The most useful website ever (well, not quite as useful as google.com, but still rather useful), awesomehighlighter.com has provided the tool I always wanted! Instead of copying a link of a page to send to a friend, then saying, “Scroll down about half way, the read the third sentence in the fifth paragraph,” I can now just highlight the text I want and send a link directly to whomever I want. You literally type in a web address, then select the text you want and Awesome Highlighter grabs the text and pastes it into a convenient piece of mail.

I. LOVE. IT.

Such a cool site, LinkedIn connects you with everyone you know through your industry, your place of work and your college. I signed up based on a friends recommendation, and bam! There was one of my friends waiting to be my friend already, before I even asked him to join! He had requested me a while back and the program remembered that, so now we are linked. Anyway, it’s a very cool tool that can connect people to others in their direct network, without even knowing them ah

What in the WORLD?! Adobe FINALY talked me into switching to CS3 by bundling amazing web apps in the designer pro version of their popular software package upgrade, and now they are updating Acrobat, adding a sticker to the box and releasing it as a .3? Why 3? Why not .001? That’s insane. And they want people to pay for it? I’m sorry. That’s a bit much to ask.

I was just browsing one of my favorite websites, Cool Hunting, and came across this amazing thing. You must check it out. But only if you are 21+.

Click here.

As I work in my office today, thousands of immigrants are being sworn in to become American citizens at the Miami Beach Convention Center. As these few-thousand raise their right arm, swear their allegiance to this country, and fill out their social security forms (of which they have been paying but are finally eligible for), I begin to acknowledge what an amazing brand this country has created.

There is no doubt in my mind that we have one of the most visible flags in the world. On par if not better than Japan’s rising sun. Our flag invokes fear and appreciation, welcoming and aggression. Red and white. One is bold and stands out, the other is calm and soothing. The blue, like the sky, houses stars representative of our states, our unity.

Worldwide, people that see our flag know instantly it’s a symbol of democracy, power and respect. Our flag and the elements contained in it is the world’s greatest brand. Not only is it the best brand in the world, it is supported innately by millions of people. Patriotism is like free guerrilla marketing teams covering every city in the country.

When is the last time you saw someone put a Macy’s flag in their front yard? Or the last time a stadium full of people sang the Big Mac song (Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun)? We want to push this brand. We want the world to know we are a part of it.

I feel a lot of companies with branding issues could re-evaluate from their core – employees. America has proven that if you get your employees in on pushing your brand, it will be successful. Like google. Everyone that works there loves it, and pushes it. Their success is limited only by the participation of their core.

Now back to the thousands of new American citizens pouring into the parking lots and garages, into their cars. These newly sworn citizens are going to go home, put their little american flag in their yard or on their fridge, and talk about what a great brand America is. They left their country in search of something that our brand symbolizes. Many of them have never been here before immigrating, but somehow our brand conveyed to them that they had to be here.

I love branding and analyzing brand effectiveness, and it’s impossible to deny that the U.S. is the greatest brand in the World. Happy belated Memorial Day.

Last night I watched the season finale of American Idol and the branding miracle that makes the show successful. From the moment you turn to Fox, you know you are watching AI. The music. The stage. The hosts. The crowd. The Coca-Cola cups. It’s all part of their brand. The title, American Idol, sounds like every teenager’s dream summarized into two words.

Between acts last night, Jordan Sparks new commercial for Disney came on. Their newest attraction is American Idol: The Experience. The new “experience” lets families enjoy the music and glamour of AI and further instills into Americans that being an Idol is something to want – something to pay $75 to be a part of. I applaud AI for their amazing success with a somewhat lackluster brand design and their ability to consistently create a buzz around some karaoke singers going through the fast lane to what may or may not be a career in music.

I guess American Idol could be, for lack of a better reference, a “Fast Pass.” It guarantees a few people national exposure without having to wait in line and constantly be turned away until the time is right for them to ride the ride.

Because it was relevant, and because watching the show physically made me tired from the constant bombardment of the AI brand, I wanted to share.

The Democratic race for president between Obama and Clinton has been a
public war over branding.

Just like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which are both basically sugar-flavored
and caramel-colored caffeinated, canned soda, the basic elements are
the same. When it’s time to make a decision at the grocery store
between the two, the choice comes down to the one that has the most-
effective commercials and ads. The one with the better message. From
health care to Social Security, the War in Iraq to gay marriage, both
Clinton and Obama are basically the same. Their branding, however, is
not.

Barack Obama is Pepsi. From the first day Obama submitted his bid for
nomination, he led with a brand of hope. When hope was too intangible
for the media, it became a message of change. A change from President
Bush. A change from Iraq. A change from economic hardship. A change
for all things bad today. He connects with every unsatisfied American,
regardless of party affiliation. He is pro-everything-you-want and
anti-everything-you-don’t.

Even the actual brand of his campaign is different. It’s new. Clean.
Helvetica instead of Times. His name is phonetically appealing. We
connect with it because it’s familiar, but an update and therefore a
change. He’s young. He connects with everyone.

Hillary Clinton is Coca-Cola. She has been around forever. Her name is
world-famous and even the most desolate areas of the world know the
Clintons. She’s lived in the white house. Her voice was the little
voice in an actual President’s head for eight years, helping the
leader of the free world make tough decisions. Her campaign is over a
decade in the works, but it’s that classic, timelessness of it that
has become its demise. Her campaign stands for all things good since
‘92, but unfortunately, in that timeframe, wars have been fought,
countries have taken new leadership, the economy has peaked and
fallen, and the senate has accomplished a lot of nothing.

The Obama brand is stronger, and despite polls showing Clinton to be
the better candidate (or – for the sake of keeping the analogy – in
blind taste tests) America chooses Obama. His brand has won.

Unfortunately the analogy for the general election is far less
interesting. Why? It’s Pepsi v. Ginger Ale.

Blah.