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Customize your shower curtain
100% Custom Shower Curtains?
White House Garden
...Not so organic after all
Shark-fin soup for the soul
Alice Waters Gives Up Beloved Shark Fin
Fizzy milk
Vio Vibrance Drink by Coca-Cola
Time your light
Electricity-free windup light
...And from the fascinating file
Rain storm sounds generated by clapping
Enjoy!
Most are well aware of our unique cultural heritage. A hypothetical blend of rugged, do-it-yourself individualism tempered by a heaping dose of the protestant work ethic — and a dash of unabashed optimism — forged a culture dedicated to the ideals of rationality, thrift productivity and efficiency. And so spawned the DIY movement.
Ah, the American Dream. Discovering he had some crabapples in his front yard, Matthias Wandel decided he'd try to make his own crabapple cider using a home made apple press — not realizing just how bad it might taste and how mixed his results might be:
Consider Mr. Wandel's interesting apple pressing inventions, yet further evidence of a consumer culture with an ongoing fascination for going back to the farm and doing it themselves — no matter that the apple press itself was invented in the 13th century.
DIY goes global
The DIY trend also has opened itself up to the global marketplace, as online vendors are selling their wares in huge numbers with endless opportunities for expansion.
In its fourth year, Etsy.com is now the largest independent retailer of handmade items and will only rise in popularity in 2009. Aritsans, crafters, stylists and thrifters are putting their good up for sale, allowing Etsy (and other online retailers like it) to thrive as organic marketplaces and creative online communities.
Foodzie is a virtual farmer's market where armchair shoppers can discover and buy food directly from small passionate producers and growers. Foodzie allows consumers to bypass traditional retailers for their customized food needs. One seller on Foodzie is candy artisan, Devil in an Apron, who handcrafts organic bacon caramels and rose pate jellies. Looks like it might be time to upgrade Grandma's Whitman's Sampler.
And CandyFab is an enterpirsing husband and wife team who have created the world's first fully functional open-source, 3D, free-form candy fabrication machine. They plan to begin selling consumer-grade kits in the coming months. How boring is Starburst and Jelly Belly when you can craft anything your mind imagines? CandyFab inspires the sweet-toothed DIY enthusiast, and just may be the chemistry set for the new millenium.
What's the upshot?
Look for expansion of the DIY trend as consumers seek out authentic experiences and authentic, bespoke goods on- and offline.
Reports are out this week that Tesco, the world's third largest retailer, will soon be selling live chickens as they embrace the "grow your own" trend. Seeing a boom in sales of vegetable seeds in the past year, they're expanding their offerings by selling chicks and live egg-laying chickens and buying 30 allotments to rent for growing your own produce.
This isn't, of course, the first chicken story as of late. In fact, the "urban chicken" concept, keeping chickens in city settings, has been positioned as a bit of a trend. There's even an organization "dedicated to promoting backyard chickens in urban residential landscapes." They list a number of reasons to "add chickens into your urban lifestyle":
So is this really a trend worth following? Well, we'd say don't count your chickens until they're hatched. To quote Jack Shafer, media critic for Slate, “keeping chickens is a filthy, time-consuming, and expensive way to keep the pantry filled with eggs.” When abundant and bountiful farmers' markets are selling superior eggs for a little bit of cash, why trouble yourself with chicken feed, chicken coops and lotsa chicken poop?
Consumers are redefining quality every day in ways previously unimaginable. Markers of quality, like fresh and local, do evoke an image and elicit an expectation of authenticity. And in today's marketplace, it's no longer enough to merely sell items; forward-thinking retailers must also create, manage and sell authentic experiences if they hope to differentiate their stores in a way that has significant relevance with consumers. Tesco's definitely doing that here. However, while it's true that consumers are looking to participate in the culture of food and are seeking high-quality, authentic food experiences, they want to do it on their own terms and in a way that's comfortable for them to participate. Cleaning out chickens coops might not be it.
Tesco is, however, positioning themselves as an forward-thinking advocate for their customers' lifestyles, helping them on their journeys in both the world of food AND the world of sustainability. Here they walk the talk in both.
1. Factoid
2. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
Bizarre ad campaign of lies to promote the drinking of tap water
Guy pumps NYC tap water. Bottles. Sells back to New Yorkers
AquaIris filter bestows pure water, is purely gorgeous
3. Cool new things
Shrinking jug keeps milk fresh for an extra week
4. Gone to the dogs
5. Interesting ads
Bounty: Big skills; big spills
6. Just for fun
Why does scotch tape make frosted glass transprent?
Enjoy!
We've been witnessing specialty or pop-up stores popping up all over. Which begs the question, "Can big brands do specialty?" Here's what we've found and who's doing right:
We're all familiar with Target, the big-box retailer. And we're all familiar with the small corner store. Target's merged these two concepts to create Target Bullseye Bodega. That's right, it's the same Target so many know and love for their large stores, low prices and unmistakable Target logo, but a little different. The Bullseye Bodega was a pop-up concept store that opened in four New York locations for four days in Fall 2008 (with new locations planned this September). The stores featured celebrity guest designers, accessories, beauty products and housewares at Target's traditional low prices.
http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/page.jsp?title=bullseye_bodega
This was a smash hit with consumers. People talked about and blogged about them before they opened and then flocked to them to see what the playful shopping experience was all about.
Who else is doing it? Big brands do specialty takes Tokyo by storm. Ditching their signature golden arches, McDonald's launched minimalist shops in Tokyo aptly named Quarter Pounder. Their one and only offering: Quarter Pounders. (But you still can order them with or without cheese.)
And then there's Vital Juice who recently posted a Recessionista Pop-up Wellness Retreat, offering New Yorkers the opportunity to take a hula hoop Pilates class, indulge in a blackberry massage or sample some cool new snacks.
The Upshot of Big Brand Specialty?
Pop-up or Boutique stores are an effective strategy to embed your brand, product or service in to unique moments in consumers' everyday lives.
Lawnmower bicycles
Exercise while cutting the grass...what more could you ask for?
Virtual wardrobing
Zappos launches social networking site
You are what you eat
Photographer Mark Menjivar spent 3 years traveling the country to shoot this series of portraits examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the Untied States. Thanks DZS (wink).
Suitcase conversions
10 crafty suitcase projects that have nothing to do with holding clothing
Most dangerous road foods
10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving revealed
Interactive soda
Coca-Cola's 100-Flavor Interactive Freestyle Soda Fountain in Actio
Enjoy!
Has the cupcake trend gone too far? Clearly when the cake-y treat become a selling point for wine.
Cupcake Vineyards says they take their inspiration from the aura of "indulgence" that has come to be associated with cupcakes. Yet what is it that we truly love about a good cupcake? The whimsy and nostalgia of our youth, the simpler times, birthday parties and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Not necessarily a glass of vino.
A company press release explains:
"With the gourmet cupcake trend accelerating and Cupcake boutiques opening up across the country, there is an opportunity for a wine that is crafted to invoke the feeling that you get when reward yourself" remarks Marketing Director Nicolas Tucker. "The 'more is more' consumer can’t get enough of Cupcake’s complex flavor – especially for the modest price point."
Via The Food Section
Trend: "Customize It!"
The trend toward customization is playful, fun and anyone can do it. Today, consumers can customize almost anything and everything, from t-shirts, bandages, stamps, Kleenex boxes and sneakers.
But, taking customization a step further brings us to the spirit of bespoke goods. A term traditionally used to refer to tailored clothing, these items of specialization are made to the buyer's specifications and now cover anything for chocolates to online experiences.
Here are a few of our favorite brands that get customization right:
M&M's: Who would have thought a candy that's been around since 1941 could be so trend leaning. But M&M's is having some fun. Its online tool allows you to personalize your own M&M's by choosing your own color, message and even photo.
Bespoke Chocolates: While even evoking the spirit of customization in their name, the made-to-order Bespoke Chocolates are made by hand, in small batches, with customized recipes to best feature the flavors of each chocolate.
Cookthink: Bespoke even extends itself beyond customized-made-for-you and into "what am I craving right now?" Cookthink, an online recipe and cooking tips site, allows consumers to search for recipes by any combination of ingredients, cuisines, dish types and moods to help answer your craving questions. Let's face it, sometimes your in the mood for something a little sweet, the next you're a little salty. Now there's a tool to help you create your craving!
My Cuppa: And then there's the My Cuppa mug, which adds a bit of whimsy and playfulness to the everyday task of customizing the daily hot beverage. Available in both tea or coffee styles, the mug helps mix your favorite brew just how you like it by matching the color guide on the inside for your perfect-every-time milky concoction. So, find out if you like it "Classic British," "Builders Brew" or "Just Tea."
What does this mean?
In many ways, this really is the next wave of luxury. And with this
trend we'll see larger brands becoming customizable in effort to appeal
to consumers' growing desire for playful, personalized luxury.
