BMW continues supporting the jazz music by launching the fifth annual the BMW Welt Jazz Award to celebrate prominent jazzmen from around the globe. The latest installment of the competition will focus on drummers. The brand will be hosting six “Leading Drums» free-admission Sunday matinees at the BMW Welt Double Cone, providing gifted jazz drummers from around the globe an opportunity to demonstrate their talent.

Article by Sylvie Saunders, Head of Words Pearlfisher

From energy brands to home furnishings, the pros and cons of renaming is something of a hot topic in the brand industry. With a recent influx of self-explanatory, simple naming, we could start seeing a backlash if brand stretch isn’t considered and built into the name from the start. A great name needs to have the courage of its convictions and if brands aren’t buying into their own monikers, what hope for consumer buy in?

Article by Sherwood MacVeigh, Director at Hyperquake and Christopher Corgiat, Senior Brand Strategist at Hyperquake

It’s only natural that we choose brands – political candidates included – based on personal aspirations; casting our vote for those we consider to be most like us, who believe what we believe or bring to life what we want for ourselves and our families. And like the political sign in the front yard, our selected brands proclaim our beliefs and values.

Despite all the pessimistic forecasts about the upcoming year, Lavazza still hopes that the Mayans predictions won’t actually come true and the world will enjoy the year of 2013. The coffee brand is now working on the calendar for the upcoming year, encouraging public to join in and contribute their own visuals for the piece named Opera Viva, the 2013 Social Calendar. The project has a creative direction of Michele Mariani and Marco Faccio and is signed by the Armando Testa Agency, which managed the previous brand’s art calendars.

Levi’s is presenting a series of limited-edition T-shirts, designed by Brazilian-born artist and activist Vik Muniz, renowned designers The Campana Brothers, visual artist Mark Bradford, and director Carlos Saldanha. The first of them arranges workshops at the Rio de Janeiro arts and technology school, Spectaculu, where he provides in insight into how visual arts and technology are blending together to deliver stunning results. The new Levi’s tees line titled “Friends of Vik Muniz for Spectaculu” features impressive designs, which are a way more that a tees pattern—they work as real pieces of art and evoke strong emotions in those who can feel other people’s pain and joy, despair and creative mood.