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Remember when MySpace killed Friendster? Well — Friendster didn’t technically die. It simply reinvented itself as a social gaming site. And while it may have faded into obscurity here in the United States, Friendster has attracted more than half a million new users since its format change in June of 2011, with a 50% increase in active daily users. Why haven’t you heard about it? Well, more than 90% of these new users hail from Asia.

And if you thought Facebook killed MySpace, you’re wrong. Like Friendster, the social networking site is merely shifting its focus in another direction and leveraging what it does best: music. The paradigm shift began with a change of ownership in June of last year (including musician and The Social Network star Justin Timberlake), followed by a new music player which was unveiled in December.

Bowing out of the old social media enclave has put MySpace in direct competition with another wildly popular music destination, Spotify. Although new to the category, MySpace has an advantage: licensing deals with thousands of record labels and a music library of 42 million tracks (that’s nearly three times larger than Spotify). Unsigned music acts also use MySpace to share new music and gain exposure.

By changing its tune, MySpace appears to have found new life. Since the new music player was launched, MySpace claims to have added one million new users, with 40,000 users signing up each day. In addition, MySpace recently announced a partnership with Panasonic to create MySpace TV, which will allow users to share and comment on music videos and television shows.

While it will inevitably still be the home of many high-angle, poorly-lit cell phone self-portraits, the new MySpace features a cleaner, more sophisticated look. And in the ultimate gesture of maturity, MySpace appears to know how to share. In fact, MySpace users are asked to make their music social by sharing it on Facebook. Sharing MySpace music on Facebook? Maybe there is hope for world peace after all.

What do you think of the new MySpace? Is it music to your ears, or will it be the site’s swan song?

If you missed this year’s Grammy Awards, you missed a really tremendous commercial. The groundbreaking Chipotle spot – the company’s first national ad – mixes a Willie Nelson cover of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” with an animated story about a farmer coming to grips with the industrialization of his trade. As you’ll see, Nelson’s contemplative singing (way better than the original, in my opinion) is the perfect complement to the gripping, simply-told story about a brand that hopes to do things the right way. To that end, a portion of the sales of the song used in the spot will go to a charity Chipotle established to work toward a more sustainable food future.

Many of us here in Northeast Ohio have been wondering what happened to our typical cold, snowy winter this year. Once the winter season was officially underway, I figured the next big blizzard was probably just around the corner but with February quickly coming to a close, we might just be looking back on a fairly mild winter once it’s all said and done. While this is fantastic news to many, it may be a little disappointing to the avid winter sports enthusiast.

Believe it or not, there are countless ways to get out and enjoy the winter weather for little to no cost, and as I’ve discovered in recent years, this is especially true right here in our own backyard. With everything from cross-country skiing to ice fishing to tobogganing, the Cleveland area has a lot to offer those who are looking for a cure to the winter doldrums. So, if we do get a blast of winter before the season is over, the following are just a few ideas to inspire you to become the winter sports enthusiast you’ve always wanted to be. Otherwise, it will just give you something to look forward to next winter!

1. The Chalet Toboggan Chutes located in Strongsville at Mill Stream Run Reservation in the Cleveland Metroparks features two 1,000-foot refrigerated ice chutes. These are the only public toboggan chutes in Ohio and they remain open from Thanksgiving until March regardless of whether there is snow on the ground.

2. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are fun activities and a great workout! The Winter Sports Center at Kendall Lake Shelter in Peninsula allows you to rent both cross-country skis and snowshoes on select days throughout the season.

3. Hiking or even trail running (depending on how ambitious you‘re feeling) can be especially scenic during the winter throughout the Cleveland Metroparks and along the Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

4. Sledding and snow tubing: What better way to feel like a kid again then to enjoy one of several sledding hills throughout the area open to the public.

5. Ice skating: Enjoy outdoor skating in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art at The Rink at Wade Oval in University Circle or if you’d prefer an indoor rink, there are plenty to choose from in Northeast Ohio.

6. Ice fishing locations are plentiful in the Cleveland Metroparks and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park when the conditions are right. Needless to say, this probably hasn’t been the best winter for ice fishing.

Do you plan to embrace what’s left of the winter season or are you counting down the days until summer?

Last Thursday night we attended the 2011 Cleveland AAF ADDY Show at Quicken Loans Arena, a celebration of great achievements in advertising by Cleveland agencies over the past year. Melamed Riley was thrilled to receive eight awards for work we created for two great clients: DAP Products, Inc., and The MetroHealth System. We would like to thank them for giving us the opportunity to create award-winning work on their behalf. We’d also like to acknowledge the talented creative partners who helped make it all possible:

• TRG Reality
• TWC Films
• John Scofield
• Garage Creative Studios
• Jim Gallop of Gallop Studios

Silver Awards:

Non-Traditional Advertising | Non-Traditional
DAP Products, Inc.
“DAP Elevator Floor Graphics”

To read more about this project check out: Don’t fall for the sell in.

Television | Local TV Campaign
The Metro Health System
“The Comeback Local TV Campaign”

To read more about this campaign check out: Inspired by Cleveland. + The comeback continues.

Bronze Awards:

Direct Marketing | Specialty Advertising
DAP Products, Inc.
“DAP Commercial Shopping Bag”

Consumer or Trade Publication | Consumer/Trade Campaign, Color
DAP Products, Inc.
“DAP Spec Line Campaign”

To read more about this campaign check out: What the job demanded.

Television | Local TV
The Metro Health System
“Heroes”

Mixed/Multiple Media | Mixed-Media, Local Consumer
The Metro Health System
“The Comeback Mixed Media”

Visit The Comeback microsite: Metro Health, Proud Sponsors Of The Comeback.

To say the Star Wars franchise is a worldwide success would be an understatement. Not only is George Lucas cashing in with each new film technology to hit the screens, the latest being 3D, so are advertisers alike. With Darth Vader getting a cameo in the past two Super Bowls thanks to Volkswagen, the empire seems to keep striking back. And why not, box office revenue plus merchandise sold is somewhere near the
$25 billion mark. The Star Wars universe is ever expanding and, like our own, shows no signs of slowing down.

In addition to VW, here are some other marketers who have summoned “the force” to sell merch:

1. Microsoft Xbox Kinect

2. Lego

3. TomTom GPS

4. Volkswagen

5. Disney/MGM Studios

6. Adidas

7. Snickers

8. Blockbuster Video

9. DirectTV

10. Audi

By now I am sure you have heard about the uberly popular (yes, uberly, because that is the most extreme word I can think of) new social media site called Pinterest. If not, it’s time to throw away that old heavy bulletin board, log onto Pinterest.com and start pinning things in the virtual world. But I must warn you: you may just get sucked in.

In a very short time, the popularity of this vision-styled photo sharing website has skyrocketed. In fact, Pinterest has just reached 11.7 million unique monthly U.S. visitors, and are noted as having “crossed the 10 million mark faster than any other standalone site in history.” Just to be sure you grasp the magnitude of statement “in history” – it means Pinterest has grown faster than Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and even that ugly stepsister we all call Google+. And you know you are a big deal when not one but SEVEN sites try to copy your style. Pinterest, I give you props for being a trendsetter.

One thing that truly makes Pinterest stand out is that it is the first social site to really transcend the early adopter’s category and reach a less tech-savvy female audience (the male audience seems to be slower to get on the Pinterest bandwagon, but that’s a whole other blog post.) Pinterest is being widely embraced by crafters, homemakers, chefs, fashionistas, tech-geeks and so many more. From wedding planning and home improvement projects to creative ideas for school lunches, people already use Pinterest in various different ways and those uses and motivators will only continue to evolve further as time goes by.

For those in the know about Pinterest, what one word would you use to describe it? I took this very question to the social media streets to find out how people would capture the essence of this very Pinteresting site.

Here are a few of the responses I received, in no specific order:

Sales – revenue is always on someone’s mind.

Pinteresting – soon to be added to the English dictionary next to “retweet.”

Gestalt – an instance or example of such a unified whole. Man, this is deep.

Inspiration –to see this in action check out #pinstoprojects on Twitter.

Creativity – people are now playing with glue sticks and crayons much more often.

Addictive – once you start pinning, you just can’t stop.

Motivational – put your money where your pin is.

Barbie for Grownups – ok I know this is more than one word, but it was such a great description.

Beautiful – pick up your chin, and stop drooling.

Amazeballs – not quite sure what this means, but I like it.

Genius – the moment you wish you had a rewind button so you could go back and do it yourself.

Colorful – even Pee Wee Herman would agree with this description.

There are so many more words that could be added to this list. So drop us your two cents, I would love to know how you would describe Pinterest in one word!

Don’t panic! You have plenty of time to pick up some second-rate flowers or the chocolates with nuts no woman I have ever met likes. How about some picked-over stuffed animal? Nothing says last minute like receiving a stupid panda bear holding a rose. As far as I’m concerned, every day with my girlfriend (or whatever she wants to be known as) is Valentine’s Day. Go ahead, roll your eyes. However cliché that sounds, it’s the truth. One thing she does that I love is send me real corny but hilarious e-cards. Some contain really off-the-wall comments and others just pick on my love of wearing Crocs with socks and being an all-around dork. They’re sweet, funny, and they let me know she is thinking of me. There is nothing better than getting (and giving) something unexpected.