A mobile store in less than an hour?

Retail is anywhere a transaction happens so brands need to do all they can to facilitate shopping experiences for customers that fit into their lives, routines, expectations.

With this in mind, I came across a platform called "mshopper" and wanted to share. It helps retailers set up an m-commerce site within one hour. Obviously proof is in the pudding but as a concept I dig it.....fast, innovative, convenient.

Another Reason to Love Lego

Lego is using play to help educate kids about renewable energy.

Is there anything this brand can't do?

I LOVE YOU LEGO!

Great Creative Spirits

I saw the documentary "The September Issue" about a week ago, and I gotta' say, I loved it. I thought it was a fascinating insight into an industry that cops a lot of flak (some deserved, some not so deserving).

What struck me most about this film was the creativity that ran through the veins of the people who worked at Vogue in New York. A somewhat obvious deduction you might agree however I guess coming from a background in advertising, it was only natural for me to make comparisons.

I really thought Grace Coddington - the CD of Vogue - was the stand out. Whilst I was truly curious about Anna Wintour ('she of the dark glasses' fame) I thought Grace stole the show. Her passion, talent and creativity was inspiring. Grace's ability to take an idea and bring it life (see the "twenties" shoot in the movie for my favourite example of this...or the "jumping camera guy" in the colour block shoot)...) was fantastic. She is a woman whose whole career has rested on an ability to "think different" and see the potential where others have missed it. Originality is her calling card.

Wow.

Way Off The Mark

Some of you may have seen the recent Chaser skit about Make A Wish.

It's been several days since the segment ran on Chaser's War on Everything however I wanted to wait until I'd seen the dust settle before commenting. In particular, I was interested to read the letters (on/offline) about the ABC's decision to run the piece which the producers & Chaser Team referred to as "satirical" and "black humour".

Having lived through the experience of watching my own son on life support along with other children and parents who've been faced with equally (or worse) experiences, I have to say, I've found it pretty hard to understand why The Chaser team thought this subject could ever be appropriate.

It's not remotely comedic to parody children who are undergoing extremely painful, traumatic treatment for potentially life-threatening health challenges.

Assuming The Chaser's team have never set foot in a kids' hospital nor known anyone who has.....perhaps they should check one out.

Even the most insensitive twat would have to agree that there are subjects which should be no-go. Creating a parody about kids who are ill and/ or dying is one of those.

I am truly disappointed by The Chaser.....I think they've really overstepped the mark. And it's not me who thinks this - only last night was the topic raised whilst out with friends....all of them (independently of my opinion) felt that the segement was in extremely poor taste....it certainly wasn't funny.

I truly hope The Chaser hit the drawing board and start working again on ideas which entertain rather than offend.

Supersize My Trolley?

As I wheeled around my local supermarket doing some shopping tonight (because hey, it's fun right?) I couldn't help but make the observation....why the hell are shopping trolleys so bloody big these days?

I can remember a time when average folk would pile up the groceries but somehow manage to do so using a contraption that didn't resemble a small Hummer.

As I rounded another corner, trying hard not to swipe an elderly couple looking for packs of pasta, I started to wonder.....Is the humble shopping trolley (now complete with airbags, cruise control, side impact protection and separate compartments...or at least it would seem) a metaphor for our obsession with consumption. Do we really *need* all the stuff we buy? What psychological ailment is the big trolley placating? Is it all a dirty conspiracy? Or a practical necessity born from research by the marketing dudes upstairs?

Whatever the case, I have to admit, for a Friday night, it was starting to get quite philosophical....why the heck had my trolley been supersized?

As I rounded another corner, I realised I was experiencing a mild yet growing sense of anxiety. As the shopping piled up ("organic butter or regular?...") I began to calculate the cost of my increasing supersized pile. Yes, I was out to buy a fair amount (weekend BBQ.....I hope the weather holds) but boy was I dreading the checkout experience (despite best intentions, does anyone else's trolley ever equate to a small nation's GDP ??). Have you ever noticed how (post check-out) everyone glances down at their receipts with a resigned *sigh* muttering "there goes another $200" (as they trudge out with 3 bags of groceries).

Coles are obviously onto this with their trolleys & their latest campaign ($10 meals + gift card promotion...note to coles: I have picked up the gift card promo brochure twice but haven't made it to the online sign up yet...). For a nation whose birth rate is either stalling (or in decline); where more people are beginning to live on their own; where we shop more frequently but buy less (average basket vs trolley shop I believe is $27...another obscure fact randomly filed in my brain) we have a bizarre obsession with the supersized tanker trolley. Supermarkets want us to browse more, stay longer, buy extra (but you can't fit all that extra choice in your little 'ol red basket).

Hmmm....perhaps I've just found the answer to my curious question??

Ideas that Moved Me

I love Ji Lee's work. Formerly of Drogaa5 in NYC now at Google.....one of his most famous pieces of "independent" creative was the bubble project.

So amazing it's now transformed into an international idea...http://thebubbleproject.com/

Slumdog: A Missed Opportunity?

For me, Slumdog Millionaire certainly wasn't the "feel good film of the decade". I actually found it a very distressing film with extremely difficult themes. Perhaps it's because I'm a mother but seeing kids in any level of poverty or distress deeply upsets me.

The movie really "moved" me on the subject of poverty and slums in India. So much so, that after I got home I researched what (respected) charities work in India to help children out of poverty and into a better life.

I would have loved it if (after the movie) information was made available to direct me to well-respected charities that help kids out of the slums. Nothing! Neither was there anything on the films website (I also looked there) to help.

I think that if a film is going to shine a light on such an important issue, then they have a responsibility to be part of the solution. The film did an amazing job of raising awareness about the slums in India but then didn't help viewers participate in a solution. I think this was a hugely missed opportunity which could have been far better capitalised on.

I was also disappointed to read that the children who acted in the films were paid a paltry amount of money and then sent back to live there. Really uncool.

As for me, I've still got "find slum charity" stuck on a post-it above my desk. I've committed to following through on it but how much faster it would have been if I'd been provided with the information whilst the graphic film images rang fresh in my mind.

Circus 4.0

Never has Cirque De Soleil ever left me feeling less than inspired and amazed.

Each time it comes to Sydney my husband and I go and see it, and ever time I'm left thinking how the hell are they going to improve on that for next time? It is such a curiosity - the costumes, the story ideas, the music, the performances!

I think this is one of the most amazing brands to hit the face of our planet.

It's Circus 4.0.

I think there are some great learnings for brands of all types:

.....story is powerful and compelling

.....the audience is encouraged and invited to participate

......engagemet across every touchpoint

.....a creative and artistic masterpiece = attention to detail

.....raises the bar on itself each time = truly original

.....gets me talking, makes me inspired, an experience to be shared

.....truly entertaining

.....truly "smashproof" as a brand

.....drives repeat purchase!

B2B I.T Marketing Gets Creative

This is one of the most genius ideas I've seen coming out of the B2B I.T Industry.....in an industry where marketing is typically branded as "boring", I think this idea is simple and really fresh.

It was founded on a piece of insight being that everyone has an "IT Horror Story"......mine is trashing a major essay right before I was due to hand it in back in my uni days.....remembering it still makes me feel ill!....what's yours??

check out: http://www.trueittales.com/

Vodafone WOW store

Vodafone has created a series of WOW stores in Europe.

It is a branded retail experience that utilises the latest technology in order to drive customer engagement, visitation, and ultimately sales.

Check it out on You Tube. I think it rocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJmjaulpCBo

Japan (is) Curiosity At Its Best

I love Japan. I lived there for a short period in the early 1990s. This was before the advent of the Internet, when only snail mail and phonecalls connected you to the outside "western" world. It blew my mind...the culture, karaoke, zen gardens, sushi stores, japanese bakeries, vending machines, language, tea houses, nori making, ancient rites & traditions, everything.

I've since been lucky enough to go back and discovered a new love...Japanese retail concepts, packaging and Harajuku - the tiny little lane way that houses the extraordinary, weird and wonderful....in particular the "Harajuku" street fashion that symbolises true creativity and youthful rebellion at its best.

Japan rocks. It is an incredible hive of innovation, technology and leading edge brilliance. It vales beauty in design and pays attention to detail where others overlook.

Ideas That Move Me

• Brand I'd love to help reinvent:
  The Spastic Centre
• I plain love (and use) this brand:
  Dyson
• Brand With Guts:
  Sea Shepherd
• Bought it because of the packaging:
  Sultry Sally, Method Cleaning, Not Another Bloody Water
• Cause Marketing that rocks:
  Haagen Dazs "save the honey bees" + Tap Project (UNICEF)
• Brand with a built-in care factor:
  Tom's Shoes
• Best retail reinvention:
  Target (US) ....democratisation of design is legendary
• Next big 'marketing' thing to (really) hit Australia:
  Shopper Marketing
• Best brand experience ever:
  Conrad Tokyo (OMG)
• Technology about to boom big time:
  RFID chips (check out MuChip) & tags (watch out retail)
• Most innovative interactive campaign:
  MINI (Germany) & their use of Augmented Reality (AR)
• Favourite Australian brand:
  Jurlique (love their concept stores)
• What The?!:
  In-store conveyor belt media (guess it works?!)
• Favourite overseas campaigns:
  Whopper Freakout + Still Free (Echo) + Dove Campaign for Real Beauty
• Most innovative brand touchpoint:
  Le Meridien, USA (the room key reinvented as gallery pass)
• Innovative kids packaging:
  Y-Water (functionality meets design)
• Simple but awesome:
  Qantas in-flight cutlery holder/ place mat/ bin (so simple, so cool).
• Favourite online campaign:
  "I believe In Harvey Dent" (Dark Knight launch for Batman)
• Most engaging online idea:
  My Starbucks Idea (http://www.mystarbucksidea.com/)
• Could never stop loving it:
  Disneyland, my Roald Dahl kids book collection, Monopoly, my ipod.

I love Cola Life

One of the best ideas I've seen (and signed up for) recently is participation in the http://www.colalife.org/ initiative.

Around the world, children die every day from dehydration that results from preventable diseases such as diarrhoea.

As stated on their website:

Cola Life's idea is that Coca Cola use their distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to distribute 'social products', such as oral rehydration salts, to the people who need them desperately.

To find out more: http://www.colalife.org/