Reblogging my unconsumption post:
The appeal of banana stickers (and other things):
Colors magazine’s winter 2010-11 issue, titled “Collector,” “visits people who have amassed holdings of everything from Concorde memorabilia to banana stickers to used tea bags.” The collectors “see ordinary things in extraordinary ways.” Pictured above is Houstonian Becky Martz’s banana sticker collection. (via Colors on Collectors - NYTimes.com)
Related (also, a confession): When I was a child, I repurposed banana stickers, using them to decorate my school book covers (repurposed paper grocery bags, thanks to mom!). Several of my classmates did something similar. Anyone you know collect banana stickers?
See also Rob’s insightful New York Times magazine Consumed column on the design of banana stickers, a.k.a. minimal packaging.
Additional confession: My mother let me go out in public occasionally sporting banana stickers on the backs of my hands or on my forearms, tattoo-like. She was awesome. :)
“A recent report released by ExactTarget and CoTweet found two primary reasons why consumers ‘like’ brands on Facebook: for discounts and as a ’social badge.’ Nearly 40% of Facebook users become fans to receive discounts and promotions, while 39% do so to demonstrate their support for a particular brand to their friends – this is in contrast to the 23% of respondents who follow brands on Twitter, and the 10% that subscribe to e-mail notifications for the same reasons.”
GAP LISTENS TO CUSTOMERS AND WILL KEEP CLASSIC BLUE BOX LOGO - Gap Inc. - Media - Press Releases
Related: Last week’s post – to which I didn’t add Gap corporate’s idea of crowdsourcing a new look to replace the, um, newly designed look – about the Gap logo debacle.
Food companies, already under attack for making kids fat, have accomplices in Shrek, Dora the Explorer and Scooby Doo, a new study finds.
Licensed cartoon celebrities not only appeal to children - the kids actually think junk foods hocked by popular characters taste better, researchers find.
This study surely opens a new conversation about food company marketing practices.
[Yesterday] at Cannes [Lions ad fest], Unilever revealed an ice cream vending machine for the digital age. Branded “Share Happy,” it is able to sense when people are near. Using facial recognition…
“[…] it can determine age, gender, and emotion. The machine uses an interactive "smile-o-meter” to rate smiles; those with a big enough smile are rewarded with free ice cream.
What is also worth noting is the ability for users to share pictures on Facebook via built-in 3G.“ (Related: Diesel’s social kiosk encourages sharing of images on Facebook.)
Target launched today the latest example of a philanthropic campaign in which consumers can interact online with a brand. Target’s to-be-crowdsourced giving contest, titled Super Love Sender, in celebration of Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl, is built around Facebook’s platform.
How it works: Through Target’s Facebook page, you can create and send customized Valentine’s Day, football-inspired video cards. Every time a video card is sent, the charity of your choosing (from a group of five organizations pre-selected by Target) receives a vote. The percentage of votes will correlate with the amount of funds allocated to each organization.
Following the campaign’s close on February 14, $1 million will be donated to the five non-profit organizations, which include The Salvation Army and United Way, in support of their education programs.
Target’s e-card campaign is the company’s second cause-marketing initiative to be conducted online during the past 12 months. The campaign, plus Target’s May 2009 $3-million Bullseye campaign, and Chase’s $5-million December Community Giving and Pepsi’s in-progress $20-million Refresh campaigns, are seeding the contest playing field. Online charitable-giving contests will be an interesting game to watch in the coming months as other teams enter the arena to compete for votes and, hopefully, a lineup of new, enthusiastic brand ambassadors.
