You can’t make something go viral. You don’t decide, I don’t decide, the audience does. Asking for something to go viral is almost as absurd as calling your newest launch a “viral marketing campaign.” Really? Your campaign is to get people talking to other people about your company? What campaign isn’t about that? Viral isn’t a campaign, it’s a result of a good or really bad one.

via Why No One Will Watch Your Crappy Corporate “Viral” Video, And How To Fix It | Fast Company.

Mayday is proposing an alternative that could please critics on all sides of the table. Their idea is to let advertisers engage New Yorkers in an urban game, where each rider holds a key to unlocking a larger image with some embedded value. Think of it as a giant puzzle, where every MetroCard is a unique puzzle piece.

via Turning NYC’s Iconic MetroCard Into A Massive Urban Game | Co.Design.

The idea may seem a little bit creepy, what with a marketer stalking and photographing your house with the aim of having you drop well over 100 Gs on a vehicle and all. But it seems the targeted didn’t mind: 32% of those who received the piece of mail booked a test drive online, a remarkable result for direct.

via 5 | Porsche Makes Direct Mail Personal…And A Little Bit Creepy | Co.Create:.

It may be obvious that Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes are both made by Kellogg’s, but did you know that Hot Pockets and L’Oreal share a parent company in Nestlé?

via These 10 Companies Control Enormous Number Of Consumer Brands [GRAPHIC].

THE CHALLENGE To improve the site’s difficult-to-remember domain name, NutsOnline.com, and establish the company as the pre-eminent seller of nuts on the Web.

via Newark Nut Company Buys a Perfect Domain Name. Yet Sales Suffer. – NYTimes.com.