Bowling For Soup immortalized a more contemporary look back at the good old days with their cynical and sometimes hilarious hit song “1985.”  A review of the news headlines at the time suggest that some things never change.  Terrorism (in Rome, Vienna, and the Achilles Lauro), the Dow (at a whopping 1300), and the prime interest rate (at an incredible 10%) were all top news stories. One bright spot? The number of Barbies sold surpassed the US population that year. (more…)  Contemporary artist Andy Warhol painted her portrait in tribute.  Twenty-three years later, (although separated from Ken and facing stiff competition from the Bratz dolls) Barbie and “1985″ is still managing to rock it out. 

Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
But she’s still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

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There used to be two things you could be certain about in life but now an international study indicates there are three. Apparently thinking about your own death can make you reach for the cookie jar, as findings suggest that morbid thoughts tend to whet the appetite. “When people are reminded of their inevitable mortality, they may start to feel uncomfortable about what they have done with their lives and whether they have made a significant mark on the universe. This is a state called “heightened self-awareness,” “One way to deal with such an uncomfortable state is to escape from it, by either overeating or overspending.” (more…) Hopefully this doesn’t mean the next big marketing communication idea for Keebler will involve the elves in hand-to-hand mortal combat.  

People who are bicultural and speak two languages may unconsciously change their personality when they switch languages, according to a new U.S. study. Researchers studied groups of Hispanic women, all of whom were bilingual, but with varying degrees of cultural identification. They found significant changes in self perception or “frame-shifting” in bicultural participants — women who participate in both Latino and Anglo culture.  The researchers said the women classified themselves and the women they observed in advertising as more assertive when they spoke Spanish than when they spoke English. While frame-shifting has been studied before, they said this research found that people who are bicultural switched frames more quickly and easily than people who are bilingual but living in one culture. (more…)

“Conocimiento habla pero sabiduría escucha” – Jimi Hendrix

Forget the soccer mom. In North America, she’s gone along with the 1990’s and cheap gas. Instead, put these things together: a generation of emerging breeders who like having choices and control (but aren’t control freaks), run in packs and harness the power of technology at their fingertips. What do they all mean to a marketer? Well, the good news is, they might be your BFF if you treat them right. On the other hand, if you tick them off, they’ll put up a wall, and a firewall and a MySpace bulletin telling their 10,000 friends to follow suit. And here lies a critical lesson for the brand out to woo the Gen Y mom: You do not, in fact, woo her; you invite and engage her. Young mothers expect to be partners, not merely shoppers. “They recognize their power of connectivity,” said Dave Balter, CEO/founder of Bzz-Agent, a Boston-based agency whose word-of-mouth consumer network includes some 35,000 Gen Y moms. “They know what they have to say matters; their self-awareness is impressive,” he said. “They see brands as their own, and their knowledge and information empowers them.” (more…) 

The snack food category is known for being several things, but inspirational or healthy? Frito-Lay thinks it can be and is positioning its new nut-based, Boomer-targeted snack line, True North as “a truly inspired natural nut snack.” If you spot it on the shelf with its minimalist design and dearth of neon colors, it looks more like it comes from an independent company of some kind instead of a big corporation. (more…)  Frito-Lay announced the new line as part of an effort to lure health-conscious consumers looking for a snack with protein. Outside the US, Frito-Lay is jumping on the bandwagon and now marketing their core products on platforms such as youth, and health and wellness, to reach distinct consumer groups.  They have promised innovation in these areas as well to spur on growth. (more…) The True North line includes plain nuts; nuts with crunchy savory and sweet coatings; nut clusters; and nut crisps. It seems to be working already. I feel a Haiku coming on.

True North calls to me

as wind echoes inner truth

I’d rather have chips

From the UK, to Canada, to the USA, many eco-conscious brides and grooms are refusing to sacrifice their green values simply for the sake of fancy weddings or honeymoons. Green weddings are going global and it’s getting a lot easier to do. (more…) “Couples that plan a green wedding generally also go on green honeymoons,” said Rosie Ames, a wedding consultant and the founder of GreenUnion www.greenunion.co.uk, a green weddings Website based in England. “The green honeymoon is a new consumer-driven trend,” adds Emily Elizabeth Anderson, author of “Eco-Chic Weddings,” as well as a blog of the same name, www.ecochicweddings.com” based in the US. (more…) Worried about the perfect gift for the eco-conscious couple?  Shop at Carbon Footprint (www.carbonfootprint.com/shopweddinglist.html) and offset any emissions that the bride and groom used for the ceremony or the honeymoon.

Once you become accustomed to gas at $4 a gallon, brace yourself for the next shocking retail threshold: bananas reaching $1 a pound. At that price, Americans may stop thinking of bananas as a cheap staple, and then a strategy that has served the big banana companies for more than a century — enabling them to turn an exotic, tropical fruit into an everyday favorite — will begin to unravel.  (more…) In recent years, consumers have begun seeing the benefits — to health, to the economy and to the environment — of buying foods that are grown close to our homes. Getting used to life without bananas will take some adjustment. What other fruit can you slice onto your breakfast cereal?

Forget holidaying on far-off shores. Taking a “staycation” is the latest craze in North America. According to travel website TripAdviser, about half of American travelers are changing their summer plans because of rising fuel prices and sticking closer to home. Wal-Mart Stores Inc has also launched an American Summer campaign, featuring tents, barbecues and inflatable pools, saying that a summer getaway is “as close as your own back yard”. (more…)   Industry experts in the east of England have said that, if it proves popular in the UK too it could have a positive impact on local tourism. (more…)

Rob Walker, the author of the weekly New York Times Magazine column “Consumed,” has devoted years to telling Americans why we buy stuff. In his new book, “Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are” (Random House. $25.), he looks at the latest generation of consumers who have been inundated with 360-degree advertising campaigns. But instead of finding them jaded or immune to marketing ploys, he describes a youth culture that embrace certain brands as forms of self-expression. And when there isn’t an existing brand that fits the bill, they’ll create one of their own. (more…)

Okay, I admit it. I am totally obsessed with Bravo’s “Top Chef.” In last night’s season finale, Stephanie Izard, the likable chef from Chicago with the homey (and apparently delicious) cooking style, beat out 15 other contestants to take the prize.  Poor Richie Blaise, the witty, talented, and sometimes wacky chef from Atlanta, had a bad day at the worst possible time. (more…)  Wednesday nights just won’t be the same.