Daily Poke

Home sweet station

Greg Taylor — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:02:08 +0000

The lights are on and hundreds of commuters are home. To show-off its new home décor range, Target built a life-size dollhouse in Grand Central Station.

People were free to explore the rooms, patio and lawn to their heart’s content. Staff were on hand to provide ‘guest interactions’, like makeovers in the bathroom. And there was also a photo station, where people could take snaps of themselves to be displayed in frames around the house.

But it wasn’t all for fun. The 1,600 square-foot installation was kitted out with over 4,000 products from the new collection, which people were encouraged to try (and buy).

A whole new meaning to the phrase home shopping.

Via. http://www.psfk.com/2013/05/target-dollhouse-grand-central-nyc.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=Daily%202013-05-09

Small talk

Greg Taylor — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:59:11 +0000

Forget the Fisher Price smiley-faced phone. Now children can make real calls from a real mobile all of their own. (Cheers, Andy P.)

Dubbed the BratBerry by sceptics, 1stfone is the brainchild of Ownphone and is aimed at children between four and nine.

With up to 12 pre-programmed numbers and only basic functions, Ownphone says the mini mobile is a cheap and safe way for children to keep in touch.

It comes in kid-friendly colours and patterns (eliminating any muggability), including ‘green dinosaur’, ‘orange splat’ and ‘pink leopard’. Upgrade, anyone?

Via. http://1stfone.myownfone.com/

Printed wi-fi

Greg Taylor — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:52:42 +0000

To promote its new Office 365 software, Microsoft placed an ad with free wifi in a special edition of Forbes magazine. (Nice spot, Alex.)

The ad was made up of four pages, with a super-skinny router and battery packed in between. After activating the wifi, readers could get online for free (thanks to T-Mobile) for 15 days, wherever they took the magazine.

They could also charge phones and tablets on-the-go, by lifting a flap in the paper and connecting to a mini USB cable. Now that’s worth a read.

Via. http://www.springwise.com/magazine-ad-offers-free-wifi-readers/

A recipe for increased sales

Greg Taylor — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:47:47 +0000

Mayonnaise isn’t just for sandwiches. At a supermarket in São Paulo, Hellmann’s used NFC technology to suggest new recipes to shoppers as they perused the aisles. (Thanks, Tim.)

When people placed a jar of Hellmann’s in their trolley, a specially-fitted computer tracked their movement around the shop.

It then recommended recipes they could pick up nearby – a summer salad with mayo in the fruit and veg aisle, and a fish bake near the fishmongers. If people liked the recipe, they could follow directions to each ingredient, or share it on social networks.

Around 45,000 shoppers took part in the Recipe Cart campaign, which – according to Hellmann’s – led to a 70 percent increase in sales.

Via. http://www.springwise.com/shopping-cart-mounted-tablet-detects-nearby-items-offers-recipes-real-time/

The easy way to get fit

Greg Taylor — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:41:46 +0000

First there was easyJet. Then easyHotel. And now there’s easyGym.
Yes, Stelios has expanded into the fitness market with a chain of no-frill gyms. You can already work up an orange sweat in six spots across the UK. And from next month, there’ll be a new branch on Oxford Street, too. (Good find, Andy P.)

As our London team know, gym membership in the area can be anything up to £130 a month (ouch). So for £19.99 a month – or less if you get in quickly – easyGym might just do what it promises and ‘revolutionise’ the capital’s fitness market.

But don’t relax too much. Just like your on-flight G&T, classes and personal training aren’t included. And you even have to pay extra if you want to watch TV.

Via. http://www.easygym.co.uk/

Makr Shakr

Greg Taylor — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:38:36 +0000

Some robots would be no good at mixing a martini. C3PO, for example, would no doubt bruise the gin with those inflexible elbows of his, despite his plummy butler act. But these ‘guys’ put the most balletic of bartenders to shame. Fresh from MIT’s Senseable City Lab and rocking the bar in Milan is Makr Shakr: three robotic arms that can mix any drink you desire.

Head to the Galleria del Corso, download the app and design your own cocktail – or choose from a literally endless list, before pinging it off to the barbots. And then watch in stupefied, puny human wonder at the poise and precision of the robotic arms at work, synched to mimic every action of a real barman and the style of ballet dancer, Roberto Bolle, whose grace was filmed and captured in the programming. Sponsored by Coca-Cola and Barcardi, it’s really raising the bar for drinks brand experiences.

Via. http://www.prote.in/en/feed/2013/04/makr-shakr

Baby and me

Greg Taylor — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:37:01 +0000

First we fell in love with the synchronized-swimming Waterbabies. Then, those lockin’ n’ poppin’ Rollerbabies. Now, it’s time to connect with your own inner baby. Evian’s newest CGI tots are taking the Viral Video Chart by storm, as “Baby & Me” has topped the No. 1 spot with around 50million views, generating more than 80 related clips, 740,000 Facebook shares, and 11,000 comments.

Continuing the ever-popular Live Young campaign, the latest cutefest shows adults discovering and interacting with their baby-selves in the reflection of a store window. Watch out for the mirror-image posters and the app to generate your own mini-me, coming soon.

Via. http://adage.com/article/the-viral-video-chart/40-million-views-people-love-evian-s-babies/241292/

Wearable technology

Greg Taylor — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:32:25 +0000

James Bond’s video wristwatch. Captain Kirk’s communicator. Wearable technology is no longer a fantasy, but coming soon to a body part near you. And the battle for who’s going to own the platform, set the standards and attract the world’s top developers is about to start raging.

Wireless headset company Jawbone (the maker of life-tracking wristband, Up) have announced their intention to buy wearable sensor maker BodyMedia for an estimated $100 million. These exciting times mean technologies like Google Glass eyewear, the Nike+ FuelBand, personal heart-rate monitors and running shoe sensors will soon be part of everyday life, not yesterday’s sci-fi.

Via. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57582475-76/google-nike-jawbone-and-the-fight-to-win-wearable-computing/

App gifting

Greg Taylor — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:29:05 +0000

Today is your other half’s birthday. A big one. Only you haven’t got them a present. And you’re on the other side of the world. What do you do? There’s a new app with the answer: Jifiti. It lets you scan product barcodes and instantly send a voucher, for your specific, hand-chosen gift. (How thoughtful Tim!)

Currently, you’ll need to be shopping in stores like Barnes & Noble, Sears and The Body Shop to make use of this handy app. Then your beloved can pop into their local branch to collect their present, or view it online and arrange to have it delivered. Groups of friends can also set up joint Jifiti gifts, or you can share a wish list of what you really want for your own birthday, meaning the end to duff presents you can’t wait to put on eBay…

Via. http://www.springwise.com/app-lets-gift-givers-scan-physical-items-send-friends/

Giant touchscreen store

Greg Taylor — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:24:59 +0000

eBay is literally taking window-shopping to a whole new level. This summer they’re revealing a giant touchscreen pop-up store in partnership with NY retailer Kate Spade Saturday.

It’s interesting to see the e-commerce giants filling the holes in the high street – holes conveniently caused, many would argue, by their own success. Consumers want to have a closer experience with products and still enjoy offline shopping, which eBay is cannily tapping into. The move ties in with their ‘shoppable storefront’ concept of last year, which allowed shoppers to scan products with QR codes and the eBay app.

Via. http://www.psfk.com/2013/05/ebays-touchscreen-store-window.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=Daily%202013-05-02