Meerkat. Cravat-wearer. Internet Icon.

VCCP has launched a viral campaign starring this Russian-inflected meerkat. Everyone’s favorite mongoose has gotten quite a large share of the spotlight lately, starting with the Discovery channel’s popular show, Meerkat Manor.

But can the popularity of meerkats be leveraged into success for a website about market comparison?

It would appear so, initially, judging by his 570,000+ Facebook fans. And you know you’re famous when you have your own blooper reel.

Read more about this charming meerkat here, here, and here.

 

We knew that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was forward thinking, but his latest venture cements his stand as a social media and technology innovator.

In a story released today by Mashable, Mayor Newsom wrote a guest post talking about the launch of DataSF App Showcase.

With Schwarzenegger launching the Twitter powered MyIdea4CA and Newsom’s City App Store, our government is at the cutting-edge of social media. Hooray, California!

 

Check it out! Get excited!

Peer² (Peer Squared), a peer-endorsed online marketing platform that rewards consumers for promoting the brands and products they love across the Internet, announced today that it has officially launched in beta.

Next Wednesday (9/23) we’ll be launching a project that’s been in the works for a very long time…



As the web becomes more “social” traditional online marketing efforts are becoming less and less effective (average banner campaign click through rates are %0.18.) Peer² aims to solve this by turning consumers into marketers and rewarding them for creating peer endorsements through contextual, and organic marketing engagements.

On launch the Peer² platform will feature sponsored programs from brands like: Miss Sixty, Energie, Ducati USA motorcycles, SuperfoodsRX and Brave Soldier Skin Care.

Join before next Wed. and start your account with 500 bonus points…and a chance to win a million points in our Peer² Millionaire Contest! There are no gimmicks, costs or unwanted spam – all you have to do is sign up at http://peer2.com!

All of the ranting about Hollywood remakes (and sequels and threequels), is about to be replaced with a new and equally questionable trend: movies based on…board games? That’s right, board games. Who’s playing?

Universal, for one. The studio is set to release Battleship in July of 2011, based on the popular Hasbro game. They also have Ouija, Monopoly, Candy Land, Magic: The Gathering, and Stretch Armstrong on deck.

And let’s not forget the forthcoming Lego movie, in development at Warner Bros—presumably capitalizing on the recent box office success of Transformers and GI Joe.

Game on.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Creative Asylum art show, “Postcards from the Asylum,” last Saturday at Café de Leche in Highland Park.

The show featured paintings and photographs from some of our very own brilliant creative minds, including Amy Botello, Taylor Greeson, Mika Astrom, Daniel House, Daniel Rosenbaum and Hye Jin Kwon.

See below for pictures!

Café de Leche

Amy Botello

Crowd at Café de Leche

Taylor Greeson

Yelena Burnett & Amy Botello

Grace Chi & Min Kim

Amy Botello & Mika Astrom

Yelena Burnett & Danielle Chitwood

Dan Rosenbaum

Daniel House

The @ symbol got a lot of online ink yesterday with the news that Facebook is planning to add @ mentions in status updates. In the ongoing “war” between the two social networking heavyweights, this is considered a big advantage for Facebook.

According to this note, you’ll be able to tag a friend simply by typing the @ symbol at which point you’ll be prompted to choose your friend (event, page, or application) from a drop down menu.

While this is most notably a direct attack (or rip-off—call it as you see it) on Twitter, we must admit this will bring Facebook to a whole new level. Facebook heretofore has not been able to provide users (and marketers!) with an open discussion forum. Until now. Look for this feature to be rolled out in the next few weeks.

Read more about it here.

Jet Blue recently offered a special month-long “all-you-can-jet” pass for purchase, allowing buyers unlimited travel between 9/8 and 10/8 for the low price of $599. Worth it?

Two friends think so. Clark Dever and Joe Dinardo are milking this deal for all it’s worth, crisscrossing the country and spending only 12 hours in each city before hopping the next flight. Talk about getting your money’s worth.

Perhaps the bigger issue here is the marketing strategy. Jet Blue has gotten quite a bit of publicity over this gimmick. And the pass itself sold out early, thanks in large part to Twitter. The promotion sold out 36 hours before the deadline, once Jet Blue’s tweet went viral. Proof positive that tweeting can lead to tangible revenue results.

It may be the unofficial end of summer (Happy Labor Day everyone!) but Augmented Reality is a tech topic that’s only getting hotter. We’re tripping over stories about new AR applications everywhere we look, but here are a few of our favorites of late:

TechCrunch just covered the latest in augmented reality browsers for mobile phones, including panoramic and bird’s eye zooming. Watch your back, Safari—looks like you’re in danger of becoming tragically unhip.

BMW has channeled AR technology in a crazy innovative way: augmented reality glasses that offer step-by-step audio and visual instructions for repairs. Can AR take the labor out of costly auto repairs? The parts will still get ya.

Everyone was talking about the Yelp augmented reality app that snuck through app store approval recently, including us.

Variety and MovieWeb are both reporting that 2009 has already become the highest-grossing summer ever at the domestic box office. And it’s not even Labor Day!

Thanks to blockbusters like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Hangover, and Up, this has been a banner summer for Hollywood. As of Sunday, summer box office revenues were $4.17 billion.

Looks like Hollywood knows what you’ve been doing this summer. And they like it!