"Sh*tty" Packaging

My wife and I gave a few rolls of ShitBegone toilet paper to her parents years ago as a joke. It was sold at our local bodega in Brooklyn and was hugely popular among the foam dome hat and wallet chain wearing hipsters in our neighborhood.

Last week, Anya and I trekked back up north for a party at her parent's house, and between vodka tonics, I re-discovered it on the shelf. I had no idea they still had it - much less, displayed it like a work of art in their bathroom.

If you're still reading this post, check out this shitastic article from 2002 featuring creator, Jed Ela, explaining how it all started as an art project. His website also claims they've sold more than 150,000 rolls. Gotta love a guy who can turn his sense of humor into a brand...even if it is a potty humor brand.

The Sound of Collaboration

Friends and clients of Release The Hounds probably get a bit tired of me talking about the power of collaboration. Come to think of it, I get tired of hearing myself talk about it. But, by including people in your process (whether it's product development, customer support, sales, etc) you give them ownership in the brand. Or in this case, ownership in the band. And ownership paves the way to loyalty and innovation.

Recently my friend, Mickey, turned me on to this really inspirational video for "I've seen enough" by the Cold War Kids (directed by Sam Jones of Tool). I love the way fans can interact with the song by clicking on the colored tabs above each member to control the instrument he's playing or even mute it. For example, if you click on the blue tab above the guy on the far left, he switches from guitar to xylophone in real time.

Shot in a recording studio against a simple black background, the band played 4 different versions of the song. And as a result, fans can remix the track a ton of different ways.

It would be really cool if fans could record their remix somehow, and send it to friends - or even post it on the band's website to be rated by other fans. That would be a great way to increase portability and community. But, it would also be a lot more expensive, and I'm just happy they pushed it this far.

Check it out and make sure to let it preload.