Me, Myself & Media.

Once known for his NFL football playing skills, Isaiah Mustafa's fame is now directed towards his acting skills. Starring in Old Spice ads has recently turned Mustafa into a cult celebrity, joining the likes of advertisement stars Milly Mays and the Dell Dude.

I cringed when I heard the news, although I was not even remotely surprised. Sarah Palin's got her own reality TV show? Bad idea. I mean, to be completely honest, I actually "liked" Sarah Palin a whole lot. I thought that she was funny, I liked her personality, and I especially liked declaring how great she was in front of my dad, who stubbornly declared that he would "move back to Scotland if she were to be his VP." Nevertheless, I do not think that a TV show is the right track for her to go down. She can throw her dreams away of having any major political position now -- reality television seems to bring out the worst in everyone (besides Whitney Port of "The City", who is flawless). I believe that the reason for this is that when someone signs up for a reality TV show, they are signing over the rights to their reputation to a producer who is more interested with ratings and profits than with your public persona. The power of editing threatens to take comments out of context and make things appear as they were not -- in essence, creating drama, which is what viewers want to see.


According to Peter Liguori, COO for Discovery Communcations, Palin's show will "reveal Alaska's powerful beauty as it has never been filmed" (hopefully not describing Sarah). "Sarah Palin's Alaska" will be on the TLC, home of the once-popular "Jon and Kate Plus 8". Getting advertisers to sign up for the show has been a challenge so far, as brands are uneasy about taking the risk to advertise on such a controversial figure's show. "Conservative companies don't want to ruffle any feathers," said Ira Berger, director of national broadcast at the Richards Group. Nevertheless, Berger points out, "If you're the number seven brand in a six-company category, then why not shake it up and take a chance?" It will be interesting to see who signs on, that's for sure.


Whether people wanted her as their vice president or not, Palin does have quite a strong following -- her book "Going Rogue" sold over 1 million copies in its first month on the shelves. Not to mention her sustained position in entertainment magazines due to the scandal involving her daughter's ex-fiance (and father of her grandson) Levi Johnson, who made headlines with his racy pictures in "Playgirl" magazine. Sarah Palin: from maverick to reality TV star? 

Justin Bieber is the reigning king of _____ (fill in the blank with just about anything you want).


For the past few months, "Justin Bieber" has been one of top the trended topics on Twitter and has been a permanent feature on AdAge's Top Tweeted Brands since the list's commencement. On February 28, 2010, 84,846 Tweets featured his name. In addition to being mentioned all over social media sites, his music is also setting records on the internet. In one day, last.fm played his songs 1,854,917 times. That is insane.


So what is the cause of this Bieber Fever? Why are there so many self-proclaimed "Beliebers" out there? Perhaps it is in his adorable grin, his cheesy lyrics, or his melodic voice? Or maybe it is the fact that Usher, one of the most successful music icons in the history of R&B is his mentor? Golly, I can't help but think that helps just a smidgen.


Regardless of why people love him -- they do. He is not just the newest "tween" sensation, he is loved by audiences of all ages. I'll be the first to admit that I've had "One Less Lonely Girl" stuck in my head a time or two. I strongly believe that the success of Justin Bieber is a testament to the power of the internet.  Once just a normal boy living in Statford, Ontario, his mother uploaded videos of him singing to this little website we know as YouTube.com, and just months later, he began getting phone calls from some of the artists whose songs he covered, like Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, and yes, Usher. Dream come true? Check.


Justin is the first mega star created from YouTube, following in the footsteps of singers like Colbie Caillat who was recognized for her MySpace Music page a few years back. Not only do Justin's songs receive millions of views per day, fans' content also get picked up on, if their is a buzz-worthy element to it. Case in point: A 3-year old whose mother videotapes her crying because she is just so in love with Justin Bieber (the mom should go to jail for uploading this) -- the video went viral, and Jimmy Kimmel invited the little girl and her family to the show, where they were surprised by Justin backstage.


This kid is everywhere. And I must admit, I am not mad about it. It will be interesting to see how long he sticks around for, but with a mentor like Usher, I have high hopes for Justin's future.


www.justinbiebermusic.com (Warning: Will get stuck in your head)

Last week, SXSW stormed Austin, TX, and unfortunately, I was not there to see it happen. While I had originally intended to stay in Austin and check out some of the festivities from afar, life happens, and I was unable to make it. C'est la vie -- you can always read about it online, or get a zillion tweets about it on Twitter. Oh the joys of technology.


After reading some industry press about the brands present at the large indie music and tech summit, I am thoroughly impressed with some of the avant-garde tactics that marketers came up with for the festival. It is know for its breakout technologies though -- think Twitter's big push at SXSW in 2007, which helped the social media service get the ball rolling. Tony Weisman, president of Digitas, said, "The bar's pretty high for authenticity. It's not overrun with brands yet; it's still principally about ideas, not about posing."


Some of the most engaging implementations that I have read about include Microsoft's Bing and Chevrolet's Equinox and Volt. Attendees could get a free taxi ride within a certain radius of downtown Austin on the condition that they downloaded the new Bing application onto the phone (a no brainer). And Chevy, which was declared the biggest marketing winner by a plethora of blogs and newspaper articles, used a variety of marketing ploys to help grab attendee's attention. One example is their use of Volt-branded power strips which allowed individuals to charge their laptops and cell phones. Given that the attendees are constantly updating their status' using these two devices, the power strips allowed Chevy to brand themselves using a technique that is not only in their face, but also has actual utility -- an excellent pairing. I would have loved to have witnessed the hullabaloo firsthand, but I'll just have to wait another year when the festival storms Austin for the 24th year in a row.

Magazine industry execs met today to discuss the future of this dying segment of print publication, given the advent of the iPad and other e-readers. While only a small handful of magazines latched onto Amazon's Kindle, the biggest electronic reader to date, the new color feature of Apple's iPad has magazine corporations signing up to deliver their content on the newest gadget.


One of the biggest concerns with charging users to receive a magazine subscription to their eReader is that the content that is currently available on the magazine's website for free is too similar to the information in the print issue. If consumers who are already using the website as their dominant means of accessing information, it is unlikely that they will pay a subscription fee to receive the issue to their eReader if they do not think that there is a substantial difference in the free and paid versions.


Given that it is my spring break, I have finally gotten around to reading for pleasure again, not just for my Finance or Ethics class. I just recently started to follow my favorite author, Karen Kingsbury, on Twitter, and two nights ago she sent out a tweet that said her book "Take One", which I've been dying to read for ages, was available for free on the Kindle. Both of my parents have Kindles, so I instantly went to the Kindle store and downloaded the book. It was incredible -- so fast and so easy (and SO free!). I have nearly finished the entire book, and I have absolutely loved reading on the Kindle. I've played around with it before, but never read a book. I will be the first to admit that I was a naysayer when eReaders were first introduced to the market, but now I'm sold. I am pretty excited about getting to hold an iPad in my hands, and I really think that I would be easily persuaded into buying magazines on this new, colorful reading device. I'm not sure how proud I should be to admit this, but People Magazine is my absolute favorite magazine of all time, and I currently read the print version, use the iPhone app, and scour the website if I have a free moment. Since I am about to graduate, and with a job in consulting will be traveling quite a bit, I plan on buying a Kindle or an iPad to keep with me in my journeys. I think that reading magazines on one of these eReaders will be very enjoyable. This is one of the future pieces of technology and changes in the industry that I am openly embracing.

In the 70s and 80s, most manufacturers switched from using sugar in their products to using a cheaper substitute product -- high fructose corn syrup. Nowadays, HFCS is lurking on the ingredient list of most foods that Americans consume, but there is a move to change this. Some big manufacturers such as Hunt's ketchup, Wheat Thins, Gatorade, Pepsi and Mountain Dew are ditching the HFCS and adding real sugar to their products. The progression towards a more natural product has resulted from consumer demand, as parents and health-conscious individuals continue to raise awareness about the potentially dangerous effects of the artificial sweeteners. However, since the majority of the companies making the switching are not getting rid of HFCS in all of their product lines, the marketing efforts for the new and improved sugar-containing goods is relatively low key.
During all of the recent debate about whether or not HFCS is really unhealthy for humans, the Corn Refiners Association has launched several PR efforts trying to educate the public about the harmlessness of HFCS. However, more research points to the opposing side who claim that the human body was not made to digest this artificial sweetener. The controversy is reminiscent of the big tobacco law suits of the 90s, when the tobacco manufacturers were trying to inform the world that it was not unsafe to smoke regularly, despite convincing evidence proving otherwise.


For those who try to limit their sugar intake, there may be a saving grace. The FDA has approved the use of stevia, which is a natural artificial sweetener. In the past year, stevia has replaced lots of sugar and HFCS, but will results show in 10 years that this product is just as dangerous as HFCS? Why can't an unbiased third party prove or disprove the claims of the manufacturers and lobbyists? Surely there is an answer to the question of the sweetener's safety, one that should not be hidden in order to protect big money.

At long last, there is action being taken to remove high calorie soft drinks from schools all across America. A can of Coca Cola has 140 (empty) calories and 39 grams of sugar. This is atrocious, truly. And the fact of the matter is that kids should never have been allowed to buy these high sugar beverages during school hours in the first place. Perhaps without being hopped up on sugar, children will be able to concentrate better, and we can see the number of kids being medicated for ADHD and ADD decrease (that's a whole other ballgame). But I'll get off my soapbox now.

Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper and Pepsi have all joined forces to help remove full-calorie sodas from elementary, middle and high schools. While the program just happens to coincide with movements in the government to increase sugar taxes as an attempt to stifle soft drink manufacturers, the timing is definitely helpful in creating some goodwill for these three companies. The VP of Public Affairs for the American Beverage Association, Kevin Keane, said that while Coke, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper are "the fiercest rivals you're going to get" these companies felt that the program was "the strongest way to convey what they'd done and that they'd done it together." I really like that these huge competitors are able to join forces in order to act in a way that is beneficial to the public's welfare.

In addition, I think that Michelle Obama's new plight against childhood obesity is wonderful. We need a national role model like her putting her foot down and demanding change. The children of today are the future of tomorrow -- how do all parents not understand that? The odds are against obese children, in that the vast majority of them will grow up to be obese adults. This is scary. We absolutely need to all work together to change the staggering statistics that are out there on obesity. Seeing Coke, Dr. Pepper and Pepsi's program is really a huge step in the right direction.

During the height of Toyota's public meltdown due to their massive recall efforts, Claire and Phil Dunphy were still trucking along in their Toyota Sienna for all of America to see. This couple, from ABC's new sitcom "Modern Family", are seen driving in their car on numerous times throughout the show -- all part of a massive product placement deal that ABC signed with Toyota, long before the days of their crisis. Unfortunately for "Modern Family", the episodes are taped in advance, and the show producers are unable to yank the Toyotas driven by many of the show's characters. Denis Riney, Executive VP at BrandLogic, believes that for at least a year, there will be "some negative rub-off on other properties and people that associate with [Toyota]." However, I am not sure that I agree with Mr. Riney's estimations.


Not much of a TV fan, I try to stay away from getting hooked on the latest shows, because I try to be as productive with my time as possible. That being said, "Modern Family" is a must-see. My best friend managed to corale me into watching it with her one day, and I fell in love. The show makes me snort with laughter -- the one liners and comedic timing are absolutely perfect, and they really do represent a true modern family living in America today. Do I think that Cameron and Mitchell, the show's happily married gay couple, driving around in their eco-friendly Prius is going to have a negative rub-off on the show? Not at all. There are still millions of Toyota cars being driven around in the world, and although Toyota's brand image may be damaged for the time being, I do not think that their product placements will harm the brand image of popular TV shows. Doesn't this just make the Dunphys and the Pritchetts more like, well, modern families? Perhaps they have already gone in to get their cars inspected, and like the masses of other Toyota users have gone back to to the roads, able to feel safe that their automobile has received the stamp of approval?


This opinion may seem counter to the idea of product placement's purpose being to associate the show with the brands being incorporated into the content -- a sort of "guilty by association" scheme. Personally, I do not fully agree with this idea. I think that product placements help to increase reach and the number of total impressions, but even after watching "American Idol", I do not position Coke as a young, hip drink coveted by all in America. Maybe product placement strategies need to be reconsidered in order to be more effective, or perhaps it's just that all of my advertising classes have rubbed off on me and I am now a more savvy-audience member, taking note of, and knowing the relationship behind, these strategic in-show ads.

After reviewing 17 food manufacturer's nutrition labels, the FDA has just recently issued letters demanding changes be made to the products. The violations include unauthorized health or nutrition-content claims, and unauthorized use of words such as "healthy," which have strict, regulated definitions by the Food and Drug Administration. I am a strong supporter in the fight versus obesity, a disease which is currently plaguing our nation. One of the main aspects which needs to be addressed in this "battle versus the bulge" is consumer education. I frequently have friends ask me about whether or not things are healthy, and what they should and should not eat. Granted I am not a nutrition major, I am not the most qualified source of information, but I am an avid reader of health-related publications, and I try to keep up to speed with wholesome, nutritious food items. I am glad that the FDA is enforcing the law, making sure that company's do not issue deceptive claims, misleading consumers about their food choices. One of the pillars that the American Marketing Association (AMA) stands on is that they will "Do no harm", specifically that they will "consciously avoid harmful actions or omissions by embodying high ethical standards and adhering to all applicable laws and regulations in the choices we make." The food manufacturer's who have knowingly put false, deceptive claims on products such as "Trans Fat Free" should absolutely be held accountable for breaking one of the core values of the AMA.


Another action that the FDA is moving towards implementing is a re-labeling effort for portion size. I have very mixed feelings about this practice, because I do believe that Americans eat too big of portion sizes, and that they need a guide on how much they should be eating. That being said, my cereal label lists 3/4ths of a cup as a portion size, and I eat just under two times that amount. In order to better educate the public about the real number of calories in the food that they consume, I think that nutrition labels should never be deceptive. An example of deceptive labeling is when restaurants' nutrition information (generally available for all restaurants online) has a portion size of two. Many Americans will eat everything that is on there plate, whether they are hungry or not; therefore, serving a customer with a plate that has enough food for two people is essentially just asking for them to overeat.


My hesitance with changing the portion sizes is that it seems to just reflect the fact that Americans do eat too much. I wish that there could be a way to say "Hey, if you eat 4 of these cookies, you will be eating 800 calories! You should really only eat 1, which has 200 calories." People need to be made aware of how many calories are in the servings that they consume. While I think 100 calorie packs are a decent idea, it drives me crazy the type of snacks that they package. 100 calories of Oreos, hmm that's nutritious. One of my favorite tricks is to use snack size Ziplop bags (reuse them!) and divide bulk items into smaller portions right after I unload my groceries. This way I'm never tempted to grab two Ziplocs, and I've created the portion sizes according to recommended guidelines. In conclusion, I think that labeling needs to be changing to get rid of deceiving claims, and portion sizes need to be updated to claims established by nutritionists, not by the manufacturers themselves. It is all about portion control and education -- ending this obesity epidemic is possible, and it is our responsibility to take action.