Good Thinking
February 16, 2005 Nobody is surprised anymore that movies and TV programs seek payment for allowing brands to make appearances in programs. Just as journalistic war reporting has become ‘embedded’ with the military, so too has brand advertising become ‘embedded’ with the mass media. When the current movie “Sideways” eulogized pinot noir wine, USA sales of it for January (2005) shot up 22%. After release of the movie “About Schmidt” in 2002 starring Jack Nicholson, child sponsorships for aid agency ‘Plan International’ quadrupled. (Nicholson played a retiree whose world is falling apart and by sponsoring a young Tanzanian boy, Ndugu, he finds something to live for.) While ‘Plan International’ did not pay to be in the film, it illustrates the potency of product placement! Is it any wonder that brands and companies are prepared to pay to get into the movies? Read More
February 9, 2005 A new printing attachment for Braille printers promises a new world for the sight-impaired and those who share their lives, enabling Braille documents to be shared with sighted colleagues, teachers, friends and family. The PIA prints the corresponding ink characters above or alongside the Braille embossing and allows for images to be embossed and printed. Anything that appears on the computer screen can quickly be made into a raised, printed image on paper with software translation of text to Braille in Microsoft Word and Excel. Read More
Olfactory marketing for one of the world's most famous landmarks
February 6, 2005 One of the more interesting developments at the Eiffel Tower in recent times has been the installation of an ice skating rink on the first level of what was once the world's tallest building in an effort to "bring Parisians back to the Eiffel Tower." In yet another case of the French recognising the importance of olfactory marketing, famous Swiss-based flavours and fragrance supplier, Givaudan was asked to develop a special scent to create "flavoured" ice for the rink. A "Vanille Givree" flavour (iced vanilla) was specifically created for the occasion, to recall the warmth of holiday cookies associated with cold winter weather and the world famous Parisian landmark now has a distinctive trademark smell to match its unique visuals. Read More
January 25, 2005 A significant new player in the Australian search engine market is zooming up the charts using popularity as the key factor in its algorithm to calculate search result rankings. The remarkable success of Ansearch in a very short time on the market indicates that users are finding the sites they want using the popularity-based rankings. According to Hitwise, the world's leading online competitive intelligence service, Ansearch is showing strong market share stability after increasing by approximately 2000% in the Australian search engine space over the last two months. Read More
A compelling proposal for a Better Calendar and time system
December 23, 2004 We've standardised global measurement of weight, temperature and distance in recent times. With globalisation accelerating and global trade efficiencies to consider, perhaps it's time to reconsider the way the world measures time? A new calendar and time system being proposed by Professor Richard Conn Henry of Johns Hopkins University would have "profound economic and practical benefits" according to Henry. He is proposing the worldwide adoption of a 24-hour universal time scale, synchronising the date and time worldwide, streamlining international business and exchange. Read More
December 13, 2004 In a world where technology is racing forward, a basic engineering fix is improving seatbelt design and saving lives into the bargain. The Escape Tip Vehicle Safety System is a system of safety devices integrated on to the male ends of seatbelt buckles which allows people who are trapped in vehicles to facilitate their own escape by breaking a side window and exiting through the opening, when, and only when, they are ready. Read More
November 24, 2004 The Fire and Ice Grill2Go barbeque and ice box from Salton is an all in one combo that fulfils the dream of many a male in weekend mode. The bbq featured a detachable "Grill to Go" hotplate with stainless steel burner, a 38L Cooler with heat-resistant lid, a rust resistant aluminsed steel body and even a built in bottle opener. The Fire and Ice is lightweight at 30 kg and easily transportable. The step on pedal mechanism elevates and unfolds the barbeque from the bottom icebox in one easy step, and the Grill2Go cooking top, with a 2,000 sq. cm griddle cooking surface can be removed for use as a table top grill. Read More
November 23, 2004 An innovative new service from Australian company Postbak offers a convenient way for people to do the right thing and return lost items. Postbak works by labelling your goods with marked security stickers that offer a reward for the return of the lost article and provide a 1-800 freecall number and website where the find can be reported. The item which is then picked up by courier for next-day delivery to its owner. Read More
November 2, 2004 Ambient media continues to invade every available niche left in our lives. This week it’s the top of your drink can, as a new can-top 5 layer plastic label made its debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, with cans of Coca-Cola sporting the new ADVERCAN labels. America alone consumes 260 billion cans per year, so ADVERCAN has developed what it claims is the world's first Can Top Media Campaign. Five years in development, the six-layer plastic ADVERCAN label serves as both an advertising medium and a "Cleancap" designed to keep the can top clean from the bottling plant to the store shelf. Read More
October 29, 2004 Memory has long been known to be associative in nature with a strong intuitive relationship between scents and memories. We can instantly be taken back to a time and place in our lives when we are confronted with a familiar smell - that one sensory stimulus in the here-and-now can bring back a flood of images, emotions and thoughts. Read More
