Photo credit: PSFK.com

If you’re an undecided shopper (like myself), it can sometimes be helpful to have a friend around to give a second opinion. However, if your friends are anything like mine, they get impatient/bored/annoyed and leave to go hit up Auntie Anne’s. Fortunately Brazilian clothing store C&A has developed a solution to make solo shopping an easy process. The store features special electronic hangers that calculate real-time ‘likes’ from their Facebook page to show shoppers which items are most popular.

No word yet on whether the hangers can also tell you if those pants make your…

Photo Credit: TheSpace.org

John Peel, the late, legendary British DJ of pirate radio fame has had his 25,000+ record collection transformed into an online, interactive museum that showcases an eclectic tour through the history of modern music.  As the longest standing DJ of the original BBC Radio 1, Peel is often cited as being one of the most influential and progressive DJs to ever grace the airwaves.  The website also showcases photos, videos, and live sessions, and will be unveiling the first 100 albums of each letter in the collection each week from May 1st – October 1st (A, B, and C have already been released).

The website marks the latest creative attempt to connect the physical to the digital, a concept that’s at the forefront for a vinyl industry trying to survive in an increasingly digital world, where instant (and mobile) gratification is king.  Playback for the albums links to various streaming sites like Spotify, which bridges the generational gap and connects albums from as early as the 1950’s to the internet’s most recent musical hub.

As someone who still clings to his turntable with aspirations of becoming a vinyl snob, here’s hoping that creative ventures like these, along with free digital downloads and cheeky iPhone apps is enough to keep my growing vinyl collection more relevant than my HD DVDs…

Photo Credit: Vibe.com

Mark Zuckerberg turned 28 this week, and despite failing to graduate from college on time, he has to be considered a success at this point in his career.  What remains to be seen, however, is how Facebook’s initial public offering (IPO) will be received later this week.  As a public company, Facebook will face a host of new challenges, the most important being increased scrutiny from both the Federal Government and new investors.

In interactions with prospective investors leading up to the IPO, one of Zuckerberg’s biggest hurdles has been proving that his business model will hold water in an increasingly mobile world.  Up until now, Facebook’s mobile app has shown few ads compared to its primary site, but reports from the last two quarters have shown mobile traffic increasing at a faster rate than the ads being offered.

Even if he couldn’t graduate from Harvard, Zuckerberg is no dummy–so expect to see a big pick-up in mobile ads over the next few months as his new co-owners clamor for higher share prices.

Read more about Facebook’s mobile strategy here.

It seems as though every brand is trying to find a way to engage with millennials and attract the next generation of brand loyalists. Can you blame them?

One of the mistakes brands are making is creating a more youthful, less expensive version of a current product. Chevy is taking a different approach by spending millions on learning exactly what a millennial wants in a car. And while other age groups might seek youth, millennials are looking for a sophisticated, mature product. In fact, they actually want to appear older than they are.

After numerous focus groups, research, and concepts, the automaker has chosen two to debut to the public. While the stereotypical millennial might be excited by the new design, Chevy is also targeting the parents. Learn more about Chevy’s strategy at Fast Company.

What do you think of Chevy’s new designs?

What’s your special place? Where you fell in love? Where you went to college? Your hometown?

At Woodcutmaps.com, you can turn your special place into a piece of art. Simply frame your location on Google Maps and choose your materials. Then chop, chop…Woodcut Maps carves out your design and ships it to you.

So…is it art or is it a Google map? Both actually.

Photo credit: Forbes.com

If you want the 4-11 on experiential marketing, who better to ask than MKTG INC’s own President & CEO Charlie Horsey? In this week’s Forbes online, Patrick Hanlon chats with Charlie to find out how we do what we do and why we’re so good at it. Don’t get left on the ground–read all about the take-off of event marketing here!

In the latest attempt to infiltrate and brand the way that social media users share content, Kraft recently launched a Facebook app around Philadelphia Cream Cheese entitled “Pheel the Moment“.  The app allows users to organize their Facebook photos into one streaming video collection of travel memories, inappropriate bar celebrations, and POV pictures girls take at the beach with only their legs showing (we get it…you’re there).

While the name may be a bit cheesy (pun intended), the app takes a page out of the new Facebook Timeline  in creating a more streamlined social media experience for sharing content.  Sorting through the clutter of apps on Facebook can prove to be disconcerting, but the ones that succeed do so by focusing on enhancing an existing behavior of its users.  Given that photo uploading is one of the most commonly used features of Facebook (i.e. “You’ve been tagged in 67 photos!”), this app seems to fit the bill.

Photo Credit: Mashable

A few years ago, social media was facing an uphill battle defending its ROI. Today, the conversation has changed – marketers get it.

In fact, according to a Forrester study, 92 percent of CMOs and VPs surveyed, believed social media has profoundly changed how brands and consumers communicate. That’s a good thing, right?

While the hill might not be as steep, social media is still fighting for a seat at the marketing budget table.  According to the study, only 49 percent of brands are fully integrating social media into their marketing strategies. Marketers are excited about the possibilities, but unsure how to capitalize on the budget spend.

Only time will tell, but the brands that decide to pass on social – have a good chance of being left out of the conversation.

Photo credit: Nike.jp

To highlight the strength (and flexibility) of their new Free Run+ sneakers, Nike Japan created an interactive website where fans can move their face and “the super flexible Nike Free Run+ will respond.” Each week, they’re selecting one winner based on the number of votes received and the winner with the best face will receive a NIKEiD gift card. Unfortunately for this kid, you have to reside in Japan to win, but maybe there’s an American contest coming soon?

Photo Credit: Fast Company

It’s a difficult task to quantify the affect that industry leaders have on the world, but Forbes Brazil recently set out to do just that.

“In a campaign created by Ogilvy Brazil, faceless portraits of Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others are seen alongside rudimentary (nonsensical, really) infographics where the contributions of each are presented as losses to society.” (via Fast Company)

While some could argue that someone would have filled the void eventually should these characters not existed, it’s an interesting look into just how greatly they have affected the world.  Zuckerberg’s contributions to the world clearly go far beyond the financial realm, connecting approximately 845 million people across the world, and (perhaps, more shockingly) allegedly informing 300,000 people that they were being cheated on via his often-intrusive website.  Blissful ignorance, anyone?

(Not mentioned: the thousands of app requests from that kid you never talked to in high school.)