What desperation looks like.

2:30 Doctor Puppet Episode 1 - The Red X

more episodes

GOOGLE SEARCH NOW SHOWS NUTRITION INFORMATION FOR 1,000 FOODS

"OK, GOOGLE. HOW MUCH FAT IS IN AN AVOCADO?"

BY: CHRISTINA CHAEY

---

The next time you want to know if bananas are high in carbs, or how many calories are in that burrito, you won't have to hunt through the often-questionable sea of blue links that come up in a Google search.

Starting today, Google is rolling out a new feature that provides detailed nutritional information for more than 1,000 fruits, vegetables, meats, and meals in search. According to the Google Search blog, users will hear answers to their questions, "see relevant nutrition information under an expansion, and be able to switch to other related foods or serving sizes." The tool is available in the U.S. and is sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

On Thursday, Google demonstrated the feature at an event in New York aimed at showing how the company's products can be seamlessly integrated into one's everyday life. During a kitchen demo, Googlers made kitchen-centric queries using the hands-free voice search feature the company promoted heavily at this year'sGoogle I/O.

DELICIOUS MARKETING LESSONS FROM ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S VORACIOUS BRAND

I’m a voracious traveler. For the past 30 years, I’ve traversed nearly every state, trekked through Central American rainforests, swam the rough Pacific seas, and sampled Europe’s refined cultures.

Nothing, however, compares to Anthony Bourdain’s travel log. In case you do not subscribe to cable TV, Bourdain hosted a highly acclaimed show on The Travel Channel, No Reservations. He is a prolific food author and speaker with a penchant for food porn. He just landed a food-documentary series on CNN, Parts Unknown.

Bourdain doesn’t sample new cultures; he feasts on them. He lives in the moment with every episode. It’s a Zen experience to watch his shows. He is on a mission to help our society connect with and embrace other cultures through shared food experiences.

As a senior marketer, do you have the same voracious appetite for your organization and your customers?

Recently my husband and I attended Bourdain’s one-man lecture, Guts & Glory, in Washington D.C. Actually, it was more like a two-hour rant on the U.S. junk food industrial complex. He also shared some savory video nuggets from his 20-year global food journey. That’s where his mission became very clear to me. These highlights may give you some food for thought on how gutsy you are when it comes to expressing your personal and organizational brand:

1. Tell the truth. Now. Bourdain’s first vignette offered scathing words on the Paula Deen cooking empire.

According to Bourdain, Deen waited at least three years before telling her community about her diabetes. Reports indicate she was diagnosed in 2008. He also believes that she waited for the ink to dry on her sponsorship deal with drugmaker Novo Nordisk. In early 2012, she teamed with them to promote a Novo diabetes drug. In a 2012 interview with Eater, Bourdain challenged her decision: “When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 Diabetes... It's in bad taste if nothing else. How long has she known? I suspect a very long time.” Delay and deception are the ingredients to launching a phony brand.

2. Make it personal. Bourdain dedicated the last portion of his lecture and No Reservations video montage to a topic that hits closer to home: teaching our children to eat healthy. For him, it’s personal. Bourdain quit smoking when his daughter was born six years ago, and his commitment to teaching her healthy eating habits soon followed. He told Grub Street New York that “I've gone with the black propaganda method. I've told my child that McDonald's is bad and causes horrifying health effects that are likely to make her unhealthy, physically unattractive, and marginalized at school. Scaring the hell out of a kid isn't so hard. Ronald McDonald is a bad guy in our house. He's not a friendly clown.”

3. Choose acceptance over austerity. I will be the first to admit that Bourdain’s presentation, at times, made me uncomfortable. He has “issues” with vegetarians who make rigid special menu requests prior to a hosted culinary gathering. During his many Vietnam treks, for example, Bourdain has always been aware that some natives serve dog. His host--an amputee who lost both legs to the stray landmines American troops had dropped during the Vietnam war--served Bourdain an unidentified meat with great kindness and hospitality. That’s when Bourdain enforced his personal “Grandma rule.” “When I was a boy, we always ate Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma’s. She served the same dry turkey every year. And even though I hated it, I smiled and said ‘thank you.’”

Choosing acceptance over rigor, sharing your personal story, and responding rapidly take guts. You need to tap into your “inner marketing guru” to find what’s true. Bourdain’s boundary-less brand beliefs will keep you on the road to brand glory. Bon appetit.

2013 Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

MAY 28, 2013 |

Yesterday, on a farm near Gloucester, England, thousands gathered for the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, continuing a tradition that dates back at least 200 years, despite recent warnings from police. In the event, groups of fearless racers risk life and limb chasing an 8 pound (3.5 kg) round of Double Gloucester Cheese down an extremely steep and uneven hill, with a 1:1 gradient in some sections. The last officially organized race was in 2009, since then, it has continued unofficially every year, despite the potential for serious injury. Earlier, local police warned cheese-maker Diana Smart, who has supplied cheese to the race for 25 years, that she may be construed as a race organizer, and therefore legally liable. The BBC reports that this year organizers replaced the cheese with a lightweight foam version, in order to make the race safer. The winner of the race takes home the cheese