MTV’s Power Of 12, Magazines’ Advertoretail Engages Young Readers, Healthy School Lunches In LA

We’re entering an election year, and, as usual, MTV (is on the forefront of encouraging young people to get involved in politics. Gone is the old slogan, “Choose Or Lose.” Its new hub site for all things electoral, PowerOf12, is pretty honest about Millennials’ attitudes toward politics, greeting visitors with the statement, “Look, we know many of you have been disappointed by politics…” but at the same time reminds them that the only way to enact change is to speak up. In other news, candidates are using promoted messages on Twitter and making a stronger push via social media in an attempt to swing public opinion in their favor) (MTV) (NYT, reg required) (Ad Age) (ReadWriteWeb)

Magazines are doing everything they can to stay relevant to young readers (usually by incorporating technology in a slick way. InStyle is the latest to do so, planning an exciting merger of editorial, technology, and retail tied to its March issue. The magazine will launch a pop-up store in New York City featuring outfits and products from the issue. Visitors can use mobile technology to find the nearest retailers that carry the brands and items they want or get hands on with touch screen windows that will allow them to create Polyvore-style collages that can then be instantly sent as digital postcards to their smartphones or email addresses or shared via social media. We’ve already put a note on our calendar to check it out on March 1!) (WWD)

The Los Angeles Unified School District has had a rocky road to healthy school lunchs (including a public spat with Jamie Oliver. But now that it is finally offering more nutritious meals to students, it’s seeing that food go to waste. Students don’t like the taste, not necessarily because they prefer junk food, but because school cafeterias aren’t yet skilled at preparing the meals, so kids turn up their noses at mushy pad thai noodles or uncooked rice in jambalaya) (LA Times)

Young Hollywood Network is among the most anticipated new YouTube professionally-produced channels (slated to debut early in January. Young celebrities will play a big role in the programming on many channels, including some of those from Clevver media that include a focus on young Latinos) (Deadline Hollywood)

‘Tis the season for gazing into one’s crystal ball (and here’s a list of what we can look forward to in 2012 from all the major tech giants: Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and more) (Time)

The United Nations announced that October 11 (will be known as the Day Of The Girl, during which it will put a focus on the issues facing girls in developing countries around the world, such as ensuring equal rights and improving their access to education) (PR Newswire)

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