Nice work, Upshot! (And thanks for giving us something to post while work keeps us from our SXSWrapup. We’ll be back with Part 3 next week. We promise.)

• Awakening & Awareness
• Transparency & Traceability
• and Self-Sufficiency & Empowerment

As always, we encourage a family-style approach to our Smartshot webinars, so please be generous in sharing this video with colleagues and clients. And, make sure you follow us on Twitter (@upshotblog) for information on upcoming Smartshots.

A Message to You Foodie 2011

Please feel free to share that delicious morsel with clients, colleagues, and lunch dates. Or, if you’d prefer a text-only version, just keep reading below. (And, if you’re completely confused by the theme of this post, the references to the Specials, or the dancing dude to the right, go ahead and get yourself acquainted.)

A Message to You Foodie 2011

Stop Your Messing Around. Better Think of Food Future.

In our last foray into food trends, things were looking pretty sour. Obesity was weighing us (and our kids) down, misleading food labels were offering everything but “smart choices,” and hucksters kept promising suspicious benefits from so-called “superfoods” that we could barely pronounce. Amidst plenty of Future Fear about intractable problems facing the economy, global politics, and the fate of Two and a Half Men, we’d understand if pessimism about food future was lumped into the mix. But, something funny has happened in the meantime: the major players in the food world suddenly started cooperating and taking significant swings at the category’s toughest problems. In the past few months alone, we’ve seen South Los Angeles (an area with chronically high rates of obesity) take a stand against food deserts by banning new fast-food restaurants and actively recruiting healthier options. We’ve seen San Francisco wrist-slap kids’ meals that dangle toys as carrots instead of just dangling some damn carrots already. We’ve seen food manufacturers like Kraft filling gaps in municipal funding (and giving kids a place to be active) by building neighborhood playgrounds. In fact, if we had to pick one overarching food theme for 2011, it’d be progress and pragmatism in tackling the category’s most entrenched problems. (Fortunately we don’t have to pick just one. We’ll get to the others in our forthcoming Smartshot webinar.)

As you’d expect, some of the biggest contributors to this remarkable progress have come from the liberal, hippie, anti-business, nanny-state environmentalists at… Walmart?? Yup, their Great Value private label foods were already tough competitors on price, and now Walmart’s launched a five year plan to reduce sodium, trans fats and added sugars in these foods. (A five year plan? What is this, Stalinmart?) The nation’s largest retailer is also exerting pressures on manufacturers like ConAgra and Kraft to adopt similar measures for the foods they sell in-store. For some added incentive, Walmart’s tightening the screws by dropping prices on whole grain foods, fresh fruits, and vegetables, and even considering a seal that would distinguish foods that are low in sodium, sugar, and fat. And, just to make sure they’re staying on task, Walmart has agreed to provide progress reports to… Michelle Obama?? Yup, the First Lady’s made childhood obesity her first priority, and her Let’s Move initiative is promising realistic, achievable changes that are grounded in common sense. While her neighbors in the Beltway must think that’s crazy talk, that’s exactly the kind of strategy that’ll go far in boardroom. The collaboration with Walmart is just one example of the First Lady actively engaging corporate America in her efforts, which is partially a realization that Walmart has as much power as the federal government to impact these problems (if not more). That’s not to say the feds aren’t trying. They just overhauled the USDA food pyramid, with takeaways that are uncharacteristically straightforward: eat less, be more active, cut back on salt and sugary drinks, and keep an eye on calories. The “eat less” piece is perhaps the most startling part (the pyramid has never really addressed the issue), and it’s a big win for the shift towards small (yup, we called it with our Sized Right trend). These recommendations are simple enough for a child to follow, and that’s no accident. Kids consume over half of their calories at school, which is why there’s an effort to get them involved in preparing cafeteria lunches or, at the very least, to understand where their food comes from.

This all sounds so completely… reasonable, which explains why we’re seeing such progress on these problems. There’s a growing acknowledgment that superfoods aren’t the answer, that quick fixes to health probably don’t exist, and that health and wellness isn’t as complicated as we often make it out to be. There’s not a lot here that we didn’t already know; it’s just that eating healthy and being active have always been so difficult for the average consumer. Ask Walmart why they’re instituting the aforementioned changes, and they’ll tell you that their customers asked them to help by making the healthier foods more affordable than the junk. And that’s what’s radically different this time ‘round: for every problem facing the food world, the big players are offering practical solutions that make it easier for consumers to lead healthy lives. Yes, the USDA is telling us to eat less, but restaurants and food manufacturers are making this trade-off a tasty one by offering everything from sliders to substantial snacks to small plates. Yes, fatty foods are a delicious way to ensure you don’t live past 50, but chefs are finding smarter and tastier alternatives like duck fat (as any Hot Doug’s fan already knew). Yes, you knew that a bacon double cheeseburger is basically a sucker-punch to your circulatory system, but menus with calorie counts are now revealing the less obvious horrors of your morning muffin or daily burrito. Yes, you need to eat your veggies, so chefs and food manufacturers alike are reexamining ways to get all kinds of flavors out of formerly forsaken produce, even if it requires looking toward cultures that are more traditionally vegetable-focused (anyone catching a whiff of our Primitive Simplicity trend?).

But the idea of practical solutions is perhaps most evident in the realm of meat consumption. Americans are grudgingly acknowledging the personal and environmental downsides of consuming too much meat, but many aren’t ready for the extreme limitations required by vegetarianism or veganism. (Gotta allow for Baconnaise, right?) Normally, that’d be the end of the story, but a number of strange bedfellows are finding themselves promoting a third option: flexitarianism, or getting creative about cutting back on meat consumption (without completely eliminating it). It’s certainly worth noting when numerous trend-setting eateries embrace Meatless Mondays, including all 14 restaurants run by snout-to-tail advocate Mario Batali. But things are really changing when we see Meatless Mondays institutionalized at Sodexo, which supplies food for hospitals, government institutions, and schools. As one of the biggest employers in the world, reducing Sodexo’s meat consumption by 1/7 makes a dramatic dent in the overall demand for industrial livestock, but also makes it more likely that others will follow. For instance, Kellogg is doubling down on its Morningstar product line, including a new line of soy-based breakfast entrees. (And lest you think it’s those darn kids driving this trend, Kellogg’s primary target for this line is Boomer women.)

Flexitarians aside, the meat of the matter is that concerns about health and wellness are becoming an increasingly significant part of the American consumer’s value equation. They’re realizing the long-term implications of the choices they make at the table. They’ve clamored for practical solutions, and the food, beverage, and beauty industries (among others) have delivered them. So here’s the message to you, Foodies: get your programs in tune with progress and your consumers’ calls for practical solutions.

the hotspot for haute thought is the pot at upshot

the Specials are always on the menu at TheAwesomeBlog.Net

Above, you’ll find the boldly titled webinar, “Holy S#!t, Your Sample Rocked My World!” In less than 15 minutes, we tackle the following topics with reckless abandon:

• Why sampling (still) matters
• 5 benchmarks for best-in-class sampling
• Examples of great samples

It’s the latest installment of the Upshot Smartshot webinar series, bringing you better marketing in 15 minutes.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@upshotblog) for information on subsequent Smartshots. And, if you have marketing topics that you’d like to see us tackle (in 15 minutes!), just let us know!

As always, a PDF version is available here, which we encourage you to share with clients and colleagues. But, if you’d prefer the straight text, continue reading below.

Code Read

Brace Yourself for the Barcode Barrage

Well, what do we have here? Is that a QR code campaign delivering exclusive content for FOX shows like Glee and Fringe? And do I see a Campbell’s sweepstakes where consumers enter by scanning their soup can UPCs? While, over here, I could’ve sworn I caught a Kelley Blue Book window sticker equipped with QR codes, allowing car salespeople to keep the same sticker in the window even when the price fluctuates. With everyone from beer brands to magazines to sports teams loading up these little squares with data, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a full blown barcode party on our hands, to which we say…

Well it’s about time you all showed up! See, we at Upshot have been hanging around the QR code punchbowl for years, checking our watches and nibbling on hors d’oeuvres while wondering what’s taking everyone so long to get here. (We’ve even used the codes in our own agency campaigns.) But, that’s given us plenty of time to get acquainted with the breadth of barcode applications, understanding what works and what doesn’t. We already went ahead and qrushed the topic of QR codes in a recent 15-minute Smartshot webinar (accessible by scanning the QR code above), so let’s head in to the party! Look for the balloons out front.

(Of course, the best way to get into this shindig is to try scanning some codes yourself. If you don’t have a barcode reader for your smartphone, shoot The Source a message and we’ll point you to one that you can download for free.)

While we prefer the flexibility and broad compatibility of QR codes, we’re admittedly using them as a proxy for all kinds of barcode marketing applications. It really doesn’t matter whether you implement a smartphone app that reads traditional UPCs or a code like JagTag that doesn’t require a reader. What’s important here is that barcodes should be driving consumers to compelling, valuable information when scanned, regardless of the format. Ultimately, these codes are just an efficient way to connect consumers to a wide range of content on the mobile web, whether it’s a link to the Double Rainbow YouTube video, the Double Rainbow remix mp3, a coupon for the Double Rainbow t-shirt, a calendar link to Double Rainbow viewing parties… you name it. The codes are not campaigns on their own. The real consumer interaction comes after that code is scanned and engaging content is delivered, much like the true measure of a party’s greatness isn’t what’s on the invitation, but how early the karaoke machine gets broken out. For instance, the QR code to the right will take you to an awesome art installation, in which portraits of classic movie stars are made out of a series of barcodes. When those codes are scanned, they play various video clips from their respective repertoires. Now that’s one heck of a barcode blowout!  (Hint: linking your QR code to your company’s bland homepage probably makes for a crappy party.)

These data-laden codes are ideal for any products where the consumer experience can be enhanced by accompanying information and education. For instance, there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to wine: food pairings, terroir, blends, vintages, and how to properly mock anyone garish enough to order a California Merlot in public. But, even for oenophiles, that’s a lot of stuff to put on the outside of a bottle. We’ve seen some brands try to get around this with bottle neckers, in-store media, packaging, and more, but none of these options really allow for the full story to be told. Compare that to the smartphone apps that Constellation Wines has developed for its brands, which include barcode-scanning capabilities. When consumers scan the UPC on the bottle, they’re linked to everything from reviews to tasting notes to streaming videos about the wineries. It helps that these apps also build personalized profiles for the consumer, since it gets a little tricky to remember your favorites halfway through a tasting session. Just ask Edina and Patsy (they’re waiting for you behind the QR code above).

Like the Best Buy example we covered in our Smartshot webinar, Constellation bakes the barcode readers right into their branded smartphone apps (along with other features). We think this is particularly crafty, and not just because it circumvents the problem of whether consumers have already downloaded barcode readers to their phones. When users scan the codes using the branded app, that marketer can exert more control over where that user eventually ends up. In Best Buy’s case, the retailer can link to movie and video game trailers, coupons, installation instructions, their Twelpforce staff, and more, without worrying that the barcode will take their shoppers to an online competitor. And this approach isn’t just beneficial for retailers; imagine how much more control a brand could exert over its shopper marketing programs via a similar technique.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter which code format your brand pursues. What’s important is recognizing the value of augmenting consumers’ real-world experiences with rich, immersive, online content. It’s part of the Online-Offline Convergence that is changing our consumers’ everyday experiences, and which happens to be another party that we’ve been crashing for a long, long time. Now that you know the code for the door, we do hope you’ll join us. We even left you a special message hidden – where else? – in the QR code to the right.

the hotspot for haute thought is the pot at upshot

we’re all hopped up on code-ing at theawesomeblog.net

Yes, there appears to be a bit of a battle going on about toning shoes, the sneakers that claim to – among other things – help you shape up your abs, thighs, and glutes just by altering the way you walk. As it turns out, that’s a pretty profitable promise, as the market for toning shoes is expected to surpass $1 billion this year, led by Sketchers and Reebok.

Wait a second. Where’s Nike?

Sitting on the sidelines, actually. Nike claims to be unconvinced about the benefits of toning shoes, and has gone so far as to mock them in a recent campaign. In the example pictured to the right, the sign off (‘This shoe works if you do”) wraps up a broader message about getting a hot body through good ol’ fashioned exercise, rather than “magical” shoes. Oh, SNAP.

We’ve previously lauded Nike for their work on Nike+, noting that this sub-brand demonstrates an impressively nuanced understanding of the running community. As a result, their executions have been exceptionally targeted, ranging from iPod integrations to geo-tagged running routes to simultaneously coordinated running events. In other words, Nike has proven, repeatedly, that they understand the priorities and motivations of this Micro Community.

So, if Sketchers can get credit for having the right brand personality to launch a quick-fix toning shoe (a case made by the always-wise Ed Cotton), Nike deserves even more admiration for knowing when to step aside from a “brand-wrong” trend. We not saying the toning shoes do or don’t work, since shoe science isn’t our specialty. The point is that even if the shoes are effective, their sole selling feature undermines the essence of the entire Nike+ brand: namely, that a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint (and yes, every single one of those puns intended). Over a long period of time, Nike’s been able to connect with the running community by continuously demonstrating that the brand is paying attention to (and delivering upon) their needs, so we’re relieved to see that Nike knew better than to undermine that promise by jumping on a possible fad.

If you haven’t already, please don’t forget to vote for our SXSW 2011 panel, accessible here. You’ll need to create an account to vote, but we promise that it takes less than a minute. Voting closes Friday, August 27th, and we appreciate every bit of help we can get!

Naturally, proponents of beer pairings should be keeping an eye on what’s happening in wine pairings, but our eyes just about popped out of our heads after a recent article from Food and Wine. The story, entitled “20 Wine Pairings to Try Before You Die,” jazzed up tried-and-true pairings with some non-traditional replacements. Some of them bordered on madness; did we mention that they suggested pairing California Pinot Noirs with Doritos? We dare you to try ordering that at French Laundry.

Of course, this got us thinking – what wacky pairings are out there for tasty brews? Looks like the folks at L20 are one step ahead of us, doing zany combinations like pairing green tea beer with “Sambar Spiced Vada with Coconut Chutney.”

Whoa, easy there. That’s probably just a bit outside of the palate of most beer consumers. Still, there’s clearly the potential for unexpected discoveries in the beer pairing world. In fact, chances are that our consumers have stumbled upon these pairings themselves. (I’m convinced that the aforementioned Doritos pairing was a product of some late night accident, and not some rigorous scientific examination.) If that’s the case, there’s a excellent idea for a contest in here somewhere: what if we ask consumers to submit their craziest (but tastiest) pairing discoveries? They’d certainly be up to the challenge, and if Pacifico happens to pair extremely well with gummy bears, then the world needs to know!

Brands, are you really confident about the quality of your products and services? Are you certain that you could send your customers into your competitors’ arms, and they’d still come running back to you?

You’d better be. Welcome to the world of Ubiquitous Connoisseurship.

See, there’s a reason we made this trend #1 in our 10 Trends for 2010. With a resurgence in private label crashing into a year of restrained spending (and getting smacked around by the New Austerity), many brands were pummeled by consumers “trading down” in the past year. With the Good Enough Revolution in full force, many marketers are rightfully concerned about how they can win their consumers back.

Well, you could always throw down a challenge to your competitors. One especially startling strategy is the “Dis-Loyalty Card” pictured above, and created by London’s Prufrock Coffee. The shop encouraged their customers to try the joe at eight of their competitors, and rewarded anyone who completed the taste test with a free cup of Prufrock. That’s one bold blend, ain’t it?

Admittedly, that’s a bit out there for many clients. But, the lesson here is still relevant: the only way to avoid the price game is to play the quality game. And we’re talking about authentic quality here, not the one based on arbitrary quality indicators that are devised in lesser marketing departments. For instance, here’s a quick read from the Hartman Group that shows how brands with a heritage of high quality have held their own against the private label onslaught.

Assume that your consumers are smart, that they have access to information, and that they will resist trading down if you can prove to them that your product is worth the money. That last piece is all about educating them about your category and why your brand is the best one around.

And if you don’t have the confidence to pull that off, perhaps your brand deserves its fate.

If you haven’t already heard, our 10 Trends for 2010 are making their way around the interwebs at a blistering pace. (You can catch our press release here.)

You can get your own copy of our 10 Trends by clicking here.

Be sure to share it with your clients, coworkers, friends, and pets. What? Maybe Mr. Snuggles would benefit from learning a thing or two about “Radical Demography.”

Before moving on, we should mention a thing or two about these trends. We settled on these ten trends after carefully analyzing marketplace and cultural shifts all year. As a result, these are trends, not fads. They reflect long-term shifts in values and attitudes, and won’t be disappearing any time soon. That’s why we’ll be tracking each of these trends at the Awesome Blog; they have already been added to the category lists above (under “Sociocultural Trends are Awesome”). Keep checking back to see how these trends adapt over the course of this year.

Now, for those of you who’ve arrived at The Awesome Blog for the first time, welcome! Relax, kick off your shoes, and stay awhile. There’s plenty of awesomeness for everyone. Take a gander at the categories in the menu above, or go buck wild with the random awesomeness button up there on the right. Or, just drop us a greeting in the comment section below. We’re glad to have you. And there’s a lot of awesomeness coming your way.

As we get ready to wind down 2009 and look forward to a fresh new decade, we know you’ve got a lot on your mind. In particular, you have a nagging suspicion that no one will ever buy anything ever again thanks to trends like the new austerity, the new frugality, and the new unemployedity. (Ok, we fudged that last one.)

We’ve got some good news: The Source is brewing up a list of trends that’ll help you make it through the muck, and we’ll be sharing them as soon as 2010 rolls around.

But, if you’re going to be doing some heavy thinking over the break, may we suggest that you read a brief piece by the fine folks at the Hartman group. In a number of articles over the last few months, the Hartman group has been critiquing the idea that “everything has changed” and that consumers will forever display the way we consume, even after the recession (hopefully) turns around.

Whether it’s showing off our savviness as shoppers (“I got such a good deal by buying bulk Cristal!”) or trying to downplay big expenditures (“My eighth vacation home is purely for the tax write-offs!”), the Hartman peeps argue that Americans have always presented a charade of frugality, in good times and bad (but especially pronounced in bad times). In Hartman’s opinion, the current environment is much of the same: a lot of talk about spending less and consuming less.  They believe that as soon as things turn around, we’ll be back to the bling and the excess as if nothing ever happened (as we’ve done after a number of recessions before, according to Hartman).

It’s a compelling premise, and worthy of consideration even if you’re leaning the other way. All we know for sure is that 2010 is going to be one very interesting year.