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A new study by a media group has divided single moms into four helpful categories, for four times the branding fun! More »
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Starbucks has changed its logo to feature a close up on the Siren, alone, without any lettering. She's a creature who doesn't need to explain herself! More »
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Since women account for 44% of NFL fans, the NFL has decided to introduce thousands of new products for chicks. The cute T-shirts and hoodies are fine. But jeans? Yoga mats? Body lotion? More »
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Mark Seamands has been accused of burning the letters "SK" - for "Seamands' Kids" - into the flesh of his three teen-aged children. He says his kids, who were "branded like cattle," will testify in his defense. [AP] More »
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Last night, CNBC aired its heavily-promoted special "Business Model," which was, of course, a thinly veiled excuse to feature scantily-clad Sports Illustrated swimsuit models on the financial news channel for an entire hour. More »
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The Sun-Maid has had yet another makeover. And apparently some implants. And a cleanse. Lorraine Collett-Petersen would hardly recognize herself. Even if the company claims it "has always stayed true to the original image." [TWS] More »
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The Femme Den, a female focused offshoot of Smart Design, aims to change how products are sold to women by using a rarely deployed strategy: research. More »
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Here's a one-night stand from hell: a guy woke up to find his "date" had carved her name into his arm. The judge warns her: don't do it again! More »
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We were remiss in pointing out this interview with Mark-Kate and Ashley Olsen in Times on Friday, but here is one part that caught our eye: "Although it is nearly impossible to imagine Paris Hilton citing Dickens, what most distinguishes the Olsens from their peers in the tabloids is a resistance to certain kinds of recklessness on the one hand and a decidedly less egomaniacal approach to branding on the other. Ms. Hilton commodifies the image of a sexually untamed heiress — herself. But the Olsens sell a wide variety of products that have nothing to do with their lifestyle, a concept they have purposefully left vague." Thoughts? [NY Times] More »
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David Hayes caught a record channel catfish on August 5th with his granddaughter's Barbie-branded rod and reel. Hayes was fishing with his granddaughter Alyssa in a private pond in northwestern North Carolina when he caught the 21 pounder with the pink plastic rod after Alyssa asked him to hold it while she visited the restroom. What's the best part of this story, the fact this man caught the fish with a girly reel or that Barbie actually makes working fishing rods for little girls? Well, girls certainly know a thing or two about fishing, so Barbie should be marketing reels and rods to them. [News & Observer] More »
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Tampax has announced that it will launch a group called the "MonthlyGiftClub" (as in a menstrual period is a "monthly gift") for the tween social networking community Stardoll. For those of you over the age of, oh, 13, Stardoll is basically just a really watered-down version of Second Life, where girls can create avatars and join clubs. Anyway, the MonthlyGiftClub will provide members with white clothing (taking a "visual cue" from tampon ads that signal that a brand's products are "safe and absorbent") and members can sign up to receive free samples of Tampax Pearl tampons. Sounds okay, but maybe a better "visual cue" would be to give non-members sweatshirts to wrap around their waists and eventually have one girl run to the locker room in tears after some idiot boys point out spots on her backside? [Brand Week] More »
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Hello Kitty's success could be explained because consumers viewed her as a "blank canvas" of possibility and could mean different things to different people. One thing: she is always adorbs!• In less than a decade, STDs among Americans 45-years-old and older has doubled. Maybe 'tis time to practice what you preach about safe sex, parents? • There are no "dangerous dogs," only irresponsible and dangerous dog-owners. • China prepares 600 cheerleaders, who mix "elements from traditional Peking opera into more typical hip-hop routines" for the Olympics. So kinda like Carmen: A Hip-Hopera in Beijing? • Debrett's Etiquette Guide For Girls will be republished in a new edition this fall, with updated rules such as no grunting or screaming at the gym. More »
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You guys, things are bleak out there. As the AP points out, "Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on unaffordable. Wars without end rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and against terrorism." So let's all distract ourselves for a minute and get drunk on the Diddy-approved Ciroc vodka! Because when you consume something branded by a celebrity, you can transcend the mundanity of your sad, barely-making-ends-meet life and, just for a minute, you can be Diddy. Or at least that's the idea of the avalanche of celebrity branding we're subjected to these days. On the front page of the NYT business section yesterday, Julie Creswell dissected this increasingly blurry line between celebrity and commerce. According to the Times, the average American sees 3,156 images a day, and a celebrity face helps the viewer become conscious of the product amidst the bombardment. But of all the celebrity endorsers these days, Rihanna takes the cake for the sheer number of companies to whom she is beholden. More »
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