Get Terminated04.8.2009
I’ve probably heard about the new Terminator movie at least once a week since it’s been announced, courtesy our Fearless Leader, Josh. I sent him a link to TerminateYourself.com with a note saying “your next twenty minutes are gone.” I was right. I could pretend to tell you how we had an in-depth discussion about how great of an online marketing tool this was, and how it was a really smart use of the brand. But really, Apex just got terminated. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies04.1.2009The fantastic folks at Quirk Books were kind enough to send a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies our way, and while I haven’t gotten a chance to finish it, I can certainly say it’s everything I’d hoped it could be. I hate to use such a cliche line, but in this case, you really can judge a book by its cover. The scenes of Victorian English romance and social drama mesh surprisingly well with vicious attacks by the decomposing undead. I’ll admit I’m not crazy about Jane Austen, but how can you not love passages like this:
The book’s currently sold out on Quirk Book’s page, but Amazon’s still got it. March Madness from SportsGamingEdge.com03.17.2009
It’s March Madness time again, and to celebrate we put together this swanky interactive bracket for Sports Gaming Edge.com, a sports picks site with some of the heavy hitters of the industry. I’m still working on my bracket, but at least I have a fancy way to get everything printed out and professional-looking. Looks much better than than the time I tried to make it in MS Paint and fill it out with a crayon. AOL Men’s blog Asylum are big fans too, and even made it the official bracket for their site. Tropicana Listens to Consumers, Changes Packaging02.26.2009
This past January, I remember my typical routine of picking up a bagel at the place around the corner and while my onion bagel (w/ scallion cream cheese) was getting made, I decided to pick up some OJ. I reached into the fridge and… what the hell were these unfamiliar cartons staring me in the face? Tropicana had changed their packaging. My problem with the new packages wasn’t the design itself – in fact, I kind of liked the artwork and new look. The problem is this is a case of “good design, wrong client.” Removing the iconic orange and straw for which the brand has been known for years made it confusing (or worse, invisible) to consumers. From my own experiences in marketing, I’ve learned one thing: no two clients are alike, and what works for one might be disastrous for another. To the delight of orange juice fans everywhere, Tropicana has done the right thing and is reverting to the old packaging style. I’m pretty positive this is the most thought I’ve ever put into orange juice. I’m thirsty now. Depeche Mode Offers First iTunes All-You-Can-Eat Package02.24.2009
In a digital twist of the old 7″ singles clubs (”pay us a bunch of money now, and we’ll send you a bunch of stuff that we promise will be cool”), Depeche Mode have just announced they’re releasing their new album Sounds of the Universe as an iTunes Pass subscription. $19 gets you the album when it comes out, as well as exclusive singles, remixes, and videos, all DRM-free. Not a bad price, if you’re a massive David Gahan fan. Just another example of what I love about digital distribution: with no physical product to worry about, artists are able to release anything they think their fans will be into. [via Gizmodo] 02.23.2009
In the world of iLikes, Last.fm, MySpace pages, and whatever other ways to get music from bands, it’s rare to see an official page of an artist get everything so right. Phoenix’s page for their new single “1901″ is stellar. Great music, well-designed, and it accomplished what it set out for: I was vaguely familiar with the band, but I’ll certainly be waiting for the album to drop now. Click here for free (French!) jams. [via kitsune noir] (It’s taken Apex awhile to get over the fact that it’s actually 2009. We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled blogging about new music, videos of kittens, and cool gadgets. You can thank us later.) It’s Mid-December Already?12.16.2008If you’re feeling a bit behind on all of your Festivus shopping this year (and happen to be located in Dumbo, like us), you might want to check out the Dumbo NYC blog’s list of all of the specials and sales currently running in the neighborhood. I kind of want to head over to Halcyon and shout, “Economic Crisis… Fuggetaboutit,” not because it’s a cool record shop or that saying that’ll give me 10% off… I just want to do it. New Xbox Experience Most Awesome Thing In History (Since 1954, Anyway)11.19.2008
Today, Microsoft unveiled the New Xbox Experience (or NXE for short), which basically amounts to a new menu system for the Xbox, but with Netflix streaming and a dash of the Mii characters from the Nintendo Wii added in for good measure. It’s pretty cool, and a much-needed improvement. But yesterday, Microsoft also sent out a press release about the NXE that… well… I’ll just let you read the beginning paragraph.
…Seriously? I can understand the difficulty in finding a great angle for a press release, but I think someone over-shot the mark by a bit with this one. Yes, the Xbox is cool. Yes, NXE is cool. But I’m not going to be bowled over that it’s a little easier to find my Xbox Live games and watch Escape from New York whenever I want. Then again, having Escape from New York on-demand, all the time might just be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Snake Plissken is pretty badass. Louis Vuitton’s Gift To 5th Ave11.8.2008
Louis Vuitton, never one to shy away from public displays of art and luxuriousness, is pulling out all the stops for the holiday shopping season. They’ve hired Mr. Takashi Murakami to gift wrap their 5th Ave store – because they wanted to do something ‘truly unique for the holiday season’. Yeah, I think they did it. Construction starts today and should be done on Sunday. via Fashion Indie via WWD Super NES Classic11.7.2008
Davis is the ish! and is making this rad event happen here in NYC. Come party with Apex! See you there? |
