So You Wanna Be A Rockstar

I would suspect that the Rockstar Energy Cola is a spin off from the searching-for-talent-shows. Who is so desperate trying to become a Rockstar by drinking Cola? Are there any people?

Something like: “After Dolce & Gabbana’s Mentor Tips didn’t help I started drinking Rockstar Energy Cola. It has to work, because it is a double size can. So I double my chances. And it contains Vitamins and Ginseng. Maybe I can get it on prescription.”

And yes, there are some people who buy Rockstar Energy Cola. It sells more than a billion cans per year…

Happiness in simplicity (2)

Do you really need more than the daily specials sticked to the wall?

Happiness in simplicity...

recreational zones

As seen in several capitals around the world: implementing recreational zones including bicycle paths. In Northern European countries, we cycle everywhere and don't need these zones urgently, but elsewhere the cities are embracing them. This one is in Lisbon, Portugal, 7 KM along the river Tagus from Belem to Cais do Sodre. Cycling or walking, you can read famous words by the Portugese poets Pessoa and Caeiro. Blogger Abilio Vieira shares the ride with the world.

Dolce Gabbana Is My Mentor

Dolce Gabbana Is My Mentor.
I am astonished. This can’t be real. Dolce Gabbana Is My Mentor, put on a bracelet. Everybody can see who my mentor is, because it’s written on my silver bracelet, Dolce Gabbana Is My Mentor. How can Dolce Gabbana be your mentor? Do you call, e-mail or twitter? And what advice does Dolce Gabbana give u? Buy D&G…?

When Dolce Gabbana is Your Mentor, I’ll show you mine:
G-Star Is My Guru
Adidas Is My Advisor,
Cindy Crawford Is My Counselor,
And Tweek Tweak is my Tutor!

Chiquita: The Bxxxxx Brand

Chiquita Brand
Chiquita = Banana. I should have know better. Chiquita = Brand. To be more precise, Chiquita positions itself as The Premium Fruit Brand. And their product line exceeded my expectations.

Product lines
1. First of all Chiquita sells Fruit. Next to bananas 14 kinds of other fruits, like Apple, Kiwi, Pears and Nectarines.
2. To make it easier, they also chop the fruit and put it into a small bag. This product line is called Healty Snacks. The chopped apples are called Apple Bites. But of course children don’t like healty, so Caramel is added. And then the name makes sense again, Snacks.
3. For people who don’t want to chew, the fruit is chopped even smaller and the Fruit-In-A-Bottle is available.
4. And for those who want to keep it fresh for a long time, the Fruit-In-A-Bottle is frozen. This line is called Frozen Smoothies.
5. There is also Salad in a bag available. Don’t know why and it doesn’t fit the number 1 Fruit producer.

Distribution or Branding?
The reason why I write this piece is my encounter with the Chiquita Fruit Bar. Next to supermarkets and grocery stores they start their own distribution. And why? I cannot imagine that the volume of this shop is the main consideration. They planted the full product line of Fruit (genuine, chopped and bottled) on a top spot. I think this is Top Branding!

Location Based Telephone Advertising, The China Way

Location Based Advertising
When I think of Location Based Services, the mobile Phone pops into my mind. But in a hotelroom in China I saw this fixed telephone which has a huge touch screen. At first, the functional part and the advertorial part are separated. After that, the full screen is used to display the advertisements. And then back to the split screen. There are all different types of advertisements and here is something to gain. As a non-resident I’m not planning on buying a Lexus. So that advertisement is a waste of money on me. What I would like to use is an instant reservation tool for the restaurant of my choice.

Apps and Adds on mobile?
Of course, these kind of applets are available on your mobile phone. First however, the costs for establishing an internet connection in China are high. Secondary the applets you are used to work with, probably don’t work because they are blocked.

Full Screen Light
O, and u are worrying about the light of the screen when trying to sleep? When u turn of the lights, the display turns to black.

railings and relics

In the summer palace in Beijing they don't just protect the relics

Phone tag for discounts

In Beijing, you can observe many adults with a peculiar phone charm on their mobile phone: a tag that can be swiped over a reader in shopping malls to receive many different types of discounts.

Coffee on Greek train

Who said Greece was a country of Nescafe drinkers? Apart from the Greek coffee and Nescafe, they also have something called French coffee. And that's filter coffee. And that's what they served on the Intercity Express from Athens to Thessaloniki (comes with the 1st class ticket), in a cup-with filter, nice!

Tic Tac’s latest innovation: addition of ‘Passion’ to its mints.

The latest innovation of Tic Tac is ‘Cherry Passion’. With the addition of ‘Passion’ Tic Tac puts more symbolism into its product.

The classic Tic Tac is simply called ‘Mint’. Then ‘Orange’, ‘Lemon’, ‘Cinnamon’, were launched, including the coloured packaging. And then the product designers invented ‘Cherry’. And the marketeers faced a difficult task. Just launching the new Cherry taste wasn’t good enough this time. Competition is tough. It needed something extra. Something to let the customer feel good about, maybe even get him excited. ‘Passion’ was the answer.

What will the next innovation of Tic Tac be? A few suggestions: ‘Tic Tac Pear Steamy’, ‘Tic Tac Grape Gentle’, and the ‘Tic Tac Kiwi Soft’. The ‘Tic Tac Kiwi Soft’ will come in a new cuddly package, so the softness can actually be felt…

Alice in the wonder room

At Selfridges in London, I saw a fantastic window full of Alice in Wonderland kind of winks. Inside it appeared to be part beautiful decoration, part stuff on sale. Little did I know about this store's habit to launch "pop up shops" inside its own big warehouse. For a short period of time, you are able to visit such a pop up shop (and buy something), and the magic is in it being temporary. You HAVE to go, right? Sorry I didn't bring a camera...

Year of the tiger

Happy new lunar year!

Laziness paying off: bulbs

Most people who are familiar with flowerbulbs obey the instructions and plant before the ground starts freezing, around November. I am too lazy or forget about bulbs every year, and guess what: never mind! Just put them under the soil AFTER the freezing months, say beginning of March, and enjoy the flowers untill the end of May! Anyhow, that's what happened last year in my garden... This was on May 6th.

Apocalypse

I was talking about games to a 21-year old student the other day. He said all of his flatmates played Need for speed, and that it's easy to become totally absorbed by the game, up to getting angry as H***. I told him I had the same when I was playing the Apocalypse game on the Atari when I was a teenager, while it must have been a rather primitive game according to the current standards. How primitive, I couldn't even remember (that's interesting!) but realised when I looked at a screenshot of the play....

As seen on the street: walking in low quality imitations

Isn't it great for a brand when all the imitations are obviously bad choices? A great example that is spoiling our streets in this bad weather are fake uggs. Allthough even the originals will never win the price for elegance, the imitations are so ridiculous that you have to pinch yourself when walking behind them. And the ones in the picture aren't the worst I've seen.

Does a smile fit into a proces? Ibis hotels thinks this can be done with ISO 9001.

In a budget hotel like Ibis, processes have to lean and mean. But hospitality is also very important to the customer. So the process and marketing people teamed up and invented the Smile Process. ISO 9001 certified. And it even fits on a poster. You're welcome.

Travel for free because you have a shopping mission (2)

The second tip in travelling for free is for the specific occasion to get married. First of all, why should people take their honeymoon AFTER they've tied the knot? It is better to take that honeymoon BEFORE, and visit a place where you can have you wedding suits and dresses made in no time, against much less costst then in our parts of the world (US, Europe). I was in Shanghai and came across amazing backalleys, like the Beijing Hutongs, just off the main shopping streets, filled with tiny specialised stores. Many, many full of all possible creations for wedding occasions. Over there, a great dress will set you back 200-400 USD...

travel for free because you have a shopping mission (1)

There is little chance you will see anything but concrete and shopping malls in the Emirates unless you have Arab friends there to show you sea, desert and fantastic food... Oh and for culture, Sharjah is certainly not bad. However, think about the wonderful Persian carpets as we know them. Dubai is at present one of the best places to buy originals. My Arab friends showed me many shops with great variety, the possibility to ship it for free and the certificate. No, a carpet is not a scruffy old fashioned thing you expect at your gradparents' place. Everybody from the Eastern hemisphere knows that. It is a piece of art and there are so many styles, everybody can find a piece to go with their furniture. So this is the first tip in travelling somewhere for free because you are combining things: Take a cheap trip to Dubai (must be possible now) and go for a big, beautiful rug...

Hot sauce

Another "trouvaille" (finding) was Uncle Brutha's sauce emporium. In Washington, like in any other city that is dominated by a diplomat culture, there is an interesting undercurrant of alternative cultures. One of the places to feel a great atmosphere of lovers of pure ingredients, great food and a relaxed atmosphere is Eastern Market. Organic in DC is a little expensive, but it comes with the best spirit! Near Eastern Market there is a gem called Uncle Brutha's. Uncle Brutha is the very sympathetic mr. Brennan Proctor, a 4th generation DC native who makes 2 hot sauces: nr. 9 and nr. 10. What happened to the other numbers I don't know, but his sauces are unbelievable. We are praying for the day he starts shipping out of US as well...

Eureka: Laudemio

Anxious to know what olive oil really and completely makes the difference and is best served with just some fresh bread? Feel you never find quality oil at the supermarket and don't know what to choose at trattorias? Blow your guests away with a dip in the premium olive oil of premium olive oils: Laudemio. The producers are quality freaks and lovers of their land and its origins and you are probably rightly guessing that they are based in Italy (Tuscany). Laudemio comes in 30 varieties, i.e. diffrent producers who organise themselves around very strict rules. As they call it: Also for olive oil therefore, as for all products that we desire to be exclusive and genuine, the “qualitative truth” lies in the agricultural base, that is, in the origins, in the attentions and in the modes of production. Amen.

what does a cat do all day?

Cats are a mystery. Especially to their owners, who only see them occasionally when they demand food, or when it's just too cold or rainy outside to go out. The cat in the picture is not mine but chose my chair today anyhow, to catch some sleep. If he had a camera with him, his owner would know about his whereabouts. And who doesn't want to know? Take a look as well at the solution for this burning question (what does a cat do all day)...

Champagne near the Royal Palace

Just after spotting the strategic alliance in a champagne macaron, I ran into this after party site near the Royal Palace in Brussel. Talking about Champagne...

Example of a strategic alliance, Veuve Clicquot and Jean Philippe Darcis with Macaron Champagne (instead of the eternal senseo case with Philips & DE

They cost a little more than the standard Philippe Darcis Macarons. And of course the Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne fits very well with it, as you can see it in the upleft corner. A smart upgrade with cross sell potential. Happy valentine!

Cross sell strategy: coffee for one euro

Customers are in line to grab a cup of coffee for one euro. Not just a give-away-muddy-cup but a good lavazza coffee. Only 15% of the customers walk away with just the coffee. And the activity of the customers waiting in line in front of the shop attracts other customers. A simple and effective strategy.

Marketing Nespresso, a prediction for the new boutique. People in line to get their cups. On line is easier, but the experience is lacking...

Herby a prediction of the expected succes of the Nespresso Boutique (see previous posting): people in line to get their cups. This amazing line is in the nespresso corner in Bijenkorf Utrecht (NL). I took this picture in 2009 and remembered i t because of the nespresso boutique to be

The marketing example Nespresso opens another BOUTIQUE. Coffee with heart and soul... how much added value can coffee cups take?

The next nespresso boutique in Brussels is on its way.
The great example in many marketing courses along with iphone. Added value creation, customer lock in (mental and machine) and up scale positioning. And of course, customer experience.

Marketing positioning, claim a top position just by saying your company is the number one!

Example of hard core marketing positioning, the number one in pressing.

O, and we can do the pressing in one hour.

Thats a true number one.

Mobypicture - Cool Buildings

Mobypicture - Cool Buildings