<img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6670" src="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ufc2.png" alt="" width="397" height="296" />I have recently started boxing only to realize that it's not what the cool kids are doing these days. Not that I began training to be in vogue- I was aware of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_martial_arts" target="_blank">Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)</a> well before I started. But it is interesting that a sport that has remained popular for decades ever since the 1960s has all of a sudden succumbed to MMA fighting, more specifically the <a href="http://www.ufc.com/" target="_blank">Ultimate Fighting Champship (UFC)</a>. A recent UFC fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos pulled in <a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2011/11/15/2563263/ufc-on-fox-ratings-pacquiao-vs-marquez-mma-vs-boxing-analysis" target="_blank">5.7 million viewers</a>, much higher than boxing's biggest recent fight with <a href="http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/10/are-declining-ppv-buys-a-trend/" target="_blank">2.4 million Pay Per View buys in 2007</a>. HBO's Pay Per View numbers have been declining steadily ever since. While Pay Per View is still much more profitable for HBO than UFC is for network television (especially since a large audience is watching online illegally), it still points to the difference in the popularity of both sports.

Simply put, MMA is the new combat sport of choice. It is watched mainly by <a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2011/11/15/2563263/ufc-on-fox-ratings-pacquiao-vs-marquez-mma-vs-boxing-analysis" target="_blank">18-34 olds</a> while boxing draws a much older crowd. And it sells tons of branded merchandise. I would guess that for every person doing MMA training there's probably 20 wannabe fighters wearing <a href="http://www.tapout.com/" target="_blank">TapouT</a> (a prominent MMA brand) t-shirts. Can't say the same for <a href="http://www.everlast.com/" target="_blank">Everlast</a>.

Many new companies have sprung up to take advantage of the growing popularity of UFC and MMA. Companies such as<a href="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/?p=6656">[...]</a>

<img class="size-medium wp-image-4886 alignleft" src="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kkte_Image-12-300×200.jpg" alt="" width="206" height="137" /> This past summer I had the pleasure of visiting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykuit" target="_blank">Kykuit</a>, John D. Rockefeller’s “country home." I suppose my interest in exploring the homes of jaw-dropping wealthy individuals reveals my guilty pleasure: I’m a bit of a voyeur at heart. While exploring the grounds, I was struck by the thoughtfulness of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rockefellers/peopleevents/p_rock_n.html" target="_blank">Nelson Rockefeller</a>—the 3rd link in four generations of Rockefellers—in the way he married modern art and the environment at his home. In particular, I admired the Westward-facing, telescopically-fashioned sculpture "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/30rCOVER.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank">Triangular Surface in Space</a>," which affords passersby with an artistic viewfinder through which to gaze upon the picturesque Hudson River. In placing the sculpture precisely overlooking the river, Rockefeller elevated both art and nature; he gave art a purpose and made nature a more intimate facet of the property. I’ll always remember this sight; not because I’m a sculpture junkie, but because two seemingly unrelated constructs fused in an interesting way. <a href="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/?p=4865">[...]</a>

<Please be advised that I’m about to release my inner Geek>

The iPad–and its ever-growing list of competitors–are going to make learning more fun than ever!

Correction: the innovative companies responsible for reincarnating stagnant traditional concert with the iPad, etc.–are going to make learning more fun than ever.

By next year, xplana.com projects that digital textbook sales will reach 5.5% of total textbook sales, and by 2014 nearly one-in-five textbooks purchased will be of the digital variety. That’s a whole bunch of students captivated by educational content (assuming they’re all doing their homework). Because I’m a natural ideator, I couldn’t help but wonder how marketers might view this as an opportunity to connect with this young adult audience. Before anyone bemoans this notion as educational sacrilege, hear me out; here are a few strategies that could benefit marketers and students alike. [...]

Our newest obsession here at Luminosity is Turntable.fm, a social music site that has connected the office on a whole new level. According to AdAge, the site has gained more than 400,000 users in just two months. It allows members to join a specific “room,” many of which feature different music styles, and everyone has the opportunity to create an avatar that “spins” music from the DJ booth. Listeners hanging out in the room can rate song selections along the spectrum ‘Lame’ to ‘Awesome,’ allowing for direct interaction. The Luminosity team has been using the site to bond over a shared love of music, learn about new artists, and, occasionally, tease each other over music picks (a country cover of “Oops I Did It Again”–really, was that necessary?!).

Turntable.fm is yet another example of the changing landscape of digital music. A recent Nielsen study shows [...]

Most of the sports world watched in reverence on Saturday as New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter delivered is 3000^th career hit in storybook fashion with a third-inning homerun. After he completed his day with a 5 for 5 performance at the plate, including the game-winning hit, we knew that major league baseball and Yankee officials had to be pinching themselves…amazed by their good fortune. It’s quite clear that Derek Jeter will be a fan favorite for many years to come. [...]

<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-5070" title="coca-cola-plant-billboard" src="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/coca-cola-plant-billboard1.jpg" alt="" width="484" height="341" /> When you think of the environment, is soda the first thing that pops into your head? Probably not. Yet, this is exactly what Coca-Cola is trying to negate with a new out of home effort, an execution resulting from its recent partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Coca-Cola recently unveiled a state-of-the-art billboard in the Philippines that is truly environmentally friendly. <a href="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/?p=5067 ">[...]</a>

If American consumers are going to be receptive to a “Made in America” sales pitch, now is likely the time for it as we’ve moved into the patriotic part of the calendar: Memorial Day and Flag Day just past by and we’re headed into the Fourth of July weekend. But do Americans regard themselves as highly patriotic? The answer depends a lot on a person’s age, to judge by an Economist/YouGov survey conducted in early May (shortly after news of Osama bin Laden’s death).

Fifty percent of those polled categorized themselves as “very patriotic,” while another 36 percent said they’re merely “somewhat” so. Ten percent rated themselves as “not very patriotic” and 4 percent as “not at all patriotic.” There was a huge gap, though, in the “very patriotic” tally for 18-29-year-olds (20 percent) vs. those age 30-64 (54 percent) and those 65 and older (75 percent). And more than one-third of the 18-29s rated themselves either “not very patriotic” (23 percent) or “not at all patriotic” (12 percent).

This age skew is in sync with the findings last year of an AdweekMedia/Harris Poll that asked Americans whether they’re more likely or less likely to buy a product if its advertising emphasizes that it is “Made in America.” Overall, 28 percent said [...]

I’m a gal who doesn’t eat to live—al contraire, I live to eat. Naturally, I love to throw a good party as this affords a totally acceptable reason to feed my obsession. Among my friends, I’m well known for experimenting with new recipes within my preferred culinary category of tapas/hors d’oeuvres. So you can imagine my delight when I was invited to the launch party for a new content partnership between Rachael Ray and online publisher eHow. [...]

I’m a sucker for a good street team. I love when marketers pull “stunts” and often find myself zoned out while observing brands at work among the people. Luckily for me, Luminosity’s NYC neighborhood is a magnet for this kind of stuff; in the past few months, I’ve seen brands from Triscuit to Jamba Juice to Delta Airlines’ “Delta Dugout” (for the MLB Subway Series) intercept consumers in the throes of daily life.

USA Network recently deployed a particularly smart street marketing effort. While strolling by my favorite building (the Flatiron—isn’t it majestic?), I noticed a large, bright blue freight container branded with the network’s “Characters Welcome” tagline. At first I wrote this off as glorified outdoor advertising collateral…until I was invited to watch a short film. In a shipping container. In the middle of the city[...]

The more brand conscious I am, the more I switch. After finishing a marketing degree and reading many books about the importance of brand building and repeat purchases, I find myself becoming less and less loyal. Even with something as special as cars, I am hopelessly devoted to the automaker that is currently putting out the best product. My devotion will no doubt wander anon. The same thing holds true with clothes, food… everything. Do I like Coke or Pepsi better? Well which one is on sale? I have probably read more articles about the Pepsi Challenge and New Coke than the people in the soda industry, and yet I have formed no soda allegiance.

As a child I was fiercely brand loyal. Nikes on my feet, Cap’n Crunch in my bowl, with Land O’ Lakes butter and Boar’s Head ham on my bagel. I’d pile the same items into the shopping cart week in and week out. I’d always get Hot Wheels and Legos, not any of the other competing toys. It was Hot Wheels that introduced me to what later became my dream brand: Ferrari. The marketers had figured out my child brain perfectly. I idealized Toyota for its quality and reliability. My Dad’s econobox Tercel had 180,000 miles on it and was still going strong when he put it out to pasture. I saw no reason to ever purchase a different brand[...]