There’s no faulting authentic cause marketing.   Doing the right thing by committing funds is inspiring.  A perfect example is the Ronald McDonald House supporting families of hospitalized children.  It represents everything we’d like a corporation to do with their profits: give some back to the community that buys the product.  All positive public relations are genuinely well deserved.

Pepsi Refresh feels similar.  The soft drink company uses the internet to field ideas and award favorites monthly with large sums of cash to finance a cause.  Excellent.  Spread the love and the goodness of a brand.  The Publicity is good; the causes are great and they used new social networking techniques to make it even more powerful – awesome.  Much better than a one run Superbowl networks 30 sec. spot.

Let’s take a moment to sincerely thank them for this approach.  Honest – no sarcasm indented but it’s hard to write this stuff without it sounding that way.

OK – that said, let me risk more by sounding overly cynical and ask about statistics regarding ROI for cause marketing.  It must be impossible to measure.  Maybe it’s not necessary to measure.  Building a brand by making members of a cause and their benefactors love it, how can that fail?  Pay it forward, right? Everyone will love Pepsi and buy their product because they’re doing the right thing. [Well, that’s a little sarcastic]

While Pepsi’s approach was inspired, it feels like a dead end and outside the brand to me.  Each cause is individually separate and disconnected from anything to do with Pepsi as a refreshment maker other than cash outlay, a brand mark, and a slogan.

I think about those times my parents gave me money for college.  I am eternally grateful but that’s not why I love them.  I also received a partial scholarship from someone but I’d have to go back and dig through papers to find out whom… I forget.  In fact, attach strings to payments and recipients may get resentful: a girlfriend’s Dad once offered $1000 to her for quitting cigarettes – you can guess how that turned out.

A better approach would be to create a product that inspired it’s own cause and its own marketing.  Let’s pretend Pepsi Co. created a delicious tablet that, when dropped in water would give a day’s worth of nutrition in a thirst quenching drink while simultaneously clearing foul water of harmful bacteria.

• The table tasted better than sports drinks of the wealthiest fit minded communities.
• The tablets are so effective that it could be distributed to earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile to help solve drinking water shortages.
• Pepsi would be marketing the same tablet everywhere; one which would give 50% profits to groups dedicated to quench the thirst of the world.  [Insert Pepsi Refresh cause marketing here].
• Track profits from areas of the globe and where they go through online mapping – create a competition between shopping segments – who can generate more thirst quenching for drought stricken areas.
• Perhaps a live video feeds from the areas being helped or of people buying the product that will be shipped to the truly thirsty.

These ideas are incomplete and raw but I think you get the idea.  Everything from the product to the financing to the cause and the outcome are all Pepsi.  The product is the marketing and everything to do with it perpetuates the brand and its thirst quenching essence.  It offers consumers something genuinely healthy to purchase and one that did good tangible things across the globe as well as an opportunity to pick up another Pepsi products sold next to the tablet while at the store.

I know, I know,  the tablet may be a technological fantasy but something isn’t that would fit the scheme.  I’m just sayin’ – Pepsi is doing good stuff but I think they missed an opportunity on this one.

Here’s a bit of truth.  Print is here to stay in some capacity.  It may be reformed but everyone likes to touch paper and turn pages.  I love magazines for a few days but then completely lose interest.  It’s not because the content is no longer interesting but when there are so many to be interested in, it’s hard to keep them all straight.  Add my love of imagery and the stacks of old magazines can get out of control – quickly.

Over the years I’ve tried keeping folders of articles for future reference but that was abandoned once the web bloomed.  Yet, it remains completely unsatisfying to read an article on a web page.  My eyes water and my neck aches.

This is my hope for the Apple iPad.  I want something to fill the gap.  I want journalists to have jobs. I want articles that reflect well financed writing, research, and photography.

Here is some insight on a hopeful future:

How Tablets Will Change Magazines – By Josh Quittner

I thought something was up when I first saw this ad. Notice the lighting in the opening scene; it’s outdoor lighting in a bathroom. But – I thought the background was green screen.

Stargate Studios in South Pasadena CA is one of the current day electronic scenic painting and model making studios [via Gizmoto.com]:

Design thinking goes mainstream – this video gives a behind the scene look at the Business Week awards for best designs.

(via Business Week)

IDEA 2009 Gold Award Winners

Over 30 products were given the top award in the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2009, organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). These ranged from innovative heavy-duty equipment to complex medical systems. The emphasis was on creating an appropriately user-friendly experience, whether that user is a veteran warehousing professional or a seasoned clinician. The Best in Show title was awarded to a company that is working hard to exorcise its past demons: Nike (NKE) won for its Trash Talk basketball shoe, made entirely from recycled materials.

Go here to see slides of the winners and go here for Business Week’s 27 most influential Designers.

I’ve always loved the Art-O-Mat concept.  It’s fun and feels contemporary and retro at the same time.  It’s the ultimate in cool to have a machine in your venue.

The story behind Art-o-mat®

The inspiration for Art-o-mat® came to artist Clark Whittington while observing a friend who had a Pavlovian reaction to the crinkle of cellophane. When Whittington’s friend heard someone opening a snack, he had the uncontrollable urge to have one too.

The year was 1997, the town was Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Whittington was set to have a solo art show at a local cafe, Penny Universitie (now Mary’s Of Course Cafe). This is when Whittington used a recently-banned cigarette machine to create the first Art-o=mat. In June 1997, it was installed, along with 12 of his paintings. The machine sold Whittington’s black & white photographs for $1.00 each.

This art show was scheduled to be dismantled in July 1997. However, Cynthia Giles (owner of the Penny Universitie) loved the machine and asked that it stay permanently and machine remains unaltered in its original location to this day. At that point, it was clear that involvement of other artists was needed if the project was going to continue. Giles introduced Whittington to a handful of other local artists and Artists in Cellophane was formed.

Artists in Cellophane (A.I.C.), the sponsoring organization of Art*o*mat® is based on the concept of taking art and “repackaging” it to make it part of our daily lives. The mission of A.I.C. is to encourage art consumption by combining the worlds of art and commerce in an innovative form. A.I.C believes that art should be progressive, yet personal and approachable. What better way to do this, than with a heavy cold steel machine?

This isn’t much different than a job interview or portfolio showing.

Matthew Kalish Biography (via Filmaka):

My goal has always been to tell moving stories; to entertain, delight, question and hopefully inspire. I grew up on Long Island, NY and attended Ithaca College where I graduated with a photo degree. I made a student 16mm film for an experimental film class Senior year called “Synapse”. It won a couple of awards. I love the process of filmmaking and enjoy wearing many hats. I like to edit all my films as well compose the music when possible. My goal for now is to make a feature and from there, hope to attain a life in film making.

Steve Jobs in front of an audience introducing the new iPad. I’m hopeful that this device will help establish a new online channel for print media.

I had a short conversation with a good friend last night at a club.  A mention of his young son reminded me to relive my childhood.

His young pre-teen son is a talented skater seemingly on the “pro track”.  Somewhere in the discussion Dad disclosed, “when I asked him if he might someday perform as well as the World Champion on TV, his son’s answer was: “better”.

Instantly my thoughts reverted to my previous “emerging photographer” days when I thought I could do anything better – just give me time and opportunity.  If only we could bottle a little of that attitude for replenishment years after battle.

Within minutes a talented young photographer stopped by our table to say “Hi”.  I was prepared for the usual onslaught of enthusiasm that typically makes me jealous, only to hear the word “burnout” mixed in with – I’m trying to find the fun.

Instantly I’m thinking: “Burnout at your age? That’s weak.” -  followed by:  “I’ve got 30 years in, what have I lost?  Did I leave burnout and fun behind me 20 years ago?” Probably I have, since I’m solving similar; trying to find the fun.

Apply these points of the Manifesto for Creative Professionals:

4.    It’s a passion play for pay. You’re a whore, or not, it all depends on how much money is in the bank.  It’s a crucial balance that keeps sanity from escaping.  Your clarity of purpose resolves the left and right hemispheres.  Ultimately the decision for what kind of creative you are going to be is up to you, but don’t let the vision go blurry.

14.    Don’t let anyone talk you out of your passion. If you have passion for an idea, don’t lose it by asking others if they think it’s good.  They probably won’t.

16.     Keep a heightened sense of curiosity and stay excited about possibilities.  Don’t get jaded.  Reinvigorate.  Find the new in what you do.

17.   Maintain that childhood vulnerability, innocence and sense of wonder.  Rewind your adult ego to those years when it didn’t matter.

I’ve been waiting for this.

Ben Kunz produced a great video short demonstrating the hopes of the Apple Tablet and why it will relieve some frustration points generated by Web 2.0.

Find more from Ben at Thought Gadget blog.

Apple Tablet Saves the World from Ben Kunz on Vimeo.