As I sit and ponder the past year and look forward to the New Year, I came across an article on how different cities around the country celebrate New Year's Eve. As a native New Yorker, I have experienced the ball drop in Times Square and think of those memories fondly. According to the article, many other cites also celebrate by dropping various objects, such as a conch shell with a drag queen in Key West and a Hershey Kiss in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

"Ball drops" weren't always reserved for New Year's Eve. The idea of lowering a sphere to measure time was first used in Greenwich, England, where a ball descended every afternoon at one o'clock so ship captains could calibrate their navigational tools. The concept eventually made its way to New York City, where it's now used to usher in the New Year in front of thousands of freezing-cold spectators.

Will hybrids be the next generation of hot rods?

Today with more people becoming environmentally conscience and until recently, gas prices souring, everyone is looking for ways to do their part in helping the environment all the while cutting their fuel costs.  With low emissions and great fuel economy, gas-electric hybrids are a good way to meet both requirements, but don't exactly meet the performance expectations that some buyers are looking for.

Most of the performance upgrades made on hybrids now are cosmetic, like lowering springs and body kits, but this is likely to change with hybrid sales rising and the demand for performance certainly there.

Most successful high performance hybrids can only be seen on a racetrack like Braille Battery's 440-horsepower Hot Rod Hybrid Altima displayed at the annual Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association.

Until this track technology is adapted to production cars, hybrid hackers will search for new and innovative ways to squeeze performance from their cars.

Every now and then I come across some really unique marketing ideas and think to myself: “What a great idea – why didn’t I think of that?”

In today’s world where thousands of brands are feverishly competing for consumers’ attention, the simple, intuitive and well-executed campaigns are the ones that really tend to stand out from the rest of the clutter.

Here are a few that caught my eye over the past few months:

How do you take single serve stuffing in a cup and spin out a unique and innovative non-traditional marketing campaign? That was the challenge for Stove Top Stuffing Quick Cups this past month. Their solution? Activate a one-month program in Chicago that combines traditional outdoor advertising with an experiential sampling program in 10 heated bus shelters in high traffic areas.  It can get mighty cold in Chicago in the winter—what could warm you up better than a fresh hot cup of Stove Top Stuffing in a heated, that’s right, heated, bus shelter!

Here’s an experience that I am sure that everyone has had: Ever walk off a flight, clear security, head down to baggage claim only and see a barrage of about 40 drivers holding signs for VIP passenger pick up? (I have always been tempted to hang out at the airport with a big sign that says, “Not looking for anybody—just like to hold signs.” But that is another story…) Absolut Vodka recently had a unique take on this one: They partnered with Improv...

In 1997, an artist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Clark Whittington, came up with a revolutionary idea for a local showing of his art.  In addition to hanging his paintings, he took an old cigarette vending machine, gussied it up and stocked it with several of his black and white photos, selling the photos in the machine for $1.00 each.

His show at a local cafe was a success and one month later when the show was to be dismantled, the owner asked to keep the machine. Several more artists were asked to stock the machine with their own creations and "Artists in Cellophane" was formed.

Now many of these "Art-o-mat" machines (as they are called) can be found around the country. Brilliant! For a mere five bucks you can pull a knob and add an original piece of art can be added to your collection.

People have always been drawn to treasures that drop from a machine. It starts at a young age with machines full of candy or cheap plastic toys and the temptation carries on through life with the drop of sodas and snacks all dispensed from a machine as treasures in exchange for a small sum inserted.

What a creative use for recycling a clunky old vending machine, or is it a treasure chest?

Thinking Green
Positioning products has traditionally revolved around a few basic marketing axioms - find the right price, product, placement, promotion - and you're golden.  However, as it turns out, these days gold isn't worth nearly as much as Green.  Of course, Green in this context is the new wave of environmentally friendly products and marketing that's raining down on consumers from every direction.  Brand managers, marketing directors, and creatives have all jumped on the Green bandwagon - recognizing and embracing a critical shift in consumer mindset.  It's surprising the range of companies and products that are finding a way to capitalize on the movement.  Green is bringing value to brands in ways they never imagined it would.

The Tipping Point
When Malcolm Gladwell described in The Tipping Point the social criteria that propels an idea from trend to movement, he argued that products reach critical mass in the perfect storm of three factors: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.  The Law of the Few basically describes a trend's ability to find it's way into the hands of the right social groups - charismatic trend influencers and salespeople.  The Stickiness Factor refers to a trend's resiliency within the consumer mindset - it's what separates flash-in-the-pan fads from concepts that "have legs."  It reflects the uniqueness of a concept, and it's capability for ongoing resonance with consumers.  The Power of Context is really about timing, and finding out if the masses are ready to adopt an idea, product, or movement.

Green has reached Gladwell's "tipping...