The Spin Within

I normally try to keep my blog pretty PG rated, but this story just really couldn’t be ignored so I apologize in advance. Celebrity sex tapes seem to be all the rage these days… they make careers (hello Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian!) and break semi- careers (goodbye, Screech!). Some celebrities cash in on the release of the tapes, while others fight tooth and nail to keep it from coming out, even if there isn’t anything really racy in it. This week, radaronline.com “broke” a news story that Chelsea Handler had a sex tape. Supposedly, the tape … Continue Reading

With subscription and newsstand sales declining and advertising revenues drying up, cover art should be the least of the magazine industry’s worries, right? Well, when Fortune magazine commissioned comic-book artist Chris Ware to design the cover of its Fortune 500 issue they probably were not expecting this. What Ware came up with for the issue’s cover was a clever satire of modern American capitalism and Fortune executives were less than amused. Ware’s parody-filled design included a sweatshop labeled “Fabrica de Exploitacion”, FDIC cars outside “Your Bank”, … Continue Reading

I’m an avid (or maybe I should say rabid) Facebook user. I use the social media site to keep in touch with my family and friends, I play Scrabble, I post articles and web links that I find interesting, I post photos, and I update my status at least once a day.

Last week I noticed that several of my Facebook friends had posted the following message as their status: IMPORTANT!! FB Privacy heads up!! Watch your personal information: As … Continue Reading

What happens to an icon when it is sold to Iconix?

This week, Cincinnati newspaper publishing company E.W. Scripps agreed to sell United Media Licensing, owner of the licensing rights to Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts characters. The buyer is Iconix Brand Group Inc., which makes the brands Joe Boxer, Mudd, Starter and London Fog.

It’s an interesting buy by Iconix, which agreed to a price tag of $175 million and a partnership with the family of the late creator of Peanuts, Charles Schulz. Peanuts has been in rerun … Continue Reading

Take a look at this:

Now take a look at this:

To me, it was surprising to learn that Fox and ABC found the second commercial so over-the-top sexy that they temporarily banned it. I guess they didn’t consider the first one very sexy, because both networks played it…many, many times.

Because of this, many are screaming “double standard.” Critics are wondering why it’s OK to put a 5’11, 110 pound model in underwear, have her bite her lip seductively while wind is blowing through her hair and a male model is carrying her off to who-knows-where but it’s … Continue Reading

The polls are now open for voting! Mtn Dew’s “DEWmocracy” campaign is letting the people decide which of three different consumer-created flavors will become the next to join established Mtn Dew flavors in stores. Fans can cast their vote for the candidates (Distortion, Typhoon and White Out) on the DEWmocracy website, which is part of a large social media push by the company. But consumer involvement in the choice of this next Mtn Dew drink goes beyond just the final vote. Mtn Dew has … Continue Reading

Competition for media attention has never been more challenging. Here are three tips to get your research noticed (and published) by reporters :

1) A picture is worth a thousand words
Create an interesting visual of your most compelling and newsworthy statistic. The “Snapshots” feature in the country’s largest newspaper, USA Today, is always on the lookout for interesting research graphics.

2) Include your methodology
Reporters will want to know whether your research was conducted online, via telephone or a printed survey. Also, be sure to include the sample size … Continue Reading

I could list them, but there’s really only one that matters: AT&T. Surprised I didn’t mention anything about lack of Flash capabilities? It’s because Apple doesn’t seem to care much about it and neither do I. Have fun with the droid, Adobe!

Poor, AT&T… always the butt of jokes. Always the subject of iPhone user frustration. Some of the worst news they heard all week? They made the number one slot…. in David Letterman’s top ten list.

On Wednesday, after a short rant about not caring about the lost iPhone prototype (one of the few times I’ll ever say this: I’m … Continue Reading

The Holy Grail of consumer behavior may well exist in a product the size of our wallets, if not smaller, and one California company is out to leverage it with both thumbs.

Shopkick, the creator of the charitable application CauseWorld, has developed a second location-based mobile app and has landed some heavy hitters as its launch partners – Macy’s Inc. and Best Buy.

The new application, called shopkick, follows closely the concept of CauseWorld. But while CauseWorld is dedicated to charitable giving via the store aisle, shopkick is all about servicing … Continue Reading

Freedom Gifts, an Atlanta-based distributor of cannabis culture merchandise and tobacco equipment, has added hemp-scented T-shirts to its product line. The designs are representative of marijuana legalization efforts and call attention to “National Pot Smoking Day” which was April 20 (that’s 4/20 for those in the know.)

According to an article in STORES magazine

, the manufacturer claims that the scent withstands several washes and each T-shirt includes instructions on proper care – which, one presumes, includes the removal of stains generated by the late-night … Continue Reading