Denuo - denuology.com

We live in a world where parents name their children after social actions, where social media can , and where consumers have the ability to alter brand decisions. With such great influence and power, social media creates limitless opportunities for both consumers and brands. Too often for brands, however, the end game for their efforts is simply earning a certain number of likes, followers or views instead of the larger consumer connection.

Human connections range in the types and length of value they provide. Some connections can be short-lived while others are more sustained, and the level of impact can vary across both (think of the difference between someone handing you a flyer for a free cup of coffee vs. the barista who makes your coffee for you every morning). However, all meaningful connections, whether they occur in person or via social media, are grounded in value. So before brands start a new social program, revamp their Facebook page or extend a current campaign to the social space, they need to take a step back and examine their overall purpose and the value they can create.

This issue features a twist on infographics, a very creative way of illustrating Tom Ford’s essentials for men, the popularity of the classic girl next door pin up, and a fancy take on the animated gif. Plus a collection of links that include a number of impressive musical numbers.

The third page highlights the recent VivaKi hire of Michael Wiley as our Chief Social Media Officer.

Download Issue 83 of Reflecteur here

In this issue we look at some amazing posters, fascinating photos, a site to track down hot girls and commercials, and a way to better understand planetary alignment. Digital culture is nothing if not varied.

* 100 Year of Sex Posters is a gallery by the San Francisco City Clinic for their 100th anniversary. It’s a collection of posters from the last hundred years, mostly from the United States, that warn or educate people about sexually transmitted diseases. We’re big fans of the posters from the World War II years and the ridiculous over the top claims – did you know even dinosaurs had to worry about STDs? Neither did we.

* Who is that hot ad girl? is a blog aimed at answering that exact question. Inspired by the new T-Mobile spokeswoman, the site takes submissions from fans about which commercial girls they want to know more about. The super sleuthing skills of the site owners are impressive enough. But we also love the way this site highlights the fact that just about anyone who adds some sort of interest to people’s days can and will be celebrated online.

Every June, more than 50,000 conservative suits descend on Chicago for NeoCon (National Exposition of Contract Furnishings). There are so many of them, I feel like I never left my lovely hometown of DC, where Capitol Hill politicos run rampant and style still runs short. (Sorry, DC, you’re trying!) NeoCon is the most important show in the American contract furniture industry, with $25B in sales even during an economic slump. Your office chair, desk, and file cabinet were probably first scouted here. You haven’t given them a second thought once you were situated, and why would you (*yawn)? Fortunately, someone else is paid to do so and that person goes to NeoCon.

Established in 1969, NeoCon is always held at Merchandise Mart, a historic structure built by Marshall Field & Company in the 1920s. Once the largest building in the world at 4 million square feet, it has its own zip code and is a monument to architecture, design, and merchandising. It’s quite fitting that NeoCon is here: a pillar of a traditional American industry inside an American landmark. Merchandise Mart is now home to high-end designer showrooms, ad agencies, tech firms, and government agencies.

What you may not realize is that NeoCon is also a huge meat market.