Friday 18th December:
iDrink
The Department of Health has announced that people can download a mobile phone application to keep track of their festive drinking. Public health minister Gillian Merron launched the ‘alcohol tracker’, which is available from iTunes and www.nhs.uk.
It allows drinkers to input how much they are consuming and view graphs of whether they’re sticking to recommended units: three to four a day for a man, and two to three for a woman. The application also helps people work out how many alcoholic units there are in a drink and get personalised feedback on their habits.
Ms Merron said, ‘It’s all too easy to lose track of how much you drink. So as the festive parties start to build up, this innovative tool will help people keep tabs on their drinking – wherever they are.
‘Sticking within the NHS-recommended limits means you reduce the risk of serious conditions such as mouth cancer and strokes.’
Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, said, ‘Trying to stick within the daily unit guidelines will help people avoid the January slump and the long term health implications associated with drinking too much alcohol.’
People with a standard mobile can access a units calculator by texting the word UNIT to 64746.
Ref. http://itn.co.uk/b968a21944f10d281d8a908d12f40443.html
Thursday 17th December:
Eco-utility
Launched earlier this year at the 2009 London Design Week, Tom Dixon‘s latest collection finally hits retailers in January 2010. As one of the leading ambassadors for British design, Dixon continues to explore sustainability issues with his Utility collection, adding extra emphasis on well-crafted construction. Acknowledging that just creating products from biodegradable materials—such as his Eco Ware collection—is simply not enough, the Utility collection concentrates on the notions of longevity, substance and materials deployed through robust, honest design.
Ref. http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2009/12/tom_dixon.php
Tagged with: Fashion, Homeware, Sustainability
Wednesday 16th December:
Message in a bottle
As part of an interesting collaboration project, Malibu rum bottles got a re-design by three different magazines. Vice Magazine went with a drippy beach scene, Clark took a minimalist approach with a stark white bottle with a stencil and spray paint set and Shoes Up packaged their sneaker-inspired bottle inside a shoe box.
Tagged with: Food and drink, Spirits
Tuesday 15th December:
Get parental perks with an office ‘Kid Kit’
Parents at work often feel entitled to leave work early now and then to accommodate their kids’ needs. Much to the disgruntlement of their childless coworkers. Aiming to bring the same benefits to the employees left behind is The Office Kid, a New York company that provides an all-purpose work excuse in the form of a fictitious ‘child’.
For just $19.95, childless workers can get their very own ‘kid in a kit’, including a framed picture of a child, original kiddie artwork for cubicle display and a welcome letter with suggested starter excuses. Customers can choose the gender and ethnicity of their child, and optional extras include sports team photos and doctor’s notes on ‘official’ stationery. The Office Kid explains: “No muss, no fuss, just a seemingly tangible excuse to hit the road early for nine holes, sporting events or a ticket to do absolutely nothing.”
Ethical questions notwithstanding, there’s no doubt The Office Kid provides an innovative solution to a perceived inequity that’s long been part of the office world.
Ref. http://www.springwise.com/life_hacks/officekid/
Tagged with: Family, Kids, Office, Professional services
Monday 14th December:
Track Santa with Google Earth and Twitter
It’s that time of year again when hundreds of thousands of children will be tracking Santa’s progress across the world, courtesy of NORAD (North American Air Defence Command). The tradition began in 1955 when calls to a misprinted telephone number in an advertisement for a Colorado store, from children invited to call Santa’s hotline, came through to Col. Harry Shoup, NORAD’s Director of Operations. (Thanks, Head Elf Claire)
Friday 11th December:
Blooming lovely
Now that everyone’s switching on to sustainability, buying flowers from far-flung places seems like an indulgence. So if you’re looking to send a little something to a friend, why not check out Flowers by Clowance? Many of their flowers are grown at their very own nursery in Praze, right in the heart of the horticultural area of Cornwall. You can choose gorgeous bunches of anemones, alstroemeria, carnations and so on and they’ll pack them up prettily and pop them in the post. The business was established 63 years ago and is now run by James, the grandson of the original owner. (Tx Laura, who was the lucky recipient of a bunch of alstroemeria)
Ref http://www.flowersbyclowance.co.uk
Thursday 10th December:
Season’s eatings
If your office is anything like ours, you’ll already be ploughing through the Christmas chocolates. If you’re looking for something to savour, how’s about Artisan du Chocolat’s latest offering? Their chocolate snowglobes will make very toothsome decorations, if you can hold yourself back long enough to appreciate their kitsch good looks. Here’s how Gerard Coleman and Anne Weyns, the chocolatier and business brains behind the atelier, describe them: ‘Marvellous edible decorations, shake them (not too hard!) and you can hear the caramel, cocoa nibs and biscuit bits inside soon to be eaten. Our globes are made in milk or dark chocolate and decorated in edible silver and gold with a snowy London landscape, Santa sleigh or winter trees. Unfortunately they are too fragile to send but reserve your adorable and delicious kitsch globes to pick up in our Chelsea, Notting Hill or Selfridges shops from Nov 1.’
Wednesday 9th December:
The Museum of Everything
The building was once a dairy, later a recording studio. Now it’s a museum. Not just any museum, mind, but The Museum of Everything. Founded by James Brett, it’s a showcase for what he calls ‘Unintentional Art’, art that’s created for the love of it rather than as a professional pursuit. He’s been collecting it for almost a decade and now feels it’s time to show some of it off. James has asked people like Ed Ruscha, Annie Morris and Jarvis Cocker to help him curate.
The exhibition, which is affiliated with Frieze Art Fair, has been winning rave reviews. It’s well worth heading down to the corner of Regent’s Park Road and Sharpleshall Street in Primrose Hill to see it if you get chance. Here’s how they describe Exhibition #1 on the website: ‘In tiny crevices and under dusty beds, there lies a secret creativity by the unknowns of society. Unexpected, delicate and profound, this democratic work has inspired the world’s greatest artists. In Exhibition #1, the museum presents over two hundred drawings, paintings, sculptures and installations, selected by leading contemporary artists, curators and cultural figures. Come see their discoveries revealed for the very first time – at London’s only public space for art by the untrained, unintentional and unseen creators of this, our modern world.’
Ref. http://www.museumofeverything.com
Tuesday 8th December:
Tap into your super-consumers
Eddie Yoon of The Cambridge Group discovered that in any product category, roughly 10% of the consumers account for more than 50% of the profits. These super-consumers, as we call them, are the hot dog buyers who eat five pounds of hot dogs a month, wolfing down as many as 4 per sitting. They are the stapler users who own 8 different staplers. They know what they want, they’ll buy a lot of it, and they’ll pay a premium for it. They’re passionate and engaged — sometimes even a little obsessive — and they exist in every category, from soft drinks and air travel to fast-food and oral care products.
Many managers assume that their super-consumers are a unique species whose extreme appetites say little about what more casual consumers might go for. They also figure that their super-consumers are already sated, so there’s no point in probing them further. That’s a mistake.
Companies that listen to their super-consumers and use their insights to refine their message ultimately grow sales and margins across all segments. These companies aren’t trying to convert light users into heavy users. Rather, they’re figuring out what it is the super-consumers like so much and then offering it to them. Invariably, acting on the insights from those consumers who spend disproportionate time and energy in the category uncovers insights and innovations that encourage trade-up behaviours across other segments as well.
Consider this: A stapler company found itself heading for a price war with competitors. What to do? Market research with its community of stapler groupies — users who stapled ten times as much as the average person — found that they valued anti-jamming above all other features, and would happily pay a premium for high-performance, jam-free staplers. Running with this insight, the company redesigned its point of sale to emphasize electric staplers and refocused its marketing message across all products on benefits (like reliability) rather than features (like colour). The strategy boosted sales by 20% and improved margins overall. Not only did electric stapler sales increase (fuelled by super-consumers), but the merchandising strategy emphasising the benefits of trading up increased sales of heavy-duty manual staplers across other segments.
Tagged with: Food and drink, Insight, Office products, Retail
Monday 7th December:
Wear it well
Dogtag Travel Insurance was set up to fill a gap in the market for people who want cover for the Sports Activities they take part in whilst abroad. They have come up with a unique way of proving you are covered for medical treatment abroad: a surgical steel Dogtag to wear at all times when you’re travelling. (Tx Dawn, be careful on those slopes!)
Your stainless steel Dogtag is laser engraved with your name, personal tag number and the Dogtag emergency phone number and web address. By accessing your Medical Information Page, a medic or other privileged person can view a read-only page with details about the currency of your insurance cover. They can also view any relevant medical information you choose to make available.