In this trendwatching podcast, Cathi Bond mentions Levi’s new ‘workshops’ campaign, which includes both a website and a real store/workshop.  Smart branding indeed.  Check the site out and let us know what you think. Nora mentions this story that suggests Levi’s is launching a new line in China.

Meanwhile, Nora Young gets a kick out of Cloud Music, a new music app for iPhone that piggybacks on Google Docs (via WIRED).  She also mentions Google’s reported new music service.  What would it take for you to go with a subscription-based music service?

 

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Cathi and Nora are back, but Cathi’s on the injured list!  Check out the gory details!

In this trendwatching podcast, Nora Young mentions AOL’s new plan to relaunch themselves as content creators. Part of their strategy includes monitoring very closely which articles are getting the most heat, and tracking what’s popular online. (Via Business Week). Is this just an extension of what MSM already do, or the future of a journalistic echo chamber?

Cathi mentions that thesniffer used to be with Rabble.  Nora refers to a great story about the history of journalism on the always excellent Planet Money.

Meanwhile, Cathi Bond weighs in on Apple’s recent decision to pull sexy apps for its phone/touch and presumably the iPad.  What do you think?  Creeping nannyism, or sound business decision as the iPad looks to be the family media centre?

Finally, Nora exhorts you to check out the hilarious Unhappy Hipsters.

 

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In today’s trendwatching podcast, Nora Young mentions State Farm’s promotional app for the iPhone, complete with tips for what to do in an emergency (via Springwise).

Cathi Bond found a great set of predictions by IBM for tech innovations in urban environments in the next five years.  (Via the ever-awesome Gizmag).  Nora thinks two of the trends in particular, related to responsive cities, are going to be huge, and cites Google Map’s Navigation as just one example of the coming trend.

 

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