This just in from the IAB’s MIXX event in New York City today, where Seth Godin gave the keynote and fired up the crowd with this comment: “There is too much clutter … because we’ve branded ourselves to death.”

Godin's beef: Savvy consumers are over-saturated with the glut of brand advertising and “no longer want to be spammed with information about a product, service, or experience; they want to feel a connection to it,” as Emily Molitor reports.

The key takeaway: “People need a reason to purchase, to be part of something bigger, to join a tribe.” Godin has been banging the "brands must have tribes" drum for a while; see the 2009 video above. His latest examples?Continue reading...

Palm unveils the "cute" smartphone Pixi, aimed at the young [NYT]; HTC, Taiwanese maker of Google's smartphone, begins US ad campaign to establish its brand identity [Ad Age].

BT experiments with stores to sell its broadband service. [BrandRepublic]

Coming soon to American playgrounds: UK brand Liquiband medical glue approved by the US Food and Drug Administration [FT]

Would China's Geely Automotive buy Volvo? Could they manage an international auto brand? [Reuters]

Warner Bros. earned $1 billion this summer, fueled by box office-topping "The Final Destination" [Hollywood Reporter]

The Beatles brand roars to life with today's release of Rock Band: The Beatles and the remastered reissue of their entire catalog. [LA Times]

(More headlines: McDonalds, 9/11 ad fail, deadly fad diets.) Continue reading...