Girl Scouts logo gets bangs and nose job for more modern look

The new face of the Girl Scouts has bangs, and she seems to have had some work done on her nose. It is 2010, after all. The girl-power organization is nearly 100 years old, so you can understand why it wanted a little nip/tuck, can't you? Its well-known green-and-white icon, from legendary designer Saul Bass, hadn't been changed since it launched in the '70s. This tweak is meant to make it look more modern. It's part of a brand overhaul that's also aimed at boosting membership, which has been lagging in recent years. There's millions of dollars' worth of (donated) media coming, including online, traditional print and broadcast, and out of home; $10 million will be devoted to the Hispanic market. The goal is to let current generations and their parents know that the Girl Scouts are about more than cookies. (Mmmm, thin mints.) It's always tricky when a famous brand tinkers with its logo, though the rationale here may be rock solid. Tell us what you think of the new, more angular Girl Scouts icon. I'm partial to the groovy '70s original, but that's just nostalgia and my old merit badge sash talking.

New Girl Scouts video celebrates the infinite power of the cookie

Leave it to the Girl Scouts to get us thinking about the power of the cookie. The youth organization has launched this ad on YouTube that gets people pondering about what good its cookies can do (aside from the fact that their Thin Mints are addictive, anyway). The ad, which consists of a simple musical backdrop and a series of thought-provoking question-and-answer texts, is vaguely reminiscent of Starbucks' go-vote election-themed effort. It asks questions like, "What is the largest business program led not by him, but by her, that raises millions of dollars for communities, and that produces more female business owners than most universities?" (Answer: Girl Scout cookies.) The ad goes on to highlight the cookie's virtues: "This cookie could help a girl provide a fresh change of clothes to a flood victim rushed to a shelter. Or cheer a soldier overseas." It ends with the tagline, "Every cookie has a mission: to help girls do great things." OK, we're touched. Bring on the cookies!

—Posted by Elaine Wong