Smithsonian Museum Turns to YouTube for Citizen Direction

The Smithsonian (museum) is making an interesting request for feedback on its future. The museum is asking for submissions - call it thought sharing or crowd sourcing - "as [the Smithsonian] begins to imagine [its] future." Perhaps this shows that a museum filled with bones, historical papers and planes can offer nimble thinking too. The new movie  Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian  is also currently offering a nice spike to brand recognition.  Not many museums can gather the critical mass to make an experiment like this work.  We'll see how it fares. It's called the Smithsonian Voice Your Vision Project on YouTube.

Sitcoms Storm the Fall Network schedules. Cougar Bite Me!

After tallying the nets' fall programming announcements, it looks like comedy is king... again.  The nets are trying to get us all laughing after a trying and not so funny fall of '08.  Ten new sitcoms will grace the net schedules featuring stars such as - Kelsey Grammer, Chevy Chase, Jenna Elfman and my personal favorite - the 'high concept' show, COUGAR TOWN, starring good old Courtney Cox. The single camera comedy (as opposed to three-camera studio based shows) is one of four new comedies to join the ABC roster this fall.  Cougar Town will explore "the honest truths about dating and aging in our beauty and youth obsessed culture," according to ABC.  Cougars are hot... but don't forget about panthers and snow leopards (the oldest of the pride - the ones with white hair)?   So that's your cat fact for the day.  Now check out the ABC trailer for Cougar Town.

P&G Results Show Why Social Media is NO longer an Experiment

Just read GROUNDSWELL co-written by Josh Bernoff, Forrester Analyst.  His comments at a recent ad summit drive home the reason social media is being taken seriously be Fortune 500 advertisers and Madison Avenue.  Look at this site for P&G's Tampax targeting young teens - sorry men but it's a Tampax Site .  But it may not be what you think, it's a lifestyle site, not about the product and periods.  It's subtle stuff..... Check it out.  While it's not for those of us outside the demo, guess what --  IT WORKS.  According to Bernoff, per dollar spent on advertising this site is four times more effective than traditional advertising for P&G.  Perhaps this makes the Social Media doubters take pause?

Poking fun at Greenies. New ABC Animated series: The Goodes

Here's a clever animated comedy series ABC is launching in the end of May.  Perhaps it's too clever, you decide.  Pokes fun at all things green by showing a liberal suburban family trying to do all 'PC/Green things' in their world.  A funny juxtaposition of characters.  The creator is Mike Judge who brought the world Beavis and Butthead.  Must miss tv.  The promotion itself is a field day for Judge and his co-creators because they get to explain the motivation of their characters, and make you laugh.  These guys don't often get to tell the story behind the story, so it's fun to watch them reveling in their creation.  Show looks like it'll be fun to watch... at least I'll give it a try.

How do you say it without saying it? Rumor, innuendo and Erectile dysfunction

This little ad is rather remarkable in what it says and does not say and how it says it.  Hope you're not too embarrassed by the topic - the mother lode of embarrassing topics.  On the hill Congressman Jim Moran wants to relegate ED ads to post 10 pm.  HR 2175 Families for ED Advertising Decency Act.  I find the whole matter absurd - from the ad itself to the brouhaha about ED ads - but I do believe there sure are a lot of these ads.  Could this truly be a medial problem in the U.S. or is it a problem being manufactured by the pharmaceutical companies?  Probably both.