Trending: Do you RT often; use your tweet feed to go on 140 character rants; frequently abuse social apps? If you’ve answered yes, you may be a Klouchebag. Not sure? Take the test.

Facebook Update: Facebook is testing a new promote button, allowing page owners to ditch the complicated ad process for a much simpler form of content exposure.

Tweet This: Have you ever wondered what Instagram would be without its photos? Probably not, but irregardless @textinstagram is real, and actually pretty amusing.

Viral Video Gold: Cats are so clever, and fat. Meet Milo, his owner filmed him over a 2 day period beating up his automatic feeder to get more food.

While the main contest portal lives on facebook, we have opened up the submission options to include twitter and instagr.am using the hashtag #pfstyle, and are also accepting content through the PF tumblr blog. Since submissions are very picture-driven, we felt it was important to allow people to post where they are already naturally sharing content. Not only does the simple extra step of including the campaign hashtag make it easier for contestants to enter, but the process simultaneously pushes the content out to their social media networks, a clear win-win for the brand and participants.

Each week, from April 18th through May 30th, we are selecting one featured winner to be officially recognized as a true PF Pioneer of Style. Each weekly winner will be awarded a pair of PF Flyers from the Spring 2012 line. Other honorable submissions will be displayed throughout the campaign to further celebrate all of the unique perspectives on authentic American style that are out there. At the end of the campaign, one grand prize winner will be awarded the opportunity to appear in a PF ad campaign.

Do you have what it takes to be a Pioneer of Style? Visit facebook.com/pfflyers to enter.

In a time when banks are not looked at through the most rose-colored glasses, ableBanking’s business model couldn’t be more refreshing. Without a brick-and-mortar operation to support, ableBanking can offer better rates and no fees to their customers. But on top of that, ableBanking is offering something else: money to give to charity. Instead of spending copious amounts of money on above-the-line advertising – which is the norm for the banking industry – ableBanking is taking those dollars and giving them to customers to allocate to nonprofit organizations. Specifically, any 501c3 nonprofit that each customer chooses.

Upon sign-up customers are given $25 to donate, as well as an annual amount based on total savings. It’s ableBanking’s belief that by creating a banking business model with cause and community built-in, the idea will take off. And we’re happy that we can help this truly innovative idea take off through social media.

For more information about ableBanking, and to get an invite to join, visit: www.ablebanking.com.

Industry News: Google release news about their Project Glass, which is code for expensive technology you don’t need. All kidding aside, these Google Glasses promise an augmented environment experience, we shall see if they can deliver.

Pinteresting: Pinterest has ousted LinkedIn as the #3  most-popular website with over 100m visits in March.

Apptastic: Instagram was finally released to the Android masses this week to the dismay of thousands of snobby Hipsters that now have to share “their” app with a “lesser” crowd. Right, keep posting those artfully taken Kelvin filtered photos of PBR.

Meme of the Week: There is not much to say except this is one ridiculously photogenic guy meme.

By King_of_Games

PF Flyers wanted to get the attention of the press at a recent event in New York City by offering them a memorable live experience and a unique, quality take home gift. Their thought was to offer a live beer brewing experience coupled with the gift of a PF packaged craft brew. Since we are gaga about brewing and designing beer packaging, we were fully up to the task.

Before jumping into the fun part, brewing and designing, we set out to make the story complete. This began with taking a look at PF’s most recent brand messaging:

PF Flyers has been crafting authentic American style since 1937. We believe the pursuit of “classic” to be more than just a reflection of the past. To us, it’s about continuously defining “today” through an ongoing appreciation of enduring quality and iconic design, a perspective we find to be as relevant today as it was 75 years ago.

We had the ‘crafting’ message covered, as the beer was to be brewed by our very own brewing team. The ‘quality’ would come in the fine ingredients that were selected, a blend of American grains, malt, hops and yeast. And the ‘iconic design’ was to be conveyed through the on-brand beer label and matching custom bottle cap. But we still needed the kicker. Our solution, let’s further convey the message that PF has been part of American heritage for 75 years by limiting the brew to just 75 bottles, one for every year since the first PF’s were made.

The result, a craft brewed American Farmhouse Ale and custom designed beer label, complete with 75th anniversary branding and message, hand numbered 1 through 75.

To keep members of the press thinking about the brand well after the actual event, the beer was bottled just two days prior, making it’s ‘ready to enjoy’ date almost three weeks following the event.

Now before you get all excited about getting your hands on a bottle of your very own PF Brew, this beer was brewed for collectible purposes and all 75 bottles made their way safely into the hands of the press. Follow Antler to learn how you can be involved in one of our future brewing experiences.

Here’s a recap of our favorite pranks, ranging from the lighthearted to possibly controversial.

Mashable’s Conan Takeover

Shortly after midnight on April 1st, Conan O’Brien sent out the following tweet: “@mashable is out of touch. So as of this moment, I am taking over. ALL HAIL YOUR NEW CEO: http://on.mash.to/H19O1W #Conashable”  And so began Conan’s 24-hour reign, which involved replacing Mashable’s color palette with Conan’s trademark orange, posting video messages from Conan throughout the day, and sending out zany, somewhat tyrannical tweets all hashtagged #Conashable. Pete Cashmore swiftly reclaimed his role as CEO the next day.

Google Maps “Quest”

While the “Conashable” takeover was amusing to watch, Google came out with an April Fools’ execution that had more interactive appeal. When users logged on to Google Maps, they had an 8-bit viewing option on top of the standard map and satellite views. The folks at Google say they designed this low-res version to be compatible with the Nintendo Entertainment System, a nod to nostalgic gamers all over the world. Google hid numerous easter eggs throughout the pixelated map, providing hours of entertainment as people searched for surprises in a Nintendo-esque universe.

Reddit Timeline

In what can be seen as either an homage to or, more likely, a friendly jab at Facebook’s recent developments, Reddit unveiled a new feature for April Fools’ Day: the Reddit Timeline. Unlike Facebook’s version, the Reddit version spanned from pre-human existence to “the end of time.” Their blog author questioned, “Have you ever wondered what the popular memes were in the late-cretaceous period? Curious to see if cats and bacon will still be around in 42000 AD? Want to have a fireside AMA with Prometheus?” Yes, we do.

Forbes’ Political Mix-up

Sometimes April Fools’ pranks can go too far, but it’s a fine line to draw between what’s all in good fun and what’s not. Forbes’ April 1st headline, “Romney Drops Out of Race, Endorses Santorum” was written as a phony, but not everyone picked up on the story’s implausibility. The article was left up on Forbes for a mere half hour Sunday morning, but in that time it reached the top spot on Google News and left people questioning the credibility of both Forbes and the Google News algorithm. Perhaps satire should be left to the professionals.

Honorable Mention: Boloco’s April Fools’ Email

Burrito chain Boloco pranked customers directly through their e-mail newsletter, using the long-form outlet to outline the company’s faux financial problems to their most loyal fans. They announced the cancellation of their Free Burrito Days, elimination of freebies on any Boloco loyalty cards, introduced a “fuel surcharge” of $0.25 on every order, and claimed to redirect thousands of dollars in donations for the Life is Good Playmakers nonprofit to cover their AC costs.

People who read through the entire e-mail learned, of course, “this whole thing is an April Fool’s joke,” and that Boloco was doing quite the opposite: they gave out over 40,000 free mini burritos and are donating nearly $18,000 to the Life is Good Playmakers. Boloco turned an ordinary prank into an opportunity to do some good and to reach out to loyal consumers.

That wraps up our April Fools’ Day recap, but I’m sure there were plenty of pranks pulled that we missed. What were some of your favorite shenanigans that happened this weekend?

Industry News: Google better watch its back, according to reports Facebook is looking into creating its very own search engine.

Tweet This: Can’t get enough of Twitter? How about custom toilet paper featuring your favorite feeds. It’s easy, just download the new Shitter app and you can wipe your butt with 140 characters or less.

Facebook Update: We all know Facebook jazzed up its Premium Ad offerings for all the 1% that can afford them, luckily for the rest of us Facebook has decided to vamp up Market Place Ads. Some of the changes will include a more user friendly interface and better optimization.

Viral Video Gold: We cheers to you drunk guy singing Bohemian Rhapsody in the back of a cop car. Not only did you fully occupy six minutes of my time, but you actually have a decent voice.

Yes, Pinterest has literally bolted into the middle of the social media mix and has quickly jumped onto the radar of brands and businesses over the past few months. There’s a lot of chatter about this picture-centric social network, and rightfully so. According to recent data, Pinterest is generating more referral traffic than Youtube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. That’s some serious numbers.

Pinterest differs from other social networks in that it steers away from self-interested contexts. (“Look at this” as opposed to “look at me,” as noted by HuffPost.) If used correctly, Pinterest is a great platform for brands to push their content or products in a visually seamless and unobtrusive way.

In light of the clear opportunities that Pinterest presents to brands and businesses, Antler has put together a Pinterest Guide to get you started and to showcase some of the brands that are using Pinterest most effectively to date.

So check out the guide below, download it here, and don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest!

Note: The below examples have been selected purely from a design and brand perspective.

Snake & Herring

This new Australian wine features some nice illustrative artwork in their packing and branding, with a great underlying story. “Snake and Herring is a wine obsessed road trip searching for remarkable grapes from West Australian vineyards.”  The packaging depicts a fairytale like scene, where the two founders “Snake” and “Herring” float along in a ship suspended by grape balloons, searching for the perfect ingredients for their wine. A nice contrast is achieved with the etched artwork, soft color pallete and light background.

With names like “High+Dry,” “Wide Open Road” and “Dirty Boots,” Snake and Herring is definitely a wine for the adventurous type who are all about the journey.

Seven Deadly Sins

A series of wines produced by Spainsh design firm Sidecar Publicidad that showcases the seven deadly sins. A unique label is devoted to each of the sins creating a set of dramatic individual pieces. Dark, moody colors with hints of red, gold and silver evoke a sinful presence.

The standouts of the bunch are perhaps the most obvious and simple designs, yet maybe the most powerful. Lust is a red bottle with a black lace covering, while Envy is a solid, glossy gold with bold, black type.

Meteor Merlot, White Fences Vineyard

Work Labs created this unique bottle design for White Fences Vineyard in Virginia. The imagery doesn’t stray too far from the name “Meteor,” depicting a dark, star-filled sky. An interesting characteristic of this bottle is that the printing uses the whole surface of the bottle. The sky becomes more dynamic with a 360 degree view, versus a flat label.

Between Five Bells

An Australian biodynamic winery, Five Bells, created an informational bottle that is also aesthetically pleasing. “I like the idea of transparency from winemakers, and the primary tool of communication is a wine’s label.” They took the data for each wine and Nicholas Felton took over from there. He is known for data visualization and his Annual Reports.

Eight Arms, The Argonaut

There is something unexpected about an octopus wrapping around a wine bottle. A clear brown bottle with the label screen printed in white creates a stunning execution here. The artwork wraps the bottle, so we can see through to the far reaching tentacles of the octopus on the reverse side, achieving a nice sense of depth.

Back Label

An Australian winery with a limited budget, uses a very simple, one color approach. The full bottle features a white label with the backwards “Back Label” logo knocked out. As you enjoy the wine, the mirror image of the label is (correctly) visible from the reverse side. In this case, things seem to be clearer after you finish the bottle.

Atico de Madrid

Madrid’s Narrow-House takes a hands on approach that uses a pen and ink sketch, with some nice color accents. The original sketch is what is printed on the label, leaving all the little anomalies and imperfections.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema “Bottle of Witts”

This Texas cinema worked with Helms Workshop on their in-house wine offering. “Alamo’s 2012 offering became two wines inspired by The Princess Bride, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the film”.

Nagging Doubt

This label was done by the talented Dana Tanamachi, a chalk letterer from NYC. The whole package was done in chalk, from the logo right down to the fine print. Be sure to check out a time lapse video of the artist sketching the label here.

Some Young Punks

A bold and charismatic winery from Australia, Some Young Punks commissioned illustrator Tomer Hanuka to ink these labels from the “Live and Rare” series.

As we can see, a unique approach, concept, theme, or execution can go a long way if its done right. So, next time you’re at the store, belittled by shelves upon shelves of bottles, take notes on which ones stand out to you?

Has this ever happened to you? You’re walking around town, minding your own business, when suddenly… you get an eerie feeling that you’re being watched. You look behind you, but there’s nothing there.

Or is there?

Billboards and bus shelter signs are no longer stagnant print ads that get switched out once a season. Rather, agencies are more creative with how they use this valuable space, from environmentally friendly billboards to bus shelters that double as charging stations. The latest and greatest trend in OOH advertising is to incorporate interactive elements that not only invite consumers, but also engage them. These installations rely on cameras and facial recognition technology to identify consumers and create a more personalized experience.

So yes, you are being watched… by OOH installations. Here’s 3 examples:

Autism Speaks: 3D Interactive Billboard

Autism Speaks created an interactive billboard that helps adults recognize the signs of autism by simulating first-hand experience. The execution was simple: the call-to-action invited users to “Try making eye contact with this girl” and directed them to an interactive video screen. Motion-sensored Kinect technology tracked the users’ body motion as they tried to look the virtual girl in the eye. No matter where they looked, the girl avoided eye contact. The campaign successfully identified eye contact avoidance as a possible sign of autism and relayed the feeling of frustration parents may have in these situations.

Plan UK: Gender-Identifying Advertising

Plan UK, another nonprofit organization that aids children in third-world countries, utilized a bus shelter space to play a gender-specific ad. A camera installed in the bus shelter scanned participants and used facial-recognition technology to determine their gender before playing the ad. Women were shown a 40-second ad that promotes sponsorship of proper education for girls in third-world countries. Men, on the other hand, saw only a 20-second version, and had to go online to see the whole thing. The point was to make men realize what it might be like “to have basic choices taken away.”

Coca-Cola: A Couple’s Happiness Machine

For Valentine’s Day 2012, Coca-Cola wanted to do something special for couples in Istanbul. They did so by creating a reiteration of their “Happiness Machine,” a vending machine that gives out free soda. Only couples qualified for the gift, however, and they had to “prove” their status to the machine. A hidden surveillance camera streamed a live feed, and the vending machine was controlled remotely. Couples had to smooch, hug, or display affection before they could receive two free Cokes.

Interactive OOH activations are just another example of how advertising increasingly integrates itself with our everyday lives. What other methods do you see the industry using to engage consumers?