Tuesday 17th August:
Get a sugar fix in Soho
The ladies of our London office are aquiver with anticipation for the beginning of September. Patrick Cox, the shoe supremo, is dusting down some of his mum’s favourite homebake recipes and collaborating with Eric Lanlard, the French patisserie superhero. Cox, Cookies and Cake is set to open on Brewer Street at the beginning of September.
The interior of the shop takes more than a little design inspiration from saucy Soho shops, with a glossy black floor and spangly walls. We’ll soon see if it finds a place in the ladies’ hearts along with Snog, the frozen yoghurt joint also on Brewer Street, and good old Hummingbird Bakery on Wardour Street.
Source: http://www.coxcookiesandcake.com/
Tagged with: Fashion, Food, Snacks
Friday 2nd July:
Intelligent ice cream
What would you normally pay for an ice cream? £2, £3? How about a smile? SapientNitro and Unilever have revolutionised ice cream vending machines by creating the world’s first smile-activated one. The underlying technology is sophisticated, but the concept is simple: you walk up to the machine, smile and walk away with the goods.
When the motion detectors sense someone is near, the machine beckons them closer. Using face-recognition technology, it can recognises a person’s age, gender and emotional state, and measures their smile on a smile-o-meter. If they smile wide enough, they get a free ice cream.
You can also opt to have a picture of the happy snap uploaded to Facebook, which further supports Unilever’s ‘share happy’ brand message. Currently being showcased at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, the vending machine will be rolled out at high-traffic locations across the globe over the next 18 months.
From security checkpoints that recognise eyes to cameras that spot friends and family, machines are increasingly capable of smart interaction. Throw in emotion and delight, and you’ve got a memorable experience that knocks the socks off traditional advertising.
Via. http://www.springwise.com/marketing_advertising/sharehappy/
Tagged with: Happiness, Ice-cream, Snacks, Vending
Wednesday 16th June:
Cool snacks
TrueCoffee is the cosy Bangkok coffee shop that serves hi-speed internet along with its tasty snacks and drinks. And they’ve recently added hot dogs to their menu. For the packaging, they wanted something that would attract teenagers. So Bangkok agency, Subconscious, reinterpreted the word ‘hot dog’ and created a lovely dachshund character. Cute, simple, keepable.
Ref. http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2010/06/hot-dog.html
Tagged with: Food and drink, Packaging, Retail, Snacks
Wednesday 18th November:
An excuse for dropping litter
Frito-Lay is putting out Sun Chips bags that contain plant-based materials. It’s one more example of the way companies are rethinking how they package their products for the good of the environment.
Frito-Lay announced its plant-based bag last month, and is planning to have a chip bag on the shelves by Earth Day 2010 that’s made of 100% renewable materials and completely compostable.
Where the compostable Sun Chips bag will differ from most other bioplastics is that it can be composted in home composting systems, not just industrial systems that few consumers have access to. Tony Knoerzer, Frito-Lay’s VP of packaging research and development, said he put samples of the 100% compostable bag in his home compost bin, and it was gone in eight weeks.
When questioned why Frito-Lay is slowly adding renewable materials to the bag, starting at 33% instead of jumping straight to the 100% content bag, he explained the barrier is getting the right amount of scale.
“Even if the bags don’t get composted at the end of their lives”, he said, “They have additional benefits: they were made from a renewable, non-petroleum resource and lead to fewer greenhouse gas emissions.”
Tuesday 16th December:
What norm from another industry can you adopt or steal?
Think like 479° Popcorn who’ve taken a leaf from the book of gourmet wine tasting establishments.
479° offers ‘Samplers’ and ‘Collections’, all linked by theme. Samplers’ five boxes feed 2–4 people, and the Collections’ three canisters are enough for 4–8. Prices range from USD 33 for the Purist Sampler to USD 52 for the Caramel Collection.
http://www.479popcorn.com/index.html
Aware that made-to-order popcorn that’s handmade with posh flavours, like Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, Ginger Sesame Caramel and Black Truffle & White Cheddar aren’t always enough to ensure premium status, 479° Popcorn stresses its green credentials. The majority of its organic fair trade ingredients are sourced from farms close to its San Francisco kitchen, with the popped corn packaged in 90% recycled paper canisters that are also sourced from local suppliers. 479° Popcorn—named for the ideal Fahrenheit temperature for popping corn—is currently available in select Californian stores and via its website for delivery throughout the US.
Ref. Springwise
Thursday 1st May:
Why not think like uber specialists The Candy Restaurant and be totally dedicated to ONE thing only?
The Candy Restaurant aims to formalise the act of eating candy and raise it to the level of high cuisine. Patrons can choose from one of four tasting menus, and each dish is served with instructions on how to eat the candy, such as ‘make sure you always eat a Fuzzy Peach with the stem side facing your tongue.’ The restaurant was designed by Marti Guixe, the designer of Camper stores worldwide.
