Barbie's Moving! Malibu Dream House Listed for $25million (video)

Barbie is house hunting for a new  Dream House. The old Dream House in Malibu is, well, just not doing it for the well-travelled, sophisticated lady anymore. She's looking for her new Dream House, maybe somewhere exotic, expanding her eye beyond Malibu. Here, take a look:

Her current high-tech, ultra-modern mansion is listed by who else other than  celebrity real estate agent Josh Altman from Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing". 

"On the market since 1959, with the Malibu Barbie version introduced in 1971, Barbie is clearly doing something right. In an increasingly digital toy age, her popularity endures with 7,029,438 "likes" and 157,541 "talking about this" on Facebook. “Overall, we’re pleased with the position of Barbie in the marketplace,” said Stephanie Cota, Mattel's SVP girls’ brands worldwide.  “No. 1 is a good place to be. It’s our job that she remain top of mind. We are at our best when we recognize the cultural relevance of Barbie.” (BrandChannel)

She even has a Trulia listing for the Malibu digs. Currently listed at a cool $25 million. 

This is really an all out multi-faceted, digital campaign to bring Barbie and her Dream House back into the spotlight. There's a reason Barbie is still No.1 in the marketplace. She keeps up with technology...especially social media. What's next? Perhaps a reality show?

Super Bowl XLVII: How We Watch and Connect

The Future Pay Phone Is Here (video)

Ever wonder if anyone even touches those payphone kiosks throughout the city? Well, it's about time that someone steps in and integrates the technology we really use and re-imagine and re-purpose these old, dirty pay-phone. Cisco and City 24/7 have partnered to do jus this. They have created touch-screen monitors that will hopefully take place of old payphones. These screen offer super hyper-local information and can be a key information hub during disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. They are hoping to have 250 of these installed in the coming months throughout the 5 boroughs. 

"The 32-inch “smart screens” with Internet connections resemble a large iPad and dispense information in multiple languages. “It will help inform the city’s ongoing reassessment, with public input, of what we want or what we think the future of public pay phones will entail,” said Nicholas Sbordone, spokesman for NYC's department of Information Technology & Telecommunications, to the Post. 

Germaphobes can rejoice, they’re built to be cleaned with a jet hose and are cleaner than an ATM. Waterproof and dust-proof, the smart screens will include Skype calls, access to e-mail accounts and serve as Wi Fi hotspots. "

(BrandChannel)

How Does Ben& Jerry's Capture Millennials? (video)

With Instagram of course. This is a smart and brilliant way to engage their consumers through the integration of the growing Instagram craze. Why do I think this will be successful? The fans are already posting pictures on instagram. They are not asked to do something new. All they have to do is tag the photo with #captureeuphoria. It's simple and easy. And the reward is the possibility of 2 seconds of Ben&Jerry fame. As of today, there are over 3,000 photos with #captureeuphoria on Instagram. 

Burt's Bee "Peel" Away Billboard (video)

We posted previously on the trend of post-it art and post-it competitions between office windows. Similar in idea, Burt's Bee uses stickie coupons to create a before image of dry, flaky skin and as each coupon is removed, a smooth hydrated face appears. A great one off campaign to generate a viral video and drive traffic to their Facbook page where you can claim your own coupon. 

Twitter, Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Twitter updates have bombarded news and tech sites since Tuesday's release of new features available on Twitter for users and brand pages. However, did you know Twitter is not a single bird brand? I only just realized that there were a flock of Twitter birds out there...obviously there are many entities of Twitter, but the bird has grown to form it's own global union. The semiotic of the bird has incredible reach and power to speak in 140 characters or less in almost every language known to man. Here's a glimpse of just a few of the birds in the Twitter flock. 

Most of these are legitimately run by the mama bird, Twitter. The Twitter brand has grown globally, yet the bird is the key design element that ties every entity together. The bird has become one of the most notable icons in recent years. The power of the bird speaks volumes yet always retains the Twitter brand equity. Go see for yourself in Twitterland and while you are there, share some of your favorite birdies with us @brandeffervesce. 

Font Me...I'm Famous...(video)

This day and age, everyone is a creative designer and witty producer. So why not have some fun and create a very Mad Men-esque poster with that wise font joke you've had in the back of your head since you last scrolled through your font list. Now you can! This is a fun, interactive site that allows you to create your font and make it "famous". Check out the intro on how this works...

FONT-SHOP - FONT ME, I'M FAMOUS !

Your work of font with be added to the "wall of fonts" and can be shared on Facebook. Here's a few of the most liked font posters...my personal fave is "Yubba the Hutt". 

Go create and share it with us on our facebook page, Toniq. 

The Society of GOOD TASTE

One of the biggest obstacles brands have with social media, specifically Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest is engaging the consumer and getting them to participate in your page beyond clicking the "Like" button or tweet this to recieve "x". The goal for brands is to capture, engage, and reward. Well, here is a good example of a brand doing this well and creating quite a buzz. 

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of mustard, let alone Grey Poupon, but I have always loved the elitist personality behind the brand. Since the 1980's commercials where very posh Brits in Rolls Royces pull up to one another and ask in a very up nose tone, "Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?" the brand has always stayed true to this superior brand equity.

Now fast forward to present day and they continue this elitist attitude with their new Facebook Page, "The Society of Good Taste". You are not guaranteed entry to the society. They actually check your friends list to ensure you are up to Grey Poupon standards. 

Once you proceed with the application, a brilliant film of your personal Facebook life is previewed in front  of the panel. It's actually really impressive that they can accrue all of that data in a few seconds. I was accepted in the 64th percentile, phew! Once accepted, you are also rewarded with badges and gifts. 

This is one of the few very well executed brand pages I have seen on Facebook. They also have a presence on Pinterest which is very impressive. The use of social media is engaging and the reward of participating is very entertaining. Sucess!