Friday Follies

Fair Weather Fans

Starbucks has five times as many Facebook and Twitter fans as Dunkin' Donuts. What does it mean? Apparently not much. Dunkin' fans are 35% more likely to recommend the brand.*

Earthquakes Caused By Hotties
From Tuesday's New York Times

A senior Iranian cleric says women who wear immodest clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes. “Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes,” the cleric, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Mr. Sedighi is Tehran’s acting Friday Prayer leader.

One can only imagine the depth of the ignorance.

Migraine Causes Chinese Accent

British media reported this week that a woman's migraine lead her to have a Chinese accent.

A British woman has suddenly started speaking with a Chinese accent after suffering a severe migraine, she said in comments quoted by British media Tuesday.

Sarah Colwill believes she has Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) which has caused her distinctive West Country drawl to be replaced with a Chinese twang, even though she has never even visited the country.

When Geniuses Converse

Deborah Solomon interviewing Jane Fonda in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine:

Solomon: What do you do to help your memory?
Fonda: I think a lot.

The Power Of Web Brand-Building Confirmed
In a post on April 6th about The Failure of Web Advertising, I  challenged web marketing maniacs to come up with 10 serious consumer-facing, non-web brands that have been built primarily through web advertising. So far the closest thing anyone has been able to come with is this amazing brand: Lady Gaga.

I rest my case.


*Thanks to Tim Woessner for this.