Six of the Best: Under no illusions edition ~ Brand Mix

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Six of the Best: Under no illusions edition

Here's my summary of interesting things I read (or saw) this last week. Starting off with Joaquin's latest stunt and some other illusions:

1) Joaquin Phoenix leaps into crowd at hip-hop show: Yahoo! News (AP)
"Hey Andy Joaquin are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby. Are we losing touch?" (REM: Man on the Moon) At this point, we better hope that it's an act. Except that he was a good actor.

2) Sweet Memories Of A Snack Food Financial Scheme: NPR
A 3rd grade criminal mastermind describes how he used the promise of a large cake at the end of the school year to scam his classmates out of their Rice Krispie bars.

3) Seven tactile illusions: Mind Hacks
Mind Hacks found a New Scientist collection of seven illusions including the "Aristotle" illusion. Cross your fingers and touch your nose. Two noses!

4) The pint size recession: Freakonomics
A risky move by Häagen-Dazs. It's decided to downsize its 16oz cartons to 14oz, going from a real pint to something less to "offset increasing costs." Ben & Jerry jumped on this with an announcement that: "Now more than ever, you deserve your full pint of ice cream.”

5) A funny, or not so funny, metaphor: a clear eye
Tom Asacker suggests that this movie trailer is a perfect metaphor for corporate culture lock-in, by which he means the inability of companies to change direction even in the face of clear market threats.



6) Cramer v. Stewart: The Atlantic
This week's installment of the Stewart vs. CNBC battle saw Jim Cramer bravely (stupidly?) go on the Daily Show. I said last week that it's a fascinating battle to watch but I think my interest has peaked. I agree with Megan McArdle who finds fault on both sides.

Here's Part 1:


See you next week for more stories from the world of brand strategy.

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