Leonardo DiCaprio will take to the silver screen as Jay Gatsby on May 10 when the latest adaptation of the famed F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby, makes its debut in movie theaters in the US, but there are more than a few brands looking to ride the publicity for some consumer love of their own.

Hotels.com is aiming to help one couple “live like Gatsby” for a weekend (though one hopes it doesn’t include the man’s incredible loneliness, insensitivity to others, painful death, or nearly empty funeral as part of the proceedings). Wannabe Gatsby-ites can tweet @Hotelsdotcom between May 6 and May 9 about their favorite luxuries while traveling and include the hashtag #GreatGiveaway. The grand prize: a two-night stay at Boston’s Langham Hotel, which was originally built in 1922 as the Federal Reserve Bank.

For those who don’t win, Hotels.com is showcasing getaways on its site that would be fit for a luxurious Gatsby-like vacation, such as the art deco murals of The Inn at Great Neck on Long Island to the live jazz and themed cocktails of South Carolina’s The Willcox, among other swanky locales.Continue reading...

This week, Scion will select the 10 final winners in its Motivate program to help and learn from entrepreneurs in the creative community. It's also another step in the brand's program to engage more fully with Millennial consumers not only who might be creatives but also who might be inspired by their aims and passions—some of the same kinds of passions exemplified by Scion's youthful positioning and the unique designs of its vehicles.

The 50 Motivate semifinalists heard from speakers and learned and shared business-building skills during a three-day workshop in Santa Monica, Calif., last week, at the end of which each of the 10 finalists will receive $10,000, a Scion vehicle and a tie-in to a personal business mentor.

"If our objective is only to get a big share of the independent-minded-entrepreneur market, we're probably not going to hit our sales targets with that alone," Doug Murtha, vice president of Scion, joked to brandchannel. "But one thing we learned is that the concept of going out on your own and taking something you have a personal interest in and making a profession out of it resonates with the unemployed, the underemployed and people working at big companies as well. Whether they have the gumption to go do that is another thing altogether."Continue reading...

Apple's top designer Sir Jonathan Ive grew up in England watching Blue Peter, the BBC series that moved last year from BBC One to the CBBC kids diginet and still holds the title of the world's longest-running kids' TV program.

Ive was was recently paid a visit by show presenter Barney at Apple HQ in Cupertino, Calif., during which he judged a viewer design contest and received a gold Blue Peter badge, which judging by his reaction may have been a bigger thrill than being elevated to a Knight of the British Empire by the Queen.

Watch below, with a hat-tip to The Unofficial Apple Weblog for spotting this gem.Continue reading...

Next year, Kermit the Frog may be singing, "It IS easy being green." He'll be delighted to know that Pantone has selected Emerald Green as the Color of the Year for 2013, and will feel right at home on its Pinterest board devoted to the exact shade of green: 17-5641.

For over a decade, Pantone, a company long associated with setting color standards in printing, has been selecting a "Color of the Year." According to the company, "Pantone quite literally combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention."

So why is 2013 a Green kind of year? "Green is the most abundant hue in nature — the human eye sees more green than any other in the spectrum," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today's complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors."Continue reading...

As three’s the charm, the Heineken Ideas Brewery is launching its third initiative: The 60+ Challenge. The previous challenges invited the public to reinvent the draught beer experience, and participate in a live innovation event.

Now the Dutch brewer, at 140 years young, is asking creatives worldwide to share observations and insights by Feb. 28th on the lives of those 60+. Participants will compete for a chance to win a share of $10,000 and have their entries, film, photos, or prose, included in a documentary.Continue reading...

Steve Jobs's vision for a 2.8 million square foot, energy-efficient, spaceship-shaped new corporate HQ for Apple that is plunked down on a lush 176-acre campus in Cupertino, California, lives on — although it’s going to take a little longer to build than originally planned.

When Jobs pitched the design to the Cupertino City Council in the summer of 2011, the hope was to have the 14,200 employees that might work there doing their thing at the new facility sometime in 2015. Now it is looking like it could take another year, according to Bloomberg.

The company submitted its new plans to the city last week but must wait for Cupertino to complete an environmental impact report before moving forward on groundbreaking. That report could take till next June.

“They could conceivably break ground in 2013, but only if everything goes smoothly,” said David Brandt, Cupertino’s city manager, Bloomberg reports. And, of course, with any construction, particularly one of this size, nothing ever goes completely smoothly.

The new plans don’t have any big changes from the original vision. A footbridge over a stream has been removed and a freestanding 1,000-seat auditorium has been moved further from a road. The city will post the plans online so everybody can get a gander after Thanksgiving. That way they’ll have time to add more servers so the flow of traffic won’t crash their system. That’s something Apple’s local taxes can surely help pay for.

Even in death, Steve Jobs’ presence remains larger than life. As the world notes his passing one year ago today, the news and social media are filled with articles and tributes comparable to the recent Presidential debate. 

On Oct. 5, 2001, Apple's homepage posted the striking image above and called out for tributes. Today, Apple posted a touching video tribute to its cofounder on its homepage today, along with a note from his successor as CEO, Tim Cook, that read, in part: "Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place."Continue reading...

Chanel has released a trailer and the first chapter (below) for "Inside Chanel," the first time it's telling its brand story online with an interactive timeline and iconic advertising images such as Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol's No. 5 bottle.Continue reading...