If you are interested in this topic, we are sure you’ll love GBA’s recent blog “Social Media’s Effect on the Fashion Industry”

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The Green Buzz Agency Blog provides insight for Marketing Decision Makers and other fun people. :)    Learn more about Washington DC based GBA and our video production prowess!

Tina Shoulders, Owner of Laidback, was a panelist for the “Fashion 2.0: Hotter Styles vs. Better Community Engagement” discussion at SXSW Interactive 2010. She teaches Viral Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Consults Social Media Strategy to fashion and design companies. We interviewed her after the panel about  the use of video as part of a fashion company’s Marketing Plan.

This is the second of a three part series on the intersection of video and the fashion industry. Come back tomorrow for Part 3 with Ngozi Odita, or check out Part 1 with Roger Wu.

“Green Buzz Agency staff and their finished product was of the highest professional quality. Our project requests were not only respected and delivered but also met with other, more expansive, suggestions and ideas. Their experience and dedication to their work was highly evident in our final project, which exceeded our original concept.”

Lisa Nichols, Director, International Programs: American Seed Trade Association

We’ve all seen the new Pepsi logo, and been struck by it’s resemblance to the Obama campaign logo, but what would you reasonably imagine it took Peter Arnell, the designer, to create it?


A recently released PDF (yes, a boring old PDF) revealed the possible background for the Pepsi logo. In 27 pages, a multitude of justifications are put forth. To some, this is the sophisticated cutting edge of design, to others it’s a load of mumbo jumbo designed to get people talking about Pepsi (like us!).
Here is the full release which is worth a read, but let’s take a look at some of the contents right here.

First is a diagram showing the golden ratio as it applies to the Pepsi logo. It seems to make some sense, but let’s move on.

Pepsi RatioHow about the “Pepsi Energy Field”?:

Pepsi Energy
Or how the new Pepsi logo is impacted by magnetic fields, sun radiation, and wind motion between 2008 and 2010:
Pepsi MagneticAnd did you know that every can of Pepsi now has it’s own gravity field as well.?
Pepsi GravityThe Pepsi Universe? You bet.
Pepsi Universe

So, you’ve seen the document, or parts of it, but how do you think it was received in the blogosphere and in the design world? Check out a few opinions we found:

1. It’s a hoax and an effective way to create buzz

  • Erik Hinton, The Pitt News: “Fake or not, “Breathtaking” is the Sokal Hoax of our times. If the document is vetted as legitimate, a punishing blow is struck to advertising and aesthetics as a rampant waste of money on puffed-up nonsense.”
  • Lee of “A Hundred Avatars”: “I still wonder if that design brief was a viral leak…”
  • Jessica Hartstein of Culture-Buzz.com: “Is it part of a viral campaign? It looks like we’ll have to wait for the real answer. In the meantime, Pepsi can enjoy its ride on the buzz wave.”

2. Arnell is insane/fleecing Pepsi

  • Mediabistro’s AgencySpy: “Pepsi paid more than $10 mil. for the logo design.”
  • Peter Arnell himself?: “It’s all bulls––t,” he said. “A logo on a can of soda? Please. My life is bulls––t.”

3. The Design World is corrupt and this is proof

  • Reddit commenters: “It really hammers in the stereotype of Advertising in general, and the complete idiocy that goes in to marketing.”
  • Stephanie Smirnov on PR MAMA: “It’s fine to be smart and provocative (and yes, sometimes strategic explication requires sophisticated diagramming and fancy-pants words), but a person can go too far.”

What do YOU think? Comment below!


Thanks to Dan Dawley for his expert help with this post!