Morning Update: Vanilla Ice goes Ninja; Brooks to begin her defence at phone-hacking trial; Girl from 1981 Lego ad resurfaces
This is our Morning Update, rounding up international media and marketing news from while you were sleeping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-lT1oOU7b4
Mashable: Vanilla Ice Goes Ninja, Reveals Radical TMNT Mac and Cheese
“Kraft Macaroni and Cheese releases a new delicious noodle shape every year, and this year, it’s in the shape of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Now if this cheesy turtle collaboration hasn’t already hit close to home with childhood nostalgia, Kraft also enlisted Vanilla Ice to perform “The Ninja Rap” which, along with Ice, appeared in the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.”
The Guardian: Rebekah Brooks to begin her defence at phone-hacking trial
“Rebekah Brooks is due to begin her defence on Wednesday as the phone-hacking trial resumes at the Old Bailey.
The trial, which is expected to last another three months, will resume with the prosecution formally wrapping up its case in the morning with the former chief executive of News International the first of seven defendants to go into the witness box.”
Mashable: The Blogger’s Meal Plan: 5 Secrets for Well-Balanced Content
“Audience engagement is the definitive measure of a blog’s success, whether you’re blogging for a marketing firm or simply to indulge your own interests. You’ve probably watched as some posts go viral while others sit quietly in the corner.
But engaging a readership doesn’t mean churning out clickable links. By all accounts, your blog needs substance. It needs to nourish your readers.”
The New York Times: Candy Crush Maker Files for an I.P.O.
“The company that brought the world the addictive puzzle game Candy Crush Saga is hoping that investors will line up for a piece of its stock as well.
The game maker, King Digital Entertainment, filed on Tuesday for an initial public offering in the United States. The company has reported enormous growth in its revenues, but prospective investors may be wary of players’ tiring of paying to match virtual pieces of sugar.”
AdWeek: Girl From Famous 1981 Lego Ad Has a Few Things to Say About Today’s Gendered Toys
“We often wonder: Who do the kids in our favorite ads become when they grow up? Well, Lori Day, founder of the Brave Girls Alliance, snagged an interview with the girl from the famous 1981 Lego ad (above left) that recently recaptured the zeitgeist—and your Facebook feed—as a protest against the Lego Friends line and the world of pink princesses in general.
Her name is Rachel Giordano. She’s 37 now, and a doctor. In the 1981 ad, which we’ve written about before, she proudly shows off her own creative Lego creation next to the headline, “What it is is beautiful.” The copy makes no mention of gender, and the toy is described as a “universal building set.” The new Lego Friends line, on the other hand, comes with narratives intended to appeal to girls, like the Heartlake News Van you see Giordano holding in the other photo above, taken recently.”
“Asia Pacific was the most dangerous region in the world for journalists last year, according to a report from the International Federation of Journalists.
Some 29 per cent of a total 105 killings worldwide happened in this region last year. Pakistan (10 deaths), Syria (15), Iraq (13) and the Philippines were the most dangerous countries for reporters.”
The Guardian: Mashtags? Like, epic fail buddy. The social media marketing gone #wrong
“It’s always been painful yet irresistible to watch when businesses try tuning in to “the youth”, but the 21st century has an especially abundant array of opportunities for such misguided behaviour. After all, everything moves so fast on the internet that you’re out of touch basically as soon as you’ve reached the end of an article about the latest digital innovation. YouTube? No one has the time for more than a Vine these days. Facebook? Teens are abandoning it in droves. Flappy Birds? Gone in the blink of an eye, leaving only the terrifying idea that its success was ruining its creator’s life.
Considering that we’re all about to fall off the digital treadmill at any moment, then, there’s a particularly smug form of schadenfreude one feels when a huge conglomerate gets it wrong. Here’s to all the dads on the dancefloor of social media shoehorning – your failures make me feel that little bit younger.”
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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Morning update
The Vanilla Ice ad – I’m sure they started with wanting to use “word to your mother” and worked backwards
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