Coke has been doing some creative things with vending machines of late; the Diet Coke Slender Vender can fit in places no hefty drink-dispensing device has gone before, while a Coke-sponsored flag dispenser in a Denmark airport helped welcome people to the “happiest country on earth”. Now, it seems Coke has bestowed an even loftier task upon its vending machines: world peace.

In partnership with agency Leo Burnett, Coke created “Small World Machines“, vending machines that function as soda-dispensing communication portals. In an experiment aimed at promoting mutual understanding and camaraderie between citizens of India and Pakistan, two countries engaged in long-standing religious and political disputes, one machine was placed in Lahore, Pakistan and another in New Delhi, India. The machines allowed people to see and interact with each other, and, perhaps most importantly, complete shared tasks. Once the tasks were successfully completed, the machines rewarded people’s amicable teamwork by dispensing a Coke.

Jackie Jantos, global creative director at Coca Cola, said that the idea of creating stories around shared experiences goes back to the roots of Coke as a brand that started at a soda fountain, which is in itself a communal experience. Coke’s website says: “In 1971, Coca-Cola taught the world to sing through its iconic ‘Hilltop’ ad. More than 40 years later, the brand invited the people of India and Pakistan – two groups used to living with conflict – to share a simple moment of connection and joy with the help of technology.”

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“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” – George Bernard Shaw

Late July Organic Snacks, Barnstable, Mass., has selected Haberman to handle the fast growing, family-owned company’s social marketing expansion and new 2013 campaign. Late July is celebrating its 10th year of making great tasting organic, non-GMO snacks that the whole family can enjoy.

“Like Late July, Haberman is an independent, founder-driven company with a passion and a purpose, so we felt an immediate bond,” said Nicole Bernard Dawes, co-Founder and CEO, Late July Organic Snacks.

“Haberman understands the meaning and importance of real, great tasting food — with its depth of experience in the organic food category, we know Haberman shares our beliefs and understands our vision. We’re thrilled to have the agency communicate our message to more consumers in an impactful and meaningful way.”

“There is always safety in valor.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Diono, a leading maker of innovative child car seats and travel accessories, has named Current, owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies, its agency of record for public relations. The agency will support Diono in its efforts to raise overall brand awareness, as well as promote new products and partnerships in several markets around the world. Read more

Coke has long associated its brand with happiness — even dedicating entire websites to the philosophical meaning of the word, and calling the contents of a can of cola “140 happy calories.”

Now, the company is taking advantage of a happy coincidence — the fact that part of its logo happens to look like the Danish flag — to welcome people to Denmark, recently voted the “happiest country in the world” by the United Nations.

In honor of the Danish tradition of greeting arriving visitors by waving flags, Coke’s local agency, McCann Copenhagen, created an interactive airport ad that dispenses flags. Coke says it’s purpose is to “let Coca-Cola and Denmark spread happiness together.” The below video of a case study shows people’s reactions to the machine.

Little kids and elderly people jubilantly waving flags as loved ones rush to greet them, all made possible by Coke. We’d categorize this as a highly creative branding win.

Well, we’re happy to report that our ears are working just fine today. How do we know? Because we couldn’t make it through a few seconds of the below ad without scrambling for the “mute” button.

The clever spot, created by Draftfcb Toronto for the Union Hearing Aid Centre, actually appears to be a vision test, displaying letters in ever-shrinking fonts. When viewers reach the end of the commercial, they are informed that if they can read the final tiny line of print, then their “eyesight is fine”, but that (surprise!) they may want to invest in a hearing test at Union, as a “really annoying, really loud high-frequency sound” has been playing throughout the ad; those with good hearing would have likely found the sound too intolerable to make it through to the end.

Like we said — clever. We just wouldn’t recommend playing it at full volume at work…or a dog park.

Think your mom wants a dozen roses, a box of chocolates or a hand-made card? Think again! What Mom really wants — perhaps all she’s ever wanted — is express dominion over your decisions and life trajectory — in other words: POWER.

Not sure how to wrap a ribbon and bow around control? Don’t worry; ad agency Mother New York has you covered! In its latest spot released in celebration of Mother’s Day, the holiday during which Mother New York is generally expected to be on its game, the agency introduces the “Momtract“, a (fictional) legally binding contract that allows you to bestow complete and unquestionable power over a single aspect of your life (whichever aspect you choose) upon the adoring woman who raised you.

Since you’re all grown up and she can no longer ground you or send you to your room, restore her sense of authority by giving her the power to sue the pants off you in the event that you fail to heed her loving advice. “It’s time you legally enforced your love for your mom,” says the promo. The agency’s website even walks you through the process of creating and sending the gag gift directly to Mom.

Watch the video here. Enjoy, and Happy Mother’s Day!

Advertising Age: BuzzFeed Trains Agencies in ‘Native Advertising’

The Washington Post: McDonald’s Drops Angus Third Pounder Burger from Menu

The New York Times: Google Reader to Disappear into the History Books

Chicago Tribune: YouTube Begins Paid Subscription Service with ‘Sesame Street’

Forbes: Microsoft Confronts Windows 8 Flop

Soccer isn’t very social. Plus, if you don’t like someone on the other team, you can do something about it. – Mia Hamm

M&C Saatchi PR will oversee the Cosmos’ much-anticipated gala on August 1, 2013, honoring the legendary soccer icon Pele and benefiting HELP USA.

M&C Saatchi PR pitched against a number of other agencies. SVP Sandra Carreon-John, along with Director Andrea Nirsimloo, will oversee strategy, outreach and execution for the Cosmos event, which is expected to draw luminaries from around the world.

Additional details on the Cosmos Gala to benefit HELP USA, including ways to purchase a table or tickets, will be announced soon. The NY Cosmos are a much-beloved franchise, renowned for stars, like Pele and Franz Beckenbauer. The 2013 team will take the field on August 3rd at Hofstra University.

It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. – Robert W. Service

Renowned Danish shoemaker ECCO has appointed Buffalo Communications its Lead Global PR Agency for ECCO Sport to grow international brand awareness and market share in the outdoor and running categories. Read more

According to a new Accenture Interactive report, Turbulence for the CMO, four in ten top marketing executives feel they are unprepared to meet their objectives due to a lack of funding and inefficient business practices. In light of these challenges, 70 percent of the executives polled believe that corporate marketing will undergo a dramatic shift within the next five years, and that in order to keep up with changing expectations and an increasingly complicated customer environment, their organizations must focus on digital marketing and analytics.

“Marketing executives are growing increasingly concerned that tight budgets and the lack of a clear strategy for implementing digital technologies are hurting their company’s ability to compete in the digital age,” said Brian Whipple, global managing director of Accenture Interactive. “There is a clear performance gap between the demands of the marketplace and the ability of marketing organizations to apply the digital technology talent required to be more effective.”

This shift in focus is translating into changes in two major areas: increased investment in digital capabilities, and improved collaboration between in-house and agency marketing and communications efforts. Here’s how the results of the survey break down regarding those two major categories:

Increased Investment in Digital Capabilities:

• 66 percent of marketing executives said they will allocate at least one quarter of their budget to digital marketing next year.
• 23 percent said that more than half of their spending will be dedicated to digital marketing.
• 48 percent said they would spend more on managing customer data.
• 40 percent will increase spending on web analytics.
• 39 percent will spend more on marketing analytics.
• Half of the executives polled said they plan to initiate an internal reorganization to become more digitally focused, while over half said they plan to hire more people with the necessary digital skills.

Improved Internal and Agency Collaboration:

• 55 percent of marketing executives said they were satisfied with the level of collaboration with their outside agencies. However, the rest of the results indicate a less positive experience.
• Only 36 percent said that their agencies execute flawlessly.
• 36 percent said that the agencies are not able to deliver what they promised.
• Only 44 percent said that agency partners help marketing executives transform their marketing organization.

This indicates that greater collaboration between in-house and agency efforts may help smooth the transition to digitally-focused marketing. Read more

In this episode of Cubes, the crew takes its first trip across the East River to see the DUMBO digs of ad agency Huge. No, they don’t live in a Disney film, DUMBO is New York for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass,” meaning it’s in Brooklyn.

And under that bridge overpass the mediabistro crew found the Huge folks hiply ensconced in the same space where the cardboard box was invented. Watch the video to see Huge Dogs, Huge copy machines named after Huge Dogs and Huge conference rooms named after celebrities who are huge but not Huge. Whoof. I am spent!

You can view our other MediabistroTV productions on our YouTube Channel.

Surely if God had meant us to do yoga, he would have put our heads behind our knees. – Rod Stewart

MWW, one of the top five global independent public relations firms, has announced that Sanuk, a division of Deckers Outdoor Corporation, has named MWW as public relations agency of record. Best known for its comfortable Sidewalk Surfers, with patented sandal construction and Yoga Mat and Beer Cozy sandals, Sanuk has charged MWW to build and launch a national brand communications campaign, cementing the popular lifestyle brand in markets across the U.S.

“Sanuk has created one of the most unique and relatable brands for consumers – injecting a sense of fun and irreverence into everyday life,” said JP Schuerman, executive vice president and general manager of MWW’s western region. “With this communications program, we are capturing this sense of ‘fun and funk’ of Sanuk and bringing it in an experiential form to active lifestyle consumers across the nation.”

This multi-layered communications campaign reaches consumers through a broad array of traditional and unconventional means. From spontaneous concerts and lo-fi guerilla marketing to social engagement and local market media takeovers, MWW and Sanuk will bring the humor and playful nature of the brand to consumers nationwide.

“You’re only as good as your haircut.” – Fran Liebowitz

Engauge, a full-service marketing agency, has formally announced that they have been named Social Media Agency of Record for Supercuts.

“We wanted to partner with an agency whose knowledge of social media stretched far beyond standard channels,” said Robin Beddor of Supercuts, whose Minneapolis, MN-based organization boasts 2,200 locations across the United States. “Engauge has precisely that kind of knowledge, and is uniquely positioned to expand our social presence — one that is particularly relevant to our customers — in innovative ways.” Read more