Marketing Pop Culture

Election night 2008

And the euphoria of those who helped make it real. . .

Wassup 2008

 

Leave it to director Charles Stone to update the iconic "Wassup" commercial for 2008. 

Hat tip to both Sharon Pendana and Howard Duffy for sending this to me.

Enjoy!

The real difference between liberals and conservatives

 

Why does it seem like liberals and conservatives never seem to agree?  Is it simplistic to say that they just see the world differently?  Maybe not.  Check out this fascinating talk given at the 2008 TED conference by University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who studies the cultural context for morality and emotion.  In this talk, he discusses the five moral values that are valued most by people who fall into either the conservative or liberal camp.  Perhaps it will help you have more empathy for our countrymen and women in those other-colored states.

"Ain't your mama's and daddy's super heroes"

I'm really glad Christopher Chambers pinged me about the release today of a new collection of stories he co-edited with Gary Phillips.  Those of you who know me know that I've been a longtime lover and reader of comics.  I'm currently really feeling Marvel's X-Force limited series, although Todd Kelley tells me I'm missing the boat by not checking out Ed Brubaker's work in Captain America.  And I'll pretty much buy anything that Jim Lee draws.

But enough about me.

It's great to see the idea of the super hero expanded and evolved.  And what a perspective!  In the intro, the editors provide context for the collection by placing it on a continuum of storytelling that dates back to prehistoric campfires.  Check this out

The heroes in those first stories weren't Clark Kents or Bruce Waynes or Sue Richards, with her blond extensions and perfect C-cups.  They were plain old us--flawed and scared.  Blind and groping.  Striving not to save the world, but to save one life or to right one wrong.  In the process, they save something of themselves as well.

And this, too:

Be advised, these ain't your mama's and daddy's super heroes.  These protagonists, for the most part, are products of, and grounded in, the world we butt heads against every damn day--and they hvae the means to bite back.  But isn't that what we gathered abournd the fire to hear?

In addition to Christopher, I'm looking forward to tucking into stories by Walter Mosely, Tananarive Due, the late Jerry Rodriguez, and my man Michael Gonzales.  Just got the review copy via messenger today, so I can't make a judgment on the collection right now.  But, for you fans of the genre, it looks like something worth checking out.

Additional link:

• The Darker Mask: Heroes from the Shadows, edited by Gary Phillips and Christopher Chambers

WEEKEND PREVIEW: Music composer Wendell Hanes in Harlem--8/16

The CLIO and Addy award-winning music composer will be at Harlem's Hue-Man bookstore to promote his new book, THE 30-30 CAREER: Making 30 Grand in 30 Seconds! Producing Music for Commercials.  He has over 600 commercials to his credit, including work for major marketers such as McDonald's, Mercedes-Benz, Pepsi and Nike.  He's also won a Cannes Lion and and Andy Award.

The book--the first of a two-volume set-- is presented as "the most up to date "How To" resource in music composition for the advertising industry, featuring commentary and interviews from many of the leading names  in the ad game such as Vito Desario, Josh Rabinowitz, Bob Schriber, Karl Westman, Joel Simon, Robert Miller, Bob Nelson, Barry Walsh, Michael Montes, Roberta Griefer, and Michelle Curran as well as celebrity figures like Russell Simmons, Oleta Adams, Little X, and Wynton Marsalis."

Scoring techniques, music house profiles, musician residuals, beating deadlines, interviews with top ad agency creatives, mixing secrets are covered as well.

Hue-Man Bookstore
2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd
Between 124th and 125th Streets
New York, NY 10027
Tel: 212-665-7400
4:00PM

Additional links:

• Volition Sound Branding
• The 3030 Career book
• The 3030 Career official site

The difference between Gen X and Gen Y

According to a recent report from eMarketer, distinguishing between the two generations is relatively easy:

"Gen Xers use technology when it supports a lifestyle need," said Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester, "while technology is so deeply embedded into everything Gen Yers do that they are truly the first native online population."

Gen Xers--born between 1966 and 1979--numbers about 63 million, while Gen Y--those born between 1980 and 1990--number about 38 million

Read the full article here.

links for 2008-07-16

• Wordle - Marketingpopculture.com's Wordle
  Thought it'd be interesting to see what words came up most. Via wordle.com/create
  (tags: wordle)
• Wordle - My deli.cio.us cloud
  (tags: wordle)
• Boldaslove.us' RSS feed cloud
  (tags: wordle)

links for 2008-07-11

• Petroleum and Prostitution: Brothel Offers Gas After Ass
  Sign o' the times. I wonder what the actual redemption rate is on this offer? H/T to Guy Kawasaki and Truemors
  (tags: the+economy)
• Where Marketers Are Putting Their Social Media Dollars and Cents
  Blogging and social nets still get most of the spend. The article also looks at the trends driving brands interest in this space and highlights work from JC Penney, Threadless, Nike and others.
  (tags: social+media)

2 days to the Afropunk jumpoff

My friends Boston and Shena just concluded three nights of amazing (yes, it was that good) music this past Saturday with the third installment of the URB Alt Festival.  Check out my posts here and here.

But no sooner is that done than the 2008 Afropunk Festival starts.  40 bands, 15 films and 5 days of pro BMX bikers and pro skaters converge on Fort Greene in planet Brooklyn.  Ah, it's such a great time for Black rock!

Check the cross-post at Bold As Love.

links for 2008-06-30

• Hip-Hop Sites Hacked By Apparent Hate Group
  I'd first heard about this from my Twitter feed. Just a reminder that there are many who will resist changes to the status quo.
  (tags: hip+hop digital digital+music diversity)