Hasta La Creative!

JC Penney has named Debra Berman as senior VP-brand strategy. Landing Kraft Foods Group’s VP-marketing and engagement is something of a coup for the much-maligned retailer, which has seen its senior marketing ranks badly depleted in the last year.

The company has been courting Ms. Berman, who spent time in its Plano, Texas headquarters last week, according to two people close to the company. Those people said Ms. Berman’s appointment was announced internally Monday. She is expected to relocate to Texas from the Chicago area.

Ms. Berman, an Ad Age Media Maven, has an impressive resume, including stints on the client side and agency side. Until January, she served as de facto CMO for the newly formed Kraft Foods, overseeing media and marketing strategy for brands that spend in excess of $500 million globally on advertising. The marketing chief role was given to Deanie Elsner.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Duracell is introducing its premium Quantum brand with a promotion announcing the donation of batteries to firefighters and paramedics.

In perhaps, one of the most ingenious uses of a fake product to sell a real product, Portal A is out with The Roominator, a fake video conferencing product used to sell a real video conferencing solution from Blue Jeans Network.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj plays the role of an office worker whose boss is threatening to fire him if he doesn’t close a deal on a video conference call. To make matters more stressful, Minhaj’s character receives a call from his wife who is in labor.

Minhaj, faced with either losing his job or losing his wife, gets very creative and comes up with The Roominator, a device that allows him to appear to be in his office closing the deal while, in fact, he’s running his ass off down the street so he can be there for his wife to give birth.

While a bit longer than it needs to be, the video is quite hilarious. And you’ve got to love the ending.

Loin des photographies d’accident classiques, celles de Nicolai Howalt laissent voir l’intérieur des véhicules où les carrosseries sont déglinguées par le choc. Des paysages inquiétants s’en dégagent interrogeant ainsi le rapport à la mort et au traumatisme des spectateurs. Un travail angoissant à découvrir en images.

Hood River, Oregon is known for lots of things: Beautiful scenery, kitesailing and kayaking, and a charming downtown. It’s also home to a quirky little company called Bunnyjuice that’s making a splash in Las Vegas hotels. The company offers “Lovekits” available for purchase in-room. You know, a little something for when you and your sweetie polish off those bottles in the minibar.

As CEO Tod Guenther explains it, Bunnyjuice was born from a simple observation: “While traveling for work, I stayed at a hotel that offered condoms as part of their in-room amenities. Upon returning home I kept thinking, obviously the hotel has acknowledged that people are having sex, but what if there was an offering that could add to the experience of love making? Something for couples that was fun or whimsical?”

Seems like a natural idea. Of course, getting hotel rooms to offer up precious counter space to a startup isn’t easy. So why has Bunnyjuice succeeded? “It’s not so much about having more but rather replacing current items that aren’t performing,” Guenther says. “In-room items are designed to enhance the guest’s experience which helps us a ton. Once we have placement our Bunnyjuice kits always seem to place in the top 3 revenue producing items.”

And why Hood River, Oregon? As Guenther puts it, “There’s a lot of great creative talent in this small town. I’m always amazed at how much work for huge Fortune 500 companies comes out of this place. It’s nice to be a part of that, plus I have to admit – it feels also pretty good to relax and recharge with a cold microbrew in hand and your toes in the river after a long day. Hood River is special that way.”

Bunnyjuice is expanding to new venues, including international markets and retail outlets. The audience for tastefully packaged intimate products is certainly a large one. Bunnyjuice a great example of Pacific Northwest thinking: Living in a place as dreamy as the Columbia River Gorge can definitely lead to big business dreams.

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