Dutch beer brand, Heineken, is rolling out airport bars on five continents, according to The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.). In recent years, a range of consumer goods makers have tried creating a "brand experience" in retail outlets to exert more control over how their products are presented to buyers. In 1992, Nike Inc. moved beyond its Oregon base to launch an elaborate "Niketown" flagship store in Chicago. …
The Noble Wiki
According to Wikipedia, Crowdsourcing is a neologism for a business model that depends on work being done outside the traditional company walls: while outsourcing is typically performed by lower paid professionals, crowdsourcing relies on a combination of volunteers and low-paid amateurs who use their spare time to create content, solve problems, or even do corporate R&D. The term was coined by Wired magazine writer …
LonelyGirl Kicking “Herself”
Tim Gideon of PC Magazine wrote an article about a SXSW panel I walked out on yesterday--"What Does the Future Hold for Video on the Internet?" Before I vacated the room, I did hear this exchange, and upon reflection believe it's worth repeating here. Kent Nichols, from Ask A Ninja, pointed out that most "user-generated" sites like MySpace own all the uploaded content and can do whatever they want with it, including …
Love, Austin
Danny G. asked me earlier today if I'm too hung over to post. He asks because I'm in Austin for SXSW and I haven't been blogging about it on this site. I have made a few posts at BFG Blog about my experience, and I made one at Leftover Cheese about the film "Silver Jew." I have been taking notes during the panels. I don't "live blog" because my typing skills are not great. Plus, I like to absorb the information …
Producers and Flash Programmers Wanted in Miami/Boulder
SXSW is sensory overload. I finally waded through my film, interactive and music schwag bags. Lots of junk, of course, with several good mags tossed in--HOW Design Annual, Paste, Paper, Relix, Utne Reader, etc. In the interactive bag, I found three white pieces of paper stapled together. Simple black type on white pages. No design at all. All copy. Here's some: Not only can you interview while at SXSW for a shot at …
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Blogging Bridges
Shawn Waite's Shedwa Six--a six question interview series with ad geeks and bloggers--this week features Ariel Waldman from Shake Well Before Use. I find this exchange interesting: S: What impact, if any, do you think blogs serve in the ad community? AW: I find that blogs have really broken down the barriers between competing agencies over time. Rather than operating in isolated pods, we're sharing ideas and …
Eckospansion
Ecko Enterprises is planning to open 150 full-price retail stores across the U.S. by the end of 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Ecko says he understands the risks. "If you want to grow a business in American malls...it's more than just being able to have the money for the key," he says. "There's theater to it. [Customers] want to feel something when they walk into a store. It's not enough to say, …
World, ThreadBanger. ThreadBanger, World.
The New York Times looks at Next New Networks, a New York-based Internet start-up run and backed by former executives of MTV and Nickelodeon. NNN plans to offer a series of video-oriented Web sites — what the company calls micro-networks — on niche topics like do-it-yourself fashion, comic books, car racing and cartoons. The video above is from ThreadBanger (threadbanger.com), which offers a five-minute weekly show …
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