• Bogusky's Next Target: Corporate Outsourcing
    Ad whiz Alex Bogusky, who has already made the soft drink industry mad with anti-obesity efforts, is taking the wraps off a "Made in America" video that he hopes will go viral, and in the process, create 1 million jobs. The premise of the Made Movement is simple: He wants people to buy just 5% more things made in America. And in a twist, patriotism isn't as much the motive as environmentalism: Red, white and blue is the new green.
  • Google Patents Pay-Per-Peek
    Google got a patent on its "gaze" tracking technique last week. It is intended to be used with a head-mounted device - such as Google Glass - which then communicates to a server, allowing Google to create "pay-per-gaze" that would register whether the person has looked at an ad. It would then charge the brand, like a "cost-per-click." The patent application, which was filed back in 2011 but only recently awarded, according to Phys.org, also says the technology could infer "emotional state information" by measuring a user's pupil dilation.
  • All Hail, Britannia: 4,000 Years In Lego
    Starting with Stonehenge and moving right up to Maggie Thatcher's first day at 10 Downing Street, Master Lego builder James Pegrum has used Lego to chronicle over 4,000 years of British history. Each segment in the still-running series is accompanied by several photos and a detailed description of the event, and Pegrum is still taking suggestions for moments to recreate.
  • Boozier Beer Battle: Miller Fortune Vs. Bud Light Platinum
    MillerCoors is responding to Bud Light Platinum with its own higher-alcohol content product--Miller Fortune. Aimed at Gen Y males, the drink will have slightly higher alcohol content than its competitor, at 6.9% alcohol by volume, compared with 6% for Platinum, which launched in 2012. MillerCoors describes Fortune as a beer "with edge, intrigue and charisma" that will come in an all-black bottle with an embossed design, and be available early next year, with a "big-time" marketing push from Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi.
  • Hooters Snaps Up American Roadside Burger
    Chanticleer Holdings, parent of the Hooters chesty chicken chain, says it has agreed to buy the American Roadside Burgers, a chain with five stores. It is the company's first departure from the Hooters format, which it is expanding internationally.
  • Honda Out To Save American Drive-Ins
    Honda has introduced Project Drive-In, an effort to save the 360 remaining screens left around the country, down from about 4,000 in the 1960s. The movie industry now plans to stop producing traditional 35-mm movie reels, so Honda is seeking donations for the new industry-standard digital projectors that drive-ins, like other theaters, will have to use. They cost about $75,000 per screen, so Honda and the project's supporters have a big mountain to climb.
  • Mom's Anti-ABC Ad Attack Goes Viral
    Florida mom Rebeca Seitz was shocked by a steamy ad for an ABC soap opera, "Betrayal," as she and her children sleepily ate their breakfast while watching "Good Morning America." Her blog post about the affront went viral, landing her on Fox News Radio host Todd Starne's Facebook page. She's been interviewed by Glenn Beck and conservative site The Blaze. She has since filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
  • Big Wheels For Big Boys, $600, Tassels Included
    Finally, grown-ups can recreate the toddler thrill of riding a Big Wheel: the $600 High Roller. Unlike the Big Wheel for kids, which sells for $59.99, the adult-targeted ride-on toy, which comes with an extra-cushy seat made with 4 inches of plush foam, goes for $600. And, yes, it comes complete with a bell and handle-bar tassels. The trike is made by tiny High Roller USA. But Jakks Pacific, the current owner of the Big Wheel brand, is also planning an adult-targeting Big Wheel, at $400, due out next year.
  • Why Gen Y Won't Drive
    America's love affair with cars is over, and for Gen Y, the negative stigma of not having a car has waned: "My girlfriend drives me everywhere. That sounds sad, and 20 years ago I'd be considered pathetic, but it's almost normal now to be that way," says one 20-something.
  • Some Eukanuba, Iams Dry Food For Dogs, Cats Recalled
    Several lots of certain varieties of Eukanuba and Iams dry foods for dogs and cats have been recalled because they may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria. The Procter & Gamble Company issued the voluntary recall Wednesday Aug. 14 through the Food and Drug Administration's website. Salmonella is a bacteria can cause an infection, salmonellosis, that can infect both people and pets. Pets can get infected from eating the food, while humans who handle the food may contract the bacteria.
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