Coca-Cola runs “Happiness Baromoter” to spread Open Happiness message (marketingweek.co.uk)

Coca-Cola has conducted a “Happiness Barometer” market research exercise to back its global multi-million pound “Open Happinness” marketing push for 2010.

The global study which covers 16 countries and four continents, sought to identify what happiness means to different nationalities and revealed that, despite the rapid pace of growth in the virtual world, human contact wins when it comes to happiness.

People in all 16 countries agreed real world contact with family and partners is a greater source of joy (77%) than virtual world alternatives.

Supporting this notion that human, rather than virtual interaction is a greater source of pleasure, the biggest highlights of the day include catching up with loved ones in the evening (39%), eating with the family (22%) and chatting to friends or colleagues (17%) in the day.

Modern alternatives such as watching TV (14%), connecting with others online (5%) and receiving the day’s first text message (2%) paled in comparison.

“The results of the Coca-Cola Happiness Barometer show that staying connected with friends and family remains an important source of happiness for people around the world, and that this holds true across all continents and nationalities,” says Cristina Bondolowski, senior global brand director, Coca-Cola, The Coca-Cola Company.

“Despite the online social networking phenomenon, nothing beats quality time with loved ones or simple pleasures such as sharing a Coke with our nearest and dearest to bring happiness in our lives.”

The results also show that, despite the global economic woes, overall global happiness levels are high, with over two thirds of people (67%) declaring that they are satisfied with their lives.

When people do need cheering up, 38% turn to a night out with friends and over one in five (22%) who will give or receive a big, warm hug.

“Coca-Cola provides simple moments of pleasure throughout the day. Through this study we wanted to understand what else our consumers reach for in their quest for happiness.” adds Bondolowski.

“We were especially pleased to see that it’s the great taste of Coke that is still putting a smile on faces around the world, as it has done for nearly 125 years.”

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Great Britain also launched a new interactive online application to help meet increasing consumer demand for ’eco’ information.

The ’Trace Your Coke’ app enables consumers to trace individual cans or bottles of Coca-Cola Great Britain drinks back to their British factory of origin. It also highlights the importance of the most significant step consumers can take to reduce a drink’s environmental impact - recycling empty packaging.

Liz Lowe, citizenship manager at Coca-Cola Great Britain, says: “’Trace Your Coke’ provides a fun, interactive way for our consumers to find out information that matters to them whilst reinforcing the importance of recycling. We know that without sustainable, healthy communities we won’t have a sustainable business. How we can communicate these messages, while inspiring and motivating our consumers to take action, is key to achieving our aims.”

Follow this trend home at http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/coca-cola-runs-%22happiness-baromoter%22-to-spread-open-happiness-message/3013377.article

Statusphere (Trendwatching.com)

May 2010 | Whatever industry you’re in, in the end, everything is about status. And since what constitutes status in consumer societies is fragmenting rapidly, here’s a (modest) framework to help you start exploring new status symbols and stories with your customers.

Like it or not, the need for recognition and status is at the heart of every consumer trend*. Status is the ultimate (hidden) motive, a subconscious but ever-present force.

Now, in a traditional consumer society, where consumption is one of the leading (if not the leading) indicators of success, those who consume the most (and especially those who consume the rarest and most expensive), will typically also attain the highest status. This is why brands have, for decades, gladly provided people with goods, services and experiences that help them (boldly or subtly) impress their peers and help alleviate their anxieties about how they're perceived by others.

However, mature consumer societies are changing, and so is the ‘STATUSPHERE’: an increasing number of consumers are no longer (solely) obsessed with owning or experiencing the most and/or the most expensive. Our definition:

STATUSPHERE | As consumers are starting to recognize and respect fellow consumers who stray off the beaten consuming-more-than-thou-path, 'new' status can be about acquired skills, about eco-credentials, about generosity, about connectivity... All of this makes for a far more diversified 'STATUSPHERE' than most brands and organizations have traditionally catered to. Time to really figure out how and where your customers are now finding their status fix.

*The other constant need is of course (romantic) love…

In other words, traditional status symbols (BMW’s X6! Marc Jacob’s latest eyewear! Emirates' Airbus 380 Suites!) are no longer every consumer's wet dream. So, in this Trend Briefing, we're exploring five realms in which consumers can now get their status fix. These realms closely align with the current directions consumer societies are headed in. In that sense, status follows culture: what is important to societies is reflected in existing and emerging status symbols and stories.
Now, while none of this should be (very) new to you, and we obviously had to work hard to prevent this briefing from turning into a 200 page report, this framework will hopefully help you to take an even more integrated approach to this ‘trend of all trends’:

1 Bigger Better Harder
(consuming the most and the most expensive

2 Generosity
(giving instead of taking)

3 Green Credentials and Uncompsumption
(greener or less consumption)

4 In the know and skills
(knowing and doing versus consumption)

5 Connectivity
(social status especially online)

However, before you dive into the STATUSPHERE:

Status is just an agreement

One reminder: not a single status symbol or story is ever safe from devaluation, as these symbols and stories are mere agreements between groups of people. For example, the moment ‘society’ agrees that a car is just a method to safely move from A to B (or a nuisance that needs to be avoided due to environmental worries and space constraints), and not one of the dominant indicators of one’s financial standing (as it is now), luxury car manufacturers will have a problem. Feel free to apply this exercise to your own industry ;-)

Status-less consumption?

Oh, and think our obsession with status as the driver of, well, everything is somewhat far-fetched? Then consider the following: in mature consumer societies, is there really any kind of consumption or behavior that is entirely devoid of status considerations?

An extreme (consumption) example: would installing a top-of-the-range home spa, solely for one's own pleasure and comfort, not to be seen or to be used by anyone but the owner, be free of status considerations? Or will the owner (let’s assume he/she is single) at some point tell peers about the fact he or she had this spa installed, and is using and enjoying it? What if the owner was not allowed to tell anyone about these assets ever? Or how about this one: when going on an exotic, carbon-neutral voyage to remote islands that other tourists haven't set foot on before, is the ultimate value the experience itself, or is it to be found in the impressive eco-travel-stories a traveler can tell his or her peers on return? And here too, what if the traveler was not allowed to ever share his or her stories with anyone?

Consumption and behavior-wise, everything contains a status component, however tiny or indirect it may seem.


Follow this trend home at http://trendwatching.com/briefing/

The Food People, April 2010

The World’s First Gastronomic University
The world's first "gastronomic university" is to open in Spain, complete with a research laboratory to explore the mysterious chemistry of taste.
Construction began in January on the Basque Culinary Centre in San Sebastian and it will be ready to accept its first intake of students in September 2011 in a building designed to resemble a pile of stacked plates.
The university will be the first of its kind to offer a four-year undergraduate degree course in culinary arts taught in both English and Spanish and one year masters degrees as well as shorter courses for cooking enthusiasts.
The university is located in the seaside resort of San Sebastian, which already holds a reputation for some of the best gastronomical expertise in Spain. The town is home to no fewer than nine restaurants who together boast a total of 16 Michelin stars.
Welcome to our April 10 foodletter, giving you a little taste of inspiration and information from previous foodwatching reports. Food education is in fashion with the world’s first Gastronomic University in Spain being set up and Paul Bocuse opening the first Institute of Tea in France. Whoopie pies are sweeping the country as its announced that comfort food reduces stress – I definitely need one of those pies! Enjoy!
Comfort Food
It’s official - "comfort food" can reduce stress, because eating foods rich in fat and sugar can alter the chemical composition of the brain and reduce anxiety, says Professor of Pharmacology Margaret Morris of University of NSW School of Medical Sciences.
Prof Morris conducted a study of rats which showed how the effects of past trauma could be erased through "unlimited access to yummy food". The diet reversed their anxiety, taking the animal back to the non-stressed state. Prof Morris cautioned while the results were not immediately transferable to people, it did show support for "the therapeutic value of comfort food"
TM
2
The Whoopie Pie, a divine cake-like sandwich, is set to take the UK by storm as it makes its debut at Harrods Food Halls. Originally a New England phenomenon, the craze for these cookie-textured treats has already swept America where they are flying off the shelves at speciality shops and boutique bakeries up and down the country.
Flavours available in Harrods are
 The Classic, a heady mix of dark chocolate cakes, vanilla cream and sparkly couture
 A seasonal Gingerbread, slightly spicy and adorned with chocolate and mini polka dots
 A Pistachio extravaganza featuring green fondant icing and finished with edible glitter and silver balls
 The retro Red Velvet, made with chocolate cakes, peanut butter cream, burgundy fondant and topped with sugar hearts.
The first international school of tea, stemming from a partnership involving two major players, Institut Paul Bocuse and the internationally famous brand of ethical tea, Dilmah, a producer in Ceylon, originates from the idea of creating an original training program built around the drink the most consumed in the world after water.
The purpose of the Dilmah School of Tea at the Institut Paul Bocuse is to train students and foster awareness of the art of serving and enjoying tea, and like for wine, to understand the harmony between dishes - teas, and also to create original menus based on tea using its various flavors, as well as cocktails with and without alcohol.
The Air Shield Coffee Cup Sleeve is designed by Frank Xing and is practical as well as pretty.
The petals actually breathe: as the hot drink warms up the coffee sleeve, the pre-cut petals expand, leaving a raised surface to protect your hands and fingers from burning.
As your coffee cools, the petals relax and lie flat again on the surface of the paper cup.

Follow this trend home at http://www.thefoodpeople.co.uk/commonmedia/pdf/foodletter_apr10.pdf

A new ideas playground (australiancreative.com.au)

D&AD and YouTube have partnered up to create a space for the latest, most inspiring, videos in commercial creativity.
Anyone can upload videos created through work or play and content uploaded and tagged will appear free for anyone to browse and view.
Regular and varied guest editors will be invited to select their favourites, starting with D&AD’s CEO, Tim O’Kennedy.
“The Inspiration Channel is a spot for self-initiated projects or your latest great ad,’ says O’Kennedy.
"Awards season is under way and it can be a stressful time for creatives as they wait for results. We hope this becomes a playground for the creative community and a source of inspiration and fun. D&AD’s creative connections and YouTube’s far-reaching online expertise make this an exciting partnership.”
Work featured on the Inspiration Channel has not been subjected to D&AD’s judging standards or process, however it will be quality controlled to ensure the content stays relevant.
Anyone can contribute to the channel, making it a sound online resource.
“We have found that creatives and agencies around the world use YouTube both as a showcase for their own work and as a research tool for new ideas and inspiration,’ says Tom Uglow, creative lead, Creative Lab EMEA, Google and YouTube.
“By partnering with D&AD we hope to take this to a new level -- creating a dedicated space for creatives to find the newest and most interesting work while presenting their own.”

Follow this trend home at http://www.australiancreative.com.au/yaf-news/a-new-ideas-playground
www.youtube.com/dandad

From thrift-shop counter to counter-culture, a mob of individuals stand out (smh.com.au)

THICK-RIMMED glasses, organic food and op shops are the unlikely winners of the 21st century. Why? Thank hipsters.

Every generation has its counter-culture such as punks, beatniks and hippies and today is no different, sort of.

Desperately eschewing the mainstream and fervently chasing individuality, hipsters have emerged as one of the most prominent counter-cultures of Generation Y.

You can spot them easily. They shop at thrift stores, embrace technology, listen to alternative indie bands from New York, sport fashionable beards, watch arthouse films, write blogs, wear Buddy Holly-esque specs (non-prescription, of course) and ride fixed-gear bicycles - the universal symbol of hipsterdom.

They pluck trends from fringe cultures of the past and reappropriate them with an air of irony and unauthenticity. With the added dimension of the internet, they've become a transient bunch.

''Hipster culture is not so much a movement as a series of individuals trying to carve out their own niche; they're trying to express their own individuality and as a result the things that really matter to them are things that are probably worn on their clothes or on their iPod playlist,'' says Chris Wirasinha, co-founder of pedestrian.tv.

Marketers tap into a desire to be original, to go against the crowd, but there's something anomalous about a collective expression of individualism. ''It's ironic in its lack of authenticity,'' says Todd Sampson, chief executive of the communications agency Leo Burnett.

Unlike their counter-cultural counterparts, who wear ''raver'' or ''punk'' badges with pride, hipsters do not identify so. They fiercely repel the label - perhaps because it is so noughties, or perhaps because they want to be special - and they use it derisively, Sampson says, to mock others who sport a carefully created sloppy, vintage look.

Dean Podmore, 27, says, ''It's quite a negative term. People will say, 'Oh look at that hipster.' They think, 'That guy's got a beard - what a statement.' I just like a beard. I'm don't think I'm an individual by any means.''

The average reader of Vice magazine tends to tick all the hipster boxes (two-thirds own a Mac, 80 per cent like to know about music before everyone else, 90 per cent describe themselves as a creative person) but the magazine's editor, Royce Akers, dislikes the term.

''I don't think anybody ever called themselves a hipster - it's more of a third-person term and it's a bit of a dig,'' he says.

''Hipsters aren't an actual group, they're just people that weren't happy with what everyone else was wearing.''

Detractors, however, believe hipsters' narcissism is far from harmless, describing them as the dead end of Western civilisation, a youth culture that stands for nothing and is so detached that it is unable to create any new meaning.

But Wirasinha says people shouldn't judge a hipster by his cover. ''Hipsters don't get behind a particular issue because people who are labelled hipsters don't feel they're part of a collective,'' he says. ''Individualism is now so global and things spread so quickly that they look like a homogenous group when really, behind the door, they have a range of different beliefs.''

http://www.smh.com.au/national/from-thriftshop-counter-to-counterculture-a-mob-of-individuals-stand-out-20100409-ryua.html

Veggies push flowers out of gardens (smh.com.au)

In a bid to save money, Aussie gardeners are ditching structural gardens in favour of organic veggie patches, Open Gardens chief executive officer Neil Robertson says.

Robertson, "a very keen gardener", has been involved in Australia's Open Garden Scheme for almost 20 years - a project under which private gardens are opened to the public for one weekend a year.

"We ask the owners of the most interesting gardens in the country to open their gardens ... then [the] public can rock along and have a look," Robertson says.

A team of volunteer "spotters" have selected about 600 gardens and compiled them for the annual Australia's Open Gardens, this year centred around the theme of "gardening for living".

"[We're] looking at different ways in which gardening and life or lifestyle ... meet," Robertson says.

This year's collection of "cutting edge" gardens reflect the "Stephanie Alexander movement" - growing veggies and getting kids involved - and tighter budgets.

"There is a definite connection between gardening and the health of the economy," Robertson says.

"Because of the long period of prosperity, gardens have benefited just as houses have, so [in the past decade] people have developed quite elaborate and beautiful gardens.

"Now you see a lot of going back to basics and the vegetable gardens, the food gardens."

"Sophisticated" constructed gardens featuring stones, steps, statues and "extravagant water features" have been snubbed, he says, and the Aussie "quarter-acre block" dream is dying fast as people flock to inner-city apartments.

Robertson, whose garden in New Gisborne, about 60 kilometres north of Melbourne, has featured in Australia's Open Gardens in the past, says a change in climate has also changed the gardening scene.

Australians are embracing plants better suited to hotter, drier conditions, such as crape myrtle trees, and ditching "dodgy" choices such as the birch.

"We've actually stopped growing plants that really were not very satisfactory anyway and we've explored options for other things that do much better and grow well in our climate," he says.

"Instead of planting a grove of silver birches and pretending they lived in Surry, they've planted a grove of crape myrtles.

"They have a lovely bark so they're like the birches in that respect, though I think they're actually more attractive than the birches, and they flower in summer - they flower at the time of year that we want to be in the garden."

The Open Garden Scheme stems from an English project, launched just after World War I, and the schemes now operate in Scotland, Japan, France, the Netherlands and the US.

"It's all about exchanging ideas and meeting people," Robertson says.

"Gardening is the most widely practised leisure past time in the world.

"Everyone grows something, even if it's just an African violet on their windowsill."

He says strolling around in a stranger's garden provides a deep cultural insight.

"By being allowed into their private space you can see the way that, as people, we interact, and the way we create our living space."

Follow this trend home at http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/homestyle/veggies-push-flowers-out-of-gardens-20090902-f7js.html