What? I didn't even know John Tesh was coming to town!

So your favorite artist is coming your way. Great! Only you find out 24 hours too late. Crap! And now you are stuck scrambling to find tickets that are either a) in the nosebleed section, b) jacked up in price, or c) both a and b. If you've never had the displeasure of this experience, you can stop reading right now.

If you have felt this pain, then it's time to take a look at Songkick. By combing through ticket vendors, publications and venues, Songkick is able to track your favorite artists and then immediately let you know when they're scheduled to make an appearance in your neck of the woods. And it's ridiculously easy to let Songkick know who you like. Just use it through iTunes, Spotify or even via Facebook.  It'll simply scan the artists in your library or the ones you've "liked," and then bam, you've got a calendar of concerts near you.

Pretty handy little application. And a sure-fire way to guarantee that the next time John Tesh goes on tour you will not miss out on his magical live rendition of "Like a virgin."

The Invisible Car

Auto advertising can often be quite predictable. If your sports car goes 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds, you show it. If your spacious SUV can fit a small army of soccer players in it, you show it. If it can handle rough terrain and snow with ease, you show it performing doughnuts on Antarctica while the driver enjoys a hot cup of cocoa without spilling... unless the creative team of course prefers sunshine, then you head to the desert or the beach.

That's why this execution from Mercedes, while very unique and eye-catching, is actually right in line with traditional automobile marketing. Mercedes is launching their environmental friendly F Cell technology, which produces precisely "0.0 emissions." The challenge obviously is, "How do you show nothing?" Watch the video. Very cool.

A Razor Fight

If you work in marketing, you've certainly heard the phrase, "Give away the razors to sell the blades." And if you've ever purchased blades, you know exactly why they say that... because those tiny, sharp pieces of metal and plastic are serious money makers.  Well, someone is now looking to shake up this razor situation. Meet DollarShaveClub.com. 

A new idea in the male grooming category, Dollar Shave Club offers a monthly razor membership starting at just $1 (plus s&h).  This basic package gets you 5 twin blades every month. You can also upgrade to the The 4X or The Executive for a greater quality of blade.
 
Not only does this make for an interesting and different business model, but the way Dollar Shave Club is positioning itself is equally fresh. Dollar Shave Club looks and feels like the anti-Gillette. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It doesn't try to amaze us with the "space-age" technology inside their razors. And they don't have celebrity endorsements.

Nope, Dollar Shave Club uses their young unknown president to present their case. He describes their razors simply as "f*&cking great." He pokes fun at the unnecessary razor accessories you pay for these days. And while the Mach 3, 5, 7 or whatever number they're currently at would find itself backed with millions & millions of ad dollars and sponsorships, Dollar Shave Club created this one simple video. It's funny. It makes a good argument. And it's no doubt destined to go viral.

Yep, unlike a guy with tiny blood-stained tissues populating his face and neck, this is some smooth operating. Well played -- Dollar Shave Club.