The Glory of Spring/Summer Unfolds.
Come on, be honest. You love rainbows as much as we do.
MAGNETO HQ - Here we are into our seventh Spring/Summer and life seems as fresh and bright and promising as it did when we were mere babes. What's with the "Spring/Summer" thing you ask? Well, this rag is way late and we're trying to cover our bases. Sorry, we've been real busy on cool stuff. It's not been all roses though. We've heard lots of horror stories out there. Gone are the three martini lunches, golf course strategy meetings and vendor junkets to Vegas. It's time to lash ourselves to the mast and ride this storm out. But perhaps things aren't as bad as they appear. Maybe in fact, we've gotten so adept at managing adversity, that we're prepared for anything. We're agile. We're lithe. That's it. We can do anything! We are winners! Gee, we feel like kids again. Isn't Spring/Summer wonderful? -Krieg Thumbtwister-Editor

Mazda Grand Prix Auto Racing Makes Us Even Cooler Than We Already Are.
New race at PIR this summer gets branded by you know who.
With the demise of ChampCar in late February, it looked as though Portland would not have a major auto race this summer. That was before Mazda sealed a deal with Portland International Raceway to run the first annual Mazda Grand Prix of Portland, July 22-27. This summer's fastest week will feature a wide variety of races, including a double-header Star Mazda series race over the weekend. Magneto handles the branding effort which includes a new logo, website, posters, ads, guerilla and viral tactics. SEE THE EXCELLENT WORK.

Housing Slump? What Housing Slump? We Don't See No Housing Slump.
Home show attendance exceeds builders' wildest dreams.
PORTLAND - In the wake of the mortgage meltdown and slumping new home sales, you might not believe that anyone would be interested in attending a multiple site home tour. That notion was dispelled by the attendance figures from the two-weekend run of the HBA's Ultimate Open House New Home Tour. In its second year the UOH drew literally thousands of attendees and was viewed as Portland's home buying season "kickoff" event. 70% of builders and realtors stated that the show drew five times the traffic through their properties than they would normally see. One builder confirmed that he had more than 1000 people walk through a home on one weekend alone. Of course, Magneto's clever creative, deft media placement and adroit PR may have helped the effort ever so slightly. Next up on the Magneto home tour docket: the 2008 Street of Dreams. We can't tell you what the creative is going to be here's a hint: "extra dreamy."

News Roundup
MAGNETO CREATES CARD TO THANK NWN SMART ENERGY CUSTOMERS.
Sign up for NW Natural's Smart Energy Program and you'll get an electronic greeting card thanking you for your participation. Sure it's goofy. Goofy is totally awesome.
SEE THE GOOFY ECARD.

BRAND POOBAH
by Buzz Winkle

Nothing surprises me anymore. Not anything. Maybe it's the decades in advertising that has dulled my senses. Or maybe it's the sales guy in the tool department at Sears with flame tattoos up his neck. Or maybe it's the two high school girls making out in the first row of the Spiderman movie. I don't know. What was once shocking is no longer shocking in the least. Marilyn Manson? So what. Transvestite porn? Seen it. Third graders plotting to take their teacher hostage? That is so first quarter. Nothing raises an eyebrow anymore. Not mine anyway. So recently I got to wondering, what is it that could really, you know, take me over the edge? Well, I couldn't think of anything so I took a nap. When I woke up, I realized I'd dreamt what it was that I needed to "feel" again. I dreamt that the Mattress World people did a commercial that took more thought than swiping a bunch of lame cliche's, dropping $500 on production and running the holy crap out of it on a daily basis. But it was only a dream. If they'd only read the Magneto Quick Reference Guide to cardBrand Wisdom. Who knows? Maybe I could get my mojo back.