Over the weekend, all of those 9/11 commemorative campaigns we anticipated a couple of weeks ago came to pass.

One of the ads we noted was State Farm's. As it turns out, State Farm's moody, tear-jerking ad fired on all cylinders and ruled the day. Other brands' tributes? We'll let you decide who won and who lost.Continue reading...

Mashable announced in July that it was bringing back its Social Good Summit — and now it's just a week away. Taking place Sept. 19-22 in New York, the conference organizers gave a sneak peek at SGS 2011 on a preview call today.

Pete Cashmore, the ubiquitous founder and face of Mashable, says the goal of the SGS “to make the conversation more accessible to a wider world. Digital media and social media along with new technology can solve issues in the charity and non-profit worlds. The trend started a few years ago with start-ups for social good, but it spreads so quickly via social media and those in the charity activist space are using technology to spread the message.”

Henry Timms, Director, 92Y Charles Simon Center for Adult Life and Learning, announced that Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of Tanzania will be participating at the summit on Wednesday 9/21, speaking about the impact of social media on government in Africa.

“Holding the summit during UN week is the natural time to create civic and civil dialogue, new conversations with new audiences… about the sheer possibilities ahead from entrepreneurial minds for world solutions," Timms observed.Continue reading...

What do actor Susan Sarandon, jazz musician Esperanza Spalding, Tumblr founder David Karp, Momofuku chef David Chang, and Gregg Breinberg, the music director of NYC's P.S. 22’s kids chorus, the Oscars-performing YouTube sensation, have in common?

They are all – along with Laura Linney, John Leguizamo, and Glee star Darren Criss, and 23 other big name (and should-be-known) New Yorkers – being featured in the latest Japan-based Uniqlo advertising campaign, “Voices of New York,” released in time for New York Fashion Week.Continue reading...

One of the more interesting collaborations at New York's Fashion Week tweaks the fact that it's the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week: a red-and-green-stripped Gucci version of the Fiat 500.

According to Fiat USA, "The exclusive FIAT 500 by Gucci limited-edition models represent the perfect combination of craftsmanship and style, and bring together two of Italy's most respected brands. These special editions of the FIAT 500 and 500 Cabrio have been customized by Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini in partnership with FIAT Centro Stile."

But read the fine print on the web teaser: "European version shown. North American model available in limited quantities late 2011." See, the Gucci-wrapped 500 actually debuted at Milan Fashion Week earlier this year. Yes, you've got to give Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne credit for having ... boldness.Continue reading...

Fashion's Night Out revellers can tag along with two dolls with social moxie as they navigate the FNO mayhem tomorrow night. (Who said fashion-lovers are plastic?)

Shoppers/partiers in NYC may catch the Mattel-sponsored Barbie double-decker bus between the stores of five brands (Alexis Bittar, Alice and Olivia, Loomstate Organic, Rogan, and Tracy Reese) as part of a virtual and in-person game dubbed Barbie Loves FNO. (Fans can also play along on Twitter @BarbieStyle.)

Barbie's not the only doll working FNO on September 8th — meet Marina.Continue reading...

The tents being assembled at Lincoln Center as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week gears up to kick off next week in New York. The massive undertaking aims to be greener this time around by eliminating the noisy and odiferous diesel generators that provoked the ire of neighborhood residents in the spring.

Locals have complained that the chic circus burns as much diesel fuel for lighting, heating and blow dryers as three Broadway musicals combined. Going forward, the generators will (according to the New York Times) plug into nearby Fordham University and the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, requiring two fewer portable generators, while the remaining generators will run on a cleaner biodiesel fuel blend. 

Also causing gripes as the fashion world gets ready to descend on New York to check out the Spring 2012 collections: what's being seen as overreaching by Tumblr to get brands to pony up for coverage by bloggers. It's all to do with a perceived faux pas by Tumblr’s fashion director, Rich Tong, who asked brands and agencies to pay select Tumblr bloggers to cover the events this year as opposed to previously when it was done gratis.Continue reading...

The recently opened BMW Guggenheim Lab gives new meaning to pop-up art, as seen in the above video. Reclaiming a rat-and-rubble infested 2,000 square foot East Village lot between Houston and East First Street, the Lab is a social experiment in urban living.

“When people say we’re taking it to the streets, we literally are. Hopefully this will be a petri dish of ideas for the decision makers of tomorrow,” said Richard Armstrong, director of the Guggenheim Foundation.

BMW unveiled the six-year project with the Guggenheim Museum in May, described as a traveling cultural project for cultivating 21st century design and urban living ideas, while including the public with free programs and spaces. Running through October 16 in NYC, more than 100 events are planned centered on the theme “Confronting Comfort” – how to make urban life more livable.Continue reading...

Continuing the trend of brands taking over Times Square, FIAT North America brought its first TV commercial, "Drive-in," to life with an event that evoked Italia for Big Apple tourists and shoppers this past weekend, not letting Sunday's rain spoil the fun.

The lure of free espresso and gelato, bocce ball, music and a drive-in movie experience — thirty Fiat 500 sedans and cabrios arranged,  drive-in style, to watch movies on the Times Square jumbotron as dusk fell — wooed passersby to check out the "Simply More by Fiat" experience, where they could chat with Fiat product specialists (including Fiat North America head Laura Soave) and check out the 2012 Fiat 500 and Fiat 500 Cabrio.Continue reading...