Alternative marketing thinking

Interesting logic on why many graphic designers hate to get themselves tattooed. According to this poll however, there are more designers with tattoos, than there are ones without.

Visa’s 2008 Bank Card Business School is on just now. This unique industry-focused event providing
students with the opportunity to understand the key strategic management issues involved in running a card business. Visa has been running the Bank Card Business School since 1993, attracting more than 2000 bankcard executives from all around the world. It’s a full-on, six-day learning experience for bankcard executives.

The idea is that - whoever you are, wherever you’re from - you can pick up new insights and practice and put them straight to work in your own business. The five-day course will help
participants quickly become more effective in their roles, while advanced programmes address operational, back office, credit, risk management and all issues facing staff across your business. More from the BS site.

Think user generated content is still only the domain of a relatively small few? Well, a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that the next generation at least is switched on and producing content. According to the study, 59% of all American teenagers engage in at least one form of online content creation. Of those 35% of all teen girls blog, compared with 20% of online boys, and 54% of girls post photos online compared with 40% of online boys. Boys however like their video, with 19% of boys posting video online vs. 10% of girls. Read More.

Wikihow has an educative post on how to teach our children one of life’s most important skills. To manage money. How to properly manage both spending and saving habits. If children are shown the appropriate balance between the two, you can save them many years of financial difficulty. The post has some very simple ideas, starting with parents becoming role models. By inviting children to participate in the budgeting process. By providing children an allowance and working with them to find saving and spending strategies. By giving children a place to put their money. By establishing limits. By keeping a ledger and more. There are so many simple ideas on how to do things with money on the Wiki that you begin to wonder why no bank or financial institution is setting aside a small sum in collaborating with efforts like these? WikiHow link. Don’t forget to scroll down to see more ideas.

In one of the most outstanding movie promotions ever, some of the most prominent 7-11 stores in the US have been converted into Kwik-E-Marts. Taking on the moniker from the popular cartoon The Simpsons Fox Studios is promoting their long-running cartoon’s feature film debut. Not only does the handful of locations resemble the cartoon store run by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, but most of 7-Eleven’s franchised stores will sell special products that until now could only be seen on The Simpsons. Customers can now buy everything from Krusty-O’s cereal to Buzz cola to the signature Slurpee-like Squishee, if only for a limited time. The resultant buzz in blogsphere is plapable, with some 50,000 blogposts talking about the upcoming movie. There’s Flickr Group with store pictures from across America. And Jet Blue has joined in the action by becoming the preferred airline to The Simpsons.

Not the kind of (cough) deep, insight laden stories that you have come to expect from this newsletter, but an interesting one, none the less. Especially at a time when real estate rates in this part of the world are going through the roof. Cubefigures have released a set of toys that help you set up your own agency on your desktop. Set up a meeting, recreate brainstorm scenarios. Maybe you can rehearse your upcoming presentation with a bunch of mute spectators. These playthings bring the drugery of cubicle life alive with a set of 2-3/4th inch posable corporate zombies. And just in case the morale levels are dipping, download a bunch of cube decorations and see the agency buzz with activity once again. Start your place now with same day shipping,
from Amazon.