Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.

“It’s morphin’ time.”

When Fox Kids brought together five ordinary and unsuspecting “teenagers with attitude” from Angel Grove in the early-90s, the result was an overnight TV phenomenon: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. However, when BuzzFeed brought together 32 of today’s well-known cable TV news hosts, morphing their faces into one “average" host, I’m sorry to tell you, Fox News, the result was downright scary:



The “average” news host is just one of the many composites visualized through MorphThing, a Web-based application that enables users to picture how various facial pairings might look. From the royal couple’s expectant first child to your own offspring, the terrifying combinations are endless.

If you plan on scrapbooking your composite photos, add renderings of what your future brood might resemble to the mounting list of things you’ll need to explain to them. Put it with the 25 things HubSpot contends you’ll need to explain to your kids about marketing.

Typically, when I’ve had to explain myself, it meant I was in trouble. But as Advertising Age reports, that isn’t the case for the ad industry. A study found that four out of 10 consumers say they “love” advertising, with 69 percent believing it has the power to make the world a better place. Unfortunately, ad professionals aren’t quite as optimistic; a majority of people working in the field think its heyday has passed.

Surveys aren’t the only method for gathering information on people nowadays. The prevalence of social media makes figuring out consumers’ personality traits and characteristics as simple as analyzing what they “like” on Facebook, at least according to The Huffington Post.

The privacy of Facebook users had no part in Tumblr CEO David Karp calling out the social network on Sunday while talking at South by Southwest. Instead, SocialTimes reveals that Karp’s troubles stem from the site’s “vanilla” profiles.

RELATED: 6 tips for South by Southwest

Meanwhile, Shel Holtz notes on his blog that changes to Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm have made it more difficult for marketers to reach their consumers through the site. To offset the decline, Holtz suggests brands make better use of their staff of potential employee ambassadors.

Old Spice introduced its newest employee to the world on Monday. Meet its official chief director of marketing, Mr. Wolfdog: (via The Denver Egotist)



I caution Old Spice to not alienate the crazy cat people of the world, though. While I’m certainly not one of them, mental_floss lists 11 influential writers who were.

RELATED: News anchor loses it while reporting on fat cat swimming laps

Speaking of influential writers, Flavorwire compiled rare footage of famous authors, providing a more intimate glimpse at some of literature’s most lauded figures.

Thanks to apps like Twitter’s Vine, capturing footage of an author is simply a tap of the touchscreen. In fact, some people are even crafting movies using the new platform. Vulture has 14 of the cleverest 6-second shorts it could find.

PRNewser also scoured Vine to cite 10 of the best brands using the app.

RELATED: 15 brands to emulate on Twitter’s Vine app

Scour all the late-night television programming you want and you might be lucky enough to catch another showing of the Magic Bullet. However, my like-minded friends at Funny or Die want more from their 2 a.m. line-up. Perhaps that’s why it’s suggesting new infomercial products. Two words: Cheese Pocket.

RELATED: 13 ridiculous, yet irresistible infomercial products

Is there something you think we should include in our next edition of #TheDailySpin? Tweet me @iquotesometimes with your suggestions. Thanks in advance.