Brand Mix

Here's my summary of interesting things I read (or saw) this last week.

1) 10 Reasons Why We Love Making Lists: NPR
Perhaps Facebook will cure of us of our obsession with lists as it unleashes wave after wave of Top 10 this' and 5 Favorite thats? This NPR piece gives us a top 10 list of why we love lists including: "# 7. The word "list" can be tracked back to William Shakespeare, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. In Hamlet, the Bard refers to "a list of landlesse resolutes."

2) How to Survive an Economic Depression: EconomicSurvivalDepression.com
If you're truly desperate about the economic meltdown, here's you handy guide about what to do to survive. A list of 100 things that disappear in a panic. Be first in line for #1 Generators or #53 Duct Tape so you can defend yourself against the suckers who start late.

3) Dealing with Recessionary Times: tompeters!
If you're a bit less agitated and believe you can survive the recession by toughing it out, here's a list from Tom Peters. Includes: "work longer," "work harder" and, a bit further down, three times: "You sweat the details as you never have before."

4) Fug Madness 2009, Sweet Sixteen continued: Madonna Bracket: Go Fug Yourself
Or, if you want to ignore the recession completely, you can engage in voting for in this year's Fug Madness. Can Bai Ling repeat as champion? Or will an upstart like Katy Perry triumph?

5) Year’s Oddest Title Prize Goes to Dairy Carton Book: New York Times (via Fritinancy)
The winner, in a tight contest, was: "“The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-Milligram Containers of Fromage Frais.” Just beating out "Curbside Consultation of the Colon." Past winners of this competition include: "Versailles: The View From Sweden,” and “Weeds in a Changing World.”

6) The Sixth Sense: Patti Maes at Ted
Blow your mind time. Don't be lulled into a sense of false "been there, done that" security at the beginning of this presentation. This is where we're going.



That's it! See you next week for more stories from the world of brand strategy.