Ypulse Essentials: Kotex 'Breaks The Cycle', Privacy Lost, 'Musicians Wanted' On YouTube

Kotex looks to ‘Break the Cycle’ (of embarrassment associated with feminine care products by skewering traditional ads in a campaign for its new “bold:” line “U by Kotex.” Watch the first spot here. Also Sears and Macy’s drive prom sales with social media. And location-based app CauseWorld asks users to “check in” at retails stories for charity) (MediaPost, reg. required) (BrandWeek) (Ad Age, reg. required)

- How privacy gets lost online (through the accumulation of small disclosures. Also new data on ChatRoulette finds most users are male. And the WSJ spotlights MTV’s new digital abuse monitoring tool) (New York Times, reg. required) (TechCrunch)

- ‘MTV Hired’ (a new MTV documentary series following recent grads on their elusive hunt for employment debuts on May 6. Thanks Lindsey! Also early critics come out against The CW’s “Fly Girls,” a new reality show featuring real Virgin America flight attendants. One brand consultant deems it “Jersey Shore goes to flight.”) (Business Insider) (WSJ, reg. required)

- Old is the new young (with adults maintaining adolescent values and teens appearing more adults, recent research point to a generation-wide “Freaky Friday” moment ) (Adweek)

- Intel Science Talent Search finds a winner (in 18-year-old Erika DeBenedictis who developed a software navigation system to improve spacecraft travel through the solar system. Wowza. Plus cybersecurity company Trend Micro launches a ugc contest to find the bet internet safety story) (MSNBC)

-  Under pressure (a new study finds fear of social rejection may be a more powerful driver than taste for music purchase decisions in adolescents. And in case you missed it Katie Couric interviews tween sensation Justin Bieber on her @katiecouric web series) (Scientific American) (CBS News)

- More pre-Bologna deals (Egmont USA puts down six-figures for the worldwide rights to Ilsa J. Bick’s Ashes, a new young adult dystopian thriller trilogy) (Cynopsis Kids)

- ‘MacGruber’ @ SXSW (the latest full-length SNL film draws mixed reviews from Reuters and Ain’t It Cool News. Plus “The Myth of the American Sleepover” takes on the ever popular “one crazy night” genre. And even more props for comic book film ‘Kick-Ass.’ I’m officially stoked) (WSJ) (Pop Candy) (Cynopsis Kids)

- Pepsi drops out of school (making a pledge to remove high-calorie sweetened drinks from schools of kids under 18 by 2012) (USA Today)

- YouTube launches ‘Musicians Wanted’ (a new service to help select indie bands generate revenue through video views. Also MTV Europe Music Awards moves to Madrid) (Wired) (Variety, reg. required)