concept

Running all weekend at 303 Grand is a whole new pop up retail concept. Subports, an SMS purchasing system is presenting a shop of unique gifts that will be wrapped up so that buyers won’t know what’s inside. An on-site psychic will help shoppers decide which gift will be most appropriate. Subports presents “Clairvoyant” from […]

Another similar concept to Planeshop (although not in airports) has opened in Holland and have plans to spread. BrandNew Stores are basically creating a chain store concept around pop-up retail, taking permanent stores in premium locations and then allowing brands to temporarily present themselves within this space. Their immediate plans involve expansion to Groningen, Den […]

I might like alternative media and applaud creative marketing concepts but I think this one goes a little too far perhaps. Right Guard developed a campaign using “Pitvertisers” who wore shirts with small video screens in their armpits.  When they lift their arm to expose their armpits it plays an advertising message about deoderant.  These […]

Its good to see a brand take a marketing campaign so thoroughly into its store presentation. Diesel recently launch its “Extreme Weather” campaign and quite literally subjected its Carnaby St Store to the concept, almost destroying it.  Some say it looks just awful – personally, it makes you stop and look and isn’t that a […]

Pop-up retail isn’t new by any means but its not seen that much in airports except as casual leasing in “spare” space.  What is interesting is how its being handled in a new store opening soon at Glasgow Airport.  They’ve leased a shop to Planeshop as a permanent tenant but the actual brand/retail concept featured […]

I have to admit when I first saw this concept I nearly threw up but at the same time was amused and intrigued.  I hadn’t really thought about where the line between fun & bad taste lay with themed food establishments but certainly “Modern Toilet” in Taiwan does challenge that line. My first assumption was […]

I do like all white fitouts but too frequently they lack texture & dimension so look very sterile.  Japan does some of the best all-white fitouts you can find and the Patrick Cox boutique in Tokyo’s Aoyama district is one of the best.  It was done by local architect Chikara Ohno who used only three […]

The much awaited 46 storey, 400 room Trump SOHO is due to open somewhere around the end of the year. There is no “official date” though they are accepting bookings from Feb 2010 with prices starting at USD389.  They’ve also launched their countdown marketing campaign being led by Ivanka Trump and her twitter account (@IvankaTrump)- […]

New Balance has a long history, at least by US standards, starting in Boston in 1906 when William J. Riley discovered that he could apply the balance system he saw in chickens to arch support in shoes. New Balance have always been proud of their somewhat quirky start & their history so its perhaps not […]

Alright, “pop-up” is probably not the best term  to use when describing this new Prada store, but it is only open for 5 months. The store is at Place Beauvau in Paris and the design by Roberto Baciocchi is inspired by the French poet, Apollinaire’s ‘Le Pont Mirabeau’ – which amongst other things immortalised Mirabeau […]

Lets face it, most airport food is boring. Unless you’re in the US or Europe on a short haul flight (so they don’t serve much in the way of food) the only reason you eat in a airport is to fill in time. So why are the offerings so darned boring! I’ve always been a […]

Earlier this month Nike opened its first store with all its action sports brands under the one roof – Nike 6.0, Hurley, Converse and Nike SB – in Laguna Beach. The two level space has the store area on the lower level, with the upper level dedicated to workshops where customers can customise products by […]

Ivanka Trump is getting serious about her jewellery line, hiring her first CEO Andrea Hansen.  Hansen is no lightweight, having worked for the last 24 years at H.Stern.  She will be focussing on increasing sales at their only store – on Madison Avenue, expanding their collection, developing e-commerce strategies and getting reading for global expansion.  […]

“Harmony Between Man, Nature and Machine” is the Prius promise – something we’ve all heard before but rarely has it been better executed than in Prius’s new marketing campaign. Basically the premise is that this machine (ie the new Prius) enables you to get what you want in a car whilst enabling nature to get […]

Versace opened two new stores in Dubai this month – one a full boutique and the other a jewellery offering. The boutique is at Dubai Mall, covers 600m2 & reflects the typical Versace DNA of glamour & Italian craftsmanship. The architectural details echo the new stylistic and visual concepts for Versace flagship boutiques.  The focus […]

Samsung have launched new vending machines with 46″ LCD touchscreens. These have been developed in partnership with Kraft and at this stage at least will be used exclusively with Kraft product. The concept is pretty simple, rather than having to type in the number corresponding to a product, you simply touch the image of the […]

You read it right, Schipol Airport has opened a “goldfish hotel”. Now I know I’m the first to complain about the lack of innovation in airport retail offerings so I suppose I should applaud the creativity in this concept, but I’m afraid I’m left scratching my head on the commerciality of it. Are goldfish really […]

Lets face it, drugstores & pharmacies normally look pretty average. Not so the new design for Conde Lumiares in Spain. The old store design looked pretty typical, low suspended ceilings at a single height, conventional aisles etc. After alteration the 2 metre ceilings became 5 but at multiple levels through the store. The idea of […]

Everybody knows how much I love vending machines, particularly for airports and hotels. They take up very little space, have little or no staff costs, can delivery huge entertainment value and very importantly can deal with the peaks & troughs in airport or hotel traffic. So here are some new vending machine ideas I’ve seen […]

OK I know this is a bit “out there” but one of the big issues for airlines (and heaps of other F&B outlets in captive areas) is rubbish. This is particularly so in relation to F&B packaging. So, that’s what makes some of this new edible food packaging ideas very interesting. Mange2 is actually an […]

The concept of super-cheap car rental by the hour isn’t new in Europe (or Canada) but its now appeared in New York – a brilliant idea for a city where car ownership is relatively low by international standards. Zipcar basically allows you to rent a car just when you need one, for $US5 per hour […]

Most pricing research to date in the hospitality industry has been about typography, menu layout, use of images & wording and how that influences consumer perceptions. What has been lacking in research is some solid information on how the way in which prices are presented impacts on actual purchase behaviour. Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality […]

Scent is turning into the latest retail tool, particularly in the middle of difficult economic times. Anecdotally we know it works but what works? We know that the smell of freshly baked bread & freshly brewed coffee works when selling homes. We know the smell of leather works when selling cars. But what else? Gueguen […]

Joze Pucnik Airport in Ljubljana, Slovenia have launched a new tourism product for arriving passengers. Using your Bluetooth enabled phone, you can download tourist information and coupons for your stay in Slovenia. The campaign was created by the Slovenian Tourist Board in conjunction with Aerodrom Ljubljana and Creativ Interaktiv. When a passenger arrives they receive […]

Only in China would Barbie become a mixture of high end luxury fashion & a lifestyle concept. For most of us, Barbie is something we believe we leave behind in childhood however the reality is that those Barbie Doll fantasies continue with us. Anyone who has been around a bride, particularly those from less affluent […]

Banishing a fear-inducing memory might be a matter of the right timing, according to new research. Marie Monfils, an assistant professor of psychology at The University of Texas at Austin, has taken advantage of a key time when memories are ripe for change to substantially modify memories of fear into benign memories and to keep […]

Blending social media with viral marketing, JetBlue’s new campaign is another in a long line of triumphs. Why? The subject matter is topical and the timing is brilliant.  That not only increases how often its spread but importantly how often its used in blogs online Humor – it always works but when times are tough, […]

Another novel approach by JetBlue – a “Sample Sale”.  Basically the concept is twofold Its based around the idea of clothing samples which are usually one size only (made for models) and you need to be lucky to be able to squeeze into them – in this case flights are Tuesdays & Wednesdays between March […]

Godiva’s flagship concept store in Harajuku Tokyo is another wonder of design from Wonderwall and the team who work on Uniqlo. Godiva’s idea was “treat thyself”  which was communicated for the Japanese market by mixing the more traditional image Godiva are known for with a playful edge including a melting chocolate ceiling – and by […]

Its not unusual today to have extra charges for services on airlines – many of which used to be free with the standard ticket. WestJet are being a little more scientific (and creative) than the average though and sent out a questionnaire to ask whether or not they’d pay an extra $10 charge for a […]