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A while back, we featured MyCricketCoach, which provides long distance cricket training by web. While there are benefits to picking a niche, a different website allows athletes and coaches of all sports to give and get online coaching. The online community at Upmygame helps athletes gain advice from professional coaches and other users. At sign-up, participants are asked to specify whether they're an ‘athlete’ or a ‘coach’, although both parties can give and receive advice. Critiquing takes place via short videos uploaded by athletes, containing footage of them practising their chosen sport—anything from football to yoga. Frame-by-frame playback allows for precise commentary in the form of diagrams and text. Bringing an authentic coaching experience to the web, any coach with a mic on their computer can also upload a recording of their advice. Although the site places an emphasis on its ability to help athletes improve, it also acts as a money-making platform for coaches who wish to charge for their insight. Whereas all of MyCricketCoach’s advice came from one coach, Upmygame acts as a broker for advice, turning it into a P2P marketplace—an Etsy for coaching, if you like. Now that services can be sold online as easily as products, what gaps can you benefit from bridging? (Related: Sell what you say — Hair salon offers Skype consultations.) Website: www.upmygame.com |
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Summertime is filled with opportunities for brands to show they care, whether by helping consumers find a place to change at the beach or by giving them a little cooling refreshment during a heat wave. Targeting the latter option is Soak Media, a UK firm that gives out free bottled water to London commuters courtesy of on-bottle advertising. Focusing only on the months of July and August, Soak sells advertising space on 330 ml. plastic bottles filled with Buxton water and then hands them out for free to overheated London commuters, who would normally pay GBP 1 or more for such refreshment. Soak's own staff hands out the bottles from an ice-filled cart, after which time it estimates the bottles spend about 50 minutes in the average consumer's hands. The company also does specials including leaflet tip-ons, specially shaped bottles and sampling. Perhaps best of all, however, is that it donates all its profits to charitable causes. Given the ongoing controversy over plastic water bottles, it's not entirely clear that such vessels will be the right medium to focus on going forward. Nevertheless, the last two heat waves saw a 20 percent increase in bottled water consumption, Soak says, so there's no doubt consumers can use a little extra help staying hydrated. Deliver a little sympvertising—in whatever form—and you'll likely see a nice refreshing boost to your own bottom line! ;-) (Related: New Yorkers invited to refill their water bottles at cafés — Heated bus stops offer sympvertising and samples.) Website: www.soakmedia.com |
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Long gone are the days of boring mugs and faded postcards, as museums and other cultural institutions have become increasingly savvy retailers. Aiming to build on that strength, CultureLabel showcases products from over 60 galleries, museums and other cultural entities, 'exploring the space where culture and consumer culture meets'. Customers can shop by brand or a variety of categories. When they're ready to buy, CultureLabel sends them through to the brands’ own websites, which handle sales and shipping. CultureLabel doesn't charge organisations for listing their products; it takes a commission on each sale. Potential partners—international, national and niche culture brands—are invited to apply for a spot on CultureLabel. If accepted, they can add up to 24 products to the platform. Participating organisations include big names like the Tate, the V&A and the Saatchi Gallery, as well as smaller ones like East London jeweller Tatty Devine and city guide publishers Le Cool. By cataloguing niche brands, CultureLabel helps them pack a more powerful punch and exposes them to new audiences. The venture minimizes its own investment by not getting involved with sales and logistics, and minimizes that of its partners by not charging set-up fees or monthly contributions. Since visitors often spend as much time in museum shops as they do looking at the actual art, it's not a bad proposition ;-) Website: www.culturelabel.com
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Beginning a year at college can be stressful enough in its own right without the added hassle of scrambling to buy myriad dorm room supplies and decorations before classes begin. Target and other superstores may benefit from that rush, but a new site aims to help students plan and shop for their living quarters ahead of time with the help of some 3-D modelling. DesignYourDorm is a web-based 3-D interior design tool that allows college students to customize their dorm room interiors and purchase what they need online. When students register with the Los Angeles-based site, they begin by indicating the university they'll be attending. Ultimately, that will generate a selection of floor plans with exact room dimensions used in the corresponding dorms, and DesignYourDorm is currently pilot-testing those capabilities with the University of Pennsylvania, according to TechCrunch. For universities that haven't signed on, however, students are given a series of generic room layouts. Either way, they next choose the type of room they'll have—single, double or triple, in various configurations—and then begin moving furniture and accessories around. Gaps can be filled in from items available from DesignYourDorm's online store—furniture, accessories, appliances and more—and many of them can be virtually dragged and dropped into the room to see how they will look. Perhaps best of all, roommates can collaborate virtually over the summer using the site to plan and coordinate their purchases ahead of time. Once they've decided what they'll need to buy, they can order the items and have them shipped directly to their college—order fulfillment is handled by Amazon, which passes revenue on to DesignYourDorm through its affiliate program. Similar in many ways to DesignMyRoom—which sadly got repurposed since we covered it last year—DesignYourDorm is free for both students and participating universities, which will ultimately get a cut of sales generated through the site, according to TechCrunch. Given that there are more than 18 million college students in the US alone, could be a good one to bring to campuses in your neck of the postsecondary woods! Website: www.designyourdorm.com Spotted by: Roberta Steinberg |
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Regular Springwise readers may remember Vélib‘, the citywide bike-sharing scheme in Paris that we covered back in 2007. Buoyed by the success of that effort, the city is now apparently planning another ambitious initiative—this time involving electric cars. Paris actually already has a car-sharing scheme in place with some 5,000 members, but it's privately run and uses traditional cars. Autolib', on the other hand—from automobile + liberté—is a large-scale, city-backed effort that will provide only clean, electric vehicles. Planned for launch late next year or in early 2011, Autolib' will place some 4,000 electric cars at 1,400 self-service rental and recharging stations in and around Paris for short-term, temporary use. The USD 14 million initiative will likely be operated as a public-private partnership, according to a BusinessWeek report, with oversight by an intergovernmental council. Drivers will not need to make reservations to use a car through Autolib'. Rather, two- and four-seat cars will be available for rent at stands by simply swiping a card in a reader; users will then be able to return the cars at any stand that's convenient. Prices haven't yet been decided, but they'll likely be in the vicinity of USD 6 to USD 9 per half-hour, with monthly subscription fees of USD 22 to USD 29, BW reported. French environmentalists are apparently protesting Autolib's potential to encourage driving and worsen urban congestion. Advocates, on the other hand, say it could reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 tons a year while improving congestion, since fewer Parisians will feel the need to own a car. Either way, there's no doubt the city-backed approach will give the effort a prominence that would be difficult to achieve otherwise, and its similarity to Vélib‘ could make gaining acceptance considerably easier. One to watch! (Related: Parking operator launches car-sharing service — Hertz launches global car-sharing service.) Website: www.paris.fr Spotted by: Rick Elders |
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Microlending organisation Kiva has been praised for helping small businesses in developing countries get off the ground by connecting them to individual lenders. Unfortunately, its innovative platform doesn't serve Chinese entrepreneurs, due to restrictions in China's monetary policy. Which is why Casey Wilson and Courtney McColgan established non-profit organisation Wokai, aiming to do for China what Kiva has been doing for other parts of the world. Since peer-to-peer lending isn't an option, Wokai developed a hybrid model that combines traditional donations with the benefits of microloans. Dedicated to raising capital from around the world for entrepreneurs in rural China, Wokai works with field partners to select candidates for loans. Using a system that's similar to Kiva, people can browse a list of potential borrowers on Wokai's website, donate their chosen amount, and then track the recipient's progress through Wokai. Since they can't be paid back to the donor, loans are recycled: when a recipient pays back a loan to Wokai, the donor can select another farmer or entrepreneur to support. So far, Wokai has raised USD 42,766 for loans to 159 recipients. Many donors have business or family ties to China. Restrictions spur creativity, and (social) entrepreneurs are no exception. So if you're looking for a new opportunity, an obstacle isn't a bad place to start. (Related: Microcharity uses tangibility to target young donors.) Website: www.wokai.org |
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Digital greetings are all very well, but it seems there's something about the tangible paper card that just can't be replaced. We've written about talking gift tags and greeting cards with online attachments, and now there's Burney Cards, combining an artist-designed, fold-out paper card with a burnable CD tucked inside. Created by Dutch firm Schmeitz+Freitag, the Burney CD Card provides content-sharing consumers with a giftable alternative to download links and plastic jewel cases. The current line includes 24 styles of cards designed by up-and-coming artists. With designs for a variety of occasions, the cards let users record music, pictures or video onto the matching CD and send it along in the included slot, with a personalized message written on the card itself. The 15-by-15-cm cards are priced at EUR 5.95 each, with an introductory offer that provides one free card for every 10 purchased. Burney Cards were named finalists in this year's Creative Amsterdam Award. Burney Cards can be purchased online, and international shipping is available. In addition, however, Amsterdam-based Schmeitz+Freitag is actively seeking distributors. Website: www.burneycards.com |
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Premium ice-cream is a highly sophisticated food category that doesn't shy away from unusual flavours. But none of these stray quite as far from plain vanilla as an x-rated gelato by The Icecreamists that's touted to have the same charge as a dose of Viagra. Dubbed The Sex Pistol, the new flavour will be available exclusively at The Icecreamists' shop, open in London's Selfridges department store from 10 September – 1 November 2009. Mixed into the frozen treat are ginkgo biloba, arginine and guarana—all guaranteed to increase blood flow and energy level. Before serving, The Sex Pistol is doused in La Fee Absinthe. And since presentation is key, the absinthe is administered from a drip bag into a pink water gun and fired at a heated sugar cube, which drops into the ice cream. The Sex Pistol is deemed so potent that sales are limited to one per customer, although at GBP 11.99 customers might prefer to split one with a special friend. Besides The Sex Pistol and other 'ice cream cocktails', The Icecreamists will also serve scoops of ice cream, in flavours like Obamarama and Axl Rose-water. All products will be made in the store's open kitchen. The obvious shock-factor aside, it's interesting to see an ice-cream targeted specifically to men. As ever, sex sells. ;-) Website: www.theicecreamists.com Spotted by: Erik Dryden
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For truly dedicated fashionistas with more clothes than their closets can handle, keeping track of individual items and accessories can be a challenge. Aiming to make the process easier, My Fashion Plate is a new online destination designed to help fashion lovers make the most of their wardrobes and ensure that nothing ever gets forgotten or lost. California-based My Fashion Plate isn't the only wardrobe management tool out there—another we've spotted is Software de Arte's Dress Assistant, available as a download from the Apple Online Store—but the addition of personal shopping and styling services seems to set it apart. One to partner with or emulate in your neck of the worldwide wardrobe...? ;-) Photographing and uploading a client's wardrobe to My Fashion Plate could be an attractive add-on service for personal organizers, too. (Related: A social marketplace for clothes hounds.) Website: www.myfashionplate.com |
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Much akin to an all-you-can-eat buffet or an all-you-can-read digital magazine subscription, New York-based airline JetBlue now offers customers a month of unlimited travel for USD 599. Announced yesterday and extending through Aug. 21 while supplies last, JetBlue's All-You-Can-Jet offer lets anyone buy a pass that's good for unlimited trips to any of the airline's 56 international and domestic destinations between September 8 and October 8 of this year. Pass holders will have access to every available seat on every flight—no limits on seats, and no blackout dates—and they can book travel up to three days in advance of their trip. The only requirement is that they sign up for the airline's TrueBlue loyalty program before booking flights; buyers of an All-You-Can-Jet pass will also be awarded 35 TrueBlue points for their purchase. Taxes and fees for trips internationally and to Puerto Rico are not included. The all-you-can-fly concept isn't entirely new, it should be noted: American Airlines reportedly offered a lifetime AAirpass through the Neiman Marcus catalogue several years ago—for USD 3 million. Will this shorter-term—and far more affordably priced—version fare better? One to watch! Website: www.jetblue.com/deals/all-you-can-jet Spotted by: krautland |
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We've already seen a banking service, a wedding boutique and a travel website aimed at gay consumers; now there are wine brands targeting gays as well. Spanish UO! Wines is a line of three wines created with homosexual men in mind, and its descriptions, packaging and website imagery were all tailored accordingly. UO! Ánima Blanca, for example, is a Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo blend featuring earth tones and "wisps of flowers and fruit – the perfect accompaniment to a gathering of friends on a hot day, whether the heat comes from within or without." Antinoo, meanwhile, is a Monastrell that's "young and mature, fruity, elegant, smooth….Mediterranean.... When you try it, shut your eyes and imagine that you are licking rivulets of syrup from his body," the company advises. Rounding out the line is Oscura Lágrima, a Shiraz and Merlot blend that's "dark, dense and turbulent." Underscoring the connection it sees between wine and sexual orientation, UO! explains: "Right from the time you see the wine in the display case, we want to insure that the bottle speaks about more than its delicious contents; that it has to do with you; that you are offering whoever you are with something more than a simple glass of wine." It's certainly true that gay consumers represent a potentially lucrative segment, and apparently UO! is not the first wine brand to set its sights on reaping some of those pink profits—another like-minded competitor, also from Spain, is Mundo Gay. Though it's not clear if UO! makes or blends its wines or simply packages them, it's actively seeking distributors; one to get in on early...? (Related: Heineken's brew for women.) Website: www.uowines.com |
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Taking a calendar-based approach to organizing personal finances, PocketSmith is a online tool designed to make budgeting easier than ever. Users input their scheduled salary, bill payments, rent and grocery bills and have each of these categories repeat weekly, fortnightly or monthly, which is made relatively painless through integration with Google Calendar, iCal and Outlook. PocketSmith then calculates all incoming and outgoing transactions to generate a six or twelve month forecast. Diving right into the ugly details, users can pick any given date and receive a predicted bank balance for that day. So there's no more wondering what will be left one week before (or after) Christmas. If users are unhappy with their predicted balance, they can adjust their scheduled 'financial events' and immediately see the changes reflected in their projected cashflow, helping them set and aim for long-term goals. Subscribers can easily upload electronic bank statements; there's no need to supply confidential information. While PocketSmith has joined a competitive arena—Mint seems to be the current leader of the webbased personal finance pack—its predictive powers could draw in a new crowd of consumers seeking to get a better grasp on their financial future. The basic version of PocketSmith is free, and subscribers can sign up for more premium versions at USD 5 and USD 12 per month. Website: www.pocketsmith.com Spotted by: Harriet Geoghegan |
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