iPhone App Rapp

What do you get when musicians, technicians, and comedians get together?  "I am T-Pain", of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITT6bYYGVfM

All this creative technological prowess has produced something totally useless but severely entertaining.

The iPhone app, brought to us by T-Pain himself, allows users to karaoke over T-pain's songs in his trademark, auto-tune style -- then share the 'vocal stylings' online or via email.

And not only does T-Pain promote himself, but he's also leveraged his guest appearance in an SNL sketch for extra cash.   

For $0.99 more, you can buy the instrumental version of the hit SNL sketch "I am on a boat"   complete with Karaoke style lyrics.  

But wait there's more!

Other's lyrics need not limit you. There are instrumental songs a'plenty which allow you to "free style" your own poetry in emotion.  So watch out for Happy B-day, Mom, with an auto-tuned twist.

Appreciation of Hip-hop, SNL, or even the iPhone aside, one has to concede this is an entertaining interactive experience that promotes purely, while it pads the creators pockets a bit.

Could your own iPhone app music video be far behind?  Bring it, MileyBrittneyJonasWilco.  Wait, who's Wilco?

-BWM

Saturn Cars: When Big Tries A Little

We've seen it before:  Plank Road Brewing from Miller.  Ted from United.  Saturn from GM.

Occasionally, the 'intrapreneurial' spirit works.

Saturn was the small car company feel and action from within the belly of the GM behemoth.

But it died.  Even a sale to the smart, savvy car-man turned conglomerate Roger Penske couldn't happen 11th hour.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=139370

Why did Saturn fail in the first place?

• little has a hard time getting resourced OR left alone to thrive

• little is held to same standards as big in P&L, reporting -- and expected to fit the big system in distribution, timelines, velocity or other biz metrics

• little is sometimes staffed the same as big -- or with big minded people who don't fit

Sadly, this wasn't Saturn's fault.  

And we would think there's still some positive brand residue there.  But it's only worth a little -- until in message and in mode, someone makes a big shift forward with it again.