Is the Internet making us stupid? That’s the question du jour. The Swallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, a brand new book by Nick Carr that has been getting a lot of buzz, answers this question with a resounding “Heck, yeah!”

Naturally, everyone from The Wall Street Journal to Tech Crunch has taken to the Internet to respond to the book, either to pooh-pooh Carr’s claims or to provide a round of applause. Never mind the irony that the very media source in question is the stomping ground for this very debate. In fact, never mind the debate at all. It’s a tired and worn more…

This week’s Brandsplat Video report covers fake retro style viral commercials from Toy Story 3, Facebook’s new window decals for businesses and how Flash is faring for the future. Find out here! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

The reality TV juggernaut American Idol, which somehow manages to generate more tabloid covers and Entertainment Tonight reports than any television show ever, has run out of gas. Simply put, nobody cares this year and the hot button water cooler buzz that surrounded AI has now evaporated. Likewise, the new batch of summer movies is failing to excite in previews as the majority of them are sequels. From Toy Story to Iron Man, there’s a cultural sense of deja vu going on. Entertainment, still one of the this country’s highest grossing exports, seems a little tired; like it could use a time out and a nap.

New media and marketing have also experienced a dip in creativity as of late. Shortly put, when the best Facebook press of the week involves Hamster torture, the well appears to have dried up. The climate can truly lead to feeling uninspired and exhausted. So it is easy to hop on the everything sucks and nothing is original bandwagon in times like these. But have no fear- I rustled up a few examples of marketing lights at the end of the tunnel.

To start things off, I think a special shout out is order for Hanes and their commercial that touts the company’s foray into using environmentally friendly fabrics. The clip features a Hanes wearing guy who an announcer tells us is doing the right thing while his friend James, whom he strolls through the mall with, is not. James receives menacing looks from babies and toddlers (read: the future generation) who look as though they’re ready to take the guy out for not being environmentally friendly. It’s a funny spot with a good message from Hanes. It also marks a departure in style from those ”Look! Jennifer Love Hewitt in a bra!” ads of a few years back.

Also on the environmental tip, is this ad for Sun Chips. User created by Heather Kramer of Brooklyn, this sweet little commercial promotes the new 1005 compostible Sun Chips bag. Kramer, who was chosen by Al Gore as the winner of a nationwide contest, provides a voice over while a the chip bag takes a little journey. Chosen as AdWeek’s clip of the week, the Sun Chip commercial is a step in the right direction for the brand.

Lastly, Diesel jeans gives there “Be Stupid” campaign a shot in in the arm by leaning on Twitter and Facebook to spread the word that stupid is the new smart. The company’s website and Facebook page feature contests and videos submitted by fans on how to do crazy dances. Sounds a little uh stupid, right? That’s the point and Diesel in the meantime is reinventing themselves by returning to the edgy marketing that put them on the cultural map during the 1990′s. The whole  dumb thing turns out to be pretty ingenious.

Still not inspired? Looking to the past is a good way to start the juices flowing and to combat our current state of cultural boredom. Old movies, vintage television shows, and bad ass art books are a good place to start. But enough from me- how do you, dear readers, fight the media blahs? Any tips you’d like to share with the class?

Foursquare recently announced that April 16th will be the world’s first social media holiday–Foursquare Day! The holiday will be celebrated in 100 cities around the world including Seoul, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur,  Manchester, Tampa, and Boston. Yay! And we should care because…?? Well, I’m not entirely sure that you should as I’m not totally certain if I do just yet either or even if I understand the point of more…

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode 18 covers the iPad, Old Spice and Kick Ass (the Movie).  Enzo’s getting out his leotard!  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids.

This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode 16 covers Twitter clients Hootsuite and Monitter plus more about Golden Grahams. Why do we care about Golden Grahams?  Because we’re winners, that’s why!  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

Verbal spats between digital devotees and bookworms have been popping up all over message boards for quite sometime. On one side, the techies say that contrary to popular belief they do in fact read and they insist genius can be found online. On the other side, the bookies say that computerized books and publications are the death toll for genuine intellectual written material. This spat jumped off the Internet and into a hotel conference room on more…

Check out this interview during the OMMA Video Event in L.A. with digital strategist Rob Schwartz, who explains the concept of “Brand Piggybacking” to enhance your digital engagement strategy. Enjoy.

There’s no question that implementing a video on your e-commerce site can be good for business. Whether you use it to close in on a sale, to inform, to showcase products or to entertain, video can add real value to your site. Some companies shy away from video because of the costs associated with it. Getting a larger server to host videos, buying a camera, digitizing, shooting, editing and marketing your video can be an expensive proposition for a small business. But there’s another way. According to a recent post by The Video Commerce Consortium, there’s a quick and affordable solution that anyone can implement for their website. According to The VCC, by using an auto-generated video service, you can make video by uploading still photos and music with the click of a button.

As online video becomes more accessible, you will find more and more services that cater to the small to mid-sized business with affordable video solutions. Check out some of these sites courtesy of VCC for  affordable and effective ways to add some video snazz to your site.

http://www.sundaysky.com/
http://www.talkmarket.com/
http://animoto.com/

During the yesteryears of the dot com craze, companies scrambled to get branded websites up more from herd mentality than from fully understanding why they needed one. For most companies at the time, websites were mostly used as a platform to broadcast their marketing communications to potential customers and brand evangelists. Today, there has been a tectonic shift away from broadcasting out to the consumer to inviting them in and allowing for them to play an significant role in branding and marketing efforts. We’re seeing a shift from the one-way communication model where brands blare out messaging to consumers (think old disruption-based media like television, outdoor, print etc.) to the two-way conversation model (think opt-in social networking, user generated content, blogging, etc.) where advertising and communication are taking place in real time.

One such company that has embraced this model and has transformed the way they communicate is Chik-Fil-A. For those of you who don’t know, Chic-Fil-A is famous for their “Eat more Chikin” campaign delivered by cows who started a quest to convince humans to choose chicken over beef. The humorous campaign started in 1995 and slowly has successfully integrated the two-way stance on communications. While the company has not abandoned traditional media, they have beefed up (sorry about the pun) their online media with a bevy of new outlets that enable their customers to take part in their marketing and communications. And they’re at it again. Along with a healthy Facebook and Twitter presence, Chic-Fil-A recently launched a microsite (EatMoreChikin.com) which, according to clickz,

“…is the latest attempt by the restaurant chain to turn its cows — well-known from TV commercials — into viral marketing thoroughbreds. Its launch follows the company’s successful build-up of one of the biggest Facebook presences in the restaurant niche.

Are you already a fan of the cows? Then you’re in for a treat this holiday season because according to a recent PRNewswire release, Chic-Fil-A is offering the coveted 2010 edition of their annual cow-themed calendar featuring spoofs on famous works of literature to discourage burger-eating throughout the country. Titles include: Ali Barbacue, Porter Pan, Jack the Flipper and The Three Brisketeers among others. You can pick yours up for six bucks at participating restaurants or you can order online. It’s a nice offering that makes for a great stocking stuffer. Hey, chalk one up for old media.