Giant Helium Balloon

Summary: There has been so much speculation on the future of the U.S. economy that it is hard to say what really is going to happen. As the markets continue to fluctuate, each sector and index is saying something different.

Not too long ago, the consumer confidence was up to points not seen since 2007, pre-Great Recession times. Now, consumer confidence is up to levels near ’08–’09. Earlier this summer the Dow reached 15,000 points for the first time in history. Then recently when Bernanke announced the Fed’s future plans…

Summary: Overall, advertising has had an uphill battle to maintain a positive reputation, inside and outside the industry. Outside, we have anti-advertising groups and consumer advocacy groups calling for the banning of advertising, and inside the industry we have professionals who think what they’re doing adds no benefit to society, and are consistently cynical about themselves…

Summary: This week ended the Game of Cones promotion from HBO and Foursquare, which involved people checking into ice-cream shops in New York and San Francisco to find out who would win the Iron Cone. Whichever shop got the most check-ins got to give away free samples alongside the throne from HBO’s “Game of Thrones” at the South Street Seaport in New York City. Big Gay Ice Cream was the victor for New York with nearly 700 more votes than runner-up Milk Bar. Although HBO has traveled a “Game of Thrones” exhibit in the past, this set up was oddly similar to Netflix’s “Arrested Development” promotion, with one exception: The turnout. Back when “Arrested Development” launched its traveling campaign…