For this weeks blog I've just kind of taken notes throughout the week, starting with our viewing of "The Persuaders" It's going to be several links that kind of solidify some of the concepts this week.

First was the use of music in commercials. Two extreme examples of using this well were when Sting basically released an album to sell to commercials. Also the artist Moby often stated he sold almost everything with his album play, just to get his music out there. Two very different uses, but two similar results, astronomical record sales. Moby actually considered it a very "punk rock" thing to do, use the "man" to get your message out there.

Interesting Blog here:
http://www.leftoffthedial.com/12_01FeatureArticle.htm

and here:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/10836

boring, but interesting moby interview about balancing art and commercialism:







Interesting website to find out "who sings that song?"
http://adtunes.com/

Ironically, my girlfriend's brother is in a band that has sold some songs for commercials, as seen here. They didn't make Moby or Sting money, but it is financing their new record so there is a benefit to "selling out" it allows you to do more "art". Especially when you make instrumental music that probably won't sell a million copies.:








Much is written about coolhunters. Here is an article from USAToday about how the "fanboy" has become the ultimate coolhunter's prey.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-07-24-fanboys_N.htm

Klein talks about counterculture becoming image. Here's an interesting blog about the fashion of Che, the communist revolutionary and killer that is now an icon, mostly thanks to the band Rage Against the Machine.

http://www.babalublog.com/archives/001184.html

This website amuses me:
http://www.thechestore.com/

A different spin on this:
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/3/27/93005.shtml

The branding of Political Correctness is explained in movie form:
(I apologize for any profanity)





This movie, once you pull away the blatant attempt to be a new age Animal House, actually does a good job of satirizing not only Political Correctness, but also the branding of said PC activity.

An interesting ad campaign for a Scandisk Mp3 player portrayed all iPod users as lemmings.
http://plusdujour.com/leBlog/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/idont1.jpg

Here's an interesting article concerning the failure of the idea.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1986008,00.asp

I was intrigued by Klein's discussion on page 69, of the idea, "Am I cool?" I don't think cool people really worry about this. I don't think Jimi Hendrix, James Dean, or John Lennon walked around asking themselves this question. Really cool people can make anything cool. Heck, look at Devo. They made the flowerpot an interesting accessory.

http://www.trakmarx.com/2007_03/devo/devo-energy_domes-1980-720.jpg

Truly cool people just be...that's what makes them cool. It's not a campaign or product. True cool just happens. It then becomes an institution, but it just happens. And some of the coolest people ever were totally uncool. Look at Buddy Holly, and Jim Carrey. Geeks to the Nth, degree, but damn cool people.