When Lance Armstrong announced that he was forming a new team to race the 2010 Tour de France, I’d assumed he would get a company like Nike to be the main sponsor or at least a sponsor that would let him call his team LiveStrong – a great name, a great brand. (LiveStrong itself couldn’t sponsor the team because, let’s face it, that would be a complete negation of what that charity is all about, which is about funnelling money into cancer programmes, not buying Lycra for cyclists.)

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If you haven't seen it already, make sure you check out the Good Brands Report from the trends-research network PSFK. The report identifies 10 brands that "are doing 'good' in regards to innovation, environmental responsibility and social collaboration."

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Blessings and thanks to The Daily Beast for reporting that Story Worldwide, the agency that brings you this blog, has launched an experiment to use the social web to find a true, authentic and sustainable brand for the Republican Party, presently a total and humiliating disaster. To join the struggle to find the new soul of the G.O.P., go to the site we've created: Call Me, G.O.P. (as in "Call me anytime for help or advice").

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I was reading in The Independent last week about a simple new test that can detect the onset of Alzheimer's with 93% accuracy. The fact that this test can be perfomed at home without medical supervision prompted me to see what other home testing kits existed.

I was expecting to find blood pressure monitors, pregnancy, allergy and cholesteral testing kits but was amazed to discover home tests that can detect conditions including colon cancer, prostate cancer, stds, the menopause, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid problems, anaemia, stomach ulcers, diabetes and the list goes on.

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As I have said before, the annoying thing about the internet is that there's always someone who articulates your thinking even better than you could.  People say that an infinite amount of monkeys with an infinite amount of typewriters and an infinite amount of time will produce the works of Shakespeare. That's all very well, but if you're a monkey, what are the chances of you being that monkey? You might as well kick back and wait for one of the other monkeys to get there. Then steal their typewriter.

Anyway, I refer you to the brilliant works of Nicholine Hayward. In particular, her take on brand storytelling is excellent. Sit back, peel a banana and enjoy.

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I seem to be defending unpopular companies at the moment. Bit of a theme. Look out for "Enron - actually, they were the smartest guys in the room" next week....

Anyway, a while back, when the news was dominated by stories about how fat we are instead of how poor we are, McDonald's came in for some severe flak. Now, being honest, I really like McDonald's - try their coffee tomorrow morning and tell me that whatever italian-named italian-sized rubbish you drink in order to pretend you're an urban sophisticate is actually, definably better. Go on, do it. (If you go to a proper Italian coffee shop run by an old man and his son who source their coffee directly from an old family friend, consider yourself exempt and I apologise)

Sorry, I'm digressing again...

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Hyundai is reflecting consumer fears about their job security in its current marketing campaign. Any customer that buys a Hyundai on finance can return their car for no additional charge if they lose their job within a year of purchase. The result is a 4.9% increase in sales over the same period last year, compared with a 40% drop across the automotive sector as a whole. Now that's post-advertising.

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Ryanair was summed up to me in an interview that their legendary CEO, Michael O'Leary. I can't find the interview, so I might be totally making it up, but anyway. The interview was in the First-Class lounge of Virgin Atlantic - Mr. O'Leary was on his way to New York. The reporter made a crack about the Chief Executive of Ryanair flying first class, to which Mr. O'Leary replied something along the lines of "Well, Ryanair doesn't fly to New York. Besides, I'm a fucking millionaire - why would I fly low-cost to New York?"

(Photo by Mitchell Zappa)

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Nike. What do you think when you hear the word Nike? Greek Goddess of Victory?  Polish literary award? Or do you, like most of the world, perhaps think of Nike Inc. of Portland, Oregon. 

Often maligned as a corporate behemoth or a sweatshop operator, Nike has bounced back over the last few years and I like to think it’s something to do with its frankly cool approach to marketing.

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Oh dear. Remember we were talking about brand sincerity a while back?

This is too good. You can read it all, but I'll give you the best bit - the opening line. "A car insurer admitted today it refuses to cover musicians despite featuring Iggy Pop in its adverts."

Nice one, Swiftcover.

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There's an old saying that periodically does the rounds in adland. You may have heard it.

"If I throw one tennis ball at you, you may catch it. If I throw six, you won't catch any"

Y'see - keep it simple. One message. It's a good metaphor, isn't it? The only problem, as far as I can see, is that it is total bollocks.

(Photo by Biblicone)

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