The Tesco retail chain is the 4th largest retail group in the world. The multinational empire of today is a far cry from the modest grocer's shop in Edgware, north London. 

As a child, I remember being impressed when my local Tesco in Wimbledon started stocking toys. Nowadays you can buy everything from car insurance to home furnishings - and now music. 

Yes, CDs have been available in the supermarkets for ages, and Tesco has been selling music digitally for a few years. But now the supermarket has followed in the footsteps of Starbucks and started up its own record label. Nadine Coyle, part-time singer with Girls Aloud, part-time pub landlady is the first high profile signing to the grocers label. 

It might seem a slight step backward for Coyle, particularly in the light of fellow band mate Cheryl Cole's success, but the stumbling block that many artists face is obtaining effective distribution of their product, and when it comes to distributing product, there are few companies better equipped than Tesco. The retailer has just announced another exclusive distribution deal for the popular dance act Faithless, that will see heavy promotion of the album through the national Tesco petrol station network. 

In contrast to the UK, supermarket artists appear not to suffer the same stigma in the US - a fact probably helped by acts like the Eagles and Garth Brooks entering into agreements with Wal-mart. As the old record label model continues to fade into obsolescence, supermarkets may be just what the ailing music industry needs. 

As Cream continues to bring you the best of animal related advertising from around the world, I thought I should share this video from David & Goliath. (Not to be confused with the California based clothing company, David & Goliath - which I made the embarrassing mistake of doing this morning!)

Kids will love it, and the little two fellas driving the toaster are kind of cute too.

The real point of interest is that off the back of the TV spot, D&G are now selling Hamstar clothing, as featured in the video. An unusual case of life, or at least business, imitating art.  

[UPDATE: More Cream/Animal antics here - Monkeys this time!]

Fashion brands are notoriously rubbish when it comes to embracing marketing innovation. Decades of relying on moody models, atmospheric photography and glossy magazines has created an inertia within the industry to try new channels. 

Second to this unwillingness to experiment, is a desire to maintain absolute control over a brand image. At the end of the day the fashion industry is based on the sale of "image", so I can understand their dilemma. A case exists that says fashion doesn't need to innovate it's marketing, as the innovation lies purely in the creation of clothing trends. 

On the other hand, it is probably only a matter of time before one label works out the secret of the successful balancing act between customer engagement and image retention, and as usual the fear of being left behind means some brave brands will continue to explore the digital potential. 

Grant Hunter from Iris discusses the subject of fashion brands and marketing innovation in a new feature available here. 

"Imagine bubbles floating before your eyes, filled with cool info about stuff you see on the street". No, National Geographic isn't describing the first signs of a stroke, but showing us the way we might soon be experiencing the world through augmented reality (AR). 

After downloading software, smartphones can use built-in GPS, compass, and camera to find information about nearby ATMs, restaurants, transport, and other points of interest. 

No matter where you stand, your smartphone will even be able to tell you who's Twittering in the area, where the cheapest take-out is and when exactly a statue was designed.

Makes current executions of AR look pretty weak.   

 "As we talk with women around the world, they tell us that they want to make themselves more beautiful without making their environment less beautiful," said P&G Group President Gina Drosos. 

Despite this nauseating sentiment, making packaging out of 100% sugar cane is 100% better than making it out of plastic.

Have you made purchasing decision based on packaging provenance?

You can't beat a good, old-fashioned sensationalist headline. I'm fully prepared to admit that the printed word isn't as omnipotent as it once was, and I'm also prepared to admit that digital prose may well be where things are heading - but sensationalist headlines lose something in the digital space. Perhaps that is due to the sheer amount of odd content on the internet.  

In print, several people - writers, sub-editors, editors, designers, production managers, publishing managers and countless other people are involved in committing a story to paper. The fact so many people work tirelessly to create that news item is why crazy headlines have a certain magical quality this often missing from online news pages. 

You've guessed by now that this is building up to a big reveal. . .  here then, is the reason we will always have newspapers. 

In this i(Pawn) game, each player uses a small pawn to participate in a role-playing conversation. The game pieces are distinctly recognized by the system, and as they interact with the software, players are offered a variety of paths to take. 

Let's be honest, this game looks about as interesting as a cup of cold tea, but it's good to see digital designers starting to push the boundaries of ageing touchscreen applications.

Not, sadly, an X-Factor girl group or a Morrissey song - but a new money making opportunity in Twitter (well that had to be one somewhere didn't there?)

My French isn't great, but I'm confident this ad is asking for people to test a Herpes remedy, and blog about their experience. Kind of odd as requests go, and I'm not entirely convinced that the inventors of Twitter imagined a time when users would proudly proclaim their herpes infections in the micro-blogosphere. 

Rest assured the Cream Left Brain, Right Brain blog is a herpes free space.