I have become obsessed with widgets, little desktop devices that are (at their best) a combination of the delightful and the useful. I was thinking about them as a metaphor for the best in certain kinds digital creative ideas. see widgetism . Increasingly brands are using widgets not as a metaphor but as an actual marketing channel (if that's the right word). A successful example comes from the nestle pet food brand Purina widget .
Anyroad up, other smarter people have been thinking more broadly on the same subject talking about the notion of the 'branded utility'. branded utility reference
Branded utility sounds far grander, widget more human. Give me widgets any day
