I don't know about you, but there are few things I love more than a good old-fashioned clash of cultures. And the culture I find myself most fascinated with/confused by is Japanese pop culture. I don't really understand Hello Kitty or PokeMon, Anime cartoons confuse me and Japanese horror movies give me nightmares. (I'm not proud.) But what I love most is the appropriation of our western culture by the Japanese, often with hilarious results.

Take for example celebrity endorsements. In the age of instant access and unlimited information, most celebrities go to great lengths to protect their image. They hire consultants and spin-doctors. They train their bodies rigorously and diet religiously. But one image concession even the biggest stars in Hollywood are willing to make is the big money grab of overseas commercials. Stars who would never consider "selling out" by doing strange commercials where they look ridiculous, (at least by Western standards) have been throwing caution into the wind for years and selling everything from cosmetics and alcohol to fizzy drinks and yogurt. Most involve a celebrity standing around looking beautiful and holding/pointing to/eating/drinking the product. But my favorites are the ones that get lost in the translation. Like watching a pre-Food Network episode of Iron Chef (sub-titles, please, no voiceover) or a black and white Godzilla movie, I often don't know what is going on, but I don't really care. But with my all-time favorite Japanese celebrity shill, I think very little is lost in the translation, mostly because I can't really understand this guy when he is speaking English. That's just bad acting, in any language.

arigato

In Kentucky, we Democrats will pledge our allegiance to either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton on Tuesday.  Personally, I haven't completely made up my mind yet, although I'm about 75% there.  In addition to painting my bathroom this weekend, figuring out what each Presidential candidate is really about is next on my list of things to do.

When deciding who to vote for before the last Presidential primary I relied on information compiled on local websites and news stories to get the facts.  That helped although it wasn't really something I could relate to.

Today, there are so many social networking sites that people are obsessed with, it's possible to connect to your favorite candidate's site and be notified every time they do anything. Social networking is something that people can relate to have come to rely on as a source on information.

Social networking sites have allowed potential voters, especially young voters, to get to know the Barack and Hillary on a more personal level.  Both have profiles on the mainstream sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, however both are expanding beyond those sites to include LinkedIn, Eons and Twitter.

These are great ways to target younger or first-time votes who do not take part in traditional campaign activities, such as attending rallies or reading the newspaper.  Many younger, potential votes spend a significant amount of time on Facebook and MySpace anyway, so why not target them in their own environment?  In Kentucky, there are nearly 250,000 people on Facebook aged 18-65 and 44,400 people aged 13-17.  It's a great, viral way to reach potential voters and even get the attention of people who haven't reached the legal voting age yet.

Given how much of an influence emerging medias have had on society in the past two years, I really wouldn't be surprised if we can text in our votes for the Race for 2010!

Microsoft has had a lot of press lately, and none of it very good. First, they were sued for certifying computer components as "Vista Capable" when they were clearly not; next, they announced the closing of the MSN music store, thereby orphaning thousands of legitimately purchased songs; then they were publicly told to speak to the hand by Yahoo; and now it's rumored that MS will install filtering software as a part of a future update that will not only scan your Zune (OK, maybe not your Zune, but the Zunes of the 12 people who have actually purchased one) for "unauthorized" content, but then delete any music or movies not purchased from the Zune store. One has to wonder, what in the world is going on over there?

Granted, Microsoft is not hurting. They still print money in their headquarters in Redmond, WA. But when you're fined by the EU for anti-trust violations, caught gaming your sales numbers and being dismissed as irrelevant by Motley Fool, it might be time to think about some fresh leadership. Bill Gates was wise to split when he did; perhaps he saw the writing on the wall. In any case, it is upon Steve Ballmer's shoulders that the blame for the morass that Microsoft has become will fall.

Microsoft is a gigantic ship, widely perceived as unsinkable. However, as we learned from watching Titanic for the 152nd time over the weekend, we know that there is no such thing. How much longer until Ballmer walks the plank? And at what point is he going to throw up his hands and say, "What the hell?! I'm a billionaire for God's sake, I don't need this!" My prediction is that within the year, Steve Ballmer will either have engineered a hostile takeover of Yahoo and mounted Jerry Yang's head on his wall, or Bill Gates will be back in the CEO's hyperbaric chamber in Redmond, cruelly plotting the overthrow of free software.

Part I

Say what you want about the mental capacities of our current president, Dub-ya never showed up on WWE.

I can't believe the three remaining candidates -- or their handers -- agreed to this! Honestly, I sat at my computer trying to discern if these were just really good lookalikes, because no candidate can hold the Office in appropriate esteem and do this!!! Play the sax on Arsenio Hall, but please don't denigrate the position of Leader of the Free World by endorsing professional rasslin'.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Obama, I do "smell what Barack is cooking," and it stinks. Badly.

You three are making Ralph Nader look serious!

As a voter, I'm insulted.

Part II

Billy Ray, have you lost your achy-breaky mind???? What part of "let your teenage daughter pose nude" could even start to sound like a good idea? Forget the fact that Disney has pumped millions of dollars into the Hannah Montana franchise to make her more famous and successful that you could have dreamed for your one-hit self. You're supposed to protect her! It's fathers like you who give Flatwoods and the rest of this great Commonwealth a bad name.

As a Kentuckian (and a proud member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels), I am appalled. As a father, I'm insulted.

I'm going to try and have a good Derby anyway. Ten dollars across the board on Big Brown, please....

I’m antsy so I turn my divided attention to trusty Google. I vaguely remember telling myself earlier that I have to check out this Twitter of which everyone speaks so highly. I was on a search engine kick and instead of going to this unknown site, decided to see if Twitter came up when I searched “social networks”. Truly, this was the test to see if I should trudge on. Google gets back to me fast with some answers…

“Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Top 10 Most Beautiful Social Networks, Social Netw…Wait what?!? Top 10 Most Beautiful Social Networks?!?”

I quickly stumble back up the page to read this absurd title again and to further feed my curiosity - I click…

As if it’s not bad enough that in every gossip magazine, on every entertainment show and every red carpet, there’s a list of beautiful people just waiting to hear how beautiful they are now; we are passing this beauty judgment onto social networking sites? Oddly enough, I can pass up those beautiful people and their Photoshopped faces but beautiful social networks? I had to see for myself.
Everyone has an opinion and reason about their loyalties to various social networking sites. Strange as it seems, our reasons for having biases are often the same. “It’s neat, clean and easy to use.” The criterion for making the Mashable list has to do exactly with that! And guess what folks, although mentioned, Twitter didn’t make the cut.

I am still skeptical. So for the next few days I’ll be challenging this list by joining networks and scoping out the beauties for myself. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am not taking another’s answer as my own. I’ll get back to you on this one…

AdAge released its annual BrandZ ranking and atop once again is Google. Shocker. Google is like an oil tycoon, except it doesn't gouge us with exorbitant search prices and then report record earnings. Not that I don't love Google because it is all things to all people. It's every bit as important to me as gas is to my car.

Apple is ranked 7th, but the real kicker is that their brand value changed 123% since the 2007 survey - in just one year. As an Apple devotee, I can imagine that this is attributable to myriad developments. But, realistically, it's probably all about the iPhone, right?

BlackBerry's brand value also grew by a whopping 390%. I wonder if this had more to do with the iPhone's popularity contributing to the overall appeal for smart phones or the Pearl with its anti-gadget sensibility or the emergence of BlackBerry from the patent infringement stain that has plagued them for a few years now.

One of the most interesting things about this list is that the vast majority of brands on the list still produce tangible products (GE, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, China Mobile, IBM, McDonalds)...but, I bet if we uncovered the methodology behind the rankings, we would see that a strong influence on each brand's score is a rapidly growing interactive marketing component.

…or maybe Bourbon.

Absolut’s debacle of last week brought me to one of those “who the hell thought that was a good idea?” moments. It’s one thing to slam the competition, but to insult half the population of your #1 market? A five million case market? Wow. Is that some sort of new marketing chutzpah they’re teaching in business school these days?

So now that the leading premium vodka in the U.S. is going to take some hits, I’d like to recommend a couple of very nice options to the soon to be former vodka drinkers…

Have you tried a nice German Riesling? My favorites* are the full line of Rieslings from Schmitt Sohne and Schloss Vollrads. Not the overly sweet taste people often think of when they hear “Riesling,” but a range of fruits and florals, plus well-balanced minerality and acidity that allow them to pair well with just about anything but steak. I recommend them often. Yes, I do love my reds. At this moment I’m particularly fond of Pinot Noirs, blended reds and bargain hunting at Trader Joe’s. If you’re in the neighborhood (my neighborhood, not Trader Joe's), please feel free to stop by for a sample. I usually have a few Rieslings chilled (and often open!).

My all-American choice is Bourbon. Specifically, Kentucky Bourbon . We make a good number of those around these parts. My favorite is Maker’s Mark, but by late father swore by W.L. Weller (which has become impossible to find since my dad’s passing….hmmmmm). Again, I’m free with my samples if you’re in my ‘hood. (For a really special treat, ask me about the George T. Stagg hundred-and-oh-my-god proof Bourbon that was a gift from one of my favorite clients.)

So that’s it for the unabashed plugs in this revolting turn on vodka. I do drink them all and can offer tasting notes or pairing suggestions upon request. And I do share willingly with friends.

Revolt responsibly.

*Yes, Schmitt Sohne and Schloss Vollrads are clients of CurrentMarketing. And they make fine wines worthy of my hard-earned dollars.

T-Minus two days and counting until Thunder Over Louisville, the largest annual fireworks show in North America and the opening ceremonies to the Kentucky Derby Festival.

CurrentMarketing is the agency of record for the Kentucky Derby Festival. With more than 70 events to promote, it can get kinda crazy within our agency. With three years of experience, here are our Top 10 tips for survival of this mayhem.

10) CurrentTrack - Without this phenomenal online agency management system, we would be lost. The archived projects and search feature allow for easy access to past projects. Task management is KEY to the workflow for the hundreds of projects we complete in the months leading up to May.

9) Traffic Manager- Behind every management system, there must be a STRONG traffic manager. We have the best traffic manager around, who knows our procedures and the CurrentTrack system front and back and back again. What is a traffic manager you ask? I don’t have time to answer this (did you not read that there are only three days until Thunder?!?!). So read up on it here. Get one.

8) Feed your Creatives
Feed, Feed, Feed your designers, hell all of your creative staff.
Candy, salty snacks, Diet Mountain Dew, whatever does the trick. This helps keep them glued to their seat and working hard at the task at hand. BONUS TIP: Keep the fluids to a minimum. Too many fluids causes extra potty breaks and that is 3-5 minutes of billable time.

7) Memorize
You must be able to retain information and recall it quickly. Boron helps your attention and memory. It is found in avocados, apples and nuts. Choline is another brain booster found in eggs and milk. Stock up.

6) Team Players
Have a team attitude. And Have a Great Team. Enough Said.
TIP: Creatives love after hours cocktails and more snacks.

5) Focus
We always try our best to clear our minds and FOCUS on all the many details of every project. If it means leaving the office with our laptop or locking ourselves in a closet, we do whatever it takes to stay focused.

4) Take Great Notes
To organize this many projects, you must take detailed notes.
From the initial concept to design to sending a file to the printer, notes are your essential to this process.

3) Ask Questions
No question is a dumb question, only if it does not get asked.
BONUS TIP: Write your questions down as you may forget to ask them later.

2) Reward your Team
We realize we are not in this alone and a pat on the back to your teammates -- candy, trophies and other prizes go a long way!

1) HAVE FUN!
Every job has its ups and downs, but we must make sure we enjoy what we do. We infuse FUN in it as much as we can!

When it comes to athletic footwear, Nike is not the shoe company to which I pledge my allegiance.  However, it is the company whose TV spots I will praise over the next few paragraphs.

Nike's "Become Legendary" campaign launched several weeks ago.  The campaign promotes the ultimate hoops legend and the Air Jordan XX3.  One spot features "new school" legends, such as Carmelo Anthony, Derek Jeter and T. O., before they were household names.  The first line begins with, "it's not about the shoe", although when you see these extraordinary stars, before they were stars, you realize it is all about the shoe -- with the right footwear, determination and talent, you too can be a superstar.

The next recent campaign that Nike launched was for the Nike SPARQ Training shoes and was themed "My Better." In addition to catchy tags like, "You're speed moves like a gravy bowl" and "You're agility owes my agility twenty bucks," the 30-second spot features top athletes like Adrian Peterson and Kevin Durant.  I actually look forward to seeing this spot because it is so entertaining.

Finally, my absolute favorite Nike spot is the third in the series from the "Become Legendary" campaign.  The spot showcases clips of well-known milestones in sports history, including John Tompson's Hoyas, the Appalachian Mountaineers and Jimmy V.

Since I'm a huge sport fan (or freak) I enjoy the emotional impact of all of the legends.  The impact does not stop there, as Nike's revenue grew 16% over the same period last quarter.  And to borrow a phrase from Nike's Become Legendary campaign, "My better is better than your better."  And in Nike's case, they're better because they don't have to tell you they're better.

There truly has never been a better time to be in this business.

After what seems like years of anxious waiting, our Agency is in the midst of a remarkable transformation in what will soon seem to have occurred “in the blink of an eye.” At last, the components of change--so long on the distant horizon--are within the grasp of day-to-day marketers.

You know all the buzz words: Web 2.0, Social Networks, Blogs, Podcasts, Mobile Advertising, RSS. Funny, “interactive,” “digital,” and “internet” are becoming “old school” terms in the same manner as “electronic,” “transistor,” and “solid-state” did a couple of decades ago.

The casual observer could be excused for wondering what this means for the continued viability of this business of advertising and marketing. “Surely ‘the ad biz’ will shortly fade into the sunset, as with blacksmiths and buggy-whip manufacturers of the 1900’s.”

I remember being amused by a “brand consultant” who said to me with feigned sincerity, “You must be really scared about the future for your business.” It was the early ’90’s and desktop publishing (remember THAT term?) was coming into its own and, “why, with all the fonts and clip art and stuff,” surely we’d be on the ash-heap in no time.

“Now anyone can do it,” she said.

I was wittier in those days, and without a pause I reminded her that “The pencil has existed for thousands of years, right.” She agreed. I grinned.

“Has that made everyone an artist? Or a writer?”

Of course it didn’t. Likewise, new and exciting communication channels will never lessen the need for ideas regarding effective consumer contact and persuasion.

In fact, my bet is the opportunities will be multiplied. Because “when the stone is carved, the ink is dry, the transmission is complete, or the file is downloaded”--in short no matter the delivery method--the IDEA is what will matter most.

Two great descriptions of this business will endure all methods of content delivery. The first, from Fairfax Cone (look him up on Wiki, for goodness sakes!): “Advertising is what you do when you can’t go see somebody. It’s as simple as that.”

The second is from John E. Kennedy (not a typo) and adopted by Albert Lasker: “Advertising is Salemanship in Print.”

Okay, the “print” part IS a bit dated...but you get the point.