Call it the Appleization of brick and mortar, where retailers from Michael Kors to Staples to Pep Boys are dazzling consumers with the futuristic in-store shopping experience the House That Jobs Built gave rise to.

http://bit.ly/11Vc0pC

The 12 employees at Peanut Butter & Co. used a 6-second video to promote a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day, which falls on April 2, in case you were wondering. The effort generated 300,000 impressions and 6,000 coupons downloaded. Simple, relevant value.

Learn more here: http://read.bi/ZkCqub

Cool use of a digital trend to drive online holiday shopping

Put otherwise, props to Uniqlo for making what is really just a simple discount promotion engaging, topical and fun

http://www.uniqlo.com/gifbox/

Friction-free, instantaneous commerce is nirvana for online buyers and sellers. That snap-of-the-fingers peace of mind is the value proposition promised by Chirpify, a seamless payment system for social commerce that powers buying and selling.  Read more here: http://mashable.com/2012/10/25/chirpify/

Google has stepped up its efforts to woo agencies with Creative Sandbox, a new site designed to be an online hub for inspiring and creative new campaigns.

Unlike Facebook Studio, a similar offering from Google’s social media rival that showcases new Facebook campaigns, work in Creative Sandbox doesn’t have to be based on any Google technology, a rep says.

Like Studio, though, the work will be graded by visitors and the top campaigns will rise to the top.

http://www.creativesandbox.com/explore 

President Obama broke all typical political campaigning rules on Wednesday afternoon, when he became the first candidate of either party to do an AMA (“ask me anything”) on Reddit. The appearance was a complete surprise, even for veteran Redditors (who immediately demanded Obama post a picture to prove it was him; he complied). The president also broke news, floating the idea of a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision (which gave rise to Super PACs) for the first time.

Read more here: http://mashable.com/2012/08/29/obama-reddit-ama-op-ed/ 

Did you catch a clip of Ryan Lochte’s gold-winning swim in an AT&T ad this weekend? You weren’t seeing things. The brand’s new campaign places winning Team USA results into its advertising in near real-time.

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1681321/how-att-integrated-olympic-results-into-its-ads-so-darn-fast

To promote Energy Sheets, the caffeine-infused approximate of Listerine strips, Walmart on Tuesday announced a contest that would send American rapper (and Energy Sheets spokesperson) Pitbull to the store location that received the most new Facebook Likes by July 15.

Read the rest of the story here: http://mashable.com/2012/07/05/walmart-facebook-pitbull-alaska/

Tech companies from Seattle to Silicon Valley, intent on transforming how we shop, have set their sights on the electronic payments industry.

Microsoft is building a digital wallet into its next generation of mobile phones. Apple is moving into loyalty with Passbook, and Google has set its sights on payments. The online payment service PayPal is also pushing into traditional retail stores, while start-ups like Square try to change the game.

Hear or read the story: http://n.pr/MbkDnQ

Shantell Martin shares the freestyle line drawings that cover all four walls and the ceiling of the room she rents in Brooklyn.

http://nyti.ms/Jsur8l

Congrats to Sarah Robb O'Hagan on being named to Fast Company's 2012 list of 100 Most Creative People in Business

#winfromwithin

http://www.fastcompany.com/most-creative-people/2012/sarah-robb-ohagan

Clocking in at $2.5 billion in brand value, Gatorade's sports drink sales volumes were up 15% in 2010 thanks to its new G Series.

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlm45jemm/5-gatorade/#gallerycontent

Congratulations to the entire Gatorade team for their Silver Effie Award win in the Shopper Marketing category.  G Series FIT at Walgreens was recognized for its excellence and effectiveness in the new product launch area.  Check out the program here: http://youtu.be/8-4sI6MI1aA

The days of talking at consumers are over. Businesses thrive when they are connected to people and their friends. Marketing in a connected world requires campaigns that are grounded in social insights, real connections and authentic conversations. We created the Facebook Studio Award to recognize the agencies and brands that are pioneering this shift.

http://facebook-studio.com/awards/winners

Luke Skywalker didn't become a Jedi overnight; he had to learn with the help of Master Yoda. Becoming a snowboarding Jedi takes some guidance as well, and that's where the new Star Wars™ inspired Riglet Park comes in. The Burton Riglet Park changes the learning process and opens up snowboarding to more and more youngsters by giving kids a  learning and teaching area that's safe and separate from the big kids. Check out those rad R2D2 helmets!

http://bit.ly/wBVkjp

Need your caffeine fix at 8,000 feet?

Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, CA has you covered.

http://screen.yahoo.com/squaw-resort-opens-ski-thru-starbucks-28291596.html

PlayStation's Twisted Metal, its longest-running exclusive franchise, is releasing a new game. To promote it, they're letting you remotely shoot the bejesus out of a real-life version of the ice-cream truck owned by the game's twisted killer—a disturbing clown named Sweet Tooth with a flaming head—with an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/playstation-lets-you-shoot-real-ice-cream-truck-internet-138241

J.C. Penney is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40 percent so shoppers no longer have to wait for sales to get bargains.

Penney said Wednesday that it is getting rid of the hundreds of sales it offers each year in favor of a simpler approach to pricing. Starting on Feb. 1, the retailer is rolling out an "Every Day" pricing strategy with much fewer sales throughout the year.

Read more here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/jc-penney-gets-rid-of-sales_n_1230894.html?ref=style

The past decade has seen remarkable strides in the field of making car trips less boring without forcing people to actually speak to each other. Built-in iPod docks and in-car DVD players have topped things off for a while, but General Motors is taking things to the next level with its Windows of Opportunity project, which uses smart glass as a platform for apps designed by Israel's Bezalel Academy of Art and Design.

http://youtu.be/0dIia553wVU

In answer to the United Arab Emirates' shockingly high plastic bag wastage, P&G's Tide and its Dubai agency, Leo Burnett, created a reusable shopping bag that doubles as a grocery list.

http://creativity-online.com/work/tide-smart-bag/25750

Two store fronts popped up onNov. 11 in NYC and San Francisco that display popular children’s toys like Teddy bears and trains that themselves cannot be purchased, but rather represent dollar amounts that can be donated to Toys for Tots.

http://bit.ly/vs0p9x

Complete with RFID and Twitter!

http://creativity-online.com/news/arnold-sets-up-its-own-beer-dispensary/230847 

Moving...

Literally and figuratively

http://www.tbwachiatdev.com/stevejobs/ 

TBWA\Chiat\Day picked up the Bronze Integrated award for Gatorade Replay (seasons 2 and 3) at last week’s Cannes creativity festival.

TracyLocke, along with other agency partners, is included in the credits for our role in local market activation.

http://bit.ly/j9Laiw

Great job all!  Always nice to be recognized.

Some really great stuff to check out

Read, watch, listen, learn and be inspired!

http://www.feedthecreatives.com/

Nice summary of our work with Gatorade Shopper Marketing team

Check it  http://bit.ly/jnCYpO

Positive press

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-gatorade-131252