Brand Mix

My weekly summary of interesting and entertaining posts and articles. More at the bottom of the page in "Martin's Shared Items:"

1) Foreign Office: Slate (2006)
Not exactly breaking news but this is a article forwarded to me about The Office. Back when it first aired in the States, I had no doubt that the U.S. translation of this original British series would be a disaster. Like Coupling. But I was wrong. Although it stayed close to the original (the plots were identical in some earlier episodes), it succeeded in reflecting the different reality of the American workplace. French and German adaptations also worked. As the article says, watching all of these series is like taking a "crash course in national identity."

2) Did IBM really see a world market "for about five computers?" Freakonomics
This is perhaps the most famous of all the oft-quoted wrong predictions but it's a misquote according to Fred Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. The comments section of this post is an open forum for any other wrong predictions that anyone can think of.

3) Vitamins may 'shorten your life': BBC News
This story is not going to go down too well for either the supplements industry or pill poppers.

4) P&G opens a carwash: Promo
A story that makes more sense when you find out that it's a Mr. Clean brand initiative. Two Mr. Clean Performance Car Washes in Ohio and more planned in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, and in Kentucky.

5) Viral video Frenzy I: Brandgym
Graeme Murray presents his fave list of viral videos. My favorite of his favorites: Wilkinson Sword's fighting baby.