Converse goes on celebrating UK rock and dance music by popularizing it across the world. Recently, the brand presented two short documentaries covering the dance music tour, ‘Live from London,’ which was arranged by the shoe brand and the Fader across the US last fall. The videos showcase producer Jamie xx, the key figure of the project, as well as “one of the premier purveyors of dubstepFantastic Mr. Fox sharing their thoughts on music.

The Fast Company magazine presents its new rating of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. In mid-February, they published the 2011 list, giving short descriptions to their picks. Apple scoops first place, pushing the digital giants Twitter, Facebook and Google to the 2nd, 3rd and 6th place correspondingly—with Intel, Microsoft, Linkedin,eBay, IBM and Cisco resting below them. The sport and fashion apparel industry is presented by Burberry (No.13, “for breathing new life into a luxury stronghold”), Nike (No.23, “for its mix of sports, style, and yes, plastic bottles”), Opening Ceremony (No. 28) the food and drinks business has two representatives—PepsiCo (No.33)—“for its ambitious nutrition R&D” and chocolate company Madécasse (No.50).

Intertwitter Race is the title of a one of a kind online campaign developed by Nike in collaboration with BBDO Argentina and +Castro dedicated to Buenos Aires Nike 10k—a marathon that was held in Buenos Aires. This online application that united the online and real-life races was designed to compare and visualize the number of literal ‘followers’ a racer had in course of the actual Nike 10K (based on their timing results) to the number of Twitter followers of the race participants. 

Eat the city, drink the city, wear the city. Is it possible? With brands, there’s nothing beyond the bound of reality. The second part of our Brands and the City review is championing brand’s editions dedicated to metropolitan areas and smaller locations around the globe. Vodka, soft drinks, travel guides from luxury makers, burgers, accessories, coffee products, sneakers and a range of other goods, which pay tribute to various destinations, are now in the spotlight.

Converse, the footwear brands which supports aspiring musicians and saves rock-clubs, is also well-known for its successful collaborations with designers and artists. To broaden its portfolio of prints and styles, this time the label teamed up with one of the world’s iconic companies in the textile and clothing design business, the Helsinki-based Marimekko Corporation founded back in 1951, to develop a «women’s focused» Spring 2011 collection for Converse’s fans. The line, which launched in February 2011, features classic vibrant Marimekko’s patterns on the iconic shoes of the brand.

Converse supports indie music not only by creating more opportunities for up-and-coming musicians, but also by saving iconic rock venues from closure. In September 2010, it was announced that iconic London-based the 100 Club, which for over 70 years has been hosting performances by a plethora of musicians such as the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, Oasis bands among others, was due to close because of an increase in rent prices. The club was to be shut for ever in December 2010, but then the 100 Club said that it was discussing possible business collaborations with various partners that could help it out of the trouble. Now, the results of these business talks are unveiled: Converse, one of the biggest global shoe-brands for teenagers and younger adults, comes out as the sponsor the venue.

A city as a source of the ‘creative spark’. Urban streets as basis for bold and massive campaigns. For many decades, smaller towns and megalopolises have been inspiring advertising agencies behind multiple marketing projects, which on the one hand are targeted at promoting brands and, on the other hand, encourage consumers to compare different cities, unveil creativity and strong dedication to sport, cinema and quests, or even bring rural accents to urban settings. We at Popsop have reviewed global brands’ ad activity during 2010 and first two months of 2011 to see how they’ve been embedding city into their promotions. Now, we are presenting our 3-part study dedicated to the subject. The first section of this review will highlight competitions, cross-city studies, urban sport-related promotions, which have been taking place within big cities around the globe and in a way were dedicated to them.

The Nike brand, which is well-known for producing high-quality professional sport gear and apparel for everyday athletes, has presented two adverts celebrating free moves. The two videos are dedicated to people whose motto is ‘Life is motion,’ and they never miss an opportunity to prove it. The videos, masterminded by Nike’s long-standing partner Wieden+Kennedy Portland agency, features dozens of people, who are demonstrating their very best moves in multiple sport disciplines or everyday life.