Post-modern meets post-meatball...
Indirect Marketing
Well, the iPhone IS an excellent example of a social object. And things like coffee - Starbucks, is a good social piece. Anything that promotes people to have conversations with other folks.
Man, I actually read something similar to this recently but I can't find the site. Here's an example the best I can remember it...
Theoretically, a street beggar holding out an ordinary paper cup for change won't spark a conversation, while a street beggar holding out a Starbucks cup will.
Starbucks created this social object out of a paper cup, the homeless man is merely marketing their product for Starbucks, for free, and probably without realizing it. But whether or not he knew holding out a Starbucks cup would get him more attention and thus more spare change than an ordinary cup, two major extremes are at play here - social reciprocity between a homeless person and a large corporation without money ever being exchanged between the two.
Indirect Marketing
Subliminal Brand Exposure
OK, I'm putting this here because of the suggested indirect marketing (and I don't know where else to put it!), but the article focuses on the concept of subliminal images, such as exposure to popular logos, and how they affect our way of thinking. Whether you are a Mac person or a PC person, even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively.
Interesting research, I can believe it.