Innovation That Matters

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American Apparel

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Three years ago, Philips and Sara Lee successfully introduced Senseo, a home concept for coffee, including a special machine (which works not unlike an espresso machine) and special coffee pods. Now, after selling more than 5 million Senseo machines in Europe, Philips is about to enter the US market, hoping to sell 2 million machines annually, at a retail price of USD 69.99. A multi-million dollar advertising campaign is in the works, and there’s an exclusive pre-sales section on the amazon.com site (a trend in itself!). But competition in the coffeehouse-style coffee at home arena is brewing: Procter & Gamble recently announced its new Home Cafe product line, which involves its Folgers and Millstone coffee brands partnering with appliance makers Black & Decker, Krups, Mr. Coffee and Hamilton Beach. Like the Senseo, the competitors machines will allow people to brew single servings of cafe-style coffee from specially designed packets. Which means better quality, less brewing time, and, as the pods come in various flavors, more choice for individuals and entire households. And as if this market isn’t going to be crowded enough, Kraft just announced its own on-demand, roast coffee system called Tassimo, combining its Carte Noire coffees with a dedicated appliance by espresso machine manufacturer Saeco. Tassimo will first be rolled out in France, avoiding the oncoming P&G vs Sara Lee bloodbath in the US. Setting it apart from its competitors is a liquid milk disc that creates froth without the use of a steam wand. Yes, innovation lives. 😉 (more…)
First there were Flagship stores, then Experience stores, then BEING SPACES and now… Brand spaces? Coca-Cola Company in December launched Coca-Cola Red Lounges, an interesting experience-based innovation that targets teens in malls in Illinois and Los Angeles (source: Promo Xtra). The first lounges opened two months ago in Chicago-area Westfield Hawthorne Shoppingtown, Illinois, and Los Angeles’ Westfield Topanga Plaza. The move makes sense, considering Coke’s President and COO Steve Heyer’s recent statement that “the days of mass, homogenous marketing are behind us”. The lounge areas offer exclusive music, movie and games programming from FUSE, G4, Sony, ESPN Video Games and Twentieth Century Fox and come with custom-built furniture, a plasma-screen media wall and sound domes. First and foremost a place where teens can relax in comfort, hang out with friends, socialize and enjoy great entertainment, the areas also host teen-targeted events and occasional promos awarding prizes to visitors, timed to key shopping periods. Needless to say, vending machines sell Coke, Sprite, Dasani water and Minute Maid juices. Red Lounges are a commercial version of the ‘Coca-Cola Red Room’ which was part of the set for American Idol. The lounges were designed by the Rockwell Group, who know a thing or two about GRAND BOUTIQUE: current and past projects include Cirque du Soleil at Walt Disney World, W New York and Nobu restaurant in New York.

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With virtually every consumer brand becoming a lifestyle brand, Springwise expects (if not fears) that soon every mall and street corner will have a Brand Space catering to fatigued teens: a Vodafone lounge to relax sore thumbs after too much text messaging, teen magazine lounges to promote reading from something else than a screen, and MTV lounges open to ALL shoppers to promote more understanding between Generation X and the rest of the population. The Experience Economy has only just begun!
Remember the Art*o*Mat concept we highlighted? Well, thanks to Mads Bab, we spotted a new art initiative called Art Money. A Danish idea, it’s basically a currency made by artists worldwide. In principle, Art-Money (AM) works much like a national currency that represents a gold reserve, only AM represents an art reserve distributed among the participating producers. AM can be exchanged for art at any time from any artist in the Bank of International Art Money (BIAM). AM measures 12×18 cm. Each note or bill displays a serial number, year of creation, BIAM home page address, optional logo, the artist’s name and the artist’s original signature. When an artist deals in AM, the new keeper is registered by the serial number on the note. This way, the artist compiles a network of art collectors for his or her own use and BIAM is secured against forgery. All artists are listed in the BIAM index, and anyone can ensure the genuineness of the note by searching for the artist’s name on the homepage. The value of AM follows the rate of the euro. AM is a world currency and its value is not affected by the artist’s name or where in the world it is produced or used. The purchasing power of AM equals 20 euro in the year of production, and each year the value increases by 5 euro, until the 7th year, when it settles at 50 euro. The value of AM is therefore determined from the production year. With most participating artists originating from Denmark, the founders are actively looking to sign up as many artists from other nations as possible. An interesting concept, especially with the current enthusiasm for bartering, alternative market places and peer-to-peer transactions. (more…) When you subscribed to the Springwise newsletter, we promised you cross-industry diversity, so here we go, moving on from sweatshop-free T-shirts to Hip Hop dolls! Toy maker Mattel is introducing Flavas, ‘the first reality-based fashion doll brand that celebrates today’s teen culture’. Listening to names like Tika, P. Bo and Happy D and sporting dreadlocks and funky outfits, these dolls are not your average sugar-coated barbies. And forget the doll house with the pink bubble bath: accessories include the Flavas Tuner Car and the Bike Date Motorcycle set. (more…)
PLANNED SPONTANEITY Howard Rheingold Hvem er ibyen

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Agito Systems
Thai restaurants Thailand Elite Privilege Club

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