Off the Map

I get the impression that CBS was not looking at a map when planning their 'numerous US cities' Winnebago tour. Apparently nothing fun is going on this summer in the West half of the country.

BIG

A fantastic exercise to get the creative juices flowing and stay young (at heart), is to brainstorm the cool and rad things that as a kid, you couldn't wait to do when you were a grown up.

You Can't See a Logo Under Water Anyways

Nike recently caught my eye when word came that they're encouraging their sponsored swimmers to compete in Speedo suits at the summer Olympics. The track-town native is acknowledging that Speedo's swim gear is superior to theirs.

One goal of sponsorship is for your brand to reach as many eyeballs as possible. And when planned well and relevantly, the right eyeballs. This Olympic Games, Nike will probably receive more glances for standing by its athlete's performance, than it would with their logos submerged in water. Well played.

I'm sure that as soon as the swimmers are dry, on land, or when the top three stand victoriously on the winner's podium, they will be donning their Nike sweat suits.

Never Stop Subscribing

Interactive imitating life. A co-worker had a tiny curvy logo on their shirt. The first thing I thought of when I saw it, sans The North Face: are you wearing an RSS feed branded t-shirt?

Art In The City

I was giddy when the streets of Portland started popping up with lil horses.

A London artist also uses the city street as a canvas:

Little People
Inner City Snail

Brands are also urban artists and buzz generators:
Adidas
Pantene
Friskies

Portland Native

Not only are all the people I've met lately not originally from Portland, but on average they have lived in this fine city for less than six months.

What drove these newbies to relocate to Portland? Well as one gentleman put it, it's because of me. Well, not me personally, but as he pointed out, oh my gosh that's so exciting to meet a Portland native. I haven't met one yet. But you're what has made this place cool, and made others want to move here.

Thanks dude in the bar. I'm glad word of our coolness has spread and reached the far corners of the map. But my actual reply to him had something to do with proposing that we hold the first Thanksgiving between the Portland Natives and the Portland Pilgrims.

Here's what that would look like. We'd all ride our bikes or trimet to Waterfront park. We'd share salmon, VooDoo Donuts and Stumptown coffee over stories about the tram, Portland beer, The Horse Project, and whether we'll get a MLB team. Guests of honor would include Clyde Drexler, Jeff Gianola and Matt Groening. The evening would end with the Decemberists playing us out.

The Portland Pilgrams may leave feeling that they still have unanswered questions about the native hotspots and tips. But that's the true beauty of Portland. It's a great place to explore and make cool memories of your own.

Just remember, the natives were here first.