Brand Mix

I spent the week cocooned in a hotel on a long-hours training program. When I emerged back into the world yesterday, I discovered a pandemic panic. One of my colleagues on the program traveling back to Mexico City told me that there were only 17 people on the plane. Here are some of the stories I missed:

1) A Swine Flu By Any Other Name...Won't Fly: BusinessWeek
The pork industry is trying to convince media outlets to stop calling the swine flu “swine flu,” because of the impact on pork sales. David Kiley says: "Good luck with that." Perhaps they should sponsor a competition for a new name. NPR reports on the best ideas so far. One suggestion: Hamageddon - not that helpful from a pork industry perspective.

2) mmmm. lunchmeat illustration: brandflakesforbreakfast
Maybe this will help?

3) Swine Flu and the Economy: Freakonomics
Although the world is much better able to deal with the health effects of a pandemic, the economic effect could be disastrous. A report from Foreign Policy says that a mild flu epidemic would reduce global G.D.P. by 1 percent and a severe epidemic could reduce output by up to 12.6 percent. But some companies are lovin' it.

4) Flu Design: Design You Trust
How graphic designers feel about swine flu. One example here:

5) Flu sharpens tone of U.S. immigration debate: Reuters
Every pandemic brings its own search for scapegoats. This time it's provided an opportunity for some to target Mexican immigrants.

6) #swineflu: Twitter
One thing about the name--it's perfect for a Twitter hash. See all the latest here.

That's it! See you here on the blog or on Twitter (@martinjbishop) for more stories from the world of brand strategy.