Hipster Olympics

A terrific Monty-Python style sendup of the hipster lifestyle. This video imagines a Hipster Olympic competition. Hipsters are becoming one of those "of course, let's target them and learn everything we can about them" in the wonderful world of advertising. Every three years or so the business latches on to a generation (X, Y, etc) or a lifestyle (hippies, yuppies, DINKS, etc.) The au courant favorite right now is hipsters. The products, according to the producers have been used for comic effect only. The video is too long but there are some hilarious moments: especially the MySpace picture competition.

You'll probably know more about hipsters from looking at this video than a bunch of boring research.
Enjoy.

Google Moves on to DNA Search

What's Sergey Brin's New Wife Up To?
Ann Wojcicki Co-founds 23andME
A DNA Analysis Company with funded with lots of Google $


Read the following article and keep in mind a Google Personal Genetic Search Engine. That's what's coming based on everything I've read. Think of all the health and pharma Adwords you could sell on that. And also keep in mind that Google is really far out ahead of the ad curve when it comes to content....more on that later.
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Google's Genetic Start-Up
Matthew Herper, 09.12.07, 6:16 PM ET
From Forbes Magazine (Edited for length)

23andMe isn't just any start-up. The company was co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, the new wife of Google billionaire Sergey Brin. Google put $3.6 million into the start-up, and $2.6 million of 23andMe's funding went to pay back a loan from Brin to the new company. That was enough to get the gossips jabbering. Other investors include Genentech (nyse: DNA - news - people ) and tech investor Esther Dyson.

But despite the chatter, there hasn't been a lot of information about what 23andMe is going to do, or how it is going to make money. The name comes from the fact that every person has 23 pairs of chromosomes, tangles of DNA that contain our genes. (We each get one set of 23 from Mom, the other from Dad.)

23andMe's Web site says the company is "developing new ways to help you make sense of your own genetic information." It also promises "broad, secure and private access to trustworthy and accurate individual genetic information."

Customers would give 23andMe a sample (it might be some spit or a Q-tip rubbed on the inside of the cheek). This would be sent to Illumina to be genotyped. Illumina and its main competitor, Affymetrix (nasdaq: AFFX - news - people ), make what are known as DNA chips, devices that can sample the genome in hundreds of places. These chips have been leading to a revolution in genetics, with dozens of DNA variations being potentially linked to diseases so far this year.

Illumina would then be able to tell 23andMe about hundreds of DNA variations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, that each customer has. 23andME would make that information available through a password-protected Web site. And people would be able to log on and get information about what SNPs (pronounced "snips") they have.

Illumina estimates that in several years the market in consumer genotyping will hit $1.5 billion. It's not clear, but it seems likely 23andMe might use the data it has collected to make new discoveries itself.

23andMe, which has been keeping very quiet about its plans, declined to comment for this story. But it is looking like one of the first companies to start figuring out what an explosion of genetic data will mean for the average consumer.

Marketing Justin Timberlake & Kanye West

Take a look and listen to this great song "Stronger" and then consider the following:



There are four main objectives of marketing co-operations:

1 Building and/or strengthening [think Kanye's negative imagery from the VMAs] brand/image by implementing joint communication measures.

2. Accessing new markets/customers by directly addressing the co-operative partner’s customers or by using its distribution points. [Kanye gains new Justin listeners]

3. Increasing customer loyalty by addressing own customers with value added offerings from the partner. [Justin increases his own fans loyalty]

4. Reducing marketing costs by bundling marketing measures. [Kanye & Justin]

In some cases, co-operations are set up to address one of these objectives. In most cases, it is a combination of these.

Definition via Wikipedia

Don't Die Lindsay

In the New York Sun newspaper this morning.

Entertainment blogs picked it up.

By 4:30 the the Canterbury Institute people were appearing live on Neil Cavuto's show on Fox News for 5-10 minutes.

Created by Jugular, a New York ad agency.

Dynamite Surfing

One of the best virals I've ever seen. So you say...millions of people have seen it.

It's here because 80% of the people I've sent it to since August have never seen it (one of the reasons I decided to start this Blog)

If you've seen it, the video demands another look.

The power of YouTube. More on all this later.

Street Marketing London (Part II)

And...the campaign used artists for the street teams....not just models.

Street Marketing: London

A creative competition in London called the London International Creative Competition. The organization makes wry use of the acronym LICC and combines it with the word "me." Licc me. The phrase becomes a direct appeal to enter the show.

Even better it's sold to artists by artists via street placards. Smart marketing.

Who is Scott Lackey? And why visit another ad blog?

I'm particularly interested in iconoclastic, unpredictable advertising and communciations. Stuff that stands up, speaks loudly and demands notice. Old media is quickly dying and that new advertising, largely driven by the internet (read Google, You Tube, cell phone advertising), is redefining communications 24/7. At close to light speed.

So come visit us here. We'll rabble rouse and challenge...and, together, see if we can begin to identify where all this is going.

I'll work hard to provide ecumenical views.

Why listen? I'm the Co-Founder & Strategic Director of Jugular (http://www.jugularnyc.com), a New York City ad agency. I've worked in the ad business for over twenty years at big agencies like McCann Erickson and Y&R and small ones like LGFE and Grace & Rothschild.