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This week's entrepreneurial innovations range from treetop adventure parks to touch-screen bars, and from movie poster birth announcements to birthday parties with a cause. Our next edition is due on 26 March 2008. In the meantime, check out our daily postings on www.springwise.com, send us your tips, and please don't forget to tell your friends and colleagues about us. Much appreciated! |
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Consumers are never too young for a little gravanity, particularly when proud parents are buying it for them. Enter 5starbaby.com, which offers personalized birth announcements fashioned after movie advertisement posters. Each movie poster birth announcement from 5starbaby is tailor-made for the new arrival, complete with all the critical “stats” about the baby’s birth and the names of loved ones as "supporting cast." Parents are listed as "producers," the doctor is named as "director" and the hospital is listed as the "filmed in" setting, for example. "Critics' quotes" can also be included, as can "catering" by the mother and options for virtually any other special people or ideas the parents want listed. "Ratings" given are "B" for boy, "G" for girl or "T" for twins. Movie poster birth announcements are 5-by-8-inch mini posters; pricing begins at USD 2.50 each with envelopes included. 5starbaby.com also offers large poster formats ranging from USD 25 to USD 120 each, and gift certificates are available for baby showers or other occasions. Buffalo, NY-based 5starbaby.com will ship orders anywhere in the world, but localized versions in other languages are a natural next step. One to bring to proud parents and gift-givers around the globe! (Related: Gravanity books for kids.) Website: www.5starbaby.com Spotted by: Bill McMahon
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There's no such thing as a free lunch—unless, of course, you happen to be a food blogger. Food manufacturers tend to be liberal with their samples when it comes to gaining exposure through influential voices, and one New Orleans-based blogger has turned that into a defining feature of his site. On BlakeMakes.com, Blake Killian has developed SOOPZ, a network of 200 or so readers who are also food bloggers—"Sooper Heroes," as he calls them. Manufacturers send multiple samples of a particular item to Blake, who announces that they will be given away through his site. Registered Sooper Heroes can then sign up to receive some in exchange for at least the possibility that they'll write about them on their own blogs. Most recently, for instance, TCHO—the chocolatier we featured not long ago on our own pages—donated a bunch of its chocolate bars for giveaway to the SOOPZ network. Before that it was Sucre chocolate. Since the site's founding last May, Blake has even started developing a line of his own products, starting with Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche—of which he's given away more than a hundred jars through the site. Future plans include videos and a cookbook as well, Blake says. Whereas food brands have increasingly begun seeking out blog exposure, traditionally that's happened just one blog at a time, and on the brands' own initiative. By acting as an intermediary, BlakeMakes.com is turning that model on its head and giving companies quick access to many bloggers in one shot. Bloggers get free food, companies get free publicity, and everyone gets happy. If you're in food, better start lining up now...! Website: www.blakemakes.com/soopz
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Tarzan fans have long yearned for the ability to swing from the trees like the Lord of the Jungle, and in recent years new opportunities to do just that have arisen around the world. Most recently one of our spotters came across Go Ape, a UK-based park that first launched in 2002 and has since expanded to 16 locations throughout Britain. Each of Go Ape's award-winning high forest adventure parks is essentially a network of rope bridges, trapezes and zip slides that stretches for roughly a mile through the tree canopy. Visitors can climb trees, slide across high wires, crawl through tunnels, cross rope bridges, swing on Tarzan swings and walk over planks before zipping down to the ground again. All users are fitted with a climbing harness and given instruction before undertaking the course, which takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours to complete. Entry is GBP 25 for adults and GBP for children 17 and under; the minimum age is 10. In Lyon, France, City Aventure operates two parks that also offer a variety of high-forest adventures. Attractions include rope bridges and Tarzan swings, along with the Tyro X-speed at Ste. Foy, a giant Tyrolean traverse 110 metres long that visitors can use to zip throughout the 4-hectare park. The courses take between 1 and 2 hours to complete. Both parks are built with environmental preservation in mind, including fastening systems that do not interfere with the trees' normal growth. Adrenalin Forest in Christchurch, New Zealand, spans more than 1km with 4 pathways between 1.5 and 17 meters off the ground. Visitors to the park, which launched last year, negotiate a series of rope bridges, Tarzan swings and flying foxes from platforms constructed in the tree canopy. Last but not least, Thailand's Tree Top Adventure Park, set in the forest of Koh Chang, also offers an assortment of rope bridges, Tarzan swings and giant zip lines. In this age of eco-awareness and experience-seeking, high-forest adventure parks like these offer consumers a way to satisfy both and gain some status skills to boot. One to bring to your neck of the woods? Website: www.goape.co.uk — www.cityaventure.com — www.adrenalin-forest.co.nz — www.ekohchang.com Spotted by: Junaid Kazi
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For many foodies, it's not a question of which restaurant is good—it's a question of where to get the chile rellenos they're craving, masterfully prepared to perfection. Therein lies the raison d'etre of Dishola, a user-driven website devoted to the best dishes in gastronomic destinations around the world. Launched in January 2007, Austin, Texas-based Dishola eschews general restaurant reviews in favour of dish-specific advice and information. Passionate eaters can post a "Dish Wanted" query, for example, to find out where to get those rellenos—or whatever they happen to crave—in their neck of the woods. They can read smart reviews by Dishola editors, industry professionals and other members, as well as posting reviews and photos of their own favourite dishes. "Food safaris" on the site help users discover new dishes, while those not sure what they're craving can take a spin on its "Dish Roulette" for inspiration. Dishola currently includes reviews of dishes in almost 300 cities around the world—albeit most of them in the United States—by more than 1,000 users representing more than 100 cities. In much the same way that consumers tend to seek out product reviews rather than general reviews of stores or even manufacturers, Dishola's dish-focused approach promises to make it more practical and useful for taste-driven eaters than traditional restaurant guides. And given how big the world of food is, this one cries out for localized versions—how about bringing it to the food-loving community near you? Website: www.dishola.com Spotted by: Laura Bond Williams
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We wrote recently about the interactive wine bar at Adour in New York City's St. Regis Hotel, and since then we've spotted several mentions of iBar, a related innovation by UK-based Mindstorm. Unveiled in 2006, the iBar is a customisable surface technology that turns any bar into a giant version of an interactive, touch-sensitive screen. Integrated video projectors can display any content on the bar's milky surface, while built-in intelligent tracking software continually maps the position of every object touching its surface. That input is then used to let the projected content interact dynamically with the movements on the counter, allowing coloured lights, for example, to illuminate, link and follow every movement of hands, bottles and glasses. Multiple people can interact with the iBar at once, and virtual objects can be "touched" with the fingers, enabling a game of pinball where players shoot with their thumbs, for example. Content that can be displayed on the iBar includes internet content, interactive games and advertising; bars can also be fitted with Bluetooth technology to allow consumers to download their own content. The iBar is a stand-alone system comprising modules 2m long, and it can be networked wirelessly to allow interaction between two or more separate units. The iBar has already been used in events, exhibitions, product launches and top night spots all over the world, Mindstorm says, including BMW's head office in Munich, Geneva's Pimp Club and a gala dinner at Google. Such technologies certainly have the potential to transform the consumer experience at bars, restaurants and other venues, as well as providing a wealth of new advertising and point-of-sale opportunities. One to try out early! Website: www.mindstorm.eu.com/solutions?category=ibar Spotted by: Donnie Lam
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Just when Photoshop’s photo-editing software has become a household word, along comes a free online application that offers many of the same editing tools. By signing on to Picnik, the brainchild of a group of internet veterans based in Seattle, users can upload photos from their desktop and alter their colour, brightness and other characteristics. When done, they can post them on popular photo-sharing or social-networking sites. The tool is entirely accessible from a user's browser—no need to download or install software. The free version of Picnik is ad-supported. But dedicated users can spend around US 25 for a one-year subscription to a more feature-rich, ad-free version. Picnik is the latest in a lengthy list of web applications that exemplify the concept of free love, which our sister site trendwatching.com examines in depth this month. In all likelihood, many more free-love applications will appear online. Two relatively new websites, overlay.tv and SmashMash.tv, for example, let users edit videos online. Short of creating an application yourself, one way to build a business around this trend is to aggregate the free applications others have built (provided their terms of use permit this, of course). A free suite of photo-editing tools, for instance, could be combined with free publishing programs to distribute the edited works when they’re complete. Website: www.picnik.com Spotted by: Bill McMahon
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Many organizations donate books of various kinds to developing countries, usually through a few collection centres and a small set of volunteers or employees. A new UK-based group, on the other hand, mobilizes teams of volunteer university students nationwide. READ International (short for Realizing Education, Achieving Development) has established 11 student-led Book Projects throughout the UK to improve access to education across the world and increase youth participation in the global community. Originally launched in 2003 as "The Tanzania Book Project" by a group of university students, it had already sent 50,000 books and materials to Tanzania secondary schools by 2005. Beginning in 2006, however, the group registered officially as a national charity, won the support of five universities, and now works through a community of student-run READ Book Projects to collect disused, high-quality Key Stage 3 and GCSE textbooks from UK secondary schools. Student volunteers also give presentations to promote student volunteering, young social enterprise, recycling and global citizenship, and are responsible for fund-raising towards READ Book Project costs through such means as cake sales, sponsored events and local corporate support. Ultimately, the student teams travel to Tanzania to distribute the books. The result: READ Book Projects have donated 148,000 textbooks to 140 Tanzanian secondary schools and five regional libraries. By the end of the 2007-8 academic year, READ aims to deliver 247,500 textbooks to Tanzania through its 11 university projects, which it plans to increase to 20 in the next year and to 27 by 2009-10, for a total of 1.3 million books kept out of UK landfills and put to good use instead. The group's founders explain: "We have identified our core strength—our relationship with British students. The opportunity to run, rather than work for, a national organization is our success. We see them as leaders, not volunteers. Over the next three years, we will position READ International to capitalize on this unique offering." READ International was named the Best New Charity in the 2007 UK Charity Times Awards, and is planning sister projects in Ecuador, Ghana and Zambia. For anyone involved in projects for the social good, putting student energy and philanthropy to work makes great sense for everyone involved. A model to emulate! Website: www.readinternational.org.uk Spotted by: Shannon Hopkins
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Back in 2006 we wrote about the Nike+iPod Sport Kit as an example of the growing number of branded brands—smart partnerships between brands —and now adidas and Samsung have launched an offering along similar lines. miCoach, which was unveiled just last week, is an adidas-branded Samsung music cell phone equipped with stride sensor and heart rate monitor to provide on-the-go personal training. With one click, users can connect to the fitness features and begin a workout. On their first use, the system assesses their fitness level and places them in one of three categories. Users can then set their own goals, or let the system's personal coach—backed by more than 200 workout plans—guide them. Either way, miCoach provides instruction to encourage and motivate users along the way, such as advising runners to “speed up to power zone” or telling them that “15 minutes is completed.” Tapping the slider phone twice produces instant updates on the workout, and the 2-inch LCD shows a real-time visual display of time, heart rate, distance, speed and calories burned. Users can arrange workout music on the phone according to tempo or motivational value, while a 2-megapixel camera and 1GB memory capacity let them capture their workout milestones. The miCoach also features USB and Bluetooth connectivity for fast file transfers and seamless sync with the miCoach web portal. The miCoach phone will be available in Europe starting in mid-March, with delivery in the US next year. European pricing will start at about EUR 195, according to the Associated Press. For more on branded brands, check out our sister site trendwatching.com's briefing on the topic. In the meantime, keep your eyes open for more of them! Website: www.micoach.com Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
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Back in the pre-internet Dark Age, resumes had to be one-page, one side. No exceptions. Social networking websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are helping to break that mold, and recently launched VisualCV hopes to do the same. Anyone shopping for a job can sign on with VisualCV and create a page that resembles an online magazine article. Besides the traditional resume detailing a user’s career, members can upload a video describing themselves. There’s also room for uploading files that list references or examples of creative work, as well as space to highlight specific accomplishments. If a member made sales explode at their last job, for instance, they can display a chart to illustrate growth. Taken together, VisualCV’s features result in a document that’s more professional looking than what’s possible on most social networking sites, and incorporates features that help employers better assess a jobseeker’s skills and experience. Mouse over the name of a company where a candidate recently worked, for instance, and a pop-up will display a few details about it. The site is currently in beta, but once it fully launches this spring, VisualCV hopes to make money by providing premium features for employers, such as folders that let hiring committees at companies route and comment on leading candidates. Companies can also pay for prominently placed listings. Also, larger companies or recruiters will eventually be able to license white-label versions of the website. Plenty of variations on VisualCV’s business model are possible. As with another employment site we wrote about earlier this month (YouTube meets Monster), localizing the service or focusing on industries such as healthcare could help build traffic faster than would be the case with a generalized employment site. Likewise, customizing features to suit different professions should increase chances of success. Jobseekers could choose from an array of industry-specific templates, for example. And video-conferencing features such as those found on dating websites would let employers more efficiently screen candidates. Bottom line: employment sites have long proven themselves to be a viable web business model, but the door remains wide open for new ideas. Website: www.visualcv.com Spotted by: Michael O’Brien
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When a company employs 1.6 million front-line workers throughout the world, chances are that at least a handful of them will have knock-your-socks-off singing abilities. That’s what McDonald’s reckoned when it launched its Voice of McDonald’s II. As the title implies, this is the second time around for the event, which debuted in 2006. Then as now, company talent shows were nothing new. But the sheer number of McDonald’s participants—some 3,600 working at restaurants in 53 countries signed up for the most recent contest—helped generate valuable media coverage and customer involvement. This time round, customer votes helped select the finalists whose video performances are posted on the contest website. In April, the three top performers from the event will compete for a USD 25,000 first prize at the company’s world convention in Orlando, Florida. Advertising and marketing bloggers have generated considerable buzz about the campaign, enough that other large companies could well emulate it. Corporate event organizers and team-building experts, and those wanting to enter that business, should be able to invent countless variations of the idea—everything from sports competitions to the funniest YouTube videos to events where finalists get to challenge the pros. As with “American Idol,” the basic idea behind these contests is universal: the yearning ordinary people have to be discovered and the fact that many who lead ordinary lives have talents which deserve to be shown off. Website: www.mcdonalds.com/usa/voice.html Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
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As anyone with children is no doubt keenly aware, birthday parties can be extremely wasteful affairs, leaving in their wake heaps of disposable dishes and cutlery, bags of plastic packaging and torn wrapping paper, and an array of mediocre gifts the child could probably do without. ECHOage was recently founded by two mothers who were determined to come up with an alternative. Launched at the end of February, Toronto-based ECHOage is "convenience and conscience wrapped up in a big green ribbon," as cofounder Alison Smith puts it. Specifically, the service offers a way for concerned parents to turn their child's birthday party into an environmentally respectful and socially mindful celebration by applying the philosophy of "one gift, one cause." It works like this: Parents and children planning a party begin by choosing from a variety of online invitations available on the site. Next, they sit down with the birthday child to choose from a list of charitable causes that ECHOage has screened and selected based on their track record of helping children and the environment. Participating charities include Nourish America, EarthCorps, International Child Art Foundation and Girls Inc., among others. Invitations are sent via email, and instead of bringing a wrapped gift, guests are asked to make a secure online donation of $10 to $30 (USD or CDN, depending on where the party takes place). After deducting a 15 percent administration fee, ECHOage sends half of the party proceeds to the child's chosen charity, and remits the other half to the party's host towards the purchase one really special and meaningful gift for the child. The site handles invitations, RSVPs, thank-you notes and reminders as well as collecting parent contact details and allergy information about guests. At the end, the host even gets a tax receipt for the portion of funds donated to charity. ECHOage not only cuts back on the waste associated with most birthday parties, it also teaches kids valuable lessons about giving and quality versus quantity, and saves parents and guests time and money by eliminating the present buying, wrapping (and returning) process. "Children are full of creative solutions to environmental and social issues, and the impact they can make on this world is extraordinary," explains Debbie Zinman, ECHOage's other cofounder. "Our dream is that ECHOage parties will help members of our youngest generation recognize that they can make meaningful choices that have a positive impact on others." (For more background info on the no-present trend, check out: Cake, but No Presents, Please—New York Times, 27 July 2007.) So far ECHOage supports parties and funds just in the US and Canada. Who wants to bring this to the rest of the world? Website: www.echoage.com Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
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Almost exactly two years ago we first wrote about Blurb, a publishing software and services company that brings bookstore-quality publishing to the masses. The San Francisco-based company has been pretty busy since then—publishing nearly 80,000 unique titles in 2007, for example, and doubling in size every three months—and now it's come out with BlurbNation, a way for users to monetize their book-making skills. Launched at the start of this year, BlurbNation is an independent marketplace within Blurb where those skilled at various aspects of custom book-making and those in need of such skills can find each other. The idea is simple: Some people are very good at making books, while others may have ideas for books but not the time or skills to make them. BlurbNation is a way for those two sides to meet so that the books get made and those with the skills can make some money from them. BlurbNation book makers can provide such services as writing and proofreading copy; designing pages and organizing content; scanning, editing and restoring photos or artwork; or even creating the entire book from cover to cover. To be listed in the BlurbNation Directory, they must meet a set of minimum requirements, including having produced at least two books on Blurb that are publicly available in the Blurb Bookstore, and having a website or blog that promotes and explains their book-making services. They must also have technical proficiency with image-editing and design applications. Once accepted by Blurb, they can be listed in the BlurbNation Directory with a profile and work samples, and they get marketing support from Blurb. Arrangements with clients, including price, are worked out completely independently, however—Blurb doesn’t take a share of any fees. BlurbNation is a logical next step in the evolution of Blurb's business model, which is focused squarely on enabling the creations of Generation C. It's also a beautiful example of what our sister site trendwatching.com would call a feeder business—one that feeds, and feeds off of, bigger ones. What other ventures out there need to be fed...? Website: www.blurb.com/blurb_nation Spotted by: Jono Hey
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Gas prices, urban congestion and environmental concerns have brought about a veritable renaissance in bicycle riding, as we've noted before, spawning initiatives like citywide bike-rental schemes and bank-sponsored bike-sharing programs, among others. A trend we haven't yet highlighted, however, is the growing number of urban bike stations. The most recent example we've spotted just opened in New Zealand. Located in the Britomart in Auckland (a public transport hub), BikeCentral offers bicycling enthusiasts and commuters a welcoming place to park their bikes and transition into the next part of their day. In addition to safe, secure bicycle parking, BikeCentral members have access to private lockers, showers and changing areas. Coffee, fresh food and free wireless internet are also available, as are rental bicycles and an on-site repair service for minor repairs. All-inclusive rates start at NZD 25 per week. Chicago's McDonald's Cycle Center at Millennium Park, which launched in 2004, is a 16,448-square-foot heated facility that includes free indoor parking for 300 bikes, showers and lockers, bicycle rental and repair, and a café. A monthly membership pass costs USD 20. Finally, on the West Coast, Bikestation is a not-for-profit organization that offers secure bicycle parking and more. Stations in five California cities plus Seattle offer a variety of services including bicycle rentals and repair, showers and lockers as well as 24-hour secure bike parking. Monthly fees are USD 12. The way things are going, demand for centers like these will only increase. And how a combination of bike stations and shared working spaces? Help consumers reduce their carbon footprints, help the planet, and help yourself to some well-deserved profits! Website: www.bikecentral.co.nz — www.chicagobikestation.com — www.bikestation.org Spotted by: Roanne Parker
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True love may be hard to find, but free love isn't—at least not if you know where to look. The latest sighting: AdPerk, which rewards consumers who view online video advertising with free magazines or discounted subscriptions. Launched last summer, AdPerk places banners on participating magazines' home pages or other outlets, offering users free issues or a discount in exchange for watching short videos. But unlike pre-roll ads that are limited by the host site, AdPerk lets consumers choose which content they want to watch. Visitors who click on the banners are taken to the AdPerk platform, where they can select the ads they wish to view by mousing over the thumbnails for each and seeing the name of the brand or product, the name of the video and its length. It generally takes between 10 and 30 minutes of viewing to complete an offer, and users can also choose when to watch that content. Once they do watch it, AdPerk requires that they enter a word verification within 30 seconds of the ad’s completion—just to make sure they were paying attention. They can then choose to watch more videos or to come back at a later time by registering with the site. AdPerk is free for consumers; advertisers pay the cost of the free issues. The site collects only user names and addresses, as necessary to mail the magazines when earned, and it gives marketers detailed metrics and insight by tracking user behavior on the site and subsequent purchases. Popular Science, Good Housekeeping, and Field and Stream are among AdPerk's participating magazines; advertisers in the AdPerk network include Duxiana, LG Electronics, Delta Faucet Company, Disney Mobile and Kleenex. Barry Soicher, CEO and cofounder of San Francisco-based AdPerk, explains: “It comes down to respect, user choice, benefit and relevance. We engage users at the right time and place and give them the control they’re looking for." In other words, permission-based advertising creates a motivated and willing audience. Anyone want to try arguing with that? (For many more examples of what our sister site trendwatching.com has dubbed free love, check out the free briefing.) Website: www.adperk.com Spotted by: Nathan Sarcyk
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Honey without the mess, from Prince Edward Island
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