Cocktail Hour: July 13, 2012

This week Taco Bell delivered 10,000 Doritos Locos Tacos to Bethel, Alaska, after a small town prank; Russia is tightening their advertising rules on alcoholic advertising; Microsoft laid off a number of their key marketing and advertising positions; Kraft Mac & Cheese created an iPad app that let’s you create ‘macaroni’ art; and the greatest baseball-park food in history is showcased, from sushi to hot dogs. If you’re a visual imagineer and enjoy a little mystery, Chrome launched the Worldless Web, a bookmarklet that removes text from any website in just one click so you’re able to view images alone with no context.

Did You See?

- Jess3 partnered with Blackboard to create a more digital experience for today’s youth called The Active Learner.

http://youtu.be/jxQYJJ1lFE4

- Hashtags are taking over the Internet and getting overused and abused, from the insult hashtagger (#funny) to the useless hastagger (#duh). Click here to find out what type of hashtagger you are.

- BBC launched the London 2012 Olympics trailer and instead of filming real athletes, the trailer is completely animated. (The countdown is on: 15 days until they begin.)

http://youtu.be/4ViLiXA0E70

- Fantastic Delites created a machine that determined how far people would go for a free snack.

http://youtu.be/R8RIqJLUYSE

- A debate has risen out of the latest infographic discussing what Don Draper would make in an agency today, and that — on average — agencies are billing $964 per hour to clients.

Catch Up

Here’s the best in marketing-related news to catch up on this week:

• We all understand that targeting men and women are extremely different paths and it’s vital to understand those differences. When it comes to men, keep in mind that men think that over 65 percent of cell phone ads and mall ads are annoying. When it comes to shopping, they’d prefer to save money (but usually won’t use coupons or spend the time finding them), and older men prefer traditional media. Oh, and if you’re using the term ‘housewife’, be warned — it’s probably not going to gain traction with this audience.
• Creating an emotional experience that gets your customers excited about your brand is usually the largest challenge at hand. Some marketers are driven towards digital ads for assistance in branding, but is that really getting the job done and showing ROI? There is really only one way to increase the bottom line for branding: content marketing. Content marketing is simply content that adds value in terms of entertainment and information about your brand, and the key is getting your audience to engage with that content.
• The #One4One game was created on Twitter to identify digital influencers in your field who are from underrepresented groups. Each year, we see the same lists and a similar pool of influencers that are chosen and highlighted in our industry, but what about the other crucial voices we’re missing? We’re getting a biased view of our industry and it’s making us fall behind. We’re not talking about equality or diversity — we’re talking about equity. Go vote for your ‘one’ now.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

This past week the National League and All-American League competed in the 2012 All-Star game.. So here’s a salute to one of America’s favorite past times:

Summer Brew

You will need:

• 1 can of frozen limeade (thawed)
• 3 bottles of Mexican beer (Corona)
• 1/2 cup of vodka
• 6 lime wedges for garnish

Combine limeade, beer and vodka in a pitcher and stir. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Please drink responsibly. Recipe courtesy of All Recipes.

Have a great weekend and be sure to tell us what you’ve been reading this week.

Cheers!