonight as the most talented athletes from each nation parade into the opening ceremony. The infamous Olympic torch is officially on its 106th day of its relay, which will end once the cauldron is lit tonight. Earlier today, Arnold Schwarzenegger ran with the torch as well as a mix of athletes from across the world. Vancouver local, Cynthia Langan said, “I live in Vancouver, so I am very proud of our city. It is nice to see the different people and cultures coming together.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Vancouver with the Olympic Torch
Though I didn’t see Cynthia Langan, I can take a guess that she was wearing the official 2010 Winter Olympics red mittens. Because as of December 16th, 1 in every 34 Canadians was wearing the maple leaf heart imprinted gloves. In total, more than a million pairs of gloves were sold before 2010 even leapt into action.
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Red Mittens
Olympics and global sourcing vice-president, Mark Kinnin said, “We’ve also seen remarkable sales of our official 2010 Canadian Olympic Team apparel. It’s wonderful to see Canadians excited about the Games, our athletes and showing pride in their country.”
Unfortunately, there have already been impersonators in the room. Like with all retail items in high demand, fakes have been made. This awesome image from the official Vancouver 2010 Olympics depicts real fans in the Olympic spirit sporting official merchandise; however, their stale friend is in rip-off Olympic gear.
2010 Vancouver Olympics Rip-Off Merchandise
The Promotional Products Association International also added in their two cents about promotional Olympic products. “As a spectator, whether you are viewing the games at home or in person, promotional products are among the first things you notice,” said PPAI board chair, Sherri Lennarson. “Apparel and souvenirs with the iconic rings, host city logos and designs from participating countries help create the sense of team spirit and unity associated with the Olympic Games.”
Check out my favorite promotional picks for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Get them all at the official Olympic Store. What are your favorites?
2010 Winter Olympics Silver Maple Charm
This beautiful charm is shaped like a maple leaf, signature to Canada and includes the unique 2010 Vancoucer Olympics logo.
Mario and Sonic Olympic Winter Games for Wii
This fantastic Olympic inspired Wii game would be a ton of fun between major events.
Olympic Robson glass
Lastly, I include this cool Olympic logo imprinted glass. Something about it really puts me in the mood for a cocktail and some figure skating.
Sweet Ad Treats: Food Inspired Items
01223 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
Rid your mind of dirty thoughts and hold the applause; You look good enough to eat. It’s just a cheeky cliché. But it’s just what I’m thinking about these food inspired items. Call them creative, call them brand effective, but after a taste test I can attest, you cannot call them delicious.
Like the saying goes, these food-tacular designs, “look” good enough to eat. So does Keifer Sutherland- but that doesn’t mean I’m whipping out a fork and knife. Still, step right up to the Restartante Promo Buzz- we promise you’ll leave here with the flavors of branding success on your tongue. Just try to keep your mouth shut, we wouldn’t want any drool getting on the promotional products and advertisements.
Food Inspired Sneakers - Air Jordan Retro Oreo
The latest in tasty items to date are the 2010 Jordan VI Retro “Oreo” Nike sneakers. This new installment to the Jordan family of kicks is inspired by everyone’s favorite sandwich cookie, Oreos. They are available for pre-sale at Oqium Rotterdam and guarantee a slam dunk every time. Hell, these retro Oreo sneakers are even great when dunked in milk (If you don’t mind the rubber and plastic aftertaste.)
Food Inspired Cars - Watermelon VW Beetle
If you’re looking for a healthier menu item, check out the watermelon VW Beetle. Studies suggest that blemished watermelons can be used to create bio-fuel as an environmentally friendly alternative to other fuels. Manufacturing a whole line of these vehicles could give new meaning to the phrase, “local farming.” With watermelon cars leaving their seeds along roads everywhere, watermelons might just become the United State’s largest grossing crop.
Food Inspired Fashion: Hershey Dress
Confident that a healthier lifestyle will be adopted by Americans after the boom in watermelon productions, we can all treat ourselves to some chocolaty fashion goodness. You may remember this dress from Project Runway in 2008. It was auctioned off with funds donated to the Young Survivor Coalition, a non-profit breast cancer survivors group.
This dress design created a buzz on television and was able to garner attention and funds for an striving organization. It’s buzz worthy branding like this that excited me about marketing. Now as you oogle the images above, I’m going to go make myself a snack…this laptop is beginning to look, “good enough to eat.”
Extreme Snow Branding: Your Logo in the Snow
01225 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
- The World’s Largest Snow(wo)man was built in Bethel, Maine 2008. Standing at 122 feet it represented Maine senator woman Olympia Snowe.
I’ve seen my fair share of snow art. Three years ago when the largest snowman (that was actually a snowwoman) was built, I visited the avalanche sized masterpiece in Maine. Even wise cracking college kids shared their “creative talent” with me by forming fairly offensive images around my old campus. And on a recent visit to an awesome ice bar in Las Vegas, I was exposed to the brilliance and intricacies of ice sculptures.
But today, in honor of our Long Island blizzard warning, I began a search for even more impressive snow art- in particular snow branding. In only moments, Curb, a creative media solutions agency in London, buried me with snow logo innovations.
The Extreme logo on the streets of London.
During the first week of February, London was hit with a blanket of snow. Schools were shut down for the day, businesses lacked their usual bustle and from Big Ben and below, the snow continued to fall.
While some enjoyed this snow day in true fashion, with hot chocolate and a warm blanket, employees of Curb had alternate plans. They created a never before seen devise, molded with the logo for Extreme, a sports channel and high energy lifestyle brand and put it to work. They trekked by the kids building snowmen and skated by the beastly snow plows, leaving their mark with every opportunity available. The snow shaping press and release gadget branded everything from sidewalks to the side’s of buildings with the Extreme logo.
Curb uses snow branding for television station, Extreme.
One of Curb’s adventurous snow branders, Anthony Ganjou said, “We were thrilled for Extreme to give us the go-ahead so quickly…this has NEVER been done in London before… So our team quickly hit the streets. By midday we had covered central London with the Extreme brand and had also turned a lot of heads. The feedback from people we saw in the streets was really positive. They thought it was fun and clever.”
The Extreme logo on a London Mail Box.
This incredible marketing strategy left Extreme logos on over 350 locations throughout the London area and did a great job of representing the “extreme” company. Known for their high energy lifestyle branding, this “snow-tagging” fit perfectly into their campaign. While the snow logo only lasts as long as the sun stays away, this innovative snow branding left a lasting impression on the people of London. With many people home because of the weather, Extreme increased their viewer ship even further and showed me that snow branding is a thing of the future.
If this interested you, stayed tuned because this snow branding has got me interesting in sand branding. Next stop, the sandy, sunny shores! Right after I shovel my car out of the parking lot…
Creative Branding: Super Bowl Ads & Ikea’s Super Swap
01226 days
by Jenn
in Promotional Items
- MTV Logo
What do you think of when I say, branding success? Are you singing along to your favorite tunes while picturing MTV’s thirty year old logo? Do you crave a burger after imagining McDonald’s golden arches? Perhaps you think of the Olympics nation-uniting eight rings- while you crunch down on that fresh snow with your skis.
- McDonalds Logo
- Olympics Logo
These logos were designed throughout time with much consideration to the specific company and their prospective clients. You don’t find success in branding by being boring. In fact, if we think back to last Sunday, we can revisit the Super Bowl advertisements that were anything but boring. Businesses like Doritos, GoDaddy and Dodge racked up the big bucks and used creative advertising to make their logo’s stand out. Shock collars, talking babies and powerful writing helped to make certain brands stand out from the lackluster others.
- Doritos Shock Collar Ad
Companies shook off 3 million dollars for their 30 second commercial slots during the Super Bowl this year. Three million dollars. Of course, this is all the more cost effective being that the Super Bowl is the most watched program in the United States. However, it’s got me wondering about the other guys. The businesses that don’t want to throw 3 million dollars up in the air and hope it comes back. For these businesses, more than just creative direction is needed. Thankfully, the Swedish furniture company, Ikea has shown me how to achieve branding success without a multi-million dollar time slot during the Super Bowl. We will call their latest branding idea, the Super Swap.
- Ikeas Swedish-Swap
Today, in Amsterdam, Ikea is welcoming locals to a new age flea market, where sustainability and design meet. 250 people were invited to the store with their old, unwanted furniture. Participants in the furniture swap are asked to evaluate their furniture, making sure that it’s still in working condition. To compliment the hand-me-down furniture, Ikea’s throwing in over $15,000 of their own furniture as well. Now guests can choose from a wide selection for free, while feeling good about their decision to recycle their own furniture.
By creating a buzz worthy event, Ikea has shown us what branding success looks like. They’ve worked to excite people about their business and are making people aware of eco-friendly incentives at the same time. While a 30 second clip of Ikea’s fashionable furniture during the Super Bowl would’ve been a great intro to The Who’s light show of a performance, I think they’d rather dish out 15 grand and enjoy the birth of a new way of shopping. As the event unfolds I hope to scope out some pictures so keep your eyes peeled. And always be on the lookout for innovative branding.