5 Things You Might Have Missed

In a slow week of tech, marketing and social media headlines, it may appear that you already read everything important and know all things timely and trendy. Do not be lulled into this false sense of security! We here at Brandsplat have sought out five more jewels of wisdom and curiosity to add to your treasure chest of knowledge.

1.) Marketing, Dead Head Style: This blog at Huffington Post from David Meerman Scott outlines what every company can learn from the marketing geniuses of The Grateful Dead. After all, the Dead have been a thriving and viable brand for decades with a following that seems to, well, never die. So in depth are the marketing lessons of the Grateful Dead, Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan even wrote a whole book about it, Marketing Lessons From The Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn From The Most Iconic Band in History.

2.) Infusing Glee & Branding In PSAs: This week LG, makers of some of the most distracting phones on the planet, enlisted the comedic talent of Emmy nominee Jane Lynch to help stop teens from texting while driving. The Glee actress stars in a series of humorous spots aimed to show the dangers of texting behind the wheel. They’re funny ads that deliver a message while also promoting LG’s phones – and Lynch is red hot right now so all the way around it’s a well-thought-out campaign.

3.) Saving Time On Social Media: This quick read from Bloomberg is a smart reminder that our social media marketing need not suck up all of our time. Good to remember when you’re tweeting instead of, you know, actually working.

4.) Lionel Richie. Period: So we always like to give a shout out to the weird advertising moment of the week, and Lionel Richie doing a chip commercial in the UK pretty much fits the bill. We heart the smooth, soulful sounds of Mr. Richie and we think he could be on the brink of a kitsch advertising comeback ala William Shatner. Plus, he has prior experience.

5.) Digging The New Digg: From the way folks have reacted, you would have thought that the new, more Twitter-esque version of Digg was a mind-controlling weapon destroying humanity. Nope. The new Digg is just an easier-to-browse version of the old standby and the most amazing thing about it? The relaunch actually has people talking about Digg again! We kind of like the new Digg and we like a good old fashioned brand comeback even more.