It isn't like I don't have a million things to write about. Really. It isn't. But I'm just swamped with work this week and find myself unable to steal enough time to devote to the brandbuilder blog.

Drat.

Everything should be back to normal in a day or two. No worries. It's just one of those things. In the meantime, I wanted to point you towards Puma's very cool Starck microsite (which made me laugh outloud). My first reaction was "wow. Somebody actually got paid by a major brand to create a playful and original microsite that's as much about having fun as it is about the shoes." (Which is perfect.) My second reaction was "wow. A major brand actually gets it." A few personal notes: The starck shoe collection is pretty cool in and of itself, but the naked ape-like puppetman kind of steals the show a little bit. (Tip: Move him around or scroll through the shoes for about a minute or two, until the monkey head falls into your screen. Then click on it. It'll let you download and print a monkey mask, and links to a fairly complete menu of monkey party activities - perfect for the socialite anthropologist in all of us.)

What does any of this have to do with shoes?

Nothing. Everything. It doesn't really matter. The point is this:

1) The site and Puma's marketing aren't boring,
2) Puma knows how to differentiate itself from its competitors,
3) Puma knows how to create specific identities for its various product lines, and
4) it isn't taking itself too seriously.

Score on all counts.

Progress. Progress.