Pattern Recognition

SOME THINGS TAKE ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN....and indeed, as advertising professionals, we try to gain such momentum with the products, service niches and issues that we manage. Can anyone reading this say they have not at one time opened a package of ramen noodles? Some of the packaging shown here helps to illustrate the proliferation and integration of these little noodles into the everyday lives of people like you and me across the world. lb

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM HOLDS THAT THE YOUNG ARE THE ONES ONLINE, but hold onto your wallet and see what the folks at Charles Schwab have to say...

TAKING A POT SHOT AT THE STATUS QUO has always been Steve Jobs modus operandi. With the iPhone launch, he's out to create a sea-change in the way cell phone services are bundled and controlled. In other words, he's messing with who makes the money for what and how.

BANK BRANDED COFFEE.
Computer terminals to surf the internet.
The occasional yoga class.
Employees trained by the Ritz Carlton.

"Umpqua is small and fast growing with 144 branches in western America, up from only five 12 years ago."

"Umpqua's approach may seem whimsical but it was the result of careful study over a decade ago when Ray Davic, its chief executive, noted a shift in people's relationship with their bank....How do you keep the branch relevant when customers increasingly do not need to walk through its doors?"

"...all the business now done outside a bank's four walls means the role of the brand must change. That is especially important for banks that have greatly exanded their branch networks in recent years, at no small expense.

FROM LINDA BRANDT : :

If I had to stand in front of you today and wastebasket my whole speech... and you handed me just these two words and said talk about this, I would be happy.

UPWARD LOOKING ADS: As the reach of Google maps expands, more advertisers are finding ways to ride the new wave of ad space. The up and coming trend? Purchasing up rooftop space so that your brand will show up on images from Google's cameras, much like this Target store. The major hurdle—determining how often the images are updated.

FROM BILL RONAT: HERE'S AN ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES about Toyota's effort to allow people to trick out their Scion's any way they like--including a kit for putting together a logo that reflects who they are.

Scion