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What I Do

Brandgasm: Johnnie Walker "Walk" 6 minute spot

Awesome performance by Robert Carlyle (the actor in the spot). The timing and flow of this spot was really well executed. It would be quite entertaining to see him perform this spot as his character Begbie from the movie Trainspotting

True fans are usually curious about what goes on behind the scenes; this is true for music, movies, racing and in this case brands. I liked the reasons behind the square bottle and diagonal label. Johnnie Walker wants you to socialize and drink their whiskey, they also want you to talk about their brand and the bottle/label tidbits are easy to remember and talk about.

My favorite whiskey to drink is not bottled by Johny Walker, but my favorite whiskey brand is Johnnie Walker.

[UPDATE]: The original video was removed from YouTube. Found another one.

I Just Gave Nike 4 Minutes and a Half

And no, I don’t want them back (College Humor video link)

I was entertained. I think I want to go to Amsterdam. I am curious to know what the ROI of these kind of projects is compared to traditional media (TV, print etc)

From the Vimeo page: Visiting Amsterdam hotspots and related people of the MiNiBar, Momkai, La Melodia (who made the Soundtrack) and HOTEL who designed the Amsterdam map you can download at nike.com/sportswear

I bet Chavez's ears are Tweeting

Social Networks are reaching critical mass, the latest evidence can be seen with the huge impact that sites like twitter (virtually unknown just a few months ago… and still misunderstood by most), YouTube and Facebook are having on global opinion.

I started paying attention when Iran-related tweets started appearing on the trending topics section of twitter. People started getting fired up because mainstream media was not giving the story as much coverage as it deserved.

The networks reacted. It does not surprise me that most networks are now covering the story 24/7. Frankly, I am saturated… but quite happy.

  • I am happy that people care
  • Happy that so many Americans care
  • Happy that the media is covering what a large group of people consider to be relevant (versus their own agenda, for a change)

Which brings me to Venezuela and Chavez

Chavez has been successful in controlling the message. He was able to shut down the RCTV station 2 years ago without ruffling too many international feathers. I know, because I was getting my news updates on the subject via Venezuelan news papers, bloggers and a few glimpses of Globovision. Virtually nothing on US media.

Globovision is the last standing TV network that openly criticizes Chavez and his regime. Globovision’s days are numbered.

Watching these events unfold is certainly interesting. I hope that the People of Iran get treated fairly. I feel that their chances are better thanks in part to:

  • The clumsy and oppressive hand of their rulers
  • The awesome way in which technology has meshed with social networks (cellphones + cameras + the social web)
  • The elections in Iraq and Afghanistan

A successful Iran can be the tipping point for Venezuela and other countries in desperate need of change.

Thinking About GM

I really want to believe that GM will get back up on all four wheels. I think that the company has some very talented people… I also think that they have an amazing amount of baggage that should have been taken care of in bankruptcy court before pumping so many billions of taxpayer’s dollars.

Talking about the billions pumped, Sarah Palin will appear later today in an interview with Sean Hannity. Among other things, she says:

“America is digging a deeper hole and how are we paying for this government largesse. We’re borrowing. We’re borrowing from China and we consider that now we own sixty percent of GENERAL MOTORS – or the U.S. government does… But who is the U.S. government becoming more indebted to? It’s China. So that leads you to have to ask who is really going to own our car industry than in America.”

Its scary to think what government and regulations can do to the cars that we drive. Scarier still, is to think what other governments can do… I’m pretty positive that given the opportunity they will tilt at their favor (borrowing that expression from this great blog post by Alexander Muse).

We as Americans better start tilting to our favor, hard. While we still have leverage.

I don't use Old Spice nor follow Nascar

But find Tony Stewart pretty blunt and entertaining. He is borderline dangerous as a spokesman for most companies but somehow perfect for Old Spice.

I read a Rolling Stone article recently where stewart revealed what motivates him:

“Pussy, money and race cars. That’s pretty much all I care about.”

I was completely outraged by his remark… how could he forget mentioning guns & beer

I’ll take personalities over celebrities every time.