It is not an innovative concept: commercials have been using sports references in the hopes of holding sports fans’ attention season after season. However, the Southwest Airlines campaign “It’s The Right Call” stands out as one of our favorites. Their goofy football commercials quickly and forcefully express that they have not jumped on the “charge for extras” bandwagon that has left travelers feeling cheated. Here at Luminosity, we love saving money and we love that bags fly free. With the rise of travel deal sites, such as Living Social Escapes and Jetsetter, charges for baggage fees from other airline services could easily surpass the cost of a ticket. We also love that Southwest has eliminated change fees. And with most major U.S. airlines now trying to cut financial corners by charging extras, Southwest offers a breath of fresh, free air. This concept differentiates them from competitors. Our competitive analysis has not seen any other airlines that choose not to take advantage of easy profitable customer fees.[...]

It’s hard to imagine American life without pro football. It’s even hard to imagine American life without countless commercials — including some pretty odd ones — populated by National Football League players. (On a Sunday afternoon in the fall, it often seems like half the commercials on TV have Peyton Manning in them.) Even Michael Vick, whose main claim to fame is that he did time in prison for arranging dog fights, returned last season to the ranks of commercial endorsers, albeit on a modest scale.

But as a labor dispute between NFL players and NFL owners puts the 2011 season in jeopardy, marketers will be wondering what consumers think of the principals in this struggle. Some recent polling gives an early indication.[...]

I caught myself playing a fruit slicing game on the iPhone 4G for a good half hour the other day. The point of the game was to swipe your finger across the screen and slice fruit as they flew up from the air, and funnily enough I was addicted to it[...]