The Millennial generation is hugely important to the future of brands and culture. And many of the characteristics of this group — representing about 75 million people just in the U.S., ranging from 18 to 32 years old — have emerged pretty clearly.

"Generation Y" is fascinated by digital technology, but not so much by cars; it's by far the "greenest" age cohort in the United States; they value collaboration and informality above rugged individualism and corporate conformity; and — to marketers' chagrin — they're not exactly flush with cash, suffering more than any other generation from the Great Recession and the not-so-hot economic recovery following it.

That's why Newsweek has come up with a new handle for the generation that, the magazine argues, "have been screwed by their parents' fiscal profligacy and economic mismanagement." Hence the moniker, "Generation Screwed." And the best way to appeal to them? Humor. And money.Continue reading...

While many global marketers are aiming Olympics-related campaigns at young consumers, the real core of TV watchers of London's Summer Olympics are expected to be older Gen X-ers and boomers. Those generations also struggle more than younger ones with obesity and other health issues.

All of that may be why Coca-Cola is using its Olympics sponsorship to do more than promote its new global "Move to the Beat" campaign, which is aimed at teens. Another new initiative by Coke is highlighting active lifestyles by centering on an "eight-pack" of athletes even though the first one revealed — Shawn Johnson — won't be competing in London following her recent surprise retirement from the sport.

In a challenging time in America for soft drink brands, led by New York City's proposed ban on large soft drinks, Coke is hoisting a healthy living banner into the London 2012 Olympics with a campaign which claims that — despite being dismissed as overcaloric sugar water by many health critics — the brand actually has an association with healthy lifestyles.Continue reading...

If your fantasy is to experience a world in which the Schwarzenegger classic Total Recall was never remade, you're out of luck. But if your fantasy is a little more pedestrian, the new Total Recall viral "Welcome to Rekall" may be of some help, complete with corporate tie-in sponsors for each experience. Continue reading...

Duct tape maker Duck Tape has a light side, making fun of the common mispronunciation of its product with its brand name. Now it's sponsoring a sticky contest, inviting young fans to design and wear outfits made from duct tape to their spring proms and post pictures on the brand’s website. The winners will be chosen through online voting that runs through July 11.

Brooke Wallace, 17, of Solomon, Kansas (above) spent more than 200 hours creating a western-style prom dress for herself and a suit for her date, using 42 rolls of duct tape. She and her date, Mark Aylward, named one of 10 finalists, could each win $5,000 scholarships and an additional $5,000 for their school, Solomon High School. Wallace chose a rodeo theme because “we both live in the country, so it fit our style.”Continue reading...

Coca-Cola US today released it latest London 2012 Olympics Commercial: "Support Our Athletes." As part of the campaign, Coke is featuring an "eight-pack" of American athletes — Shawn Johnson, Henry Cejudo, Alex Morgan, John Isner, David Boudia, David Oliver, Marlen Esparaza, and Jessica Long — in a My Coke Rewards Olympics contest.

Johnson, who retired from gymnastics on June 3rd, was featured in her own Coke spotlight video (see below) two weeks ago and will be covering the Summer Games as a "correspondent" for another of her sponsors, P&G, which last week announced a grant of $75,000 for youth sports development in U.S. gymnastics .Continue reading...

Ford has been moving from one major social-media marketing innovation to the next, so it comes as little surprise that the brand is mounting a major digital and social effort around the 2013 Ford Fusion mid-size sedan.

"Random Acts of Fusion" is a multi-platform, transmedia campaign that features Ryan Seacrest as its "emcee." It centers around a contest in which consumers will "Unlock" how Fusion is able to "transform" the lives of people who drive it, Crystal Worthem, manager of Ford Brand Content & Alliances, stated.

In its slowly unfolding, almost teasing aspect, unlike previous Ford campaigns predicated on quick social-media participation, the Facebook-centered campaign is building anticipation by inviting fans to register and then stay tuned: "What's in the box? Register below to find out. Ryan will send one to each of the first 2,500 people who sign up for Random Acts of Fusion. Then come back to Facebook.com/FordFusion on July 5th to find out what happens next."

The teaser campaign "is designed to invoke emotion, which the [car] design does," Scott Monty, Ford's director of social media, told brandchannel. And the promotion is built "to go with people where they go — desktop to mobile to digital to social to experiential."Continue reading...

Chrysler is still a brand that seems to be comfortable with a dark and brooding urban presence, as exemplified in its "Imported From Detroit" campaign. But increasingly, the city it's representing isn't just Detroit. And now it's Gotham City — as in the New York of fables in the Batman comic-book and movie series.

For the July 20th release of The Dark Knight Rises, the final piece of the Warner Bros. prequel trilogy, Chrysler has launched an "Imported from Gotham City" contest that allows fans to help create an original co-branded TV spot featuring Chrysler and Batman. 

The Dark Knight Rises Director/Producer/Writer Christopher Nolan will select the winning ad, which will debut on TV to help promote the release of the film, and welcome the winner to the red carpet at the movie's NYC premiere.Continue reading...

Richard Branson’s diary was stolen last week. Promoted on Twitter and Facebook, the so-called "crimson bandit" behind the theft posted three videos on YouTube with this comment: "As willing as I am to play this game with you and your fans in Australia, South Africa, the UK and the US, you must know there's no way for you to catch me Richard!”

The game: “Solve the puzzles left behind on the participating Virgin Company pages and you could win amazing prizes.” It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that the bandit was no other than Branson himself, as he revealed in a tweet and on his blog. 

The graphics are fun, but as social media teaser campaigns go, Virgin could do a bit better than this — Americans, for instance, wouldn't know that "diary" refers to his planner or schedule.