Barbie Joins Foursquare
The newest addition to the Barbie doll line, Barbie Video Girl, features a digital video camera – mounted in Barbie’s necklace – and display screen. The doll also comes with video editing software, allowing aspiring filmmakers to make their own mini-movies. To launch the tech-savvy tween toy, Mattel has created a social media based campaign. On July 20, fans can take part in Barbie-themed Foursquare scavenger hunts surrounding fashion in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
Source: Mashable 7/15/10

The Old Spice Social Media Campaign by the Numbers
This week, Old Spice took its "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" ad campaign to a new, social media level, by replying to the positive feedback of YouTube commenters, bloggers, tweeters and celebrities in real-time through 184 personalized videos. With topics ranging from flirt-fests with Alyssa Milano to a wedding proposal between tweeters, Isaiah Mustafa’s impromptu performance – along with the creative minds behind the scenes – captivated the blogosphere, twittersphere and news sources across the board. In two days, the Re:video series generated more than 5.9 million views and 22,000+ comments.
Source: Mashable 7/15/10

A.C. Moore Hosts Kids for a Trading Post of Silly Bandz
On July 15, A.C. Moore craft store locations around the country held the World's Largest Silly Bandz trading event. The chain created the event to provide kids with a safe environment to trade the shaped rubberbands, which have been outlawed in many schools and camps.
Source: ABC 2 News 7/15/10

The Discovery Channel Building Gets Ready for Shark Week
In preparation for the infamous Shark Week, Discovery Channel turned its headquarters into a mammoth man-eater with the help of some faux fins.
Source: BuzzFeed 7/15/10

For FarmVille Players, a Crop From a Real Organic Farm
To expand the reach of Cascadian Farm’s brand message and offer exciting new ways for their fans to get involved, the brand tapped into the largest online agricultural space, FarmVille. Starting next week through July 26th, Cascadian Farm will become FarmVille’s first-ever branded and organic crop to be offered in the game. During the week-long integration, Cascadian Farm will offer their organic blueberry crops that will be the most profitable FarmVille crop , discount coupons and organic living tips for players to use offline. Check out www.facebook.com/CascadianFarm for more information and images.
Source: The New York Times 7/14/10

A Final Death Knell For Cinema: The Snuggies Choice Film Awards
Calling all Snuggie lovers! Allstar Products Group – the manufacturer of the official blanket with sleeves – is asking fans to create 3-minute Snuggie infomercials and submit them to the Snuggie® Choice Film Awards. Six finalists, chosen by online vote, will receive the full 2010 Snuggie product line and a trip to NYC to compete for a $5,000 grand prize.
Source: Brandfreak 7/9/10

Trade in your Vuvuzela for a Free Sandwich at KFC
KFC created a tasty trade-in to celebrate the end of the World Cup and the launch of the new Doublicious sandwich. The first 500 people who mailed their vuvuzelas to the Vuvuzela Exchange Program by July 15 received a gift check to go towards the tasty treat.
Source: AOL Wallet Pop 7/12/10

Massachusetts Names Its Own 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
The Massachusetts Tourism Board has created a “bucket list” of 1,000 things visitors must do when traveling to the bay state. Check out the complete list here.
Source: Jaunted 7/13/10

Train Theater: The Next Big Thing
Improv Everywhere strikes NYC again with a Star Wars parody on the #6 train. The newest release from the NY-based improvisation group, the video has been viewed more than 1.3 million times and has generated 6,000+ comments since it was posted on July 13.
Source: Brandflakes for Breakfast 7/15/10