The Top 10 Real-Life Branding Icons Of All Time

Like just about everything in marketing these days, truly successful branding — in which a visual identity, icon, tag line, or spokesperson (or oftentimes, all of the above) becomes synonymous with the brand being pitched to consumers, and the product or service being offered — is a challenging combination of art and science. This may be a trite statement which trivializes, and even oversimplifies, a very complex process which takes years to unfold, but marketers know deep down it's unequivocally true. And that makes experienced branding experts worth their weight in gold when trying to differentiate a consumer or business brand from those of competitors.

So which real-people branding icons (and we're just talking about actual persons here, not animated or animal characters) are the most popular of all time? In this interesting piece yesterday in Wallet Pop, Aol.'s consumer finance digest, the site outlines its top-10 list which includes some very recognizable icons...some of which have fallen by the wayside over the years, while others have been reinvented for today's savvy consumer:

1. Mr. Whipple; Brand: Charmin toilet paper.
2. The Marlboro Man; Brand: Marlboro cigarettes.
3. The Maytag Repairman; Brand: Maytag appliances.
4. Rosie the Waitress; Brand: Bounty paper towels.
5. Madge the Manicurist; Palmolive dish soap.
6. The "Where's The Beef?" Lady; Brand: Wendy's.
7. Mikey; Brand: Life Cereal.
8. Ernest P. Worrell; Brand: Numerous.
9. Joe Isuzu; Brand: Isuzu cars.
10. Josephine the Plumber; Brand: Comet cleanser.

Of course, if we were to expand this list to include animated or animal characters, then we'd be able to add such equally-recognizable icons as Mrs. Butterworth, the Michelin Man, the Pillsbury Doughboy, the Geico gecko, the AFLAC duck, and countless others.

Interestingly enough, though, with the exception of Maytag, which conducted an attention-getting contest in 2007 to find a new individual to play an updated, 21st-century version of the Maytag repairman in its print and broadcast advertising efforts, most of the brands, including those mentioned above, have dropped or severely curtailed (such as Marlboro) the use of actor-based icons in their marketing programs in favor of other tactics. And that makes sense, as campaigns due tend to run their course and become stale after years of years of the same schtick.

My favorite from this list? The insufferable, but still lovable, Mr. Whipple....of course:

In 1999, Procter & Gamble relaunched its Mr. Whipple campaign for Charmin using actor Dick Wilson, who played Whipple for years, and passed away in 2007 at the age of 91. Here is his glorious return spot:

And what does Charmin use now to differentiate its brand? Those cuddly animated, but somewhat annoying, bears that are constantly showing us how inferior TP sticks to their posteriors.

I Ain't Sayin' He's A Golddigger...But Kanye Finally Joins Twitter

The Twitterverse pratically came to a grinding halt yesterday when rapper Kanye West finally signed up for an account on the service, and began tweeting the same self-aggrandizing, self-promotional nonsense that has made him one of the most notorious and disliked performers in Hip Hop Land. Check out his first tweet here:

The irony? Just last year, Kanye went OFF in a now infamous online rant which disparages the micro-blogging service, and emphatically states he has no use for it. In case you missed it, here is a snapshot of that blog post which skewers Twitter, and profanely criticizes the number of fake accounts (at least at the time, and many of which have been suspended) purporting to be Kanye:

Apocalypse Now: Internet To Run Out Of IP Addresses In Less Than A Year

Is this for real? Apparently it is.

As reported in this apocalyptic piece by Richard MacManus on ReadWriteWeb.com, the Internet will run out of distinct Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in less than one year. The pressing concerns were first disclosed by John Curran, president and CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), and then echoed by Vint Cerf, Google's chief internet evangelist, and regarded as one of the Internet's original architects.

The reason? Check this out:

There's an explosion of data about to happen to the Web - thanks largely to sensor data, smart grids, RFID and other Internet of Things data. Other reasons include the increase in mobile devices connecting to the Internet and the annual growth in user-generated content on the Web.

The solution is to move to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), the next generation Internet Protocol standard which uses a 128-bit address. IPv6 supports a vastly larger number of unique addresses, enough to give every person on the planet over 4 billion addresses.

ARIN, the non-profit responsible for managing the distribution of Internet addresses in the North American region, explained that of the approximately 4 billion IPv4 addresses available, all but 6% have already been allocated. Curran expects the final 6% to be allocated over the coming year.

So what does this mean for all us? If you haven't grabbed your piece of online real estate, you better do it now, particularly since it is in unclear when the move to IPv6 will be made. This is especially critical for companies which engage in different online marketing activities, ranging from simple Web site development to mobile marketing.

Picture This: Yet Another PR Embarrassment, Black Eye For Beleaguered BP

The hits just keep on coming for beleagured BP, which continues to fumble its management of the public relations fallout from the ongoing oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. And it only has itself to blame for these ridiculous blunders, which look they they're coming from some novice, early-stage start-up rather than a huge multinational, billion-dollar corporation with seemingly endless resources.

In its latest gaffe, and as first reported by AMERICAblog, and then subsquently picked up by MSNBC, the Washington Post, Gizmodo, and other blogs, BP deliberately, and rather amateurishly, used PhotoShop to digitally alter a July 16 image of its Houston command center, and then released the modified photo to media outlets worldwide without proper disclosure.

According to Washington Post reporter Steve Mufson, "A blogger...noticed that the oil giant altered a photograph of its Houston crisis room, cutting and pasting three underwater images into a wall of video feeds from remotely operated undersea vehicles." The Gizmodo story actually reveals specifically where the alterations were made, and even more disturbingly, that its metadata clearly show the original image was captured all the way back in 2001. Here is a composite of the altered and unaltered image:

As if this is not enough, AMERICAblog further reported today in a follow-up that BP has faked ANOTHER photo on its Web site, this one of its "top kill" initiative last month to stop the spill. Check out the story here. The lead on this story sums it all up: "It's starting to look like Capricorn One over at BP," a humorous reference to the famous 1978 film starrring Elliott Gould and James Brolin about a Mars landing hoax.

Mufson hits the nail on the head in his lead, "Apparently BP is no more adept at doctoring photos than it is at plugging deep-sea oil leaks." And adding perspective, as well as accurate insult to injury in his piece on MSNBC, Wilson Rothman writes:

Though the command center alteration doesn't seem to be an attempt to hide facts or confuse the public, it heightens skepticism for the company at a time when it should be trying to build trust. As the AMERICAblog reporter John Aravosis wrote, 'I guess if you're doing fake crisis response, you might as well fake a photo of the crisis response center.'

Waste Management To Launch Branded Game App, Oceanopolis, For Facebook

It should come as no surprise that one of the hottest and most profitable areas of the social media sector is social gaming. As annoying as it may be to constantly see users' status updates on how many pigs or bushels of corn they've sold playing Farmville, or how many hits your capo friends have racked up playing Mafia Wars, social gaming is BIG business, with thousands of individuals each day signing up.

Most user are gravitating to apps developed by the top global social game operators, including Zynga, Playfish (now part of Electronic Arts), Playdom, Five Minutes, and SlashKey. These companies held a combined market share of 56 percent in 2009, up from 38 percent in 2008.

As further evidence, consider this. According to this piece today in GamaSutra:

Microtransactions will help social games generate more than $1 billion in 2012 despite growth in the sector slowing after this year, according to research from global media markets analyst firm Screen Digest. The social gaming market has seen explosive growth in the past three years, making $76 million in 2008, $639 million in 2009, and a predicted $826 million this year. With that revenue growth, the number of new titles and gamers playing these releases have also increased dramatically.

Need more proof that social gaming is here to stay? Even Google is getting in on the trend. As widely reported earlier this month by many mainstream media outlets and blogs, including Mashable and TechCrunch, Google has quietly invested somewhere between $100 million and $200 million in Zynga, which has raised nearly half a billion dollars in venture capital in the last year alone. Multiple sources indicated that Zynga will be the cornerstone of a new Google Games to launch later this year.

So aside from more companies, more app, and more platforms, where is social gaming headed? It seems that the next phenomenon wave, widely adopted by many consumer and business brands on Facebook, Foursquare, MySpace, and SecondLife (remember this???), is to create branded gaming apps/presences that are both entertaining (obviously) and directly tie in to a company's mission, culture, and product/service offerings. We've seen this before in other media channels, so the concept is not entirely new. However, the number of high-profile brands diving headfirst into the social gaming space with apps of this nature will increase exponentially in the coming months.

And that is why this piece of news caught by eye this morning, courtesy of TechCrunch. Waste Management, the multi-billion dollar, publicly traded provider of waste and environmental services in North America, and its subsidiary Greenopolis, an environmentally-themed social networking site and blogging community launched two years ago, are diving into social gaming with a new Facebook app called Oceanopolis. The game is now launching in beta, with a full rollout expected in the coming weeks. Here is a screen shot of the new game:

In Oceanopolis, players maintain islands by recycling trash to build sustainable communities, and by interacting with friends. Users virtually earn points which can then be turned into printable coupons redeemable at movie theaters, restaurants and stores. Alternatively, these points can be turned into cash donations. Points can also be earned outside the game by recycling or by blogging on the Greenopolis site.

Why is all of this significant beyond the branding component, and the first concrete sign of a trend? It's quite rare for a company, such as Waste Management, to be so forward thinking on the marketing front. In the past year, the company has forged high-profile product placement, advertising, and sponsorship agreements to be featured on Golf Channel's "Big Break" and on CBS's wildly-popular "Undercover Boss." In fact, I expect to see the company continue being innovative and aggressive with respect to its future marketing activities.

Social Media Powerhouses Facebook, Twitter Hit Major Milestones

Lost amidst all the hoopla, online chatter, and unrelenting media coverage this weekend concerning Apple's iPhone 4 press conference (and the resulting fallout) on Friday morning, social media powerhouses Facebook and Twitter both announced impressive milestones which deserved to be highlighted.

As reported in this story by Samuel Axon of Mashable, Facebook is expected to reach the 500 million user mark some time this week, based on the current rate of new user sign-ups. To commemorate the remarkable achievement, the service intends to launch a new campaign, called “Facebook Stories,” which will serve as a visual memorial to all the ways the social network has changed people’s lives around the world.

To put this rapid growth in perspective, Facebook reached the 400 million user mark just five months ago. Furthermore, this time last year (July, 2009), the platform was at 200 million subscribers. Only eight months prior to that, in December of 2008, Facebook had reached 100 million users. For those keeping score at home, this represents a 500% increase in users in only 18 months. Incredible. No wonder MySpace is in trouble. Oh yeah, and one more thing: even though Facebook officially launched in February of 2004, most of its growth has come in the last two years, and it has since become the most popular social site and a cultural phenomenon.

As far as Twitter is concerned, the micro-blogging service announced on Friday that Spain's 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the championship game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup marked "the largest period of sustained activity for an event in Twitter's history." According to company spokesman Matt Graves, making the announcement on the company's blog, tweets per second reached 3,051 when Spain scored the winning goal, and there was an average of 2,000 tweets during the game's final 15 minutes. During the final match, people from 172 countries tweeted in 27 different languages, and at the moment of the winning goal, people from 81 countries tweeted in 23 different languages. The full story on WebNewser about this can be found by clicking here.

Interestingly enough, Twitter's analytics and relevance teams decided to capture and visually document all of this activity in the following Wordle infographic:

In reviewing the chart (of which you can view an enlarged version by clicking here or on the image itself), Twitter advises individuals to think of these results like sound waves: the louder and more consistent the "sound," the bigger the impact in all directions. In addition, countries' flags represent use of their hashflag. The size of the flag "waves" fluctuate with the frequency and consistency of tweets containing each country's hashflag.

VC Fusion Punches Ticket To 2010 PDL Postseason

CMAC client Ventura County Fusion won both of its Premier Development League games this weekend, including a 2-0 shutout victory on the road yesterday against the Orange County Blue Star, to punch its ticket to the 2010 postseason.

In between the two critical matches, the team came thisclose to knocking off former English Premier League team Portsmouth F.C. in an international exhibition game played on Saturday afternoon at Oxnard College. The Fusion narrowly lost the contest, 2-1, on a late second-half free kick by highly-regarded striker David Nugent.

The Ventura County Star published the following story about the team's amazing weekend performance in this morning's edition:

You can also see the coverage on the Ventura County Star's Website by clicking here.

Old Spice Guy Spices Up Viral Marketing With Hilarious Online Video Campaign

In today's day and age, even the most clever viral marketing campaigns, most of which are driven by humorous, entertaining, and engaging online videos, have a relatively short shelf life. They generate a huge volume of buzz, consumer interest, sharing, and views within a short period of time -- usually 2-4 weeks -- and then flame out once users have gravitated to some other campaign (i.e., the next big thing). It's sort of like the online video version of the box office merry-go-around: a new release tops the list at number one in the first week based on massive studio promotion, and then the audience drops off sharply, oftentimes as much as 75%, in subsequent weeks.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Case in point: the current viral marketing initiative for Old Spice, designed by award-winning ad agency Wieden + Kennedy, which has generated a tremendous amount of online chatter and traditional media coverage in the last week. Yeah, I know...that Old Spice, which your father and grandfather used to wear. Why is this an exception? Because the concept, featuring a handsome African-American dude simply dubbed "The Old Spice Guy," or if you prefer, "The Man Your Man Should Smell Like," actually started as a traditional broadcast advertising campaign months ago, as reported here by AgencySpy. Here is an example of one of Old Spice Guy's videos, targeted at, well, everyone:

According to this report yesterday in PRNewser, "Old Spice's 'The Man Your Man Could Smell Like' campaign is lighting up the Internet (and 'traditional media') and could perhaps be the biggest viral/social media/word of mouth whatever you want to call it this year." The primary reason behind the increased interest? Just this week, Old Spice, which is made and marketed by global consumer packaged goods and marketing powerhouse Procter & Gamble, began posting custom videos on YouTube which directly address a slew of well-known digital and "real life" personalities. For example, check out the video directed at actress Demi Moore:

How is it all orchestrated? Check out this great piece by ReadWriteWeb for a behind-the-scenes account of how the Old Spice brand management team pulled all of this together in such a short period of time.

And who is the dude playing the Old Spice Guy? None other than former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver and current actor Isaiah Mustafa. When the ad campaing launched in February, Essence Magazine ran a nice profile of the actor.

Stay tuned, here and online, to see how long this campaign lasts, and whether it has staying power with consumers.

CMAC Client VC Fusion Enters Critical Weekend Of Play

Now entering its most critical stretch of play of the entire 2010 Premier Development League (PDL) season, CMAC client Ventura County Fusion finds itself participating in three matches in three consecutive days this weekend with the highest stakes possible on the line: a PDL playoffs berth, and the opportunity to defend its 2009 PDL title.

In between tonight's home game at Buena High School against the Lancaster Rattlers, and its all-important Sunday away match versus the first-place Orange County Blue Star in Irvine, the Fusion square off against former English Premier League team Portsmouth F.C. on Saturday afternoon in an international exhibition match at Oxnard College. The Fusion must win both games against the Rattlers and the Blue Star to have any chance of making the playoffs.

The Ventura County Star published the following advance related to this important three-game stretch in this morning's edition:

You can also see the coverage on the Ventura County Star's Website by clicking here.

Worst Federal Goverment Ad Campaign Ever

Like many marketing and communications consultants, I travel a lot to meet with clients and attend trade shows, and that always means tangling and dealing with the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) on airport security issues.

Now, if TSA employees actually did their jobs, and acted as if our security and safety were the utmost priorities, then I wouldn't have any beefs with the agency. But no. Every time I fly out of LAX or Burbank, it looks like TSA recently had a giant casting call for the next John Singleton film about life in the hood, with tons of employees standing around doing nothing, chatting on their cell phones with their homies, and basically ignoring most security protocols instituted by the Department of Homeland Security. It's quite astonishing, really, over how some of these people get hired and remain on the job, and the lack of oversight by TSA managers at security checkpoints is appalling. Hey, Feds: I want a job that pays me $25+ an hour, plus government benefits, to do nada; where do I sign up??? Obviously, I exaggerate here...but not much.

And that brings me to today's miff. As detailed in this piece by The Consumerist, TSA recently launched a recruiting-focused advertising campaign in Washington, D.C. to identify and hire new security officers at Washington-Dulles International and Reagan National Airports. Employment-related marketing campaigns are everywhere, but did the TSA employ traditional media channels such as print, online, and outdoor advertising, and radio and TV spots?

Absolutely not. Instead of relying on mass media to get the message out, the rocket scientists at TSA decide to put ads on pizza boxes instead, as evidenced by the following:

Unbelievable. Now ask yourself: is this the kind of marketing that will recruit top-notch talent? Of course not. It's yet another hare-brained decision by the federal government exclusively designed to waste YOUR tax dollars. As the title of this piece indicates, this has to go down as the worst federal government advertising campaign ever.

CMAC Client VC Fusion Ready To Make Playoffs Run; Featured Again In Ventura Breeze

CMAC client Ventura County Fusion was featured again in the Ventura Breeze, a 20-page weekly newspaper chronicling news, notes, and happenings in the famed Poinsettia City.

The story, authored by yours truly, and appearing in the July 14th edition, discusses the Fusion's late-season run to make the 2010 Premier Development League (PDL) playoffs, and the team's challenging schedule over the next two weeks. The entire article may be viewed below:

You can also see the coverage on the Ventura Breeze's Website by clicking here, and then scrolling to page 18.

Facebook As Art...Imitating Life

In the Internet age, digital art, particularly those astounding works comprised of much smaller images arranged in mosaic patterns, has become extremely popular among the masses. Largely the rareified air of famous celebrities and political figures, this form of expression has now trickled down to the technology sector. No, I'm not talking about Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, or even Steve Jobs. Now enter the social media platform CEO as an international luminary...and displayed here as a work of art.

Conceived and created by virtual designer Charis Tsevis for Wired Magazine, this unique work of art, featuring Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is composed entirely of Facebook icons:

Two questions: 1) Who knew that Facebook icons were so versatile?; and 2) As impressive as this is, who really has the free time to create this stuff?

An Insider's Look: The 10 Most Shared News Sites

As detailed today in this piece on PRNewser, and based on an extensive analysis conducted by Flowtown, here are top-10 most shared news sites:

Even more compelling is Flowtown's data on how these outlets' stories are shared, precisely which stories are being shared, and who their biggest influencers are. Dig deep into the the company's graphical analysis to see what I'm talking about.

For example, MC Hammer is one of Mashable's and The Huffington Post's biggest influencers, while Mariah Carey shares New York Times content a great deal. Entertainment blogger Perez Hilton is all over this study; how does he have time to share this much information?

Email To The Max: Maximizing Email Newsletter Efforts

Like many other communications consultants, I'm a huge proponent of email marketing, and more specifically, in regularly crafting and distributing informative newsletters to highly-targeted audiences (as opposed to some monolithic database of contacts).

Why? It's relatively easy to do, it's a great way to reinforce branding, thought leadership, and subject matter expertise, and it's very cost effective -- all of which are important to cash-strapped small businesses looking for excellent value and results with every single marketing dollar spent.

The glaring problem with most email newsletters is that they're solely designed as one-way communication vehicles: from the company to the recipient. Very few offer opportunities for customer feedback or engagement, and as a result, the sender misses out on a great opportunity to garner valuable input from prospects and clients that can be utilized to refine email marketing initiatives and other critical marketing programs.

So why not switch it up so that your email newsletters are working FOR you rather than AGAINST you? To do this, I highly recommend the following the advice outlined in this piece, written by Prasad Thammineni, CEO of OfficeDrop, which was published yesterday in Small Business Trends. In this great article, Thammineni recommends the following steps for taking your email newsletters to the max:

1. Use every newsletter as a test.
2. Allow replies.
3. Use unique URLs to track links in your newsletter.
4. Include surveys to boost participation.
5. Use a marketing application.

By incorporating this advice into your next email campaign, you're almost certain to take your email newsletters to the next level, and receive higher customer feedback and engagement. And trust me, that's a good thing.

VC Fusion Score Tough Win On Road, 2-1, Over BYU Cougars

CMAC client Ventura County Fusion, on a two-game road trip in Utah this weekend, scored twice in the first 12 minutes of the game to power the team to a 2-1 victory over the hometown BYU Cougars last night in Provo. The much-needed victory moves the Fusion's record to 8-4-1 in 2010 PDL season play, and gives the club solid momentum headed into this week's away match against the Lancaster Rattlers and its international exhibition game versus Portsmouth F.C. on Saturday, July 17 at Oxnard College.

The Ventura County Star published the following recap on page C8 of this morning's edition:

You can also see the coverage on the Ventura County Star's Website by clicking here.

Meet Dwyane Wade, Advertising Consultant?

As reported in this piece yesterday by TMZ, NBA superstar, 2006 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, and Miami Heat standout Dwyane Wade reached into his OWN deep pockets to craft a personalized message to team newcomers Lebron James and Chris Bosh, design an outdoor ad, and purchase this Miami billboard in a prominent location for an undetermined amount of time:

No word on exacty how much the billboard actually cost, but there's no question that D-Wade can afford it. On Friday, Wade signed a six-year, $107 million deal (i.e., contract extension) so he can play with new best buddies James and Bosh.

Regardless, it's a clever use of outdoor media, and it's rather rare for a professional athlete, even one of Wade's caliber, to personally design and orchestrate a campaign.

CMAC Client VC Fusion Edged 2-1 By Last-Place Ogden Outlaws

In their next-to-last road trip of the 2010 PDL season, CMAC client Ventura County Fusion lost last night, 2-1, to the last-place Odgen Outlaws. The team, which remains in third place in the Southwest Division and now stands at 7-4-1 on the season, has just four matches left in this year's campaign to make the playoffs.

The Ventura County Star published the following recap in this morning's edition:

You can also see the coverage on the Ventura County Star's Website by clicking here. In addition, make sure to check out Ogden Standard-Examiner beat reporter Justin Johnson's more detailed game recap by clicking here.

Next up, the Fusion journey from Ogden to Provo, Utah to square off against the BYU Cougars on Saturday, July 10, at 7:00 p.m. PDT.

Media Training: The Thin Line Between PR Success and Failure

Media training -- the public relations function of comprehensively preparing spokespersons to conduct interviews with print, online, and broadcast reporters -- is, like many other elements of the profession, a unique combination of art and science. Even for experienced communicators, it can be a difficult proposition, and practice DOES make perfect...at least most of the time. Interestingly enough, though, some executives and celebrities NEVER get the hang of it, and we're constantly (and oh so painfully) reminded of this whenever they appear on camera. Why? Because television, of all the mediums today, most glaringly exposes one's oratory weaknesses, physical and verbal tics, and ability to maintain self-control.

Speaking from personal experience, nowhere is media training MORE needed than in professional sports. The actual percentage of prepared, well-spoken, and articulate athletes is less than 1%, and the least sophisticated interview subjects tend to be found in those sports, such as boxing, where many of the stars come from uneducated backgrounds. Obviously, I'm generalizing here, but the key takeaway is that more media training is needed in sports. Period.

And this is precisely what I thought about Lebron James last night during his ESPN special, "The Decision," to announce his intent to play for the Miami Heat beginning with the 2010-11 season. As I watching Jim Gray lob softball questions at the NBA superstar, I was also counting the number of cliches James used, and the number of times he said "You know." And you DON'T want to know the final totals of each. Let's just say that James ranks somewhere between Britney Spears and Caroline Kennedy (if you've never seen Kennedy's notorious 2008 interview on NY1, then click here) on the You Know Scale..and that's not a compliment.

Thankfully, I'm not the only who feels this way. As reported in several media outlets today, including TMZ and PRNewser, billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also mentioned on camera that James is in sore need of training (click on image to view video):

The irony? Cuban rarely grants TV interviews, presumably because of its ability to lay bare the aforementioned weaknesses, and instead, prefers to conduct most interviews by e-mail...where he can control the discussion and the messages he delivers (always a smart move).

Sports World A-Twitter: LeBron James Style

Just how powerful is Twitter, the increasingly-popular micro-blogging service, as a wide-reaching communications and social engagement tool for celebrities, professional athletes, politicians, and other well-known personalities? For the answer, look no further than LeBron James, who officially joined the service yesterday afternoon under the moniker @KingJames, and sent out his first tweet:

As widely reported by countless mainstream news, sports, and entertainment media outlets, including stories by the Associated Press, WebNewser, and Mashable, the NBA superstar amassed more than 25,000 followers in just the first hour after New Orleans Hornets point guard and close friend Chris Paul dropped a link to the account. Even more incredibly, James now has just over 250,000 followers (250,126, to be exact) as of 11:12 a.m. PDT on July 7 -- even though he has only tweeted three times and has yet to become a follower of anyone or anything.

Unbelievable...and the public interest in and discussion about free-agent James will only continue to grow as he mulls his decision about whether he stays with the Cleveland Cavaliers, or joins another team. The basketball prodigy is the most high-profile free agent, in any sport, in decades.

As also documented by the media, James will announce his decision live on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 8. Tune in to hear the news straight from the horse's mouth.

VC Fusion Edge OC Blue Star 2-1 In Close Match

Last night, CMAC client Ventura County Fusion moved its record to 7-3-1 in 2010 Premier Development League play with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the visiting and division-leading Orange County Blue Star.

Ventura County Star beat reporter and soccer columnist Joe Curley, and staff photographer Chuck Kirman, were on hand to chronicle all the action. Curley's comprehensive game recap appears below:

You can also see the coverage on the Ventura County Star's Website by clicking here.

CMAC Client VC Fusion To Face Division-Leading OC Blue Star Tonight; Game Preview In Ventura County Star

CMAC client Ventura County Fusion, with a record of 6-3-1 in Premier Development League play, and currently ranked third in the Southwest Division, will square off against the division-leading Orange County Blue Star (8-1-3) tonight at 7:00 p.m. PDT at Buena High School's Bulldog Stadium.

Ventura County Star beat reporter and soccer columnist Joe Curley previews tonight's match in this piece appearing in this morning's edition. The article also follows below:

Caged Animal? Nope...It's Just A Newspaper Columnist

As detailed in this post by Pandora Young today on FishbowlLA, Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit recently spent three days at the Santa Ana (Calif.) Zoo...as an animal exhibit, of all things.

The genus? Columnist Horribilis, although I'm sure I could have come up a better scientific label that more accurately reflects the sorry states of both journalism and the newspaper industry today. At the very least, it is an interesting, if not humorous and entertaining, social (read: zoological) experiment.

You can read Mickadeit's complete first-day account of the experience, along with photos and video, by clicking here. He details the second part of his zoo stay here.

VC Fusion's Brent Whitfield Profiled On ESPN Los Angeles

Ventura County Fusion forward Brent Whitfield, who turned pro with the Seattle Sounders, has played for Chivas USA of Major League Soccer (MLS), and is now one of the Premier Development League's (PDL) most prolific scorers, was profiled this week in a lengthy, informative feature by highly-regarded soccer columnist and blogger Scott French of ESPN Los Angeles.

Ventura County Fusion's Brent Whitfield In Action
Photo Courtesy: Jeffrey Farrar

Check out the profile in its entirety by clicking here.

New Entertainment Trend?: "Entourage" Star Adrian Grenier Handles Own PR Efforts

Now THIS is interesting: "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier claims he's never had a publicist (read: PR professional) in his acting career, and probably never will. In the world of entertainment, especially in Hollywood, this is practically unheard of.

According to this post today in PRNewser, and based on a recent interview Grenier granted with Steven Kurutz of the Wall Street Journal, the actor handles all of his own PR responsibilities because he wants to be more "authentic" and "creative" when dealing with the media. Regarding this issue, Grenier says, "“I don’t have a publicist and never have. I’m no stranger to self promotion. I find it first of all more authentic when you put a bit of your creative touch to what you’re trying to share.”

Should we consider this a trend? If a successful star like Grenier can do this on his own, does this mean that other celebrities will soon follow and begin dealing with the media directly (at least those besides the paparazzi) without representation?

Probably not. The fact is that the most stars outsource these activities because it is much more efficient and cost effective do so, and it is far easier to have an experienced third party handle these efforts on their behalf (but with significant input from the celebrity). Furthermore, and let's face it: lots of celebrities need coaching for every single interview and personal appearance. They're simply not equipped to manage these opportunities on their own, and their images are impacted when a given interview or appearance goes awry.

But Kudos to Grenier for taking the initiative to do this on his own. Time will tell if this remains an intelligent decision on his part, or if he chooses to enlist assistance from the professional PR community that will further his acting ambitions and exposure.

CMAC Client VC Fusion Featured In Ventura County Star; Team To Face Portsmouth F.C. On July 17

CMAC client Ventura County Fusion,the region’s first and only professional soccer franchise, and the reigning champions of the Premier Development League (PDL), was prominently featured in this morning's edition of the Ventura County Star in a story entitled "Fusion Brings The World To Ventura."

In the article, Star soccer reporter and columnist Joe Curley previews the team's upcoming international exhibition match against two-time Football Association (FA) Challenge Cup winner and 2010 FA Cup runner-up Portsmouth Football Club. The friendly will take place at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Sat., July 17, 2010, at Oxnard College Stadium. The Portsmouth exhibition represents the first-ever meeting between the clubs, and the Fusion’s third match against English teams during its four-year history.

You can also see the coverage on the Star's Website by clicking here.