Neat musical experiments

I feel like I have failed for not knowing about The Evolution Control Committee until now. Their musical experiments mash up music and clips from various media to make humorous tunes.

Awesome ad heats bus riders

Caribou Coffee in Minnesota has a neat advertising gimmick going in Minnesota. To promote their hot breakfast sandwiches, the company has converted a bus shelter to look like an over, with a heating element to keep bus riders warm while they wait for their ride.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/bus-commuters-warm-up-hot-breakfast-ad-caribou.php

Celebrity endorsements not that useful

Advertising Age published an article today about the relative lack of effectiveness of advertisements with celebrities compared to non-celebrity ads.  The article discusses a study that showed Nike missed the mark with Tiger Woods’ come-back advertisement.

The article suggests that just because an ad is popular or memorable, it doesn’t mean that the brand message is being effectively communicated.  The writer explains that a poorly designed ad isn’t cured by simply sticking a celebrity in there.

Cell phone ban & road safety

Jalopnik has published a post questioning the logic of cell phone driving bans.  One point made was: “…as cellphone use has gone up, crashes have continued to decline.”

Also:

“…economists offer three possible takes. People who start talking while driving become more cautious. People who act like jackholes behind the wheel with a cellphone will act the same without one. And although cellphones clearly distract some drivers, they may also help other drivers stay alert.”

Bike Helmet with cell phone headset

Awesome.  For all my business biking needs.

Sun Chips earplugs

The marketers of Sun Chips in Canada aren’t going to get rid of their noisy biodegradable bags yet.  They’re offering ear plugs to those who are offended by the bags’ crinkles.

“We screwed up”

Consumerist has a post talking about the effectiveness of advertising that focus on company and product failings.  The article talks about successes of Toyota after a major recall and of Domino’s campaign to let people know that their pizza is better than it was.

Another company that talked straight to consumers about its errors was Maple Leaf Foods. CEO Michael McCain went on air to admit that processes to keep food safe weren’t successful in the wake of an outbreak of food born illness linked to the company’s meat products.

I respect company’s that can admit fault and try moving beyond problems without hiding the,

Marketing via good deeds

I don’t have  a coffee maker and its rare that I get my caffeine fix with coffee, but I’m still impressed with Maxwell House’s Brew Some Good campaign which funds charitable organizations in an effort to create positive brand image by doing good.

Pepsi (the beverage’s diet variant is my caffeine ingestion tool) is using social media to promote their products and community works projects. I’ve been a Pepsi guy ever since my brother declared his love of Coke in our youth. I’m not drinking more cola due to this campaign, but I do think this project does reinforce Pepsi’s brand identity of being “less about brand” than other beverages.

I like the idea of companies spending on the community, even if its just a ploy to sell product, after all, if the ends don’t justify the means, what does?

Rules for using sidewalks and walkways

I came across a great website called Violation Report. The site, with a tag line of modern, real life public shaming, is dedicated to the unwritten rules of social interaction.  The site also writes down some of these unwritten rules. 

Definitely worth a read: their manual on sidewalk and walkway usage. One tip on the site that would be useful for most people to follow is that one should treat the sidewalk like a road – imagine lanes and allow for proper traffic flow.

Hipster Puppies

If you like cute animals dressed up and making fun of hipsters check out Hipster Puppies.

Another lotto survey

Atlantic Lottery must be planning to launch a new marketing or PR campaign, because I just did a second survey on the commission. 

This one seemed a bit more reasonable, allowing for neutrals.

Lotto Survey

If Atlantic Lottery releases survey results showing support for online gaming, I’ll be skeptical of this data.  I just did a survey by Bristol about online gambling and was annoyed by a series of questions that required a “more likely or less likely” answer.  There was no neutral, thus making my answers less than accurate.

Peta Protest

I walked by this anti-seal hunt protest around 12:45.  There didn’t seem to be many people protesting around the inflatable Peta seal in King Square.

I’mma Let You Finish

I love Kanye West.  I really enjoy his music and dig his bravado.  I really love wasting time checking out http://kanyegate.tumblr.com/ which pokes fun at Mr. West’s propensity to disrupt awards shows with rants.

Local TV

I saw two commercials back to back tonight – one for http://www.stopthetvtax.ca/ and another for http://localtvmatters.ca/

Both campaigns have money behind them – cable companies and Canadian TV networks are running the spots. 

What was particularly interesting was that both ads use a “streeter” impromptu street interview format to get their message across.

Giant Tiger: Using a carrot, not a stick on conservation

I was buying some groceries at Giant Tiger the other night and used a reusable bag.  I was pleased to find out that I got a small discount for using a green bag.  I think this is a far better way to encourage reusable bag use than charging for plastic bags. 

However, I do know that I am more willing to carry items in my hands when a store is charging for plastic, so I think both techniques work.

Selling booze for less than Social Reference Price

I don’t know much about alcohol regulation in this province, but I recall $18.67 per 12 pack of 355 ml beer being the minimum.  This is the price the provincial liquor commission announced it would sell its Selection store brand beer for.

The beer was supposed to be cheap in an attempt to stop NB residents from cross boarded beer shopping.  The price was supposed to stay low because the province wouldn’t be spending marketing funds on selling the stuff. 

Then they had a promotion giving away video game hardware.  I thought this was a minor expense and forgot about it.  The province also put up a website with recipes.  Again, a minor expense, so I didn’t think much of it.

Now the province is giving away whiskey with its brand of beer.  This means they are now selling more alcohol for less money than $18.67 per 12 pack.

I think this is strange.

The CBC reports that one Liberal MLA doesn’t think this is a good plan.  They also report that an opposition MLA is questioning the legality of selling more booze for less money.

Beyond legality, one has to wonder the economics of doing this.  Selling beer for less was supposed to help with profitability, by keeping beer drinkers in province. Presumably selling the beer for even less is taking a bite out of Selection’s profits.

Odd.

Stuff Hipsters Hate

I’ve added another site to my procrastination line-up:

http://stuffhipstershate.tumblr.com/page/

Great entries include ‘Tact’ and ‘Gentrification.’

Hot hot eats

I just downed a bowl of spicy chicken soup with more than a few dashes of PC Brand Chipotle hot sauce.

I love hot sauces and wanted share a few favourites with the world wide web.

I’m a big fan of Scorned Woman hot sauce – one that should be used sparingly to add heat to dishes.  This sauce is available locally at Cochran’s Country market.

The other that has a permanent place in my spice rack is Busha Browne’s Pukka Hot Pepper Sauce.  This one is available on grocery shelves and is a bit less reminiscent of an inferno than Scorned Woman, but definitely adds an interesting heat to food.

Seafood Chowder with Dill

With lobster prices low this weekend I decided to try my hand at making a fish chowder.  I followed (for the most part) Michael Smith’s Seafood Chowder with Dill recipe but used lobster instead of shrimp.