PSFK sat down to talk with Diesel Founder Renzo Rosso about inspiration, the Internet, nature and more.

OKCupid’s recent analysis of successful dating interactions got us thinking: what can these lessons of online dating teach us about relationship-building on a larger scale?

Over the summer Vancouver hosted its sophomore edition of the Good Ideas Salon. The topic: Good Ideas in Storytelling featured a diverse and talented panel.

A little while ago on PSFK we let you know about creative mastermind Rick Klotz’s new campaign to make Freshjive clothing logoless and brandless. PSFK spoke to the man behind the line…

PSFK recently conducted a review of global brands that are doing “good” in regards to innovation, environmental responsibility and social collaboration. From this exploration, we’ve created the Good Brands Report 2009.
We looked at the companies we were writing about on PSFK.com and then asked a panel of cross industry global experts from the Purple List to tell us which of 40 common brands on PSFK were considered ‘Good’. These companies represent businesses from which we should learn. They are not just the well-known brands of the day but also companies that lead by example. Beyond the top 10 Good Brands, [...]

We wrote last week about Apple’s efforts to preserve the sanctity of the album through artwork and extras, a move that attempts to synthesize the digital format’s emerging dominance with the holistic listening experience of the past. But what is the future of the album exactly? Is it merely an outmoded concept that speaks more to the artist’s craft than what the audience actually wants to hear (i.e. hit singles divorced of any context that can be easily inserted into personalized playlists)?

Business Pundit has compiled a list of 20 different brands and products that “died” in 2009, including Kodachrome, Pontiac, and the 150 year old Rocky Mountain News.
An interesting point they bring up:
It’s worth noting that when a brand dies, it doesn’t necessarily get buried, the way humans do. Some brands, like Circuit City, are resurrected in a different form. Others, like Saab, go dormant, then reemerge in a new form. Still others find themselves gobbled up by bigger fish.
What can we learn from their passing, and how can dead (or dying) brands be revived, and made relevant?
Business Pundit: 20 Brands [...]

Socialseek is a new desktop app that allows you to search topics, brands, companies and trends through all aspects of social media- such as blogs, image, video and event sites.
You can measure and compare the popularity of each topic, localize your searches to specific cities, and receive real-time updates about how active your query is across specific platforms.

Socialseek is one of many new apps offering social media tracking- competitors include Viralheat and Peoplebrowsr. You can download it for free here.
[via Tech Crunch]

Cartoonist and marketing theorist Hugh MacLeod has been developing his concept of “social objects,” now reified in the form of his “cube grenade” series of illustrations, which he believes are representative of the future of both brands and marketing as a whole. Though it may sound opaque at first, the concept of social objects can be summed up by MacLeod’s thesis that people socialize around objects in meaningful ways, and these peripheral interactions are far more important than the objects themselves.

Such conversations, MacLeod claims, can be induced by introducing objects into peoples environments in such a way that provokes them [...]

As an antidote to the DVR culture that is making television commercials an advertising medium of the past, brands are increasingly turning to product placement as a means of reaching their audiences, albeit in an indirect fashion. And while these engagements might now be an unavoidable aspect of our cluttered media lives, is it only a matter of time before we become adept at filtering out this latest version of noise? That’s not to say that we’ll likely develop immunity to all brand messages, but expose viewers long enough or too often, and presumably the relative effectiveness starts to wain. [...]

This week I was reminded again that a rather large component of the climate solution, massive reductions in current CO2 emissions (US is committing 80% by 2050 for instance) and a move to a low-carbon, sustainable economy, is mobilizing public through knowledge first, then belief and solutions. This is beyond ‘climate awareness’, which we now understand has reached a wide audience. I’ve said this already in my previous article referring to what John Grant describes as “Knowledge role” but I will say it again, I think here lies an important role for brands to take on issues and become [...]

For most of us, sports touch our lives on a daily basis. We play sports, watch sports on TV, read about sports in the newspapers, talk to friends about them, buy merchandise and attend sporting events. Sports take us away from our daily routines and entertain us. But while people realize that sports need sponsors (in fact, 74% actually think sponsorship is good), their corporatization can move them away from their fans. With ticket prices sky-rocketing, hospitality areas taking up all the good seats and every square inch of the arena emblazoned with logos, sponsorships are making sports less about [...]

We’re excited to have Paul M. Taylor, Consumer Planning Director at Diageo, join us at PSFK Conference NYC 2009. He will be speaking on our “Brand New Rules” panel where he will discuss the new rules needed to govern the behavior of brands in a world increasingly defined by changing social, cultural, technological and economic forces. He will be joined on the panel by Doug Jaeger (thehappycorp), Maria Vranchnos (Peep Insights), and Paul Worthington (Wolff Olins).
First, who are you and what do you do?
I’m Paul Taylor and I’m a Consumer Planning Director at Diageo. I’m currently working on our vodka [...]

Still considering whether to buy that ticket to PSFK Conference NYC next week? If you work at a brand or corporation here are three topics on the agenda that should be very inspirational for you (although I think they all will be, to be honest):
TALK: WHEN IDEAS CREATE GOOD
While many of us are determined to make better products, services and experiences there are many challenges and potential pitfalls along the way. Graham Hill (TreeHugger) will share the best, high-impact green products and services available today, and what we can learn from their unique stories of development.
PANEL: BUILDING HEALTHY BRANDS [...]

Or for anyone else who wants to look sharp without compromising their safety, really. The maker of the cool man’s Snuggie, the Blankoat, has now come out with a bulletproof handkerchief dubbed The Damned, made from “lemon Military Grade Ballistic Strength Aramid Fibre – to protect the hearts of men.”
Sruli Recht