Archive for the 'Trend Friend' Category

While the stereotypical Comic-Con attendees in the past were male comic book fans, a new generation of female fans have joined in on the fun in recent years. Daughters of the comic-loving fans have grown up in a world of superheroes, monsters, and villains and are just as interested in characters lives and associated collectibles as their parents are. Seeing this as an opportunity, marketers are now using Comic-Con to promote alternative products for girls such as Mattel’s Polly Pocket dolls dressed as superheroes, and Monster High, a franchise of dolls, books, clothing and accessories revolving around the teenage offspring of legendary monsters. Promoting these unique toys and exclusive editions of retro franchises such as My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake, Comic-Con helps build excitement around these franchises and broaden the toy companies’ appeal among young fans, giving them a unique opportunity interact and meet the toy designers of their favorite characters.

Read on about other female friendly offerings that were available at Comic-Con this year here.

Source: The New York Times Business Day: Girls at Comic-Con Find Marketers Ready for Them

The answer is….. the iPhone (according to research done by online dating site, OK Cupid). Here’s a little bit more information about what they analyzed. To see some pretty graphs and more findings - go here:

According to 11 million plus images indexed by users of dating site OK Cupid, iPhone users get laid twice as often as Android users. As always, our data comes from dating site OkCupid, one of the largest, and most interesting, datasets on the web. The article aggregates 11.4 million opinions on what makes a great photo.

Vibram Five Fingers are a way different type of athletic shoe than the average consumer is used to. Just one look at it’s design with the five toes and shape mimicking the human foot and anyone can tell the difference. Some studies in recent years have shown normal running shoes can cause stresses on knees and ankles, leading to an upswing in bare footing, the natural way to run. The new promotional microsite You Are The Technology illustrates the benefits of Vibram’s unique shoes and supports natural running. Explore the extremely toned, naked bodies tattooed with questions and statements to learn more, and you may even be able to find a video that shows the shoe in action over various terrain. Pretty cool execution and great minimalist design.

Source: creativity-online.com

As part of Diesel’s “Be Stupid” campaign, the brand wanted to highlight the ridiculousness of wasting so much time on social networks and decided to get people to waste time in parks instead. This led to “Facepark”, described as a “stupid idea that might save the world. But probably won’t”.

For one day, Diesel created an analogue version of Facebook, called Facepark - effectively a mini festival in a park in Berlin. The brand created cardboard cut out profiles, which users could frame their faces with, just like on the real social networks. They could fill in a box with their “status” and also write comments on the cardboard and some of their friends. People could become friends with others by attaching their name to a friend’s cardboard profile. Cardboard stands complete with actors were created for fan groups or applications such as Farmville and Mafia Wars, which people could then comment upon using stickers. They could add “like” stickers to people, groups and comments.

Watch Video/See photos: www.creamglobal.com/17798/22523/diesel-facepark-

Source: Cream

For all you O-30’s out there…. check out teenchatdecoder.com and find out what all us U-30’s are really saying when we speak in LOLs KITs TXTs.

Really it’s meant as a tool for parents, but it’s pretty funny (and worthwhile to read if you are behind the times).

Does it seem like every other person you know is getting a smartphone these days? Whether its the new iPhone4, HTC Incredible Driod, or Blackberry Curve, everywhere you look someone is clicking away on their web-enabled handheld device. Americans are falling deeper, and deeper in love with their smartphones and just between March and May 2010 smartphone usage among those age 13 and older is up a dramatic 8%.

Check out MediaPosts recap of comScore’s MobiLense report on the category leaders here.

The much anticipated 3rd installment of the Twilight Saga, Eclipse, premieres tonight at midnight, sending all Twi-Hards into a frenzy. Marketers have been cashing in on the franchise’s success with a variety of promotions leading up to the event. Estimated spend is at close to $90million, but it appears to pay off if a proper fit with the movie; Burger King has reported double digit percent increase of foot traffic and sales thanks to their most successful promotions.

First, for all ages, you can go to Burger King’s Eclipse microsite to find out if you’re a total Twi-Hard. Fans can analyze their facebook profiles to see if their allegiance is to Bella, Edward, or Jacob. You can also play the BK Eclipse game in-store, by collecting various game pieces to unlock exclusive content including, behind the scenes photos, posters, and music from the movie’s sound track.

And, for the older fans, if you love Edward and want another chance to win a Volvo just like his, Lost in Forks is the new puzzler for you. (The car maker originally gave away Edward’s whip in a New Moon promotion called What Drives Edward?) Volvo has developed another fun, interactive game where consumers have to navigate their way from the center of Forks to the Cullens house by choosing their path through multitudes of forks in the road. Wrong turn? Well you get sent back to a previous fork. Frustrating - yes, but to fans’ delights they can find a plethora of Easter Eggs including clips from the new movie and insights into the Newborns along the way. And for some cryptic tips to help you along, don’t forget to read the ticker running across the bottom of the screen.

Source: cnbc.com

Finally, a visual representation of the history of the rick roll, aka the most efficient and pass around internet meme. Read more here

Source: Urlesque.com

Snack chips are spicier. Chewing gum is mintier. Energy drinks are fruitier. In short, American cuisine is adrenaline cuisine.

Some food companies are hitting their labs to try to torque up flavorings to appeal to the country’s expanding palates, and, of course, boost sales of snacks, drinks and even main courses. Arugula and ancho-chile sauce now appear at restaurants like Chili’s where there was once only iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise. PepsiCo Inc.’s Frito-Lay brand recently introduced Doritos chip flavors labeled First-, Second- and Third-Degree Burn. Gum-maker Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is using new technologies like textured crystals it calls Micro-Bursts to deliver a more intense flavor as well as new sweeteners to make flavors last longer. At home, seasoning company McCormick & Co. Inc. says Americans now keep an average of 40 different spices, a figure that has grown roughly twice as fast in the past two decades as it did in the previous 30 years.

The American taste palate is changing, and brands are getting on board with changes to their products to statisfy our hunger. Read more at the Wall Street Journal

For anyone who has ever had a soft spot for the villain in any good vs. evil story, get pumped - villains are in.

Dreamworks Animation has just leaked the full-length Trailer for its upcoming 3D family comedy, Megamind, which is set to release on November 5th of this year.  The movie tells the story of Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell), the most brilliant supervillain the world has ever known. And the least successful. Over the years he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way. Each attempt, a colossal failure, thanks to the caped superhero known as “Metro Man” (Brad Pitt). Since the trailer refrains from disclosing the film’s big twist, I won’t reveal it in this post… you’ll have to see it to find out!  Jonah Hill and Tina Fey also star. Based on its talented cast and hilarious trailer (what do you think?) I will definitely be seeing Megamind– in all of its 3D, evil-loving glory.

MAC Cosmetics has jumped on the villainous trend train with its new Venomous Villain collaboration with Disney, which is set to launch in late September of this year.  Lipstick, powder, lip gloss and blush shades will be sold, ranging in price from $12 to $29.50. The makeup line’s color collection is inspired by Disney’s most evil villains, so expect lots of deep purples and poison-apple reds. MAC won’t tell us which Disney Venomous Villains are being featured, but it just released an official Teaser video that reveals a bunch of clues… Can you guess which nefarious nemesis is the new face of MAC?

Sources: Slashfilm.com, Trendhunter.com