Purina Gives Us Big Thoughts From Small Animals

A series of six videos, all of which follow the animals-are-cute-so-we-will-use-them-to-get-lots-of-social-sharing strategy, aim to share with humans the many benefits of Purina's Small Animal Food. We get wisdom from a rabbit, a parakeet and a hamster on the various trials and tribulations of being an animal. Colle+McVoy created.

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WalkAbout NYC to Highlight Independent Ad Agencies

WalkAbout NYC, a first-of-its-kind event bringing together New York's independent ad agencies, will occur October 19 from 12PM to 6PM. Eighteen agencies will open their doors to the public for WalkaboutNYC 2012.

This event aims to offer an inside look at the designers, writers, and technologists currently shaping these new independent agencies. Although the four top creative agencies (Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis, WPP) have in some cases cut staff sizes, independent agencies have been growing significantly. Just last year, WPP acquired independent digital agency AKQA in a deal valuing the company at $550 million.

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Alex Bogusky Attacks Soda Brands With Parody Video

Since he once worked on the Coke business while at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, one could argue Alex Bogusky is being hypocritical in creating an anti-soft drink video for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The four minute video, which features Coke-like polar bears, is a litany of facts and figures about how sugar is wreaking havoc on humans.

Or, one could argue he's simply providing awareness to the other side of the story; the story told by various cause groups that don't have enough clout to counter the billions spent on messaging by soft drink brands.

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Belgian School Girls Forced to do Hard Labor

Well this would certainly be a surprise. At several Belgian schools, Duval Guillaume pranked the girls into thinking they would be doing something special for the day while the boys headed to class. Well after thinking they'd be doing something fun, the girls were informed they'd be peeling potatoes, washing floors and cleaning toilets. Of course, they hated it.

When asked why they were being made to do these tasks, they were told, "Because you are girls." And when the boys wondered where the girls were, they were told, "The girls do girl things and the boys do boy things."

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How Social Media Can Deliver Positive ROI For Your Brand

If you are a brand or an agency attempting to decide whether or not social media marketing is worth the investment, consider these numbers from recent studies of social media users:

• 78% are directly influenced by branded posts when making purchases
• 74% encourage friends to try new products
• 80% try new things based on friends' suggestions

Given that Facebook alone now has over a billion users, the possibilities are too significant to ignore. But how does a brand tap into the full potential of social media marketing? A new best practices ROI report from Wildfire, part of the Adrants white paper series, focuses on 6 social marketing success stories from 5 different industries, each demonstrating a significant positive ROI for the featured brand.

Download the free report now to find out how your brand can maximize its social media investment.

Old Navy Celebrates Five Million Fans With Huge Human Coupon

Upon reaching five million Facebook fans, Old Navy released a gigantic human coupon. The 120 X 60 foot coupon, created by hundreds of people, including many current Facebook fans, was posted to the brand's Facebook page last night. Offering fans 30 percent off any purchase, the coupon, created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, features a barcode consisting of 88 placards that will be readable by in-store scanners (when printed out, of course).

Check out a video of the coupon's creation below.

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