Sure, I’m a sucker for the ‘Bissell Kitty Halftime Show’.  Here’s the money line: “It began as a joke in a network ideas meeting, like some stoner intern’s dream: Dude, what if we, like, just put a camera on a bunch of puppies playing in a field?”  Eight years later, it’s a branding doggynaught.

Animal Planet

via Behind the scenes of the Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet’s irresistible Super Bowl counterprogramming | The Cutline – Yahoo! News.

Like it or not, It’s possible that a 5-year-old has a well developed grasp of brands.

via A 5-Year-Old’s First Impressions of Brand Logos | Adweek.

The next-generation tools, like…Curation Station, are focused on B-to-B marketing with a value proposition focused on their ability to drive awareness by improving organic search, and provide organizations with an opportunity to build thought leadership. The key to this evolution is being the “curator.”

via Content Curation Tools for B2B Marketing – Forbes.

Advertising legend Hal Riney (creator of Bartles & Jaymes as well as an entire genre of wine and beer advertising) once said that, “The best insurance against mediocrity is hiring the best possible vendors.”

via What Sets Small Firms Apart From The Pack? They Think Big. | Co. Design.

The jury is still out on whether the star-studded viral outbreak movie Contagion will be a Hollywood blockbuster, but don’t blame Patrick Hickey if it isn’t. The Scottish mycologist recently led a team that used living bacteria and fungi to create two sinister-looking billboards meant to lure, or scare, people into seeing the movie.

via Don’t Call It Viral Marketing: The Story Behind Contagion’s Microbial Billboard – ScienceInsider.