The photo-sharing app Instagram is perhaps the most intriguing example of a platform built for Collective Curation. (Actually, it’s also a damn fine tool for establishing your brand as a Guru, but we’ll get to that later.) The app is popular among users because of its simple photo filters and incredibly easy sharing functions, but also because it implements a Twitter-like tagging system that lets the images do the talking in these conversations. For instance, The Washington Post has asked readers to document the local impacts of the recession via Instagram by tagging their photos with the #econdebate tag (a couple are shown above). The collected images spark a multifaceted and compelling debate far more effectively than a vitriolic comment section ever would. (We’ve used a similar strategy on Upshot’s own homepage to showcase what’s inspiring us – look for the filmstrip at the bottom of the window.)

But the app isn’t just simple for users. An ideal example of Seamless Tech, Instagram’s flexible platform makes it easy for marketers to compile (and curate) photo galleries into their websites, Facebook pages, or other digital properties. For instance, the band The Vaccines managed to crowdsource a music video by asking attendees at their shows to tag their Instagram pictures with #vaccinesvideo. The band selected their favorite shots and incorporated them into the video shown below. And if an indie rock outfit can pull this off, just imagine what big-time brands like GE, Starbucks, and Levi’s could do. We’ll show you in part two of this post, coming tomorrow.

If you’re into music. Check out the 40 free holiday tracks from Paste Magazine. You can stream the playlist download the entire compilation featuring tracks from Deer Tick, She & Him, The Polyphonic Spree, Damien Jurado, Nicole Atkins and more.  Sourced from our friend (and Upshot alumni) over at Popservations.

If you’re into television. Check out the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast via their website or iTunes. Led by Monkey See blogger, Linda Holmes the podcast covers art, culture, media and fun. We dig it for the best coverage of television (both good and bad) out there!

If you’re into fashion. And celebrities, go browse the Go Fug Yourself blog. The writers—Heather and Jessica—are full of wit, sarcasm and diet coke. It’s just plain pure fun. And great to kill time while waiting for your delayed flight in the airport.

If you’re into trends. Of the consumer and marketing kind, that is. Check out Upshot’s 2012 Trends Report. It provides ten relevant, actionable marketing trends to inspire consumers, shoppers, and business people to act in 2012.

Tell us a few of your favorite things!

But while Ariel was busy cleaning up a mess, Mr. Beam was dumping all sorts of colors into a plain white room. The clip below shows how their blank canvas was anything but limiting, even going so far as to seemingly manipulate the textures of the items in the room (perhaps most impressively when the couch “becomes” leather at the 0:34 mark). While this example is certainly visually appealing, it also speaks to projection mapping’s ability to overcome special limitations in finite environments. After all, this clip runs through as many rooms as you’d find displayed in some department stores, all within the confines of a modest space. Does this mean that future IKEAs could fit into a crammed storefront on Milwaukee Avenue? It’s possible.

Speaking of working within limitations, it’s no secret that projection mapping requires some incredibly precise alignment between the projected elements and the surfaces on which they interact. That explains why many of the more elaborate shows are stationary displays in a single location, never to hit the road. Well, apparently that era’s over. DJ Amon Tobin recently embarked on a tour in which he’s embedded in a gigantic wall of cubes, onto which an accompanying array of intricate projections swirl, explode, grind, and shatter in rhythm with the music. (See the behind the scenes clip below.) Holy crap, it’s definitely the future.

Recently Mountain Dew’s Green Label Sound elevated brand/band pairing with the release of “When Fish Ride Bicycles,” a new full-length from Chicago hip-hop group the Cool Kids. What’s different than other brands playing in this space? Unlike Starbucks Hear Music—which is essentially a music publishing house and not necessarily a full-blown label—Green Label Sound is behaving like the real-deal: signing artists, handling distribution, PR, partnerships (read: iTunes) paid media, etc.

What can Green Label offer that traditional labels can’t? The better way to ask that question is to put it in reverse. With the state of the music industry going through its biggest shift in well, ever, record labels have become less effective at helping artists distribute their work, build fan followings, and evolve. Marketing is a major component of artist success, and Green Label relies on Cornerstone, a NY/LA based promotions agency to help run the label. By tapping into this agency resource, and genuinely committing to the artists they bring on board (imagine the bad PR if a brand-backed label treated artists poorly) Green Label Sound gives other labels a run for their money—especially considering their primary focus likely isn’t money—by promoting artists who in turn elevate the brand’s street cred.

In other words, it’s a perfect manifestation of our Brand Patronage trend for 2011. While consumer brands have played in nearly every area of media for nearly a century, I suspect we’re at the dawn of many deciding to go beyond sponsorships and carve out dedicated business units to support the creation, distribution and marketing of entertainment: whether that’s music, games, movies, apps, or books. Undoubtedly they’ll be no shortage of artists and agencies waiting to sign-up to help.

1. Temporary urbanism. It’s the new term for pop-up retail. We love pop-up retail. And we love its new moniker as well.

2. The new Crate & Barrel catalog. Just hit mailboxes this week, complete with a redesign. It’s visually and graphically appealing and has loads of editorial content.

3. 3D. I’ve avoided the reincarnation of 3D for awhile, thinking it would be seizure-inducing. But I have to admit, on games and movies it’s made for (versus added in post-effects), it’s pretty awesome.

4. Print’s finest hour. Brands are showcasing their finest print in all the huge fall magazine issues on stands now.

5. Jay-Z and Kayne West’s much anticipated collaboration album “Watch the Throne” was released on Monday. It launched on iTunes first (at-retail follows next week), a great example of how musicians are leading with embracing digital first and thinking brick-and-mortar second.

6. Target’s back-to-school ads. In a sea of back-to-school promotions, Target is running one of the few (if not the only) television spots that is not price-driven. Has a great emotional hook about school and teachers.

7. Craftsman Public Parks Rehab Project. It’s exciting to see one of our programs do so well and to see consumers truly engage with it. Self-servingly, it’s also nice to see someone else give it a shout-out, JeffBullas.com.

8. Paging System. Why is it making us happy? Because that’s how marketing runs at Upshot.

What’s making you happy this week?

You gotta love how the typical spokesperson has evolved over the years. Even the word has evolved from spokesman to spokesperson (gender neutral, thank you very much). Nowadays the successful spokeperson is no longer just an attractive face or a name in lights—it’s a person that embodies the brand. To ensure a perfect fit, the equities of the person’s brand must complement the equities of the product/service’s brand. So how does that happen?

A screening process or partnership evaluation is a great way to find a good match. Beyond budget and timing, there are five core components to consider: Brand Fit, Target Relevance, Awareness, Heat and Creative Potential. We could go into each of these deeper and craft a delicate ranking system, but remember, it’s Friday. Let’s keep it effortless and get into the fun stuff. With a simple “yay” or “nay,” let’s put the screens to the test by evaluating a couple of current partnerships.

Troy Polamalu and Head & Shoulders

Click here to view the embedded video.

Brand Fit: yay
Target Relevance: yay
Awareness: yay
Heat: yay
Creative Potential: yay
Success!

Patty Duke/George Takei and SocialSecurity.gov

Click here to view the embedded video.

Brand Fit: nay
Target Relevance: yay (maybe)
Awareness: nay
Heat: nay
Creative Potential: oh boy nay
Failure!

If a brand can’t find the perfect match in existence, well then, they can make one up! That way, the brand dictates the essence of the spokesperson (or puppet), ensuring that all essential brand characters line up for a successful fit!

Doug and Ford Focus

Click here to view the embedded video.

Brand Fit: yay
Target Relevance: yay
Awareness: yay
Heat: yay
Creative Potential: yay
Success!

Share your examples, whether they’re good, bad or just plain entertaining!

Introducing: Kraft Smile Tagging!

Because I know we’ve all got places to be and stuff to sell, here’s my short but sweet explanation (with pictures, yay!).

Pick a site, any site (as long as it’s not a nudey one) and find something on it that warms your heart, that’s been hardened by long commutes and people cutting in front of you at McDonald’s, and makes you smile. If you’re having trouble finding something, you can borrow this example below from me.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While you’re letting said video or image turn that frown upside down, take a picture of your reaction at that moment with your web cam and upload it to the Smile Tagging Facebook app.

Along with your smile to tag the video, you can tag your link with categories like, Funny, Amazing, Cute, and Weird. (At first I considered this cheating, but then I realized that some people have cry-face when they’re actually laughing, and it’s really smart of Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese to give users a way to identify what they may actually find when they click a link).

Then, instead of sharing just a boring old link with a thumbnail, you can share your smiling face to let friends see just how funny that link is that you’re forcing them to watch when they should be working or eating a ham sandwich instead.

And, that’s it!

What do you think about this idea that’s been labeled as a way to “grin and share it”? Personally, I think it’s fan-freaking-tastic and if I had a web-cam I would show you what my face looks like right now**!

Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese, a brand that has been bringing smiles to the dinner and college dorm table for YEARS, has taken the simplest idea of sharing a link to something that makes you smile, (which everyone already does anyway) and attempted to own it by being the brand that not only lets you share the best content on the internet, but also lets you accompany said content with your reaction, and their logo, of course! And let’s face it, that’s pretty awesome marketing.

*Rolling On The Floor Laughing Until You Couldn’t Breath Anymore, Duh
**That’s a downright lie. I had 10 minutes to get ready today, so I would only show you what I looked like right now if right now meant 30 minutes from now and I had access to some P&G (client shout out) hair and makeup products or our design studio had time for some serious re-touching.

As a runner (and a marketer) I had several preconceived notions about the race—I won’t share them all, but here are a few that really struck me.

Firstly, I assumed live music would somehow be integrated into the actual run. With a tagline “The World’s Largest Music Festival just got a little more sole!” was I crazy to think so?

Hey Summerfest, you’ve developed a stellar brand. You’re noted around the Midwest for the best array of live music from all genres, all in one place. If you’re going to host a race, slap your name on the logo and email participants non-stop for 6 months with messaging focused around music, you have to know people are expecting some live tunes during the race. Silly me, I almost didn’t bring my iPod!

Now let’s pretend there was live music during the painstakingly long run over the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge. Still wouldn’t have covered up the fact that the water stations shut down before any of the 10Kers had a chance to get a drink. That’s right, the water ran out! So my second preconceived notion: a sufficient water supply.

OK Summerfest, here’s the deal. Always learn from other people’s mistakes! No one will forget the 2007 Chicago Marathon and its water shortages, overwhelming runner dehydration and communication breakdowns, all because of a midday temperature reaching a record 87 degrees. That was October, not July. No excuses.

Guess what, I do have a compliment. The problems were addressed without finger-pointing. It’s a bummer when things go wrong, but it’s much appreciated when someone takes responsibility. Kudos to the Race Director for emailing a note of apology that very evening and a high-five to the President and CEO of Summerfest offering a refund for a portion of the registration fee a couple of days later. Thank you for addressing the chaos and taking responsibility!

Some fun thoughts for next year (if there is a next year).

Use the assets that are right at your fingertips. Round up local cover bands to play some peppy tunes every couple of miles. It’s a great opportunity for the bands and the race. There must be a huge waiting list of groups vying to perform for anything related to Summerfest.

Don’t overlook the meaning of your well-established brand. Summerfest stands for music almost as much as a music note itself. Be sure to use the brand properly because your messaging might mislead your target. It’s always useful to take a step back out of the “weeds” and get an outsider’s (or a runner’s) opinion. Nothing better than to get the thoughts of your audience—they’ll be truthful.

Best of luck next year. I’m kind of curious how things will pan out. I might even run it again, if you promise to offer live music (did you see that one coming?), change the course and drench the runners head to toe in water!

The video above is the latest installment in our Upshot Smartshot webinar series, and complements our recent Potty Posting that introduced the concept of marketers with Twitterphobia. This 15-minute episode goes a step further, assuaging marketers’ three biggest fears about the service:

• What should you say?
• What should you do?
• What should you make?

If you’ve missed any of our previous Smartshots, scoot on over to our YouTube playlist for the whole series. Of course, you wouldn’t have missed those if you’d just follow us on Twitter already, at twitter.com/upshotblog. Since you’ve now vanquished your Twitterphobia, you’ve got no excuse!

But the four-wheeled madness doesn’t stop there. Check out the above race from Hot Wheels, featuring a three-dimensional obstacle course projection-mapped on a building in Sydney. (Thanks to Karlin from MUSE for the tip.)

Speaking of races, check out the above clip from a Cornetto projection in Istanbul. In the midst of a big ol’ street party, the brand projected an interactive casual game where onlookers could compete against each other using their phones. As if an interactive projection didn’t have enough stopping power! It’s great to see that, no matter how many projection examples we share, someone always seems to be raising the bar on what’s possible with this medium.