|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Following a multimillion pound refurbishment, and using little more than seawater, SEA LIFE London Aquarium ran a (close to) zero-impact advertising campaign in the streets of London earlier this week. You might recognize the masterminds behind the campaign: Curb, the media agency that uses natural materials to build brand awareness for its clients. (We previously wrote about their sand sculptures, turf cutting and snow tagging innovations.) Dubbed 'sea tagging', Curb's newest tool simply entails spraying seawater through custom-made stencils. Salt water evaporates more slowly than fresh water, and the stencilled graphics are visible for 5–15 minutes For Monday's SEA LIFE campaign, over 2,000 images of sea turtles, sharks and seahorses were sprayed on streets, walls and sidewalks in 300 locations by a team of taggers dressed in scuba diving gear. Since the adverts are temporary and consist of nothing but water, Curb didn't have to worry about permission or permits. Considering the amount of visual clutter in public spaces that's created by non-stop marketing efforts, a campaign that leaves nothing behind but a dusting of seasalt is as appealing for aesthetic reasons as it is for its low impact on the environment. While it may not work in hot cities, we expect to see sea tagging appear (and disappear) in other parts of the world soon. Website: www.mindthecurb.com |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
There's no doubt eating locally grown food benefits both the community and the environment, but without regular visits to a farmers' market, it can be difficult for consumers to make that happen. We've already covered a few innovative ways companies are helping homegrown produce get into consumers' hands—delivery by bicycle, to name just one—and recently we learned of another: Washington state's Ferry Farm Stand. Beginning June 25, the Ferry Farm Stand will open every Wednesday evening at the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal, offering Seattle commuters a variety of locally grown produce in convenient USD 5 bags. Commuters arriving on the island via the busy 4:40 pm and 5:30 pm ferries will then be able to grab a bag of fresh local lettuce, some crisp sugar snap peas or a box of sweet, island-grown strawberries before they get in their car or board their bus or bike. The effort is a project of local nonprofit group Sound Food in partnership with Sustainable Bainbridge and the Chamber of Commerce, and is designed to encourage local residents to eat more food grown close to home. All of the food sold at the Ferry Farm Stand will be picked fresh at farms on Bainbridge Island and nearby North Kitsap. Sound Food is providing all of the staffing, organization and promotional support, allowing 100 percent of the proceeds to go directly to the farmers. Sound Food founder Sallie Maron explains: “We wanted to find a way to make it easy for people to buy local food—especially those who can’t make it to the Farmers' Market on Saturday. What better place than right where they get off the boat on their way home to dinner?” Indeed, bringing the produce to consumers—rather than expecting them to find it themselves—and then pricing it for a speedy transaction is a clever approach that looks ripe for emulation anywhere local produce is grown. Imagine the response in the subways of New York City, London or Singapore! Seems to us bringing *enough* produce would then become the real challenge. Website: www.soundfood.org |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
British supermarket chain Waitrose dates back to the early 1900s, when bicycle and horse and cart were its chosen methods of delivery. Now—proving once again the old adage that everything that goes around comes around—much the same methods have returned as part of the company's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Waitrose has already appeared on our pages once before for its customer-directed giving program, and earlier this year it launched a series of new green initiatives that include eco-minded handcarts and bicycles for use delivering groceries to local consumers. At the store in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, for example, eco-handcarts have been added as a way to help boost the number of delivery slots available to customers without increasing the number of vans on the road. The specially designed carts are intended for use delivering to customers who live within a mile of the store, and can keep products frozen and chilled for up to two hours. Waitrose branches in Lichfield, Parkstone and Droitwich, meanwhile, have also introduced eco-bicycles following a successful trial last year at Waitrose Cambridge. The eco-bicycles are electric bikes with a maximum distance charge of 30 miles, and are intended for delivery to customers who live within 15 miles of the store. Finally, in a bid to help consumers adopt greener habits themselves, Waitrose has also introduced cycle trailers for loan at 36 of its stores. The trailers are loaned out free of charge to any customers who wish to use them, the company says. It's no longer unusual to see smaller stores using bicycles for delivery, but for a large national chain like Waitrose to embrace such methods is a testament to the growing demand for greener deliveries. Other grocers around the world: turn off your engines! ;-) (Related: Cargo bikes for greener business deliveries — Bicycle trailers on loan at IKEA — Local produce, delivered by bicycle.) Website: www.waitrose.com |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
It's all too common for patients to be kept waiting in emergency rooms; the average wait for ER treatment in the United States is estimated at 3.2 hours. Earlier this month, Atlanta-based InQuickER announced the launch of a new service that allows patients with non life-threatening conditions to reduce their waiting time by calling ahead or signing in online. After preregistering for the service, patients inform their hospital about their injury or illness in order to reserve the first available time slot. In 75 percent of cases, InQuickER users will be seen immediately upon arrival, but if a patient is not seen by a doctor within 15 minutes, InQuickER and the hospital won't charge for the ER visit, diagnostic services, professional fees or supplies. The 'hold-your-place-in-line' service is currently available at three hospitals. Patients pay USD 24.99 per visit for InQuickER's service—a price that's manageable for most people. By streamlining the check-in process, InQuickER offers both hospitals and patients a way to cut through some of the red tape, saving time and aggravation. One to replicate to other countries and industries? (Related: Letting customers skip the line.) Website: www.inquicker.com Spotted by: Judy McRae |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Giving is the new taking, as our sister site likes to say. And while we've covered several examples of the growing importance of generosity as a societal and business mindset, we hadn't yet come across anything from the tech sector. But now we've found not just one but two such examples, courtesy of Adobe and Telefónica. Adobe launched a program earlier this month whereby it is giving its Flex Builder 3 Professional software free of charge to developers who have been hit by current economic conditions and are out of work. To participate in the program, unemployed developers must attest that the software will be used only for personal use and skill-building—not for any production or commercial purposes. In exchange, they get a free copy of Flex Builder 3's Professional version, which is normally priced at USD 699. Spanish telecom provider Telefónica, meanwhile, announced last month that it would begin offering discounts of up to 50 percent on unemployed customers' fixed and mobile phone service. The offer applies also to customers who are self-employed, and the maximum limit is EUR 20 per month per invoice. Participants must have had a Telefónica account for at least 6 months; to apply, they need only submit an application form, available on the company's website. Whether it's helping fire victims find a place to stay, giving "worthy workers" a break or helping the unemployed get back on their feet, there are countless opportunities every day for brands to display their generous side. Think giving, think helping, think showing appreciation for others who do, and you just may win the hearts and minds of the burgeoning ranks of Generation G! Website: freeriatools.adobe.com/learnflex — www.telefonica.es/on/io/es/teayudamos/home.html |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
This is inflight entertainment that should appeal to all of our entrepreneurial readers: Virgin Atlantic's recently launched PitchTV. As part of Virgin Atlantic's 25th birthday celebrations, Richard Branson announced a new way to support innovative business plans. Entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to the world in video format, uploading the videos to Virgin's website, where the online community can view and rate their idea. Videos rotate on a monthly basis, and those with the most votes will be shown on Virgin Atlantic's in-flight entertainment service. The aim is for the airline's business passengers to watch the videos, contacting the entrepreneurs behind the ideas that take their fancy to help them develop the idea. Branson claims it's a unique way of giving the world's top business professionals access to fresh ideas and new ventures. By playing matchmaker, Virgin gains kudos and recognition without shelling out its own cash for new ventures. One pitch will likely prove the exception to that rule, however, as there's a 'special prize' that has yet to be announced. We can't wait to hear which of our readers will be first to appear inflight... (Related: Web channel for three-minute pitches — 'Open-mic nights' for business ideas.) Website: entrepreneur.virgin.com/pitchtv Spotted by: Raymond Kollau |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
No sooner did we post our story about Fortnum & Mason's rooftop beekeeping effort in London than one of our readers alerted us to a similar one under way across the ocean. This time, it's atop a Toronto hotel, and the resulting honey is being used to supply the hotel's restaurant kitchen. Last summer the Fairmont Royal York hotel installed a three-hive apiary 14 stories up above the streets of Toronto. Affectionately named the Honey Moon Suite, The Royal Sweet and The V.I.Bee Suite, the three hives are home to as many queens and their accompanying entourage of more than 10,000 other bees, each of whom forages for nectar in the hotel's decade-old rooftop herb garden and on nearby Toronto Island. The apiary was established in partnership with the Toronto Beekeepers Cooperative and FoodShare, and is a natural extension of the hotel's herb garden, Executive Chef David Garcelon says. It's also part of the hotel's commitment to sustainable hotel management through its Green Partnership program. Garcelon explains: “You can’t find a supplier much closer than your own roof. Our colonies deliver irresistible honey for our guests, while promoting our ecological commitment to bee culture.” The three hives had produced a total of 378 pounds of honey by last fall and won 2nd place in the Liquid Honey Amber category at the 86th annual Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in November. Response from hotel patrons, meanwhile—who can learn about the source of the hotel's honey via the restaurant menu and also via its monthly audio podcasts—has been so positive that the hotel plans to install three more hives this summer. Similar efforts are also under way at The Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, and The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver. All of which, of course, is further proof that consumers love things that are (still) made here, wherever that may be. One part hyperlocal production, one part storytelling skill, and you've got a winning recipe for sweet success! ;-) Website: www.fairmont.com/royalyork  |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
There are countless employment sites out there that help companies fill full- and part-time jobs. Not included in most, however, are all the extra little tasks businesses often need to get done, but that aren't enough to justify hiring another regular employee. Targeting those small—yet important—jobs comes ShortTask, which aims to connect qualified workers with companies in need of such short-term help. Now in beta, ShortTask is essentially a community that focuses on connecting what it calls "seekers"—companies or individuals who need various tasks accomplished without hiring in-house staff—and "solvers," or workers who can complete those tasks virtually from home. Seekers begin by listing the tasks they need done, such as transcribing audio or video recordings, identifying objects in a photograph or creating written content. They also create an escrow account for payment and indicate for each task how much they're willing to pay, along with its deadline. Solvers then visit the site and choose the tasks they'd like to complete. Once the work is done and the seeker approves it, they get paid in US dollars via PayPal from the seeker's account; ShortTask, meanwhile, takes a commission of 10 percent. There are currently more than 50,000 tasks listed on the site, including finding articles and commenting on Amazon.com (price: USD 1), for example, or asking questions on a forum (paying USD 0.15). Solvers from around the world are allowed to find jobs through the site. Similar to Amazon's Mechanical Turk, California-based ShortTask gives companies a more flexible way to get work done and allows consumers to earn some extra money during tough times. One to emulate on a localized or niche basis? (Related: Matching students with odd jobs — Bidding system for domestic outsourcing.) Website: www.shorttask.com |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
First FedEx Office offered free resume printing on what it declared Free Resume Printing Day last month; now, job seekers can tap UK-based FreeMyCV for free distribution of their resumes to job sites far and wide. Aiming to reduce the time job-seekers spend registering and sending their resumes to all the many different hiring websites, FreeMyCV.com uses a tailored integration system that enables the user’s details and CV to be automatically registered to a wide variety of partner job websites within minutes of submission. Users simply sign on with FreeMyCV for free and upload their resume. The service then sends it out automatically to select partner job sites, the list of which currently includes Monster.com, JobPatch.com and--a familiar face to regular Springwise readers—TheLadders. Each partner site specifies in advance the type of candidates it's interested in—by location, sector or salary level, for instance. FreeMyCV sends each resume to as many as 10 such UK sites, including any mix of general and industry specialist sites as determined by the candidate's qualifications. The system's technology even knows to avoid submitting users' resumes to sites they're already registered with. Whereas FedEx Office's effort was a combination of free love and sympvertising and sympvertising for branding purposes, FreeMyCV's free love is made possible by its partnerships with job sites, each of which pays to participate. Either way, of course, it's all good to consumers. How could *your* brand help the unemployed, the debt-strapped or the otherwise economically afflicted? Website: www.freemycv.com |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
What do grass, sand, water, snow, wood and dirty streets have in common? Answer: they've all been used as a medium for advertising, as we've noted on several occasions before. Now there's yet another option for unconventional marketers: soap foam mixed with lighter-than-air gasses such as helium. Flogos—the result of such a mix—are flying foam logos that float through the sky, and they've actually been around for almost exactly a year* following their introduction last spring by Alabama special effects company Snowmasters. Available in 12-, 36- and 48-inch sizes, Flogos can travel up to 30 miles and float as high as 5,000 feet, depending on their formulation. Most last from 30 to 40 minutes, after which time they evaporate without a trace, making them completely environmentally friendly, the company says. Flogos customers have included Lindt chocolates, the California Angels, Disney World, Mercedes-Benz and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, to name just a few. The company has also expanded into 18 offices worldwide, with new locations including China, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, Turkey, England, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Israel, Africa, Australia and Canada. In addition to providing a novel way to break through the advertising clutter, Flogos also mesh nicely with the trend toward "eco-vertising" and other environmentally sustainable approaches. Could be a fun one to partner with—the sky's the limit on the possibilities! ;-) (Related: Media agency focuses on low-eco-impact advertising.) Website: www.flogos.net * Background detail: Flogos got so much buzz last year, that we ended up not covering it. But when it showed up on our radar again this spring, we were curious to see how the concept fared since it was launched. |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Entrepreneurial types may already be familiar with Ideablob, the online community where big thinkers and small business owners can exchange feedback on their business ideas. Credit card issuer Advanta sponsors the site, which launched back in 2007, and now it's adding live events billed as "open mic nights" for great ideas. Bloblive is a networking event that's essentially intended to be a live version of Ideablob: Attendees air their business ideas in front of a live audience of fellow participants in exchange for advice, feedback and connections. The first Bloblive was held in Philadelphia last fall; since then, it has been expanded to Nashville, San Diego and Los Angeles as well. Events are held several times a month, with entry priced at USD 10; both venue and "brain food" are provided. Memberships are also available for USD 20 per month, providing free access to all local events as well as pitch coaching, members-only breakfasts and other benefits. Bloblive events are also streamed online; updates are broadcast on Twitter. Just because the economy is a shambles, that doesn't mean the end of entrepreneurship—in fact, in many ways, it's the ideal time to launch something new, as we've noted before. The swelling ranks of entrepreneurs, minipreneurs and sellsumers can use support both online and off—one to bring to (aspiring) entrepreneurs near you? (Related: Professional feedback, instant and peer-to-peer — Tech support for minipreneurs.) Website: www.bloblive.com |
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Making it as straightforward as possible for young people to get checked out, a London council has initiated a new Chlamydia testing system. The service, offered by NHS Hounslow in West London, lets residents between 16 and 24 go online to request a free self-testing kit by post. In their own time and space, users provide a urine or swab sample and post it off to a laboratory. The results are delivered by text message or post, depending on the user’s preference. The service began in February 2009, announced using less high-tech systems: 19,000 of the borough’s residents aged 16–24 received a letter announcing the scheme. Despite such wide reach, the text messaging service will not be automated. Real people will write the initial text messages and will provide text responses to queries, giving users the personalised advice and information they need without the awkwardness of speaking to someone over the phone. By choosing less engaging types of communication, the council expects to engage more users. Which is a smart example of tailoring your approach to your audience's needs. One for others to follow, in healthcare and beyond? Website: www.tdlpathology.com/hounslow Spotted by: The Register via Judy McRae |
|||
|
|||
|
| |||
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
