This video entitled 'Kapitaal' was created by Studio Smack in Holland, and illustrates very well exactly how saturated traditional advertising and branding has become. The video follows a consumers journey to work, highlighting all the branding and advertising that immerses him the minute he leaves home. This simple representation makes it very easy to understand why brands are looking increasingly to editorial placement/product placement to get their brand's messages heard above their competitors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXWBXpeXlRI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epsfk%2Ecom%2Fmedia%2Findex%2Ehtml

Though Second Life is becoming increasingly a buzz word, especially amongst brands and media owners that believe they have their finger on the Web 2.0 pulse, many consumers have complained about how complicated the format can be - an where consumers' desires are not being completely fulfilled by one brand, another steps in. And the brand in question is once again Sony Playstation, who will be launching a virtual world for their PS3 console, called Playstation Home.

The free service, which will go into beta this April and hit consoles later this year, will become a new default menu item in the cross media bar. When you select it you will be dropped into a virtual world peopled by life-like avatars. Reports back from the press previews say that customization of these avatars will be incredibly flexible, allowing you to create something that looks as much like you as you would want. Players can communicate with others in the lobby by talking, typing, using motions or pre-written phrases.

The PS3 owner's 'apartment' will become the central point of the PS3 world - it is where users can listen to music, look at pictures, watch video, invite their friends over to talk and even go into multiplayer games together to play as a group. Interestingly, it's also possible for companies or publishers to create their own spaces. For instance a games brand such as Electronic Arts or Rockstar Games could create a space that shows off their current and upcoming games in a virtual world that looks more like a mall than a store.

Images and info from: http://kotaku.com/photogallery/home/

Despite many people in the media industry scratching their heads in bemusement at the massive purchase of YouTube by search engine Google a few months back, it seems that the 'old lady' of broadcast is also keen to jump on the web 2.0 bandwagon. The BBC have launched a special channel for the BBC, BBC Worldwide and BBC World on the user generated epicentre that is YouTube. From a quick glance through the different categories available, it seems that viewers get behind the scenes clips, out-takes and additional content unavailable on the Beeb's other services. Will this be the last media giant to endorse YouTube?

http://www.youtube.com/BBC

''Stock culture meets pop culture'' is the official strap line and is the best description of Wallstrip, the new-media friendly version of the traditional stock exchange updates. The show was founded in October 2006, aiming to be both sassy and serious while teaching a new generation of investors to pick their own stocks. The online program was created by Howard Lindzon, who runs an investment firm and hedge fund in Arizona and a venture capital fund in Toronto.
The focus of the short shows are on stocks at all-time highs (like Apple, Google and Toyota), and analysing why they are strong and whether it's believed they will continue to increase in value. 'Man on the street' style interviews and other gimmicks add to Wallstrip's informal vibe.

The show has since been voted one of the top podcasts on iTunes, and is also distributed via social video sites like YouTube. Entertaining and very user friendly, Wallstrip's pop-culture approach to the stock market will undoubtably spawn copies in every major financial market. Stock-savvy entrepreneurs in London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Hong Kong et all should check the link below:http://www.wallstrip.com/theshow/about/

There is a very interesting argument on http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2007/02/mobile_the_7th_.html which highlights the growing potential and advantages of 'mobile' over other forms of media. In the blog, Tomi Ahonen identifies 5 key advantages of the 'mobile' media, over it's peers:

1. The mobile is personal.
2. The mobile is the first always-on mass media.
3. The mobile is the first always-carried mass media.
4. The mobile is the first mass media with a built-in payment mechanism.
5. Mobile uniquely offers the media audience the input tool, at the point of creative impulse.

Though the idea of the internet playing second fiddle to mobile in the future may be a little far fetched, the article does examine some interesting future advances for mobile phones such as geotagging, QR codes, mobile credit, etc.