In a world of up-to-the-second online stunts, this “shave off” promotion from Boston’s own Gillette Company where World Series MVP David Ortiz and Boston Red Sox teammate Shane Victorino shaved their 2013 season trademark beards for a $100,000 donation to charity is awfully great.  Check it out.

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The business of branding agencies is dangerous, indeed, in a world of changing clients, fees, shrinking and an unpredictable future.  Fee for service, alone, limits your agency’s future and a project-heavy client base is outright scary, according to Tim Williams at Ignition Group.  Own something.  Work together in surprising partnerships.  Try new things.  Check it out.

 

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Here’s a great idea.  Agencies have production houses for radio, television, video.  Now we have one for infographics.  Based in San Francisco, Visually (which cleverly uses the Lybian’s URL shortener “.ly” for its dotcom – visual.ly) is a one-stop shop for custom static and animated infographics.  Check out this infographic on Lego anger management.

 

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File this under, “Nice!”  Consumer insight company C/E/B/ Iconoculture included CerconeBrownCompany’s brand strategy for women’s retailer J.Jill as a trend to watch: “Boomer women want stylish ‘wearever’ fashions that make looking good second nature and leave time for the things that matter. In a word? ‘Uncomplicate.’”

 

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Sometimes employee training is a major branding channel.  IDEO, the design agency responsible for shaping some of Apple Computer’s most enduring products, makes great food a perk and makes making food an important bonding ritual.  The company uses its kitchens as food labs for employees cook, laugh, compete and, yes, learn.  Check it out

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Our friends at Backyard Farms have just planted their 42-acre greenhouse in Maine, after a reboot of its tomato crop.  Grain Digital captured the momentous day perfectly.  Can’t wait to have our Backyard Farms tomatoes again!  Check it out.