Seniors are doin’ it for themselves

by Lindsay Paterson WHAT’S HAPPENING An album at 87? Done. Surf holiday at 65? Been there, done that. Seniors are grabbing life with both hands and refusing to give up on the activities that they enjoy. Christopher Lee (yes, that Mr. Lee) has recorded a heavy metal concept album — despite being in his mid-80s. […]

U.K. shoppers conquer the cringe factor and start haggling

by Lindsay Paterson WHAT’S HAPPENING Haggling is hitting the headlines in the U.K., as cash-strapped shoppers look for the best possible bang for their buck. Bargaining is not in their nature — in fact it’s intrinsically very un-British — but spending more than they need to sticks in the throat. Times are hard, and consumers […]

Something fishy’s afoot at Aqua Sheko spa

by Sophie Robehmed WHAT’S HAPPENING Aqua Sheko — London’s first ever fish therapy spa — is the quick-fix alternative to spa weekends, offering 30-minute exfoliation appointments where fish nibble on consumers’ feet and remove dead skin while they sup exotic tea. Feet are cleansed before being submerged in a tank where the Garra Rufa fish […]

Fab competition promises kids a cool time

by Rebecca de Vaux WHAT’S HAPPENING Fab ice lolly brand has a cool competition for kids: designing a den for their local community. The tools? Good old-fashioned paper and pen. Entrants are asked to use blank downloadable templates, or pull-out templates from magazines. The brand is asking children to think of their local community and […]

INTRODUCING ICONOCULTURE U.K.

by Kelly Stevens Iconoculture’s new U.K. Consumer Advisory Service, which you may soon come to know and love, now translates current consumer trends into strategic insights for U.K. marketing initiatives. Like most of the world, we’ve been glued to the World Cup in recent weeks. Catching our eye especially is a brick-by-brick LEGO fussball (“foosball” […]

To Mexicans, Palmolive is a hair care brand, too

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING Palmolive is for dishes, right? Yes, but it’s also a favorite for hair in Mexico. Palmolive Caprice shampoos and conditioners are being stocked on Wal-Mart shelves in stores serving predominantly Latino populations. Colgate-Palmolive is banking on identifying products that Latinos miss from their home countries and importing […]

Target offers massive reward for use of RED cards

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING In autumn 2010, Target will reward customers who use their Target credit cards and debit cards in stores across the U.S. and at Target.com. Whipping out the RED will result in an instant 5% discount — a very generous rewards program compared to other credit and debit cards. Earlier this […]

Hollywood Xers play midlife crisis for laughs

by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Ben Stiller is going gray. John Cusack is 44. As the first wave of Hollywood Xers hits middle age, a collective midlife crisis is brewing. And unlike Big Chill Boomers, they’re playing it for laughs. Hot Tub Time Machine takes Cusack back to 1986, when he and his coke-snorting buddies […]

Best Buy administers pro bono “life support” to children’s hospitals

by Sarah Barker WHAT’S HAPPENING Because maintaining a cyber lifeline can be critical to many members of Gen We, a Minneapolis-based Best Buy set up a “tech precinct” in Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, complete with Geek Squad agents (USAToday.com 6.16.10). Hospital planners integrated videogames and WiFi as part of the healing environment. A […]

MAD WORLD

by Hans Eisenbeis I’ve been catching up on Mad Men, the hit TV series that launches its fourth season this week. As you undoubtedly know, it follows the triumphs and failures of an advertising agency in the man’s, man’s, man’s world of corporate Manhattan circa 1963. One of the things the show’s fans either love […]

Ford takes info campaign route to attract Latino car buyers

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING U.S. vehicle sales are slowly recovering; during May 2010, 1.1 million cars and light trucks were sold, 19.1% higher than May 2009 (DetNews.com 6.28.10). To help get more cars into the hands of Hispanic-dominant Latinos, Ford is teaming up with SABEResPODER (Knowledge Is Power), an online educational […]

Tipping cards are a handy way to say thank you

by Stefania Revelli WHAT’S HAPPENING The Where’s My Tip? card offers travelers a cashless relief from figuring out what to tip doormen, bellhops, housemaids, valets and concierges (Springwise.com 6.22.10). For a $100 annual membership fee, users get 100 “tip cards,” which they hand to service attendants in lieu of cash. Each card has a member […]

Brilliant bottles at Butlins Bognor

by Lindsay Paterson WHAT’S HAPPENING Butlins has never been synonymous with fine dining, but a new up-market wine list offers consumers choice and quality at surprising prices. The “Fine but Fun” wine list offers holidaymakers a range of fine wines, including Chablis and Chateauneuf du Pape and even a Krug Grand Cru at serious (but […]

We know what you did this recession: Relaxed

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING As of May 2010, 15 million Americans were unemployed (BLS.gov 6.4.10). That’s a lot of idle people, and economists are interested in understanding what they’re doing with all of their downtime. The Bureau of Labor Statistics actually tracks how Americans spend their time. And the American Time Use Survey for […]

Best Buy goes mobile with Despicable Me

by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Best Buy is entering the mobile-app game with a big Hollywood splash. Its new Movie Mode bows with the Minionator, a free download for Despicable Me that decodes the secret language of the impish yellow creatures in the 3-D toon. Movie-goers see translations on their cellphone screens while end credits […]