What You Smiling At?

Wal-Mart introduces a new dress code. No more smiley-faces.

Wal-Mart phasing out smiley face vests

New Gifts of Gold

Godiva has redesigned its iconic boxes and the treats that come with them.

Godiva Strikes Gold

Redo the Dew

Apparently Mountain Dew woke up recently and realized that it's 2006. And maybe their extreme positioning was a bit dated ... you know seeing that everything from deodorant to baby formula is now marketed this way.

Not So Extreme: Dew Retooling Image

From the Makers of The Brand Gap

Author Marty Neumeier drops his latest book.

"ZAG follows the ultra-clear whiteboard overview style of Neumeier's first book, THE BRAND GAP, but drills deeper into the question of how brands can harness the power of differentiation. The author argues that in an extremely cluttered marketplace, traditional differentiation is no longer enough—today companies need “radical differentiation” to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers."

ZAG Website

Not So Fast, My Friend

With sales up only 1%, Wal-Mart chief executive H. Lee Scott Jr., said yesterday that the introduction of upscale products, like silk camisoles and 300-thread-count sheets, had proved “choppier than it should be” and that the company had “moved too far too fast” with fashionable clothing.

Wal-Mart’s Chief Says Chain Became Too Trendy Too Quickly

Purchase Decisions and the Subconscious

An interview with HBS professor Gerald Zaltman on his latest book: How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market.

The Subconscious Mind of the Consumer (And How To Reach It)

Cutomizing Product via Packaging

"The maker of Crest, Folgers and Tide has expressed interest in a packaging technology that allows consumers to customize the flavors or scents of anything from beer to floor cleaner."

Procter looks at bottle with personal pop

Come for the Grunge, Stay for the Rain and Coffee

New branding initiative for the city of Seattle. Not exactly 'Virginia is for Lovers' is it?

Why Don't We Just Change Our Slogan to "Kick Me"?
metronatural.com

New Bravia Ad

Not quite as arresting as thousands of bouncy balls. But I bet you watch it at least twice.

The High Life

Miller returns the champagne of beers to a familiar positioning. One that might work.

Miller Puts the Gruff Back Into High Life Beer

"I can still hear that crashing sound"

A pretty amazing post from Design Observer. The author attended UC in the '70s and just designed a book on the Aronoff Center for Design and Art. A must read for anyone who went to DAAP.

What's That Crashing Sound, Or, Eisenman in Cincinnati

Real Beauty?

Check out this new Dove spot. Reminds me of my days on Pantene print. This entire campaign has been pretty powerful, and definitely separates the brand from the rest of the category.

My Dining Room: PMS 193

I suppose the only thing surprising about Pantone offering paint is that it hadn't happened sooner.

pantone.com

Negative Calories

Tea drink supposed to boost metabolism . "Rhona Applebaum, chief scientist for Coca-Cola Co., said that extensive scientific studies showed that three cans a day of the drink will burn a net average of 60 to 100 calories."

Coke, Nestle Unveil Calorie-Burning Beverage

Best Line Extension EVER!

It's chips ... and beer ... AND cheese ... all together. What more can you say?

Beer and crisps united at last

Give the Clients Some Credit

Fast Company introduces us to the people who had the guts to greenlight this past year's boldest advertising.

Fast Talk: Advertising Architects

When the Media is the Message

Nissan's new Sentra campaign will rely heavily on non-traditional media in an effort to reach 'the kids.' And by that I mean consumers in their 20s and 30s.

"To be sure, Ms. Thompson said, 'there is a trade-off' in concentrating ads in the new media because it can take more time and effort to reach the intended audience and more coordination is required to keep track of all the moving parts in such campaigns.

"But 'there’s better engagement than you can get with traditional, linear television,' she added, 'and we can measure impressions, interaction rates and view-throughs' to determine whether the new media elements are working."

Living the Promotional Life

Turn it Pink

Campbell's tweaks it's iconic packaging for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The A-List (or maybe it's D-List)

BusinessWeek's special report looks at the growth industry of design schools. According to BW, the best design programs:

- Utilize a multidisciplinary approach combining engineering, business, design, and social sciences.
- Can be found in both D-schools and B-schools, and an increasing number of mash-ups combining the two.
- Produce one-(wo)man cross-functional teams with depth and bredth extending into marketing, engineering, design, and strategy.

The global list includes fmailiar names like Art Center, University of Cincinnati's DAAP, and Stanford. Bonus points for spotting the Jerry Kathman shoutout.

Top Innovation and Design Schools
D-Schools: The Global List