Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.
“This sh** is bananas—B-A-N-A-N-A-S.” You can say that again,
Gwen Stefani, the front woman of No Doubt to whom I owe thanks for forever changing the manner in which I say and spell said word. The maker of the
Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer, on the other hand, owes its gratitude to the heap of Amazon users leaving sarcastic
customer reviews on the product’s order page (2,014 reviews at last count). This feedback—including the slicer’s
most popular appraisal—has led to the sort of influx in sales that Tony Little only dreams about. (via
Adweek)
RELATED: Bad online reviews: How should you respond?
The sales of one shirt at Forever 21 may take a hit after blogger
Mary Youmans alleged that the retailer lifted the work of art student Kelly Bastow (a.k.a.
moosekleenex) without permission or compensation for one of its T-shirts.
Stealing intellectual property is poor taste, but it’s not nearly as tasteless as the billboards crafted for kiwi beer brand Tui.
BuzzFeed pays homage to the mutually offensive brew with a collection of its best outdoor advertising, which take on Christians, women, the Japanese, Lance Armstrong, and more.
RELATED: Armstrong tells staff: I’m trying to restore Livestrong’s reputation
After advertising “spokesduck” Aflac was seemingly injured in the insurance company’s latest TV promo, fans and viewers were encouraged to use an online card generator to send the brand mascot their well wishes. According to
Clickz, the campaign spurred more than 4,050 cards in the first two and a half days, along with countless more well wishes shared on Twitter and Facebook, where
a photo of Aflac’s hospital bracelet was posted.
Whereas Aflac searched high and low before
selecting a new voice for the brand in April 2011—following
Gilbert Gottfried’s firing—Kraft Macaroni & Cheese lucked out with the chance discovery of Ted Williams, the homeless man with the “golden voice.” Eventually, the two
went their separate ways, but that hasn’t stopped Williams from taking full advantage of his second chance at life. In fact, now he’s paying it forward in hopes that others have the same opportunity.
The Huffington Post reports that Williams has launched his own nonprofit initiative directed at supporting various homeless communities in need.
Speaking of Kraft, the company is getting a “
high-five” from farmers and dairy cows, alike. After last summer’s severe draught drove corn prices sky-high, dairy farmers have fed their herds with sweet treats such as chocolate, sprinkles, gummy worms, and yes, even stale Oreo cookies.
Wired explains.
RELATED: Oreo image goes viral, offering lessons in branding
High-fives were just one of the many random acts of kindness collected in a new project from Coca-Cola. Developed by Ogilvy Brazil and Smuggler, the feel-good effort aims to inspire others to go crazy doing good. (via
Creativity)