SCENTED GUIDEBOOK CREATES A VISCERAL EXPERIENCE FOR TOURISTS
Scent branding has become a hot topic recently, with hotels and retail spaces tempting customers with their unique fragrances. The city of York has taken the olfactory trend in another direction, by creatingSmell York, a guidebook that captures the cityâs scents, ranging from the good to the bad and the downright ugly.
As reported in the York Press, Kate McMullen of Visit York says that the guidebook was commissioned by the city to give tourists a way to preserve lasting memories from their visit to the historic city. Smell York is not the first scented guidebook; New York, Phew York! was published in 2011 and offers a scratch-and-sniff tour of the Big Apple.Â
The guidebook contains twelve scents, including Yorkâs Antiquities (âa musty infusion of leather, old books, gold, silver, wood and dustâ), Afternoon Tea (âthe appetising aromas of loose leaf teas, spices and cakesâ), Railway heritage (âa nostalgic infusion of coal, steam, engine oil and iron to represent Yorkâs rich railway historyâ), and Rural Yorkshire (âthe scent of fresh wild heather as it grows on the North York Moors, the grasslands of the Yorkshire Dales and fresh country airâ). Perhaps most unique, however, is Spooky Scents (âthe strong smells of sulphur and roses that are frequently associated with two of Yorkâs eternally restless spiritsâ).
âAnti-Social Networkâ Provides An Incognito Mode For Real Life
By scraping Instagram and Foursquare to let you know where all your friends, âfriendsâ, and non-friends are at all times, the app makes sure that you never have to run into that special someone â âexes, co-workers, that guy who likes to stop and chatâ â if you donât want to. âThink of it as the anti-social networkâ, say the app makers. Cloak presents you with a map stocked with people you follow on location-based networks, so you can see where they hang out. Users receive an alert as soon as people you follow are in the neighborhood.
Hostelâs edible business card cures backpackersâ altitude sickness
The best hotels do all they can to create a good experience for customers during their stay, but they canât typically do a lot once they leave. As a way to offer a memorable parting gift to its customers, Peruâs Kokopelli hostel has developed an edible business card that counteracts the effects of altitude sickness.
Located in Cusco, which is nearby the Andes mountain range, the hostel caters for many hikers and climbers who stop at the venue before heading to higher altitudes. Kokopelli gives each visitor a business card with the venueâs details in case they want to return on the way back down or in the future. Climbers can often suffer from sickness at high altitudes, and the business card doubles as an edible remedy inspired by ancient Peruvian techniques. Designed by New York-based Lanfranco & Cordova, the card features a leaf imprint made of coca leaf, which can be removed and chewed, leaving the hostelâs details intact. The video below explains more about the concept:
The card serves its purpose as a reminder of the hostelâs details but also helps hikers to feel better, creating a positive connection between the brand and their travel experience. However, the card cannot be carried outside of the Peruvian border, as the coca leaf could be used to extract cocaine. Are there other remedies that could be offered by hotels to help tourists with travel sickness or jetlag?
Ideas To Steal.Today is a platform that encourages users to post the concepts they couldnât make work so others can use them.
While a concept that looks good on paper might not work for one person, it could still provide inspiration for the masses of entrepreneurs and marketers that are always looking for the next big idea. Weâve already seen Ahhha provide crowdsourced advice for those looking to get their idea off the ground without others stealing it, but now a new platform called Ideas To Steal.Today is encouraging just that, with users posting the ideas they couldnât make work themselves.
The simple site enables members to log in via Facebook and then upload images or videos that demonstrate their concept, along with a short description. Once approved by moderators, others can then view the idea while browsing the site, which is separated into categories such as mobile, print, radio and social media. Members can like and comment on ideas, even letting the creator know if theyâve stolen it for their own project.
Ideas To Steal.Today ensured that the discarded ideas from brainstorming sessions or failed marketing drafts donât go to waste by enabling others to be inspired by them. Are there other ways that marketers could take advantage of open-source ideation to create a freer flow of ideas?
INTERNET OF CARING THINGS | A network of connected objects brought to life by a clear mission: to actively care for consumers â their physical and mental wellbeing, homes, loved ones, and more.
In 2005, there were 2.5 billion connected devices, most PCs, smartphones, tablets. By 2020, there will be over 30 billion connected devices, most not PCs, smartphones, tablets.
(Gartner, November 2013)
100Â 'things' are coming online every second.
(Cisco, July 2013)
Cheaper and more efficient wireless connectivity chips. Making it viable to add connectivity to a whole range of new objects, from toothbrushes to bike locks.
Rising adoption of cloud storage means more consumers will now have a place to put all the data that the INTERNET OF CARING THINGS will create.
Ultra-precise geo-location. Improved smartphone technologies will allow a consumerâs physical location to be known with ultra-precision (Appleâs iBeacon, part of iOS7, allows location to the nearest centimeter): a necessary condition for some interactions with the INTERNET OF CARING THINGS.
The crowdfunding revolution has unleashed a never-before-seen wave of hardware innovation. All kinds of objects are being made smart; consumers can choose the winners.
These changes are driving the demand for a network of CARING objects, designed to protectand assist people in their daily lives.
Air travel based on potential seat partners and friends' travel plans
Implications - Flying is tedious and stressful for most travelers, but some airlines and flight services are making the activity easier and more fun by offering seating arrangements based on social matching. Ranging from couples-only travel promos to services that will choose a seat mate for you based on compatibility, these social flying innovations are a great way to ensure consumers have a more memorable experience with one's airline by increasing the likelihood that they will enjoy their flights more so than if they had chosen a competitor.
Ecovative has developed the worlds first materials made from⌠mushrooms! These eco-friendly, high performance materials are renewable and compostable.Ecovative donât manufacture these materials, they grow them.
Today, this young company is producing packaging called EcoCradleÂŽ Mushroom⢠Packaging. Great for replacing materials made of extruded polystyrene foam which arenât eco-friendly.
EcoCradle is being used by major international companies selling furniture or technological devices to replace foam packaging.
 Itâs newest partner is Ford Motors, together they look forward to a fungus-based biodegradable material to be used for car bumpers, doors, and dashboards.
A new set for an apocalypse movie?Â
No.
The riots in Kiev. This is happening right now.
Those breathtaking pictures were taken by the young and usually happy tumblarian girl RedMisa during her volunteer work at Kiev.
"I never thought that I would cry for my native country. Iâm not particularly patriotic, I do not like politics, large gatherings of people, meetings and inspirational slogans. but I still go to the central street of Kyiv almost every day, doing volunteer work, doing all I can to help. two months of no change for the better, things were getting worse and worse. but when the killings began, catching the protesters in the streets and beating them upâŚthat was the last straw for me. I do not know what to expect next."
- RedMisa, http://redmisa.tumblr.com/
The Ukraine probably wonât have access to the internet soon. Read more about it here.
invention trends - Technology is a fast-paced industry, so staying on top of emerging invention trends is paramount. With nearly 200 examples, the Invention Trend...
HONG KONG, China â Wealthy Chinese are likely to buy fewer luxury goods again this year after the steepest cut-back on spending in at least five years, changing the game for high-end retailers like Louis Vuitton which have staked their growth on China.
Overall spending by wealthy Chinese fell by 15 percent in 2013, the third consecutive year of decline, according to a survey by the Hurun Report. Spending on gifts in particular also declined by a quarter.
The drop coincides with a government crackdown on corruption and gifting, as well as an a growing penchant for travelling and shopping overseas to circumvent Chinese consumption taxes on luxury goods as high as 40 percent.
One in three so-called high net worth individuals have already left, or are planning to leave, China, the report showed, a factor that has also reduced luxury spending.
Most of these rich have emigrated, or considering it, to seek better opportunities for their childrenâs education, a 2011 Hurun survey showed.
âIn terms of traditional luxury â leathers, accessories, watches â this year is going to be flat if not a little bit down,â Hurun Report founder and chief researcher Rupert Hoogewerf told Reuters.
âFor luxuries like tea, healthcare, even education, we are still looking at a booming market.â
The crackdown on conspicuous spending, which began in 2012, is part of a vow made by Chinese President Xi Jinping to be tougher on graft. He has focused in particular on gifts made to government officials often in exchange for preferential treatment or contracts.
As a result, many wealthy Chinese now buy luxury goods for themselves, rather than as gifts, Hoogewerf said.
Products by Hermès, Chanel, LVMHâs Louis Vuitton brand, Apple Inc and Gucci remained among the most sought-after brands for gifting, the survey showed.
Less popular were Bulgari â another LVMH brand â Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany and Co and the fiery baijiu liquor made by Chinese firm Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd, once the top tipple of Communist Party officials.
SAVVIER CONSUMERS
Luxury firms are already grappling with a slowing economy in China and a more sophisticated clientele that shops online for the best price globally and eschews in-your-face logos.
Affluent Chinese have also become more confident about mixing high-street clothing and accessories with branded goods for an individual look.
âThere is a much savvier consumer out there,â Hoogewerf said. âThere will be more purchasing done overseas than in China. For a brand thatâs global itâs fine.â
Over two-thirds of luxury spending by mainland Chinese was overseas in 2013, a factor that contributed to the United States overtaking China as the worldâs fastest growing luxury market, according to a study by consultancy firm Bain & Company released in December.
Chinaâs super-rich are also avid collectors â 70 percent of wealthy Chinese rank collecting as a hobby â but what they are coveting is changing.
Ancient calligraphy last year surpassed luxury watches as the most-collected, knocking watches out of the No. 1 spot for the first time in five years, the Hurun report showed, which could mean revenue losses for top watch makers but a boon for auctioneers.
Patek Philippe remained the most popular watch brand for collectors for the seventh year running while Christieâs was the top ranked foreign auction house, the report showed.
Besides spending less at home, more rich Chinese are leaving the country. The number of wealthy Chinese who have emigrated or are planning to do so rose to 64 percent from 60 percent in the previous year, the survey said.
Most of those leaving, or planning to, are looking for permanent residency overseas â the United States, Europe and Canada are top picks. Very few want to give up their nationality, perhaps because their outlook for China is improving.
The report showed millionairesâ confidence in Chinaâs economy rose for the first time in five years but those who felt âextremely confidentâ still accounted for only 31 percent of those surveyed.
The surveyâs results are based on responses from 393 Chinese millionaires, or those with personal wealth of at least 10 million yuan ($1.65 million). The Hurun Research Institute has conducted the survey for the past 10 years.
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