Guess which discount retailer is making a big deal about 9/9/09?
To recognize 9/9/09, The 99 Cents Only Store is throwing weddings for nine couples
created entirely from products found in their stores – the centerpiece of the promotion is the Chanel-inspired wedding dress fashioned out of 99 cent items including doilies and faux flowers
Source: BrandFreak, 09/03/09

Rare yellow spider named after David Bowie
A newly-discovered yellow spider, Heteropoda davidbowie, was named after rock legend David Bowie in an effort to raise awareness about the number of spiders threatened with extinction; Bowie was chosen because of his 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Source: Telegraph Online, 09/07/09

Money talks and social media walks
Some company is hosting a mystery YouTube competition with a prize of $100,000 – the company sponsoring the contest and details about entries will not be revealed until the official launch on 9/15; the mystery company is building buzz about the contest through weekly hints and by encouraging participants to tweet about the promotion to better their chance of winning
Source: Brandflakes for Breakfast, 09/08/09

Electrolux and Kelly Invite You to Send a Text for a Cause
As seen on Good Morning America, talk show host Kelly Ripa and Electrolux are holding a Text-A-Thon to raise funds for Ovarian Cancer during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month; to participate, consumers can send a $5 donation via text or web site for a chance to win a washer and dryer set in Turquoise Sky, inspired by the teal ribbon of the disease
Source: Good Morning America, 09/09/09

'Twilight' fans can happily get lost in corn
As seen in the Deseret News and on USA Today’s Pop Candy Blog, Black Island Farm in Utah has created a giant corn maze featuring characters from "New Moon," the second movie in the Twilight series – the farm creates giant mazes every year as a part of the fall Harvest Festival and Cornfield Maze; last year’s theme was the Ronald McDonald House
Source: Filmdrunk.com, 09/09/09

Does Adidas not care about Melanie Oudin?
Adidas is missing an opportunity to capitalize on the success of U.S. Open hopeful Melanie Oudin – while Adidas does sponsor Oudin, their tennis website features images of female players who have already left the tournament; the article suggests that Adidas should act quickly to latch on to the rising tennis star before someone else does, stressing the importance of timing in impromptu PR/marketing efforts
Source: AdFreak, 09/09/09

Monopoly City Streets: So hot you can't even get on the board
On Wednesday, Hasbro launched a free online game, Monopoly City Streets, that allowed users to play the classic game on actual streets using Google Maps – the game generated 1.7 million unique viewers in a day, overwhelming the sites server, and many visitors were unable to access the game including USA Today Pop Candy blogger Whitney Matheson
Source: USA Today - Pop Candy, 09/10/09

Doritos offers more for a Super Bowl winner
Frito-Lay is bringing back their Doritos user-generated content Super Bowl contest for a second year, and raising the combined prize offering from 1 to $5 million dollars; Doritos will run three user-generated commercials during the big game, awarding prizes based on the ads performance in USA Today's big-game Ad Meter; Doritos also re-named Madison Avenue “Madison Avenue Doritos Drive” to promote the contest
Source: Ad Freak, 09/10/09

Puma Unveils Bodywear With Strip Show
To promote their new line of Bodywear, Puma has created the “Puma Index,” a stock market ticker which features models (male and female) who strip as the market goes down, so that “if you lose your shirt, the models do too” – the application is currently available for the iPhone with a web version to launch in the next few weeks
Source: CNBC Online, 09/10/09

TGI Fridays, Jack Daniels Burger and Woody
TGI Friday's has launched an advertising/Facebook campaign surrounding a “bet” with their #1 fan, Woody – if Woody is able to get 500,000 Facebook fans by the end of September, the restaurant will give the first 500,000 fans a free Jack Daniels burger; Woody is well on his way to winning the “bet” with more than 250,000 fans
Source: Associated Press, 09/09/09