Tourism Australia

Here is the link for the old campaign : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn0lwGk4u9o&hl=fr

Here is the new one : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQGMuxJ0vCc&hl=fr

The tourism industry in Australia is hoping for a 3.2 per cent rise in visitors this year, encouraged by a $50 million marketing blitz launched today that ties in with Baz Luhrmann's epic film Australia. The advertising campaign, created by director Luhrmann's company Bazmark, does not feature scenes from the movie, or its stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said the campaign gave Tourism Australia the chance to move in a new direction after the previous "So where the bloody hell are you?'' campaign.

The film is about transformation. The campaign, which will run in cinemas, print and online, as well as on TV, received strong support from state and territory tourism ministers and industry stakeholders.

Tourism Australia managing director Geoff Buckley said the campaign moved away from showing Australian attractions towards demonstrating how people would feel after a holiday in Australia. He said while people in other markets were not necessarily familiar with the "Come walkabout'' theme, it was unique to Australia and would be explained further in Tourism Australia's promotional marketing.

I spent six months in Australia two years ago, and I can just say this is a beautiful country. However, I really enjoyed my trip because of the wild nature. I just have the feeling that since I came back, there have been more and more campaigns to promote this country, and my fear is that this place become a normal tourism destination, which would break all its charm.

Pangea : the real organic product

Pangea sells what it calls "ecocentric bodycare" products : cleansers, scrubs, creams, toners, masks, lotions and soaps, among other items. Its niche is in its claim that it uses only "whole organic herbal extracts and whole organic essential oils." Products are advertised as chemical- and additive-free.

Hundreds of competitors claim to be 100% natural or organic, but only a few, Pangea included, actually are. The company backs its claims by transparency in ingredients use.

Pangea also promises natural packaging in its products. Consumers are told that if they remove the label from a box, soak the box in water, then plant it, a basil, amaranth or other plant will grow.

The organic skin care industry is small compared with the traditional skin care business. But sales have been growing. In 2006, personal care organic sales totaled $350 million, according to the Organic Trade Association. Although it doesn't have final numbers for the past two years, it estimates sales were $445 million for 2007 and $564.5 million last year. Growth may have slowed because of the economy, but it is still robust.

The problem Pangaea faces is that many companies call their products organic, but there is no national organic standard. "I have heard that there are 3,000 companies that sell organic skin care lines, the competition is fierce."

The organic market is growing increasingly, but there is no norm to regulate it. Thus, it is urgent to claim for comon rules concerning this market. If we don't, the risk is that the consumer won't trust organic label anymore and go back to the traditional market

Adidas Original fashion brand

With trendy sports apparel and shoes outselling true performance and athletic products, Adidas will go global with ads for its Originals fashion brand.
The line accounts for 20% of Adidas sales. The items, with an average price of $70, include the classic Stan Smith tennis shoe, fleece hoodies, skimpy tennis dresses and shimmery T-shirts.
Ads for Originals, the company's first mass-market campaign in 60 years, are going worldwide after kicking off in the U.S. for the holidays.

Adidas will tap its roster of celebrity and sports endorsers for Originals. David Beckham, Missy Elliott and Russell Simmons appear in an ad that shows people dancing at a crowded party.

"Teens still want something that is fashionable and deals with innovation," says Simon Atkins, director of U.S. marketing.

Brands such as Reebok and Skechers helped make athletic looks fashionable for every day. Brands built more on performance, such as Nike, Puma and Asics, have been trying to move more into fashion to grab some of those profits.

To my mind, Adidas Originals are simply the classic Adidas styles with a slight twist here or there, usually. The most glaring thing is that they use the original Adidas logo... Is that a feedback?

Slumdog millionaire

Fanciful, epic and exuberantly paced, Slumdog Millionaire chronicles the life of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a dirt-poor orphan who captivates the masses as he wins a fortune on India's most popular quiz show. Told in non-linear style, the movie switches among harrowing stories of Jamal's childhood in the slums of Mumbai to his moments of awkward glory as a contestant on the show to his sudden incarceration and ensuing interrogation. It is this questioning by a police inspector (Irfan Khan) that elicits the compelling flashbacks of his early youth.

Slumdog is both universal and quintessentially Indian. Some of the film is in Hindi, which heightens a sense of authenticity, as does the musical score.

With dazzling, magical realism and vigorous storytelling, the film has an enchanting power, fusing a fairy tale quality with gritty realism. Yet even with interwoven surrealistic images, the story portrays cultural accuracy. In a highly charged, intensely Technicolor world, there is poverty and privation but also laughter and hope, accentuated by the tribute to Bollywood musicals during the final credits. The beautifully rendered and energetic tale celebrates resilience, the power of knowledge and the vitality of the human experience.

We can say that people prefer original and exotic films, rather than big Hollywood productions. We also attend a return in strength of musicals in the cinema: Chicago, mamma mia, hairspray and the phenomenon musical high school.

On a diet!

Weight-loss marketers face a hefty challenge with the advent of diet season: selling products and services to pound-conscious yet penny-pinching consumers.

The first quarter — when resolutions are still fresh — is when many weight-loss companies launch marketing efforts. Weight Watchers spent more than $50 million January through March 2008 to tout its products and services, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

NutriSystem, (NTRI) a food provider based on portion control, shelled out more than $90 million.

But even with big spending, it will be "especially tough" to recruit consumers, says John LaRosa, research director at Marketdata Enterprises. "We're in a recession, there are layoffs and people's budgets are tighter than they were last year," he says.

What if we tried a new trend : "everyone has to gain pounds before spring!" ...

Gay Market

The Desert Pride Superstore is the Ultimate choice for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender products. With thousands of products to choose from you can find gifts for everyone on your list and for yourself.

We have gone to great extent to find just the right items that we think you will like. If there is something special that you are looking for be sure to let us know. All products are sent to you in plain packaging to protect your privacy. Our site is growing daily so be sure to book mark us! Thanks for stopping by!

What is the Gay Market?

Gays and lesbians are sometimes elusive to quantify, but major advertisers have increasingly found that their efforts are well worth the investment to find them and for good reason.

A recent study conducted by the Connecticut-based Greenfield Online, found that the average annual household income for gays and lesbians is $57,000. The New York-based Company, Spare Parts, Inc., which helps companies market to gays, estimates that the United States gay and lesbian population is between 15 million to 23 million. According to another study, the US gay community consists of over 19 million people with an estimated buying power of $800 billion. Worldwide, these figures are much larger.

So we can well understand that the homosexual market is a real niche and this community has to be considered as a high potential consumers.

PURE WATER... or not!

You can now drink some pure flavoured water directly of the faucet! It is the magic power of the PURE Chough Flavor Options.

How's that work?
Stage 1) Attach the product directly at the end of your faucet.
Stage 2) Insert a special filter into the product. Every filter is good for approximately 378 liters of water.
Stage 3) Press the button to begin leaking out

Stage 4) Add a cartridge of flavour
Stage 5) If you want a glass of water with flavour, you press on the button of flavour above. The more you rest(support) hardly, the more there will be of flavour!

Possible flavours: strawberry, raspberry and peach(fishing).

This very strange product is also a good way to make people who don't drink enough water like it... But is there any additive sugar in the flavour? That's not explained...

Want to look younger?

Anti-Aging BreakthroughIn a remarkable turn of events, one of the strangest in the history of cosmetics women across the countries are putting a stretch-mark reducing emulsion called StriVectin-SD on their face to get rid of fine lines, wrinkles and crow's feet.

And, if consumers sales are any indication of a product's effectiveness, StriVectin-SD is nothing short of a miracle. Scientific Breakthrough or Dumb Luck?Although StriVectin-SD’s functional components were already backed by clinical trials documenting their ability to visibly reduce the appearance of existing stretch marks (prominent because of their depth, length, discoloration and texture)…

"the success of StriVectin-SD as an anti-wrinkle cream was “dumb luck,”" says Gina Gay, spokesperson for Klein-Becker, StriVectin-SD’s exclusive distributor.

I would say that women should be very carefuly when they want to try a new "miracle cream". It is not possible to get rid of every wrinkles, and simply have a great teen face in a couple of months! Nevertheless, those kind ok creams pove their efficiently in reducing the effect of ageing, on condition that they eat healthy and take care of their life rythm.

Fairtrade

Aid organisations were among the first to promote fair trade by enabling third world producers to sell their goods - usually handicrafts - directly to the Western consumer, often in their charity shops

The first Fairtrade consumer guarantee - the Max Havelaar label - was launched in the Netherlands in 1989.
Today there are labelling initiatives in 17 countries, mainly throughout Europe and North America.

Brands have gone from strength to strength: now on offer are fair trade roses from Kenya, footballs from Pakistan and organic chocolate spreads, as well as coffee, tea and vegetables.

A packet of tea with the fair trade premium may cost 40p more than other brands, but many of us happily pay the extra in the knowledge that tea farmers in the developing world are not being exploited.

So fairtrade products are sold because people seem to be ready to make efforts in order to help those who are in the need... But how can we be sure the extra price we pay is really redistributed?

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day did not start out as the day when individuals expressed their love for one another. However, over the last few decades, it has evolved into the second-largest card-giving holiday of the year. Along with cards, this popular festival of love and romance is also synonymous with chocolates, fully booked restaurants, roses, and a lot of symbolic gifts.

But does a couple realy need a special day to prove their love? Personally, I am aware that valentin's day is all above a commercial day. Nevertheless, I can't imagine my boyfriend just forget to reserve me a little attention on that day! Or just saying "with us it's love each day"... Even if, of course, it is... BUT! I don't expect a gift, but maybe a card, and some candles... Something romantic on this romantic and commmercial day.

So I can say I am a victim of marketing techniques when it deals with my feelings... I know that and I consider myself to be enough clever not to mix that day with another personal occasion, I nerver do a big effort or never buy anaffordable gift for him. It's just a day I feel I couldn't consider as a normal day.

Thank you marketers ;)

Fashion girls

Fashion-conscious consumers in the US are overwhelmingly female, live on the east or west coast, and are more likely to use American Express for their purchases, according to an analysis by Experian Simmons.

The research, which defines fashion-conscious consumers as those who read fashion-related magazines, examines several of this demographic’s characteristics as they relate to shopping behavior and decision-making, as well as the stores in which they are likely to shop, the products they are apt to buy, and the method of payment they most often use.

Key research findings about fashion-conscious consumers:

* Women, in overwhelming numbers vs. men, rely on fashion magazines to help them determine their shopping lists.
* Fashion magazines appeal to all ages and there is near equal distribution among age groups.

* Those who aren’t married are 14% more likely to be fashion-conscious.

* Younger consumers use a number of magazines to help with their decisions, while somewhat older shoppers tend toward Instyle and Glamour.

* The preferred payment method of the fashion-conscious is American Express: Four of the top five credit cards used in the last 30 days were Amex cards.

Kids would be computer savvy

According to a study from Experian Consumer Research, MarketingCharts reports, an overwhelming majority (89%) of all kids age 6-11 in the US spend a lot of time on internet.

The Simmons Kids Fall 2007 Full Years Study found that because today's kids have grown up in the age of online communication, networking, the internet, cell phones, digital music and digital cable, they have had different childhood experiences compared with other generations. This makes them more likely to react differently than their older counterparts to advertising and marketing initiatives.

Overall survey findings:
* The majority of kids are computer savvy and spend a significant amount of time online.
* Computer time is enjoyed fairly similarly across age groups and gender.
* Top activities for kids haven't changed much over the years and still include going to the movies, spending time with family, and playing sports.
* Most kids tend to pursue leisure activities that are social in nature, but a significant percentage of girls and the youngest kids still enjoy more alone time doing artistic activities and reading books.

The study also found that while kids may not currently spend much money, they are very likely to influence their parents' purchasing decisions.

Celebrities' fragances

These days it seems every singer or actress is developing & promoting her own signature scent :

Britney, Paris and ... Donald Trump are flooding the markets with their signature scents & just in time for the holidays.

"Just like Britney, her new signature scent, 'Curious,' is bold, sassy & all about fun"

"We had originally planned to launch Paris Hilton's perfume early next year but we pushed it up because Paris is such a big name right now," said Frank Buttacavoli, chief operating officer with Fort Lauderdale.

Buttacavoli added that the company is also developing a signature scent for teenage tennis ace Maria Sharapova

Industry watchers point out that celebrities and perfumes are a match made in retail heaven. To the stars, the multi-billion dollar fragrance market is a lucrative opportunity to mint money. But more importantly, it's the fragrance industry that's really in need of some star power to lift sagging sales.

A original approach is to catch a rising star of the moment while they're hot, like the star of NBC's reality show "The Apprentice," Donald Trump.
"Donald Trump is a definition of the American success story. He's more than a business name. He's an American icon. The allure of his lifestyle is unmistakable," said Jennifer Mann, spokeswoman for Aramis Fragrances & Designer Fragrances.

Haircut

After years of Wags sporting nasty nylon extensions, the return of the bob is a welcome one. It’s hard to get wrong and it’s very easy to wear. Now, the bob is being sported by all kinds of stylish women, just as it has been in any of the past hundred years.

Its debut came in 1909 when the young hairdresser Antoine de Paris chopped the actress Eve Lavallière's hair to make her appear younger for a role on stage in the French capital. The stylist was then bombarded with requests for the look from women who felt it would liberate them from the tedium of preparing the long, elaborate locks that were then in fashion. And so the bob was born.

Today the trend is real, and some celebrities adopted this harcut : Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes, Rihanna, Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow... they really start the new fashion hair, which is now following by a lot of citizens.

So we don't make new fashion, it always a cycle from the past.

"If you hear Thunder, forget counting. It's already too late!"

The ThunderBolt Storm Detector is Storm Safety Technology to carry with you anywhere. Thunderstorms and deadly lightning can suddenly come out of nowhere, catching people off guard and unprepared. "Sooner or later, everyone who works or plays outdoors will get caught in this predicament."
Fact is, when you hear thunder, you’re already in range of a lightning strike. With ThunderBolt, you will be warned to take shelter long before you’re in danger! Not a weather radio, ThunderBolt is a self-contained device that gathers data independently of any other weather source.
Truly, the “Science is in your hands.” Used and trusted worldwide, ThunderBolt technology is the Ultimate in Storm Detection

Hum... here is my personal opinion :

I wouold say it is practice if you have neither the television nor the radio, and cannot see the sky, nor hear anything... Or especially practice if you are afraid of being stuck by the lightning at anytime! :)

Mineral Makeup

There's a new rock star in cosmetics: mineral-based makeup.
Beauty marketers are rushing to mine the trend with more foundation, blush, eye shadow and other cosmetics with natural-sounding "mineral" formulations and ingredients. The products with finely ground minerals are being promoted as sheer, "natural" looking and less irritating to skin than chemical-based products.

A third of women said they wanted mineral-based makeup in a 2007 survey by market researcher Mintel.
The industry has responded with a barrage of mineral-based cosmetic products: 451 in 2007, vs. 132 in 2005 in the U.S. market, according to Datamonitor's Productscan Online.

But is it really healthy? Or is it only a new way to attract new consumers?

Dermatologist Leslie Baumann, author of The Skin Type Solution, is critical of any claim the makeup is healthier. "It is mainly marketing hype. The minerals in it have never been shown to be beneficial for your skin."

"The idea is that it's healthy and natural and beautiful — and that it lasts," senior product manager Erika Kussmann says.

=> Do we will to forget the orange face and green eyes and use more natural makeup for more natural women?

Ohio university

Here I am : Athens, Ohio, just close to the campus of Ohio University!

For sure, it is totally different from NYC... ! The first time I went to town, I wanted to buy me some clothes (or at least have a look of what I could afford) and I was really surprise that most of stores are especially for student who are studying there... that implies clothes with the logo OHIO UNIVERSITY on it! I had never seen that in my all live, that so crazy for me!

In France we also have t shirt of the colors of our school, but actually you don't buy them; you get them because you 're volonteer in a association or you were participating at a special event.

Here in Athens every student is proud to show in which university he or she is, and wear ohio clothes during normal day.

I find it both funny and also very important for the "campus spirit" : if you like the university where you are studying, you will be proud to show it. And that's also a way to attract new students...

The succes of Ikéa

"Affordable solutions for better living", this is the slogan of Ikea.

Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is now the world's largest furniture manufacturer. IKEA is a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world. The company also pioneered flat-pack design furniture at affordable prices in the world.

This success results from the identity of the brand :

Much of IKEA's furniture is designed to be assembled by the consumer rather than being sold pre-assembled. This involves two advantages : first, it permits an important cost reduction, which was repercuted on the sale prices. Then, the flat-pack distribution method allowed an easier transport from the store to a customer's home .

Finally, IKEA provides furnitures for a very large public : from a large to a smaller house, for a design and useful decoration, for people from 20 to 50 years old who can have the catalog for free!

Definitively, IKEA succeeded in both giving the opportunity for bying products as a reasonable price and allowing people from middle class to have access to design furnitures. Kamprad (the fondator of the firm), refers to the concept as "democratic design," meaning that the company applies an integrated approach to manufacturing and design (and also environmental design) : "The intended result is flexible, adaptable home furnishings, scalable both to smaller homes and dwellings as well as large houses".

Times Square

That's the second crazy thing I found in United States : Times Square, New York City. I already knew how it would be, but I was really surprised of the number of advertising you can see in this area! On the buildings' house, despite the windows, on the cabs, on any free place you find geant tv screen, you are given flyers all the time, people ask you for taking pictures which will be put on one of the geant screens...
And avove all, you have so many shops with so many great brands and so many temptations, that you can do nothing but bying and entering in every shop. Because in each store, you find something funny, or something amazing, something which catch your attention...

Two stores struck me the most : M&M's and Toys R Us...
In the first one, it was like a Disney Store, but you could find things you could'nt ever imagine, like the "biggest wall of chocolate", or a man who regulated the circulation for ... escalator, and this with a megaphone!
In the second one, there was a huge merry-go-round for kids, which let them access to the second floor without taking the escalator. And of course, you can see it from outside, which is a very good way to attract the consumer...

I really enjoyed my day there, but I spent much more money that I had foreseen, even if I don't consider myself as a compulsive consumer!

First time in American Mc Donald's

Before coming in United States, I was told every thing was bigger over there...
When I came the first time at Mc Donald's, I ordered a classic "maxi best of" and also a BIG coffee to recover forces after the long trip from France.
The burgers were exactly th same ponds as the french one, what disapointed me a little bit
But actually, when I thought of a big coffee, I thought of the size like the smaller one (left on the picture). So I was really surprised to see that american "large coffee" was so huge, like a glass of soda! after tasting it, I noticed that it wasn't the same : in fact, there is much more water here than in France, where coffee is much stronger and also darker.
Anyway, I enjoyed my drink ; I was really tired and needed it for sure ! :)