trending topic tuesday

‘Harry Potter’ Series Lives on Through Branded Merchandise

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.

The final installation of the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, smashed box office records and brought in nearly half a billion dollars in its opening weekend. But the story and its revenue-generating potential are far from over, if the countless forms Harry Potter branded merchandise has taken over the years are any indicator of just how far-reaching this franchise really is.

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Launchpad Calling Mission Control: We’re Headed into an iCloud

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.Moscone Center
Steve Jobs addressed a crowd of 5,200 developers at the 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco yesterday, and while he didn’t announce the release of the iPhone 5 (which members of the tech world had already guessed), he did speak about a number of updates to the company’s software that will improve functionality – and, likely, sales – of Apple’s already easy-to-use products such as the MacBook, iPad, and iPhone. And if you’ve always wanted to be a pilot or an astronaut, I’m sure that some of these new products and services will catch your ear.

Indeed, some of the features of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion sound like they were developed by NASA: we’ve got Mission Control, which makes it easy for Mac users to quickly navigate among apps and spaces; Launchpad, which allows users to find and launch apps from where they left off the last time they were closed; and iCloud, Apple’s own cloud-based file storage system that gives users the ability to access music, videos, images and more from any Apple device without having to upload them from their Mac to their iPod to their iPad (and so on).

iOS 5, the operating system used by mobile devices (the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad), also features a number of significant changes that make things both easier and more efficient for users. The camera is accessible via a shortcut from the lock screen, and all devices will be equipped with iMessenger, a conversation platform that allows individuals to carry on a single conversation (free of charge) between various iOS devices. Much like Blackberry’s BBM platform, iMessenger facilitates communication between iOS users via Wi-Fi or 3G to cut back on text messages.

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Washington Wizards Debut New Logo Apparel

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.

The Washington Wizards, a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., held a press conference this morning to unveil a new franchise logo as well as new home and away jerseys that pay homage to the team’s history.

The new logo apparel is an updated take on the old Washington Bullets uniform. The Bullets became the Wizards in 1997.

The Wizards’ new home jersey, pictured at left, is primarily white, while the new away jersey is primarily red. Both jerseys feature a red, white & blue color scheme that matches the uniforms worn by the other D.C.-based teams that also play at the capital city’s Verizon Center: the Mystics (WNBA) and the Captials (NHL). The team’s logo apparel has featured a number of color schemes over the years, from navy and orange to black and bronze; however, the Wizards’ only NBA championship was secured 33 years ago when they wore red, white & blue as the Washington Bullets. The new jerseys are quite similar in color and in style to the ones worn by that winning team, albeit with a few modern influences: ‘washington’ on the away jersey and ‘wizards’ on the home jersey are both spelled with lowercase letters, and the design of each is crisp, clean and contemporary.

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