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