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August 28, 2007: The Most Popular Brand of 2007…And I’m not Talking About Apple

The Macarena, Tickle-Me Elmo and the Spice Girls in the ’90s. SUVs, the Adkins diet, and Crocs in the ‘00s. Pop culture is always exciting, and Americans like to be hip. Each year, we buy brand-name fashionable clothes, new cars, and the hottest cell phones in an attempt to show that we’re always up on what’s in style.

Let’s face it-much of what’s “in style” is determined by what we see in the media—or by what we see in Hollywood. Recently, our favorite celebrities have become extremely environmentally friendly. They’ve gone green, so to speak, and turned being “green” into a brand of it’s own that has become the high-class trend of the year.

August 23, 2007: Big Tobacco Targeting Young Women With Latest Campaign

For ten years now, organizations like TheTruth.com and The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids have been warning young people about the perils of smoking cigarettes. The hard-hitting commercials, posters, and rallies are something most people have seen on the news, on MTV, or even on a street corner in their hometown. Even though “Big Tobacco” has been portrayed as the ultimate evil, they’re at it again, this time targeting what some consider to be a dangerously impressionable group—women and girls as young as 13.

August 21, 2007: Google: I Love Thee, I Love Thee Not…

Much of my day here at Sundog is spent doing research. I dig deep into the virtual world of homepages, blogs, and social networks for information on everything from the demographics of major cities to comparisons of different Javascript libraries. In order to be successful in my quest for top-notch information, I certainly need a high-powered search engine that satisfies my cravings, er…my research needs. I’ve always thought this search engine was Google—the king of blue links and quick results. Based on a recent user satisfaction survey, however, it looks like I may want to reconsider.

August 15, 2007: Sony Bravia Ads to Feature “Colour Like No Other” in NYC this month

If you happen to be walking around New York City this month, watch out for the giant Play-Doh bunnies.  Sony brand Bravia is at it again, and they’re in town taping the third commercial in a series of ads for their LCD televisions. Play-Doh bunnies selling TVs, you ask?  If you know anything about Bravia’s ad campaign titled “Colour Like No Other,” the colorful rabbits shouldn’t come as a shock.

August 07, 2007: Brand Beckham Brings in Big Bucks

As a connoisseur of celebrity gossip, I’m always aware of what’s going on in Hollywood.  And as an intern at Sundog this summer, I’m learning that I also need to be aware of what’s happening in the world of marketing. So obviously I was excited about the opportunity to write a blog about something, or someone, in this case, who has been busy lately making a big splash on both fronts—David Beckham.

August 01, 2007: A Blog About…Harry Potter, Of Course

As most avid Harry Potter fans are currently finishing (or have already finished) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th and final book in the wildly popular series, I’m about 200 pages into Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix— book number five. Yes, you heard right, I’m only on the 5th book. You see, Harry Potter and I had a little falling out the last time I tried to read book five back in 2003 when it was first released.  To put it frankly, I just got bored. I tried my best to stick with the plot of the 870 page novel, but I gave up. Not only had I given up on the book, but I thought I had lost interest in the entire series. I didn’t even notice when the sixth book came out in 2005, and I definitely wasn’t lined up at Barnes and Noble last Friday waiting for my own copy of book seven. I had abandoned ship, until now—thanks to some word of mouth marketing.

July 25, 2007: YouTube a Key Player on the Campaign Trail

Every day, people of all ages use YouTube to view their favorite music videos, TV spots, and hilarious home movies—pretty much anything they want to see, they can find it on YouTube. The video sharing website has millions of viewers each day, and its popularity is only continuing to rise. On Monday, the site took a big step toward cementing its place in society—YouTube entered the world of politics by co-sponsoring a debate for the Democratic Presidential candidates.

  The YouTube debate, co-sponsored by CNN, allowed viewers to submit questions for the candidates via YouTube. The candidates, assembled at Citadel, a military school in South Carolina, then answered submitted questions live, with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on-hand as a moderator. So how successful was YouTube’s political debut? On Tuesday, bloggers, television stations, and the candidates themselves deemed the project a success, and there are plans in place for similar endeavors in the future.

July 19, 2007: Mall Curfews to Affect Teen Spending?

As summer temperatures continue to sizzle across the country, youngsters everywhere are looking for a cool escape from the heat. Pools and sprinklers are a kiddie favorite, but more mature teenagers looking to spend dough earned from summer jobs might rather hit up a cool, air conditioned shopping mall.  They better get their shopping done early though, because they’ll have to be out before curfew. Mall curfew, that is.

According to this article from Time magazine, shopping centers across the country are enforcing curfews that require shoppers to be over 18 after a certain time of day. Minnesota’s own Mall of America started this trend over a decade ago, and today 46 of the 1,200 malls in the U.S. have similar policies.

July 03, 2007: Facebook Gets Ready to Take Over the World

As a college student and summer intern at Sundog, I’m telling you that Facebook isn’t just an online social network—it’s a way of life. According to a 2006 study by Student Monitor, Facebook is the second most “in” thing among the undergraduate population—losing only to the i-pod and tying with beer and sex. I’m not surprised. I use it every day to keep in touch with (and keep an eye on) friends and acquaintances.   We can write notes on each others walls, share photos of our weekend adventures, and even exchange secret messages. The site’s founder Mark Zuckerberg developed these features as part of the original co-ed geared Facebook site in 2004 when he was just a sophomore at Harvard. So just how far can the 23 year-old take his business?

June 22, 2007: Name that…Flavor?

If you’ve been grocery shopping lately, you might have noticed Doritos has a new flavor on the market — but you’ll have to decide for yourself exactly what that flavor is.  You might even win a contest.

The new chips don’t exactly fit in with tried-and-true favorites like “Nacho Cheese” and “Cool Ranch,” with their black packaging and science experiment-esque label “X13-D.”

According to Frito Lay, the new flavor is, in fact, part of an experiment — an interactive marketing one, that is.