Brand Mix

(via Freakonomics)

Yet another crazy week on the financial front but let's try and ignore all that and keep our focus on matters of great branding importance. Here's my summary of the best and most interesting posts from the week:

1) How much is $700 billion? From Poverty to Power
Ooops. Off to a bad start. $700 billion is a lot of money, obviously. But, just for perspective, Duncan Green from Oxfam International points out it's enough to eradicate all world poverty for two years.

2) The Last Laugh: South Bank Show
Now I've started, I might as share this segment of the South Bank Show featuring John Bird and John Fortune talking about the mortgage crisis, a year before the meltdown. It's 8 minutes plus so grab a coffee first. They describe how mortgages go from being "dodgy" debts to trustworthy-sounding "High Grade Structured Credit Enhanced Leverage Fund." Humourous and educational.

3) Mackerel Economics in Prison Leads to Appreciation for Oily Fillets: The Wall Street Journal
If we run out of money, there's always mackerel. Since cigarettes were banned from Federal Prisons, mackerel has become the currency of choice, primarily because few people actually want to eat it. Apparently mackerel account for half the sales of one commissary.

4) Cashing in on the Credit Crunch: Brand Strategy Magazine Blog
There are always winners in any situation. Today, things have never looked so good for pawnbrokers who are having a banner year. We are "receiving more and more high-value items including diamond rings worth over £2,000 and a guitar valued at £1,000," says Mark Lemmon chief executive of international pawnbroking brand Cash Converters.

5) Drinking Away Your Sorrows: Slate
Wait. I might be a winner too but...no. It seems like the price of wine is unlikely to fall anytime soon. According to this article, people are "not inclined to reduce their wine consumption in the face of all the grim tidings on Wall Street. Wine is a staple for people now; it's part of the lifestyle." Damn.

Bonus video (via Presentation Zen): If you've got another eight minutes to spare and want to see how to put together a powerful speech that gets everyone on their feet, take a look at this one from Richard Trumka from the AFL-CIO. Whether you agree with the argument or not, it's extremely effective and well put together. I figure I'll use this same approach the next time I speak about brand strategy and see how that goes:



See you next week for more brand strategy stories.