Spin the Pen Revisited: Spin It to Win It

Last summer, my friend, Daniel McCoy, and I entered the Pentel Recycology Student Campaign of the Year contest, hosted by Alloy Media + Marketing. Our entry to the contest was called "Spin the Pen. Save the Planet." Among our many campaign strategies, we utilized a Facebook group, YouTube page, Twitter page and website. We featured pen spinners JC and Xero spinning the Recycology products.

As winners of the contest, Daniel and I attended the John Caples Awards, were offered internships at Alloy Media + Marketing to further the Spin the Pen campaign, and received a lump-sum of $5,000 to split among ourselves and those who helped out, JC, Xero, and our cameraman, Josh. Great prizes, right?!

Unfortunately, I was unable to take the internship, but Daniel did a great job there. He continued the Spin the Pen campaign, but focused on the Pentel RSVP, a pen that many pen spinners consider to be the best pen to get started spinning with. I think that was a great move, as many spinners kept telling us that the Recycology products were too light and had too many protruding functions to spin.

His new campaign is called "Spin It to Win It". The main video is shown above. Check out the website for a tutorial, an introduction to Xero (the featured spinner), and more. You can even upload your video for a chance to win $500! Here's Xero's entry:

My congratulations go out to Daniel and Xero! Great site, videos and campaign!!!

Don't Be a Victim of Flat Hair! ... Or Attrociously Large Hair!

Has anyone seen the newest infomercial about Bumpits, by Big Apple Hair? If not, please enjoy above. This commercial is outrageous, featuring big-haired moms, cheerleaders and a 10-year old dress-up girl... so intriguing, I wonder who this is actually targeting.

If I had to guess, I would say the Bumpits is perfect for Middle American girls and women, going out on the town... or to the local high school prom. Of course, this infomercial features women at the beach, at work, out and about, and just hanging out at home. So, I guess this hairdo could work anywhere.... if you're going for the "alien skull head" look. Ugh. This is absurd.

Analysis of Obama's Support of General Motors

I want to share this NYTimes video with all of you. It's a strong analysis of General Motor's decline over the past few decades and how Obama has put high stakes into the auto industry. Produced by Michael Orr, this video illustrates how Obama's stake in the industry could put his reputation on the front lines in the case of a failed re-emergence of the U.S. auto industry.

I believe that Obama could be making the right move to have faith in the American auto industry. Maintaining hope in one of America's famed industries is essential, if we are to keep cars moving out of these plants. Americans must be reassured that their investments in new vehicles will be safe, or else they will go elsewhere to buy.

In order to keep the industry moving, though, I believe that the R&D needs to be there. American cars are falling behind on hybrid and electric technology, and this type of devastating event could further hold back innovation, as a result of declining R&D budgets.

Whether GM survives over the next few years or not, the American auto industry needs to embrace new technologies, far beyond the combustion engine, and once again lead the world in technology. Without any competitive advantage, the industry will continue to fall behind.

In order to achieve innovation, the government must provide incentives for automakers, including tax benefits and green research funds. Furthermore, to get consumers hyped up about buying hybrid cars, the government must do the same for consumers... tax benefits for buying green. Some states already do this. The Department of Energy has a database of state incentives and laws related to alternative-fuel vehicles. Most of these laws apply to businesses, but some apply to personal vehicle purchases. These incentives should be raised to a federal level to further incentivize the purchase of eco-friendly cars.

What do you think? Do you believe that Obama is making wise moves in backing up the American auto industry? Or will his support of GM and other American automakers lead to his demise?

Pepsi's Throwback with YouTube Poptub

I'm not much of a soda drinker, and I'm usually not in-tune with what soda companies are up to. But, when Pepsi started their new branding campaign last fall (as pictured above), I took note. But furthermore, when I discovered Pepsi Throwback today, I was pretty intrigued. Unfortunately, it reminds me of Xanadu, my Mom's favorite movie. Scarring.

Anywho, I thought I'd share Pepsi Poptub with you. It's an innovative way for a brand to interact with a group of fans via social media. Basically, Poptub's mission is stated as: "We make YouTube videos about YouTube videos on YouTube. It's not that complicated." Of course, we all know the real mission is to engage an audience in the Pepsi brand in order to achieve higher sales. But who would say that? That would be blasphemous.

On a positive note, I think the new branding campaign that's been underway since October 2008 is well-integrated. They have the new brand image. They're tying monochromatics with retro vibes and throwbacks. But at the same time, they've got the refresheverything.com thing going on, as well. So, they've got a neo-retro vibe going on.

Regardless of my sarcasm, you should check out Pepsi Poptub. Take a look at the imagery below for a taste test!

(Above: YouTube.com/PopTub)

(Above: Pepsi's website, refresheverything.com)

(Above: Limited edition Pepsi Throwback in can and bottle)

Chonga. Chola. Cafre. Chusma.

Today, I discovered the Chonga Girls and their viral hit "Chongalicious", the video seen above that was apparently based on a song by Fergie. My friend, Rogelio, taught me the many synonyms to "chonga" in the various Spanish dialects. Let's review.

Chonga: According to Urban Dictionary, a chonga is

Primarily found in Miami (most famously, in Hialeah), the chonga is known for her cheap form of dress, a combination of the so-called gangsta look and that of a prostitute, but can vary between the two. She wears ridiculously large hoop earrings large enough to be bracelets, which are usually gold and have their name written in them, and diamond studs high up on her ears.

Other key factors that identify a chonga are the excessive use of makeups (including eyebrow and lip liners), name brand hip hop clothing (Baby Phat, Sean Jean, Ecko, etc) and sneakers (Air Force Ones or Reeboks), an attraction to malls, tight jeans, large amounts of hair gel, and a liberal use of Spanglish.

The variants of chonga include:

Chola: A Mexican variant of chonga. The chola style is common in southern California like east LA, San Diego, OC, and also NYC.
Cafre: A Puerto Rican variant of chonga.
Chusma: A Cuban variant. In Cuban Spanish, this is a vulgar word.

Thank you, Rogelio, for teaching me the slight variations existing between chongas, cholas, cafres and chusmas.

Stealing Chinese Kids

One of the many things I noticed while in China was that kids are precious. Because of the One Child Policy, children are treated with great care, often becoming the "Little Emperors and Empresses" of the family. As a result of the One Child Policy and the cultural importance of passing on one's name, boys have historically been preferred among the Chinese. This trend is dying out as many urban Chinese become exposed to international world views and leave behind strict traditional mindsets. But some Chinese still place a high value on sons and would give anything to have one, especially if their first child (and thus, only legal child) doesn't measure up to expectations.

The New York Times recently reported on the kidnapping and selling of kids as another result of these traditional Chinese values. The video above does a great job of conveying this problem in rural China.

On another note, it is stories like these that fuel my belief in organizations like China Care, a non-profit organization that helps provide life-saving surgeries for disabled Chinese orphans. Many of these orphans are abandoned for the same reasons why children are stolen and sold. Because of the One Child Policy, the Chinese place a high value on healthy children. If it turns out that their child is disabled, there is a higher probability that the child will be abandoned. That's where China Care comes in, and it's a good thing that they're there to help out, because the number one reason that children become orphaned in China is due to health issues or disabilities.

Unfortunately, social policies and traditional family beliefs in China have led to the existence of child trafficking of healthy boys and higher-than-average abandonment rates for disabled children.

Hopefully the Chinese government will turn its focus towards these issues and create a sustainable solution. Until then, we can only hope that news coverage of these tragedies will continue to draw attention to the problems.

YouTube Discovery: Kid with Crazy Dance Moves

While on Twitter, I saw a tweet about some dancing kids... Followed the link and found ArchiPug2, as shown above. Wow, these kids are kind of amazing. Well, the sister has some problems, but I'm sure she'll find her way. :-)

McDonald's: See What They're Made Of

While on Facebook today, I saw the advertisement above for the McDonald's campaign entitled "See what we're made of".

On the website, they describe their supplier relationships with each ingredient, including the lettuce, tomatoes, beef and so on.

This is their newest campaign, as it has just recently been phased into packaging designs. By the end of this year, they hope to phase out the "I'm lovin' it" campaign that seemed to be a big hit.

The campaign has received a lot of backlash from organizations like EndAnimalCloning.org and World Society for the Protection of Animals, citing that "McDonald's has no policy on serving milk and meat from cloned animals or their offspring."

We could argue all day about whether McDonald's is actually adding utility to society or not, and I think the skeptics would win, but that's not the point of my post today. I'm just pointing out a new advertising campaign. Good or evil, they've come a long way from their first commercial:

YouTube Discovery: Signs

My friend, Weily, sent me a video last night, entitled "Signs". It's a short film about communication and has a little undertone of love, directed by Patrick Hughes. Check it out below.


So sweet, right? Had me saying "Awwww..." for hours.

YouTube Discovery: Fuku the French Bulldog

Today I discovered a YouTube channel called Tsuchinoko TV that features a French Bulldog named Fuku. Tsucchisan is a Japanese director living in Tokyo. His channel features his pet and will later feature cartoons that he makes, inspired by Fuku.

His puppy is incredibly adorable, as you can observe for yourself in the video above. This is a winning YouTube channel in my book, if not for anything other than the mastery of the Science of Cute.