P&G: The Next Bono?

Procter & Gamble has launched a new ad campaign for their Always and Tampax brands. Following in the footsteps of (Product) RED, P&G is latching onto a social cause in Africa.

According to a P&G press release and their program microsite, 1 in 10 school-age African girls do not attend school during menstruation or drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in schools or because they can't afford to buy sanitary pads or tampons. Those girls who miss school because of their menstrual cycle, lose an average of more than a full month of classes in a school year. Then there are the girls who refuse to lose time from their studies and instead resort to utilizing other methods like old pieces of cloth, used blankets or tissue paper. The sad news is that these methods are unsanitary for the girls, their classmates and teachers.

So, P&G has decided to step up to the plate. The company has vowed to donate $1.4 million through 2008 to the United Nations Association HERO Campaign - at least with the help of our purchases. Still not sure how about the financial specifics of this program as I'm unable to find specifics about the deal. Wonder if P&G will donate X amount for each purchase up to $1.4 million or if a specific sales goal needs to be met overall. That information would be beneficial for a consumer.

As part of their Protecting Futures program, P&G is also funding a health, hygiene and puberty education program that will be taught by a traveling health educator and are funding a health care provider who will provide health care to the girls.

It's an interesting strategy. Especially in a low involvement category. I personally feel no attachment to any specific brand of sanitary products. I stick primarily with the P&G brands because of the smooth blue coloring of the packaging and it's a nostalgic brand that I have been consistently using since my teen years. Both brands actually remind me of the Cover Girl brand...they are teenish, all-American, convenient. But, this program, actually gives me a bigger reason to continue purchasing Always and Tampax. It's a little way to help the world. Which as a Millennial is right up my alley. That's what my generation is all about...a little, effortless something that allows me to give back is something that is worth participating in. The Entitlement Generation wants to be in the limelight and tell others that they are doing good, but they also don't want it to be too time-consuming or laborious.

I have a feeling this program will get a lot of buzz (I hear Oprah or Tyra calling) and will be a financial success (as it's just giving us women - the non-price sensitive consumers out there - a reason why to choose one brand over another...especially in a category that in the past didn't give us any reasons why to pick them besides price).

"Who knew a little thing like purchasing a pad or tampon could make such a huge difference?"

Ghostland Observatory

My friend was just a first time published contributor to PSFK. Trey and Jeff Squires wrote a piece on the loss of rockstar mystique. They cited one band that potentially still delivers the "What the f is up with them and how can I be more like them."

A piece that does bring to the forefront a topic I never even considered. With the over-exposure of celebrity and the ability to know more about their personal lives and behaviors, the mystique of the once untouchable, ethereal figure of "celebrity" is a bit lost is not gone. Only non-celebrities can keep a mystique. I question how anyone who goes from being a "I think I know that guy" to an "Everyone knows that guy" can have a mystique.

Austin Jelly 11/15

Trend Alert: Jelly

Jelly is a casual co-working environment that started in NYC February 2006 when roommates Amit and Luke realized that they loved working from home, but they missed the creative brainstorming, sharing, and camaraderie of a traditional office.

So they started inviting friends to come work from their home one day a week. They soon found that working in close proximity to new and interesting people every couple weeks resulted in new ideas and interesting conversations. From here, Jelly was born.

Jelly is this casual co-working atmosphere (without the office politics - sweet!). And Austin's 2nd Jelly will be on 11/15. See you there.

CALL TO ARMS. SAVE THE BRANDS.

Alert! Read Immediately and Pass Along to All Caring Citizens of the World.

BRANDS ARE BEING SILENCED

Brands have personalities and marketers are silencing their voice, emotions and behaviors. Bad people are trying to make many brands of the world act and say things that aren't authentic to the brand's spirit - in effect, suffocating them. We must join forces to help give brands back their voice!

This is serious stuff. Before we know it, all brands will be extinct. They will be killed off by greedy marketers who only care about the bottom line and NOT the consumer experience. Brands will be commoditized into just being products with features with NO authentic brand personality or voice. They will be contrived. Just like robots.

Is this what you want? Is this the kind of world you envision your children living in? One without the joy of counting on a Fred water in your time of dryness or refreshing your home with a pump of Method cleaning soap! These are 2 brands that have honorable protectors and I call on them and other caring citizens to help raise the awareness of this serious national crisis.

The time is now.

I'm calling on all good people of the world to help me on this new mission to help Save The Brands. Pandas and redwoods are not the only things worth saving. So are the Saabs, AOLs, Jaguars, Gaps and Dells of the world.

Consumers - we must join together and make these marketers aware that brands are worth preserving and saving just like the pandas of the world or our national parks. Brands are like people and they deserve to live happily and, in today's day and age, a little more freely. Give them back their personalities and let them breathe! Stop suffocating them by making them feature heavy. They are more than just features. They have real, emotional benefits to offer us, the consumers of the world. Brands have authentic personalities and they can make you smile, cry, scream, feel comforted. And now, more than ever - they need our help!!!

If you have a great brand, marketing it becomes easy and obvious. The brand's personality will lead you to the right distribution channels, the right marketing channels, the right tonality and the right messaging at the right times.

In the next few weeks I will start activating this movement and I am calling on you, good people of the websphere - and specifically, you, Mr./Ms. Brand Planner - to join the movement. Stay posted, spread the Save The Brands Movement to other concerned citizens and get prepared to join the crusade!

Visit SavetheBrands.org in the near future to make your mark on the world and help the brands regain their voice and actions.

Going Bronde

I went bronde. Leaving the blonde behind and moving towards the Giselle / Jennifer Aniston bronde. This haircolor is the hot trend and was part of the earlier fall runways. In less than 12 months, bronde will be part of our lexicon.

Revolutionizing the Music Industry

Stand up and applaud.

Rather than conforming, Radiohead is evolving the music industry. Allowing consumers to decide what to pay for their new album release, In Rainbows. Since parting ways with label EMI, Radiohead is using technology to not only promote, but distribute their content.

That's pretty cool. I admire a band, really anyone, who breaks the mold and thinks outside the box.

The other aspect of this album release, is that the band didn't set a price point for their content. Instead, they are letting fans decide how much they want to pay to download the album. Actually, you get one of 2 options: (1) pre-order the discbox (and you'll have to 40 pounds) or (2) pre-order the download of the album (you name your price).

This isn't a prank. It works. I tested it myself - thinking no way is a content producer going to allow free distribution of their hard work. But, luckily, I was wrong. I am in the process of downloading the new album. Thanks Radiohead. Can't wait to put on my headphones and listen to the new jams.

This is the beginning of a trend and evolution in content distribution. This past month, The Charlatans decided to give away their new album over the Web, also without help from a record label. Tim Burgess, the Charlatans' lead signer, told The Sunday Telegraph: "I want the people to own the music and the artists to own the copyright. Why let a record company get in the way of the music?"

The other trend to keep an eye on is the powershift that's occurred with content producers and distributors. With technological advances and the rise of consumer driven content, content producers have more control (thus power) over distributors. Content producers now have the ability to distribute content on their own - with no or little help from traditional distributors. It's an interesting shift that's worth keeping a keen eye on.

Any additional thoughts or different points of view on this development?

On our way into a recession?

Are we on our way into a recession??? My very smart father-in-law (brilliant, even ski helmets don't fit his nuggin' - that's how smart he is!) thinks so.

Following snip it from AgencySpy...Earthlink lays off half its staff. Nationwide is dumping 39,000 policies in Florida. Interstate Bakeries Corp., the maker of Wonder bread and Hostess Twinkies, said it will exit the bread business in Southern California, cutting about 1300 jobs. General Mills is cutting 500 jobs. Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., the consulting firm, said the U.S. financial industry has announced 87,962 job cuts this year, 75 percent more than in all of 2006. Monster.com cuts 800 jobs. Macy’s just wacked 650 jobs.

And today, stock exchanges fell on both sides of the Atlantic after reports Tuesday showed that consumers and companies alike said they were less confident in the economic outlook amid volatility in global financial markets.

Recession??

Trend Alert: Millenials Keen on the Stock Market

So, my sister who's 19 and is going to start her junior year at a university in Boston informed me about a new application for Facebook - a fantasy stock exchange that's run by Hedge Stop. You start off with $10 million in fantasy cash and you play the stock market any way you'd like.

This is a trend that I have been noticing for quite a little while now. With the popularity of CNBC's Mad Money with Jim Cramer amongst current undergrads to now this facebook application - it's a trend that's peaked my interest. Indiana University students even created their own original video invited Jim to come to their campus. There's something deeper here. Wonder were this interest in this age group is stemming from? Or if it's even a greater degree of interest or if this world of "new media"/"web 2.0" educated youth's fascination with the market is just more visible. Definitely a topic I'd like to address more in depth after a few hours of shut eye.

News at a Glance

News map is the most brillant way to get all of the latest top news stories at a glance. For us millenials with shorter attention spans and want of instant gratification this is a perfect solution. Color coded boxes with variations in text size make this truly a user friendly experience. Just click on the story to take a dive deep.