The weekend links

I'm trying something different today. Each link title and description is going to be no longer than three words. It's meant to get me to express the most central, critical piece of the message but still get you to click through to the site!

In other news, my backache last weekend turned out to be the flu. I'm infirmed and very breathy when I speak because the virus has ravaged my throat. Also, tonight is the season finale of True Blood - I really hope that things start picking up. The plot of last week's episode was so rambling and unresolved.

Ok, on with the show:



Watch. Video. First.


Does. Not. Compute.

Awesome. Marketing. Bullshit.

Gorgeous. Phones. Lust.

Obama. Marketing. Lessons.

Detroit. Dollars. F*cked.


Hideous. Boots. Goodbye.

MP3s. From. YouTube.

Japanese. Handbag. Contents.



Sexist. Commercials. Ever.

Worst. Website. Habits.



Hilarious. Idol. Reaction.

Have a great week, all!

Lifeblogging is insanity

In Florida, 19 year-old Abraham Biggs killed himself on a live webfeed in a forum while people watched and chatted about it. Apparently, he was bipolar and overdosed on drugs. He must have been in an incredibly tortured place mentally to think that killing himself was preferable to continuing to live, but the fact that he chose to do it online for a crowd of virtual voyeurs is really bizarre. It's such a nadir of web 2.0 postmodern life.

So I did some digging. Abraham Biggs had a profile on Justin.tv, a social networking site with channels of users and uploaded video content. The lifeblogging channels are actually addictive and it's curiously intimate to watch complete strangers stare blankly at a computer screen and respond to the adjacent chat window. The users chatting (giving orders) in the forum can be really funny too.

This is Trucker Cam. It's called Over The Road Truck Cam.

Trucker Cam is a live feed from the front dash of this trailer truck via a cellular modem. When I tuned in at 7:00pm on Friday, he was driving through Tulsa, Oklahoma going 60 mph and blasting DJ Tiesto. What's really terrifying is that as he's driving, he's talking back to the chatroom!

Wow, so are these the new cultural mutations from Web 2.0 into Web 3.0?

Integrated marcom and your ignorant friends

You know those people who say they hate marketers and never pay attention to ads? The ones who extol their imperviousness to calls-to-action and freedom when it comes to making their own decisions as consumers?

Imagine how much it stirs an anger deep inside you to just shake them and scream "it's not about selling you on something you don't need, it's about engaging with you in a relevant way that articulates the value proposition!"

Well, imagine how nice it would feel to hear that same person who pooh-poohed marketing talk about what a cool new P2P marketing strategy they interacted with. The same person who selfishly says that they're uninfluenced by marketing messages is now oblivious to the fact that an experiential campaign has made a real mark on them.

In Sydney, Australia, a social networking campaign has been launched to increase tourism to Alberta. It uses online social networking forums and street-based 'experiences'

A number of these unique mammals have been exported to Sydney, Australia, where they will be displayed in cages at Sydney’s Darling Harbour Nov. 20-22. On display will be: Western Party Animal—also known as Extremeous Winterous Dudeous Maximus—the Elusive Skier/Snowboarder Dude, and the Great Outdoors Lover. Every hour a “zookeeper” will bring one of the “animals” out of its cage to answer questions and interact with the crowd.

That's really cool.

It's also a terrific example of a integrated marketing campaign. Alan Middleton argues that with an increasing number of marketing campaigns utilizing different distribution channels, it's more important than ever to "integrate communication systems across this ever-increasing rane of target groups, distribution outlets, and media." Furthermore, "while the creative message will be strategically and conceptually similar, each medium will have create developed to optimize the message, and the role of the medium, and its contribution to the target's buying system."

BTW, how funny is it that Rogers is one of Canada's top marketers, as written in this week's Marketing Mag - a Rogers Media publication!

Shameless!

Evolution commercials tell a great story

Commercials must have a natural storyline that's understandable and can be followed easily by the audience. There are a lot of really artistic spots that do this and although I question how effective these commercials were at actually contributing to an increase in sales, they're gorgeous to watch and really inventive.

JOHNNY WALKER



SATURN



GUINNESS



The Guinness clip is fantastic - I like how the product is clearly presented from the beginning and as the commercial progresses the audience is left guessing about not what the product is, but where the guys are going to.

The Saturn clip is eyecatching, but I really don't see the link to the brand. It's also probably too sexual for the blobby functionality of most Saturn cars.

The Johnny Walker clip confuses me. The commercial has nothing to do with the product or the lifestyle. It has to do with a tagline. How can you tell? Well, let's say we kept the tagline 'Keep walking' but that the brand wasn't Johnny Walker, but rather Nike. Or maybe some life insurance company. There's nothing unique about the premise but still it won a bunch of awards for the direction, CGI, and music. Bizarre.

New Star Trek movie trailer

The trailer for the new Star Trek movie is out and it looks like a really fun movie. Not necessarily profound or cinematically deep, but just really fun.

Pajiba says it's gay, and maybe the prolongued looks between teenage Spock and teenage Kirk are a little drawn out and excessive. See for yourself:



But regardless of how good this movie is, we all know that Captain Picard is, and always will be, the finest officer in Starfleet...

Sexiest avatars ever

This is too funny. Here's a story from the UK, the link is at the bottom. A couple got married then got divorced on SecondLife because the woman caught the guy virtually cheating with another woman in the game.

Ok first, here's what their SecondLife avatars look like:

On the left is the wife, in the middle is the husband, and on the right is his mistress.

Ok, so she looks like Kate Beckinsale and he looks like Lucas Rossi, the guy who won RockStar Supernova.


And here's what they actually look like. Gird yourself!
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Remember this when you make a new friend online!

The link is here.

The weekend links

I'm holed-up today at home with a pinched nerve in my back. I can't twist, bend over, or pick things up. It's seriously painful, but the six Krispy Kreme doughnuts I ate this morning and the Tylenol 3s are really doing the trick. On with the links:

Kotex reminds you to take care of your beaver. Lol, yes, this ad for Kotex tampons in Australia has caused somewhat of a fuss (150 complaints....that's it??) but I think it's actually kinda cute and clever. However, as we all know from Janet Jackson's Superbowl indecency stunt, one complaint equals 1 billion angered viewers. Therefore 150 billion people were offended by this ad, see below.



...



An amazing Ferrari concept - looks so sexual with the curves and humps.


Forget Obama, Bhutan has a new King. Check out this set of beautiful photographs from this remote place, said to be the ancient site of Xanadu.

I haven't ever read Malcolm Gladwell, so I really don't know what all the fuss is about. But he talked about stickiness and influential people in social groups (tribes, really). Now everyone is using the words 'stickiness' and 'tribes' like it's going out of style. It's time for new words already. So I like this new concept - slippiness - coined by the team at Nickelodeon, a kids channel in the States to refer to the maleability of content across a variety of different mediums. They don't want content to stick, the want it to slip. Cool.

So you know i've ralied before on the blog about how everything is going to a free model? Free content, unlimited server capacity, fast broadband - it's all supported by the media model and greater targetability of ad messages. It's also supported by tchnological sophistication and increasing convergence of separate mobile platforms. This article on in-game advertising for games for the iPhone is a great example of all these new paradigms. Now, remind me again why mass advertising (tv and print) still get all the attention and hoopla?

Droga5 gets the Puma global ad account. See, this is the kind of role I'm lusting after. Top AOR and direct access to the client's ear. Good for them. (Btw, did you know that Puma and Adidas were started by two German brothers who became bitter rivals?)

The Icon aircraft is the world's first 'sport aircraft', an amphibious two seater that's more reminiscent of a sports car than an ultra-light plane. Check out the video and the gorgeous cockpit interior. Anyone still thinking of Christmas ideas for me, take note...







I'm all too familiar with the link between psychology and torture, but this article puts it in an interesting new spin. I guess it's hypocritical for the APA to refuse to condone the use of psychological techniques for torture when, as a practice, it's so often used for other less nefarious and compensated means.


Honestly, I've only ever seen Japanese schoolgirls using erasers. Cool designs though.


Weird new language that someone with a lot of time on their hands invented.

If you click on one link today, click this It's a really awesome interactive timeline of all the popular internet memes. It's got all your favourites: 'Ken Lee', 'Spaghetti Cat', 'Leave Britny Alone', 'Sneezing Panda', 'Dick in a box', all the way back to 'Dancing Baby' in 1996.


I like the lamp that looks like the intestinal tract (below). This and other cool lamp designs here.


Required reading for B!G Associates: Canadian Gen Y television viewing habits study has just been released by Forrester Research. Some key insights: "This generation will watch shows on a computer screen, multi-task while watching TV or do “time shifting” to record shows and watch them when it’s convenient" Yep, I couldn't agree more.

And finally, some really close up photography of stuff way too small to be seen with the naked eye.


Have a great week, all!

The cast of Twilight explains MuchMusic

So I’m watching Live @ Much right now and Sarah is interviewing the cast of this upcoming movie Twilight. Now, I haven’t read the books so I can’t authoritatively comment on the plot – can a commenter fill in here with plot please, Robyn or Kevin maybe? – but it seems to be about a girl in some rainy NorPac town who falls in with a crowd of sultry vampires. The movie is cast with models, not actors. Seriously. This is exactly the same route that Ashton Kutcher took, and last night I watched him on Real Time with Bill Maher – what an Amtrak performance.


But this crowd outside the ChumCity building at Queen and John is going absolutely insane. Like just total hysteria. Sarah is interviewing four cast members: three waif model-looking girls with gorgeous locks, and this foppish good-looking British guy who obviously is the object of everyone’s adoration and mania. He has his head in his hands most of the time and it makes me think he’s either jet-lagged or looking to score more coke. His name apparently is Robert Pattinson.

Sarah is now asking them “how are the vampires in this movie different from the vampires in other movies?”

They reply, “our vampires aren’t just villains, you get to see how they live, you know, they’re like, real people” – wow, deep.


Ok but really what is this saying about MuchMusic? It’s a scene that we’ve seen a million times before at MuchMusic: screaming fans and unsubstantive questions from vapid veejays.

But teens don’t like this, do they? Ok they do, but the ones watching at home are saying to themselves, “yeah, I love MM and I love the movie Twilight, but I’d sure as hell never be one of those losers screaming downtown in the rain.” The teens watching at home are still as engrossed with the content of MM but somehow can relate to the medium in a more marketable way. MuchMusic has crafted themselves as a youth culture powerhouse, a federal reserve for the distribution of what is meaningful and current.


See, MuchMusic creates a reality-based stage for the lowest common denominator. Teens love the lowest common denominator. It’s a way to feel intellectually superior to the depravity going on live on location but still get your fix of brands, celebrities, mundane issues, and relatable content.


I really don’t like the content on MuchMusic, but I adore the marketing. It’s just so blatant and pervasive. Even during commercials they’re now having trivia and showing a tiny square of live video feed. It makes you sit and watch. Brilliant.


MuchMusic markets to teens through creating a connection point with them. Note that I’m not saying they’ve created a ‘channel’, a ‘brand’, or a ‘programming schedule’. MuchMusic is a connection point with teens because it’s integrative across a variety of different media channels (tv, sms, video, web, etc) and has a high degree of interactivity with its viewers. The identity is founded upon strong young-culture acknowledgement (not debasement) and a recognition that commercialism is almost a partnership between the viewer and the channel.


Do the viewers know this? I’d argue that yes, they know they’re being sold with commercials targeted to them and content styled and translated to resonate. But they really don’t care about that. It’s being sold on a lifestyle and an identity that they affiliate with and like anyway.

So I actually now want to go see Twilight. Apparently so do all of you!

How to be a keener: for clients and classrooms

Nice vacation huh? It’s been eight days since last publishing to the blog and I feel recharged. The TAs at York are on strike so in the spirit of everyone else who’s taking a vacation – enjoy Cuba, Sid and Olga! – I took one too and finished up on a bunch of work. We’ve been active with new clients too in the last week, doing a lot of pitches and signing clients for Winter projects. I’m really enthusiastic about the opportunities we have and the potential to get active on projects that loop in more Associates within B!G. We'll have more full-service accounts this next semester and will get back to our roots with an e-marketing strategy/Web 2.0 project.

(Clients, I know you’re reading this!)

Which brings me to tonight’s topic: how to be a keener but not a sycophant. Why is this important? Well, number one, the world loves keeners.

Number two, our grades in school are highly influenced by participation marks, beyond the percentage (usually 10%) that’s listed on the course outline. Don’t you think that the assignments of good class contributors are read extra thoroughly and receive relatively more mindshare?

Being a sycophant is a really sleazy situation. You’re reviled by the class and hated by the teacher. Your contributions are banal and brainless and typically involve nothing more than saying how brilliant you though the professor’s point was and how much it personally resonated with you. It’s the equivalent of a company being overly thankful for your business but not really knowing who you are or what makes you unique. I hate direct marketing that’s not relevant! So in other words, your words don’t stick and you’re wasting precious oxygen that better minds could have fed on.

But being a keener? Well, that’s a joy!

You’re not called on in class because you contribute more than the average student. You’re able to make the points you want that are most meaningful to you and your research interests. And you’re able to demonstrate to your slovenly peers what an amazing student you are – your rabid participation pays off when peers look to you as a person they want to group with. Group projects depend on being able to get your pick of the best students in the class, and like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, ‘like’ gravitates to ‘like’.

So how can you elevate your participation from mediocre to keener-tastic?


ONE
Preface your comments by emphasizing things that other people in the class have said. Never attack the person, attack the message. Duh.


TWO
Do the readings, or at least read the first and last paragraphs fully and the first sentences of all the paragraphs in between. This way you can get the gist of what the readings were about without really actually doing them.


THREE
Listen more. Don’t make a comment that you really want to say if it has nothing to do with the current topic or string of other comments.


FOUR
Bring in aspects of theory in everything you say. Package your comment like this: 1) Issue, 2) Theory, 3) Explanation. It’s like a observation sandwich.


FIVE
Never ever say how insightful you found something or how amazing you think something is. Why? Because everyone has things that they also think are interesting, so why is your take on it any more valuable than theirs? Like seriously, what new knowledge or relevant thought have you contributed by saying that you “thought that the Porter’s Five Forces model is amazing”…huh?

Now, client interactions are not meant to be superficial, they’re meant to be substantive. Applying a keener model to pitches and presentations means having a deep and thorough knowledge of the client and what matters to them. Say it honestly. Don’t try and schmaltz your words or qualify their business with superlatives. You’ll regret it in the end when you can’t get leverage or wiggle-room in the account (when the project turns to shit!) because you weren’t honest in the first place.

And to my professors, I highly recommend you read this article on how to deal with me. I like the suggestions to use hugs as reinforcement and to perform a criminal background check.

America's cultural zeitgeist

This maps shows electoral college districts that either voted more Democrat than from 2004 or more Republican than from 2004. It's from this great interactive feature in the NY Times showing voting shifts and an analysis of what significant voting changes occurred on Tuesday's historic election.

Consider this map. Look at the distribution of 'change'.

I won't try to hide my ebulience for the results of the election and I'm truly pie-eyed imagining the utopian possibilities for America that today seem just a little bit more attainable. They're more attainable not because Obama is President, but that America itself has seen what it is possible of achieving.

The new collective identity forged from Tuesday night is meaningful to consider. Things will be different. Things feel different. Let's look at this from a cultural/ethnographic point of view:

The hopefulness and change mantras united the country. This wasn't exclusive to Obama either as McCain picked up the change theme quickly after the RNC but ultimately unconvincingly.


The election meant so much to so many people. An Obama loss would have dealt a crushing sting to many people, particularly to Blacks, and would have meant that this group of Americans might have simply resigned themselves to a perceived lasting inequality - one that has been the source of deep national division and one that might have been perpetuated.


The belief that America is on a road, emphasized in Obama's acceptance speech, is
meaningful because it brings humility and a down-to-earth focused resolve to the moment. As ecstatic (or defeated) as Americans may feel now, there is still much work ahead.


A realization among everyone that we must accept domestic responsibility in addition to global responsibility - a philosophy of American exceptionalism that, through the Bush Doctrine, came to imply aggressiveness and a bully stance to presumably enforce democracy worldwide.

Note that none of the insights I've mentioned above are Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative. The relevance of Obama's message was one of inclusiveness and ubiquity - everyone was involved. He decisively won in states perceived to be GOP bastions and conservative holdouts contributing to the gravity of his Presidency not as one that is bi-coastal, but as one that is truly national.

It's become cliched for Presidents-elect to emphasize a 'healing process' and national reconciliation after a divisive and brutal campaign. So he's not doing it.

It's wrong to be congratulatory and self-aggrandising with a win and give the equivalent of highly publicized mass shoutouts to 'what we've accomplished'. So he hasn't done it.

The tone set by Obama on Wednesday at 12:01am was focused. There is work to be done. There is progress to be made. Things are not right in America, but they will be improved.


The fervor and pomp will die down and as time passes we'll all become a little more reflective on November 4th, 2008 and the significance of this election. We'll learn of scandals hidden throughout the campaign from both camps and we'll scrutinize the choices Obama makes in the first 100 days with the precision of a Leica lens. Optimism will fade.

But don't lose sight of what America has now proclaimed through their shared democracy.

It was never about Obama, it was about America. It was never about Bush, it was about a shared national change.


America's cultural zeitgeist has advanced and while our complex feelings and intangible perceptions about how life will be like are difficult to articulate, we can appreciate that nationally, Americans can deservedly feel proud of their country and the more realistic course it's now on. It's not necessarily softer, it's instead more sustainable. It's not humble, it's humanistic.

Those who deify Obama as a prophet for progress are misguided. He is a monumental man but is a reflection of a monumental nation.

Cool blog aggregator and web metrics tool

Online traffic and web user activity is meaningful but sometimes challenging to understand. How do you value a click? What does it mean when someone searches to browse using “Keyword A” but searches to buy using “Keyword B”?

Knowing what these differences mean is one hurdle, optimizing your site to leverage web metrics data for revenue, usability, or consumer engagement is another.


ChatterSpike is a new product launched to try and make sense of online behavior and digital zeitgeists relevant to your company, brand, or search terms.

“ChatterSpike offers a combination of proprietary software, proven processes, and human expertise blended to bring actionable information and insight to the world's leading companies. ChatterSpike harvests data from sources both broad (blogs, chat boards, news, web) and the focused (targeted individual websites), then mill this raw data through our software engine, to produce the relevant data to then be analyzed by our team of human experts.”

Clever.

I love this side of online marketing – if only I could understand web-based software programming. it seems like a useful way of analyzing online social media public relations (SMPR) in a more rigorous way than just saying 'well, it seems to be creating a real buzz'.


ChatterSpike is a beefier version of Google Webmaster Tools or simple SEO tools like the Alexa Toolbar or WordTracker. It’s similar to blog aggregators and social media news feeds (passive scanners of blogs to analyze trends and what people are talking about/searching for/commenting on) but adds some human insight.

Hire me ChatterSpike, this is exactly what I want to be doing when I graduate!

Zalaznick: Bravo's Postmodern Queen

Yesterday, the New York Times Magazine had a terrific lead story about Lauren Zalaznick, the head of Bravo Media, a network within the NBC Universal family.

This article is required reading for all B!G Associates. Think of it like a case article from your course kit, only this one you'll actually read!

It’s a comprehensive assessment of how marketers now focus on the ‘long tail’ of consumers and the maturation of postmodern content in our lives – we recognize it, and we recognize that we are being recognized for recognizing it (think it through, it makes sense!).

Zalaznick has monetized Bravo’s programming in unique ways and has created shows that appeal to the core viewer’s aspirational values. The core viewers are, as the article describes, ‘Will & Grace’. Hip professional urban women and gay men who, although not affluent themselves, are culturally influential and possess the kind of disposable income that higher-end marketers salivate over. Zalaznick describes them as ‘the Affluencers’.

Evaluating Bravo's programming,

“What has made the programming watchable, all along, is the same thing that might keep it relevant as the economy changes, which is a certain winking skepticism about buying and selling. It’s what’s ingenious, or insidious, depending on the perspective, about the complexity of the Bravo programming.”

The whole brand is conspicuous and self-referential, turning the spotlight on real people in real situations, but without the forced scenarios that can often debase other reality shows and commit the cardinal sin of television – breaking the fourth wall. Bravo’s success is based on the fact that they acknowledge the fourth wall and interact with the viewer in relevant ways. That’s the reality.

Awesome things for November

We're a style agency as much as a marketing agency. We're purveyors of relevant and fascinating things pertaining to Gen Y. We're committed to showcasing meaningful trends and memes, not only for our traffic count, but to help foment our position as the arbitors of awesome!

Here's what's awesome for November, 2008:

BEING HINDU

This one was voted on by the readers in a recent poll. With Diwali just passed, Hinduism is top of mind. Hip urban white people are already wise to being sensitive about world affairs and have actually done a lot to learn about Islam and deepen relationships with their Muslim friends. Now attention is being turned to their other Brown friends, Hindus, and enrich their understanding of this complex and storied religion. Culturally, India is contributing more and more to Western ideas and Americans are tired of hearing about how China has eclipsed the US.

The Bright Ideas Group is privileged to have students from many different ethnicities, nationalities, and religions. Diverse perspectives, such as those from Sid Wahi, greater a better holistic focus on the project output.





THE COLOUR PURPLE

Apparently purple (and orange) are Fall 2008's hot colours, and purple is popping up in everything from new Roots collections to fashionable cocktails.


GUNS


Perhaps it's a reaction to the possibility of over-extended US hegemony finally being curtailed with a new administration, but guns - yeah, actual guns, are really trendy. Case in point, GlamGuns top-selling Hello Kitty AK-47 (shown above, notice it's purple!) and Madonna's pistol heels by Chanel, for €2000.


THE FAIL MEME

It's not too new, but I couldn't resist. Fails are hilarious, here's a particularly great example:




BEING STUPID


This isn't something I'm too thrilled about, but it's never been cooler to have a complete unawareness about your surroundings, the news, and basic concepts. Despite a massive surge of interest in the US economy, the election, climate change, and the rise of China, it's still cool to be a dumbass about most things and feign a superficial understanding of large issues. For example, think of your friends. Now think about the dumb friends in your group (I'm sure you know who they are!). Are they marginally aware of Obama and McCain and the differences between the two? Can they base arguments and assertions on anything more than what erroneous facts they've heard and communicated through baffling hand gestures and facial contortions?

What really peeves me is that despite a interest in topical issues that matter, common sense and a pragmatic and rational ability to analyze those issues is still woefully lacking.

Read. The. News.


CONSUMPTION-CONSCIOUS LIVING


So Gen Y are in college, new careers, and starting to live on their own. This is group's limited resources and income is matched by a strong sense of stewardship for their consumption and mild recognition of their overall contribution to global warming. While I'm not too sure about the direct implications of the credit crunch and stagnating economy on Gen Y, these situations put a squeeze on everyone. Expect to see a greater focus on eeking out the most from things and making your dollar stretch. I stumbled upon this modern sink design which is meant to get consumers thinking about their total water use because it lacks a drain at the bottom.


IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION


The worst part of the Nov 4th election night will be waiting for results to trickle in, be recounted, be contested, be deliberated, be recounted, be thrown out, and be decided upon by the Supreme Court. I sound like an old futurist when I say this, but everything today must be instant. Digital immediacy is what we've come to depends on in our lives so when things are unresponsive or unnecessarily sluggish it really makes Gen Ys go nuts. Need proof? Ask any 20-something about how frustrating it is when Facebook status updates and news feeds aren't being published in real time and sometimes the friends' stories you hear about are eight hours old.

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about this already, but computer manufacturers are working with software developers to reduce boot times. I think I'm currently at 40-50 seconds to my desktop screen, but probably 2 minutes to my email on my trusty little Dell Latitude D630 with Vista. It still kills me.


MALBEC


As average wine consumers here wise up and start expanding their scope of international wines, look for wines that offer tremendous fruit on the nose, ripeness, and a satisfying full-mouth feel to be popular. Malbec's already are popular, but expect their price points to go up - buoyed by the recent nod to Achaval-Ferre Finca Altamira Malbec 2006 by Wine Spectator with a rating of 96. The bottle is $116. It's the philosophy that a rising tide raises all boats. Yeah, but is it really worth it?


ACTUALLY WATCHING 30 ROCK


Everyone loves 30 Rock and has nothing but great things to say about it. But who watches it?? I'm determined now - from my heightened respect for Tina Fey and the show's Emmy sweeps - to start paying more attention and watch the episodes on Surf The Channel. Same goes for Mad Men. Expect a wave of interest in November for 30 Rock because of the election and the fact that Oprah and Jennifer Aniston will appear on the show.


SEXY LIPS


Enough lipgloss. Lips are sexy and should be cherished and flaunted in exaggerated ways. Deep red and intense gothic black hues are in, although Dita von Teese always seemed to know.


NISSAN VERSA


The 2009 Nissan Versa is now the cheapest car in the States, priced at $9,990. This subcompact is obviously fuel efficient, and I'm sure it's a functional car, but I can't seem to think that the 1.8L, 122 horsepower engine is powerful enough. It does come loaded with interesting optional features though, including a CVT, six-cd changer, and bluetooth.