Rooting for the Chrysler "Born Of Fire" campaign at Cannes

Today is the last day of an inspiring and certainly memorable week at the 2011 Cannes Lions Festival. Later tonight, the final awards. In the Film Automobile category, it seems like everyone I've talked to is expecting VW "Force" - from Deutsche Lons Angeles - to win gold. It is, after all, a beautiful example of storytelling highlighting a cool feature of the new VW Passat. I love it.

However, I'm rooting for the Chrysler "Born of Fire" spot, one of the most talked about campaigns from the Super Bowl XLV. The reason is that marketing an American-made luxury car in a market dominated by European and Japanese imports is a huge challenge. Chrysler and Wieden+Kennedy Portland did a phenomenal job celebrating the Detroit heritage, taking what may seem to many as a liability and converting into a magnificent piece of advertising. The copywriting is just amazing.

I became an "Imported from Detroit" fan.

Tesco Homeplus Subway Virtual Store in Korea wins Cannes Grand Prix in Media

I was super happy to see the Tesco Homeplus South Korea Subway Virtual Store win the 2011 Cannes Grand Prix Media Award!

This is an outstanding example of combining a killer media idea, a true brand experience with e-commerce using mobile technology. Everything you dream about. You can only imagine how this case will open doors to all sorts of pop-up store ideas.

Someday in a subway station near you...

Listening to Malcolm Gladwell at Cannes

I've been having a fantastic time at the Cannes Lions 2011 Festival with jam-packed days filled with all sorts of stimuli from listening to speakers to reading submissions or watching the award ceremonies in the evenings. A week I certainly won't forget anytime soon.

One of the highlights, so far, was listening to best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell on Monday (one of my favorite) where he talked about the advantages of being third than first. Like in his books, inspiring story telling supported by stats and analysis on how companies who come in later can benefit from tweaking existing innovations.

Since Kraft Foods was the sponsor who brought Gladwell to Cannes, we had a chance of meeting him in the evening. He ended up talking about some ideas he's working on for a new book.

The WilliamsWarn Story

A food friend of mine, Juliano Mendes, was one of the guys behind creating Eisenbahn, one of Brazil's most successful beer brands. Another friend is working on a business plan to expand a retail store specialized in beers from around the world. Beer is one of those categories that generates a lot of passion.

Below you'll find an interesting story of how a New Zeland brewmaster identified an unmet business opportunity and through ingenuity and hard work created a pretty revolutionary product concept. If you're into beer, captivated by the surge of microbreweries and believes in the power of customization, you'll like the story of WilliamsWarn.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App!

Last night, my daughters and I enjoyed "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" iPad edition.... the most visually stunning iPad app for children so far.

This is certainly an awesome example of the future of how the editorial market for children is going through a revolution. This app elegantly combines wonderful story-telling, a fantastic soundtrack and engaging visual effects that will leave any children amazed.

A brand that embodies the Colombian spirit

When traveling, I love to see brands that embody the spirit of the country you're visiting.

Juan Valdez is a great example of a brand that has a true Colombian feel .

I just back from a few days in Bogota (a city that I've always felt has a wonderful vibe). There's something special about the Juan Valdez brand, from its well-recognized iconic fictional character with the mule 'Conchita' to its cafe lounges decorated in a way that makes you feel like you're on a cool version of a coffee hacienda.

Since my wife can't live without great coffee, I brought home three bags from the Juan Valdez Gourmet Selection: Organico, de la Finca and del Bosque.

¡ Maravilloso !

E-Z-GO 2Five

After my previous post, I got an e-mail from a friend who mentioned another cool-looking street-legal vehicle from the famous golf cart manufacturer E-Z-GO, called the 2Five.

Hey, I hope this becomes a movement...

Not your ordinary golf car

As a golfer, one thing that has always intrigued me is why haven't golf cars evolved to become an eco-friendly alternative to urban mobility. So, I was happy to learn about the beautiful Danish-designed street-legal Garia LSV. For those who don't know LSV stands for low-speed vehicle.

This not your ordinary golf car. These vehicles are manufactured at the Valmet Automotive factory in Finland, the same place where Porsche Boxsters and Caymans are produced, with a few nice touches like hand-stiched water-resistant upholstery, built-in refrigerator, 768 combination of colors, styles and upgrades.

There has been so much buzz around electric cars these days. This week, São Paulo hosted the C40 Summit - bringing together mayors from the World's 40 largest cities - and the official automobile for the event was the Nissan Leaf.

In a world where it would be wonderful if we could slow down and get around in a way that is more environmentally-conscious, it's fascinating to see how electric cars are finally getting the attention they deserve.

Introducing the New Food Icon: MyPlate

Tremendous buzz today on the news that the Food Pyramid is out... and MyPlate is in. MyPlate is the new USDA Food Icon to remind people of how to eat healthier. Watch the official video produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.