In an innovative use of the platform, Glee is using gamification on Pinterest to unveil songs from The Graduation album.
The dedicated board implores fans to repin, setting a threshold of a certain amount of pins necessary for the link to the new song to go live. The links appear to be unlisted, meaning that the only way this content can be reached is through Pinterest or sharing.

Beyond repins, each new milestone (released song) unlocked gives way to another song with an even larger repin target. Combining a hot new platform …

Today, Kraft Foods Inc. announced that it would be rebranding to Mondelez International Inc.
The brand reps explain that the Mondelez name (voted on by employees!) will not be consumer-facing and will only appear on the back of packages. However, it also notes that for items like Philadelphia Cream Cheese they will pay royalties to Kraft for an unannounced period of time before the “Kraft” logo disappears completely from the product. They ascertain that this will be the case for any product currently bearing the Kraft moniker – after a period …

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with communications students at York University about creating an online personal brand and becoming a valuable digital citizen.
As digital becomes increasingly important, a strong online brand is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s a need. Creating a brand for yourself is the first step in online reputation management and personal SEO, allowing you to control what comes up first when you’re inevitably Googled.
For a quick but comprehensive overview about personal branding and how you can start building yours today, check out the …

It’s rare to see a company’s Facebook page blowing up for a good reason, but that’s exactly what’s happened to Mark’s Work Wearhouse.
In a move that’s elicited a hugely positive response from consumers, Mark’s Work Wearhouse decided to pull all Caterpillar brand boots from its London, Ont. stores, showing solidarity with local workers after the company shut down a plant in the city.

Impressively, this is only a small sample of the posts that have plastered the company’s Facebook page. Even more impressive is the individual response to each and every …

Since last year’s PR fiasco wasn’t enough, PayPal decided to start 2012 off with a bang.
Once again sticking valiantly to their policies, PayPayl has purportedly ordered the destruction of an antique violin valued at $2,500 after the buyer decided it was fake upon receiving it. While PayPal policies do state that they may ask that items are destroyed (with photographic proof, of course), there are also provisions to ship the offending item back to the seller.

Obviously PayPal went with the more divisive option. While it’s obvious that these measures are …

If you’ve never seen a social media showdown, head over to www.facebook.com/paypal.
In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, PayPal’s Facebook page was taken over by droves of angry Regretsy users. Best known for showcasing Etsy DIY gone wrong, the Regretsy community had been focusing on a Secret Santa drive when PayPal refused to accept it as a charitable measure.
I won’t get into the nitty gritty here – it’s hard to tell right from wrong at this point – but you can see more on the story here, here  and here.

While …

It’s been a year, but o.b. tampons is reaching out to thousands of women who were left high & dry when their favourite tampons were abruptly pulled from the shelves. Yes, it’s true – this time last year, there was a tampon-induced uproar in Canada.
In September 2010, o.b. tampons began going missing from the shelves. At first, it was only extra-absorbent o.b. Ultra, but soon women were turning to hoarding as all varieties of o.b. tampons began to disappear. In a show of true brand loyalty, the women who rely …

When news broke this afternoon that Jack Layton would be holding an afternoon press conference, hearts dropped across the country. Not a word had been said, but we could all imagine that this presser could only bring bad news.
Ever brave and optimistic, an obviously gaunt Layton explained that he would be stepping aside, temporarily, as leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition. His cancer was back in a new form. Layton’s speech was eloquent, honest and humbling [read it here]. This sort of announcement could have been disastrous for a newly-emboldened …

I’ve got a confession to make. I think Twitter and I are in the midst of the terrible twos. I’ve been active on social media for just over two years now; just enough time for certain things to start getting on my nerves. I began getting little twinges about a year ago, when Klout and Virgin teamed up to offer Toronto “influencers” a trip to San Francisco or LA. People were clamouring for invites, being a little nasty and feeling quite a bit self-important if they’d received a trip. (Yes, …

…a huge success for Spy in July 2011.

The annual party, held at Spy Films headquarters at Spadina & Front, is hotly anticipated each year. Having never been, I was really excited when my boyfriend, a seasoned Spy in July attendee, asked if I wanted to go. I wasn’t disappointed.
Think you haven’t heard of the Spy team? Trust me, you have. They’re behind these (& so much more):

Stars – Changes (nsfw) from Spy Films on Vimeo.

Batelco – Infinity from Spy Films on Vimeo.
When we arrived around 9 p.m., the party was …