With spring around the corner, millions of Americans have turned their attention to the nation’s universities and colleges—and it ain’t because of March Madness. Instead, high school seniors sit by their mailboxes, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their college acceptance letters—that is except for Jackie Milestone, who turned her focus to YouTube in a desperate musical appeal to Yale’s admissions board.



It’s pretty clear judges on “The Voice” wouldn’t turn their chairs around for Jackie, but we’ve got to give the teen credit for using YouTube for a far better purpose than some of her younger peers who are posting videos to ask viewers whether they’re pretty or ugly.

This disturbing trend is deeply psychological, which is nothing new to marketers who continue their search for a better understanding of human and consumer behavior, particularly what makes us such creatures of habit.

Speaking of psychological issues, a new survey from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that larger black women have a much better body image than that of white woman.

No matter your body image, we hope everyone can find happiness Tuesday in celebrating National Pancake Day. The faux holiday is helping IHOP reach its 2012 goal of $2.7 million in charity donations in exchange for a free short stack of delicious buttermilk panqueques.

Last night’s Daytona 500 gave Danica Patrick little reason to celebrate after her debut on the track ended in a crash, leaving her with a 38th place finish. Still, the widely known racer said she “learned a lot” and “got a lot of experience.” And, if nothing else, she still has those GoDaddy commercials.

As for marketers hoping to find the perfect content for their clients, Advertising Age warns not to confuse the content-marketing trend with advertising or PR.

Anyone confused about where all the money comes from to pay for a president’s reelection campaign should try looking in the mirror.

At least we’re not directly responsible for the increased ad spending in the U.S., which is projected to grow 2.7 percent (to a staggering $152.1 billion) in 2012. This comes in below the 4.9 percent growth expected globally.

Meanwhile, business cards are shrinking, though they can still make an impact. Not a fan of the new resizing? At least consider a change of typeface—it says a lot about you.

QR codes also have a lot to say about many of the second-hand goods sold at Oxfam stores, which are beginning to use the mobile technology through an app called Shelflife. The app enables customers to find out the stories behind the products they’re buying.

And finally, we’d like to express our eternal gratitude for the stories of author Jan Berenstain, who sadly passed away last Friday after a stroke. Our childhood wouldn’t have been the same without the woman who, along with her husband Stan, created the “Berenstain Bears” books.