Barbie Brand Goes Bald and Political

Barbie, Mattel’s iconic model of curvaceous, blonde female beauty will very soon be bald. Next year, Barbie's world of dream houses, beauty salons and fancy cars will include chemotherapy. A Facebook campaign titled "Beautiful and Bald Barbie" initiated by Jane Bingham, a young survivor of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, asked Mattel to create a doll for kids who have lost their hair due to cancer or other medical reasons. "One of the major reasons was to reduce the stigma for women and children who have hair loss — being not accepted to be able to go out in public without something covering their head, whether it be a wig or a scarf or that sort of thing," Bingham says. "Their beauty and their self-worth is not dependent upon their hair." Mattel's initial response was cool: “Mattel doesn’t accept ideas from outside sources.” But after the campaign drew 158,000 likes and fans on social media recalled other Mattel initiatives like Tattoo Barbie, the toymaker relented, announcing the creation of the new (Friend of) Barbie doll by 2013. The toy comes accessorized with wigs, hats and scarves "to provide girls with a traditional fashion play experience" said Mattel spokesman Alan Hilowitz. Critics lamented Mattel's slow response. If they'd listened to their best customers, “they’d be happily driving their pink Beach Cruiser into the hearts, minds, and wallets of consumers. Instead, they minimized their opportunity to do social good and to do good by their community. It’s a cautionary tale that reinforces the need for brands to be nimble and seize the day, when your consumer knocks on your Dream House door.” It’s a substantial but incomplete victory. For now, Bald Barbie will only be distributed in the US and Canada through the Children's Hospital Association, CureSearch for Children's Cancer and the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Bingham is fighting to get the dolls sold in stores. Meanwhile, competitor toy-maker MGA has announced "True Hope" Bratz and Moxie Girlz dolls launching in June at Toys "R" Us stores. For each doll sold, MGA will donate $1 to City of Hope for cancer research. Meanwhile, with better (political) timing, Mattel is about to release the new 2012 Barbie I Can Be President doll, campaigning to occupy the "Pink House," on the "B Party" ticket in a "glam-paign,” calling for girls to "B inspired," "B informed" and "B involved." Aspirant Barbie’s campaign uniform is a pink power suit with patriotic red, white and blue lining on her ruffled jacket, designed by Chris Benz -- who has dressed real First Lady Michelle Obama. Mattel’s “I Can Be …” franchise comes in Caucasian, African American, Asian and Hispanic editions, encouraging girls to follow their aspirations. "The Barbie brand's career-focused line of I Can Be… dolls often shine a pink spotlight on professions that are historically underrepresented by women," said Mattel Girls' Brands US marketing VP Cathy Cline. Barbie's social media-savvy campaign is launching online at Barbie2012.com with official Instagram and Tumblr channels, and will actively communicate with her four million fans and followers on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. The Barbie I Can Be…President doll is available for pre-orders at mattelshop.com. But perhaps most significantly, for the first time in 53 years, this Barbie doll will be able to literally stand on her own two feet – unaided, due to a pair of weighted platform shoes. To follow this trend homw visit http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/Barbie-Brand-Goes-Bald-and-Political.aspx

11 Digital Predictions For 2011 By Duncan Southgate, Courtesy of Contagious

What's next for apps, search, display, gaming and privacy in 2011. Millward Brown's Futures Group's global innovation director identifies the hottest digital trends for 2011

1 / Brands will juggle their presence in the Splinternet.
The internet will continue to splinter into a public open web and semi-walled gardens, as surfing the web is often replaced by running apps or viewing pages on Facebook. Applications and fan pages are popular because they allow marketers to control and simplify consumer interactions. However, brands will increasingly need to tend multiple 'gardens', often building different applications for specific platforms to ensure they are both relevant and present everywhere their consumers want to encounter them.

2 / Evolution of online shopping as augmented reality technologies bridge intangibility gap.
Despite some remaining fears around disclosure of personal information, online shopping will continue to grow strongly. Many countries will follow the US in their enthusiastic uptake of collective buying services like Groupon. Fuelled by their love of a bargain, there are currently more than 500 of these sites in China, though many are expected to fade into obscurity. In the UK, mobile shopping apps will be particularly popular, while in India we expect to see growth in online travel ticket purchasing that helps consumers bypass long queues at stations. Globally we also expect brands to use innovative new technologies, including augmented reality, to help bridge the 'intangibility gap' that exists because consumers can't touch and feel a product they purchase online.

3 / Online display explodes out of its box.
Marketers will increasingly attempt to deliver immersive and engaging branding messages within the ad itself, using expandable formats and interactive features which often replicate part of the experience of a microsite or social media page. In line with this, display formats are constantly transforming and many new formats are growing in popularity including: double-teaming, where planners combine multiple formats on the same page; social titbits where banners include a taste of live social activity such as a Twitter feed; and slide-up formats, which use small but intriguing imagery to capture attention, and then expand to take over larger portions of the screen.

4 / Viral video is no longer an afterthought.
Viral potential is now an increasingly important element of digital campaign planning. More readily available viral measurements - such as Millward Brown's viral potential pre-test and Kantar Video's in-market tracking - allow marketers to better plan, monitor and adjust accordingly. However, as each new viral hit raises the bar of consumer expectation, advertisers may need to be more distinctive than ever. To counter this, more advertisers will promote their ads in a viral environment, particularly since our recent YouTube research shows that paid online promotion generates a 'free' incremental viral bonus over and above the paid views.

5 / More 'made for web' video content.
With online video advertising spend in a high growth phase, marketers globally are likely to invest more effort optimising their online video creative in 2011. Dynamic Logic research has shown that repurposed TV ads can effectively generate awareness, but made-for-web video tends to be better at driving persuasion.

6 / More mobile eyeballs.
The improved performance capabilities of mobile devices mean that more people are online, more of the time (there is almost a 'presumption of connectedness'). Marketers will seize this opportunity, particularly since newer devices enable better mobile ad experiences. Mobile advertising budgets will increase significantly over 2010 and the brand impact achieved from mobile will continue to out-perform online through 2011.

7 / Brands find their places with geo-location.
Today, geo-location is all about 'checking in', but 2011 will provide a more rewarding experience once the user has checked in, and we also expect to see a development in "check out" features (e.g. suggestions of where to go next). We also expect to see growth in apps such as Shopkick that automatically award points/promotions upon entering a store. The arrival of Facebook Places alongside services such as Foursquare means that more brands will use location as an app feature, as a communication platform, a fan page feature or as the key to a deal, possibly tied in with loyalty card data. Brands which don't have locations of their own will seek out appropriate tie-ups.

8 / Search: increasing personal, mobile and impactful.
Consumers will trade privacy for relevance. Links with social media profiles, search history and behavioural segmentation will allow greater search relevance for users prepared to share this information with search engine providers. Mobile search will make further gains as developers take full advantage of the unprecedented breadth of information available and consumers realise the benefit of searching via applications such as Google Maps. Search results will also become more visually impactful, increasing the need for marketers to understand the brand impact of search.

9 / Gaming on the move.
The recent launches of Sony's Move and Microsoft's Kinect have breathed new life into the Playstation and Xbox consoles, and will drive further innovation in game design during 2011. Meanwhile, casual gaming, driven strongly by the capabilities of Apple's iphone and ipod touch, is likely to grow further as these gamers continue to feed their app-snacking habits, and developers take full advantage of the larger ipad interface. Growth in the use of social games is also likely assuming developers such as Zynga can build on the success of FarmVille and Mafia Wars. Research from Dynamic Logic has revealed that brands can benefit from in-game branding where it's seen to be relevant, and we predict this to be a growth area in 2011.

10 / Social graphs will make targeting more relevant.
Relevant social integration can delight consumers. A recent Firefly Millward Brown study has revealed that people are looking for brands in social media to be more relevant to their needs. Consumers will remain active in the biggest social network (Facebook) because so many contacts are there, but they may increasingly be more engaged in other niche networks that play to their particular interests. Facebook's scale provides excellent targeting opportunities for brands, but to really be effective, sophisticated algorithms are needed to make sense of the complex relationships between people.

11 / The battle for online privacy will intensify.
Marketers will make progress on the development of online transparency frameworks as consumers are increasingly empowered to look under the hood. They will avoid regulatory measures to protect online privacy by enabling users to manage their own profiles and by being clearer about their data models. Despite these efforts however, the battle will continue between regulators and the industry about the scope of personal information which forms the building blocks of online identity.

Illustration Credit / Crush / AgencyRush

To follow these trends home visit http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/2011/01/11_digital_predictions_for_2011.php

Insanely Social

Zuckerberg's email spawns a few stats which nicely express our continuous trend towards digitalisation;

■ There are now more than 500 million active Facebook users, with 50% logging on to the site on any given day. Worldwide, users collectively spend 700 billion minutes a month on Facebook.

■ Google's email service Gmail ended July with 186 million worldwide users, a 22% increase from the same time a year ago. Both Microsoft's Windows Hotmail (nearly 346 million users) and Yahoo's email (303 million users) are larger, but aren't growing as rapidly.

■ As of September, Twitter, which launched in 2006, had 175 million registered users posting an estimated 95 million tweets each day.

■ There are now more than five billion mobile phone connections worldwide. In many regions, penetration exceeds 100%, meaning more than one connection per person. Research earlier this year found that teenagers in American now use text as their main method of communication, with more than 30% of US teens sending more than 100 texts a day.

■ More than 25% of the UK's population – some 16 million people – accessed the internet from mobile phones in December 2009. Nearly half those total minutes online via mobile devices were spent at Facebook Mobile – 2.2bn minutes out of 4.8bn – with Google on 400m in a very distant second.

To follow this trend home head to http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/21/facebook-email-instant-messaging-zuckerberg

Trendwatching's 2011 Trends

1. TOP 10 MACRO TRENDS

While our focus firmly remains on emerging consumer trends, we do include a brief overview of current global macro trends. These economic, demographic and political trends (from a changing global financial system to diverse demographics to the war for talent to a multi-polar world) are sourced from leading research firms and institutions, providing you with the context for everything that follows in the database and the 2011 Trend Report.

2. CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY 101

Equally important, understanding consumer needs, wants and desires is at the core of tracking, understanding and applying consumer trends. Building on Maslow's hierarchy, this brief section is basically a consumer psychology '101', giving you a crucial framework for understanding consumer behavior (in both developed and emerging consumer societies).

3. MOVE WITH THE CULTURE

A brief overview of the current revolution in business and consumer culture, and the processes, practices and convictions defining the business arena in 2011. We're witnessing the 'perfect storm' that links new generations, emerging markets, ideas about status, environmental concerns, corporate responsibilities and beliefs on what role business should play in society. While a threat to static incumbents, infinite opportunities exist for B2C brands that move with the new societal and cultural realities.

4. GENERATION G

More than ever, corporate giving, sharing and caring in post-recession 2011 will beat taking, so expect lots of new, cutting-edge trend examples for GENERATION G's sub-trends: from EMBEDDED GENEROSITY, BRAND BUTLERS and FREE LOVE, to PERKONOMICS, TRYVERTISING, RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS and REWARD.INC.
Includes 250+ related trend innovations.

5. DIGITAL DOMINANCE

Expect the differentiation between 'online' and 'offline' to be irrelevant for younger generations (and plenty of online-loving members of older generations, too). Life is 'online' now as both mobile online access and time spent online continue to explode. This is one trend that never stops, so expect plenty of new material illustrating ONLINE OXYGEN, MASS MINGLING, and OFF = ON at their most powerful in 2011.
Includes 130+ related trend innovations.

6. PLAYSUMERS

Closely related to DIGITAL DOMINANCE, consumers are embracing 'gamification' in all aspects of their daily lives. Fun and entertaining, games allow players to visualize progress, while satisfying fundamental needs and desires - for reward, status, achievement, self-expression, competition, and altruism. Includes the GAME ON sub-trend.
Includes 50+ related trend innovations.

7. INFO SCARCITY

One of the most impactful themes for 2011, we're diving deep into the endless new services and brands now helping consumers to satisfy their insatiable lust for relevant information, for transparency, for tracking, for mapping, and so on. Includes DIVINE DATA and VISUALOVE.
Includes 120+ related trend innovations.

8. CURATED CONSUMPTION

Faced with today's avalanche of choice and (online) content, curators offer consumers a solution to information overload and choice paralysis. Get ready to help consumers to become curators: from BRAND CURATORS to TWINSUMERS to SOCIAL-LITES.
Includes 60+ related trend innovations.

9. REAL-TIME

Consumers’ ingrained lust for instant gratification is being fuelled by the host of novel, innovative, practical and fun real-time products, services and experiences. REAL-TIME includes sub-trends such as NOWISM, PRICING PANDEMONIUM, SEE-HEAR-BUY, and LIVING THE LIVE. Now's the time to embrace the here-and-now in all its splendid chaos, realness and excitement.
Includes 70+ related trend innovations.

10. EPHEMERAL

In economies that increasingly depend on (and thus value) intangible goods and services, and physical needs become increasingly satisfied, experiences become ever more valuable. The accumulation of material goods is replaced by preferring OWNER-LESS hassle-free existence - an obsession with the here and now, an ever-shorter satisfaction span (FSTR), and a lust to collect as many experiences and stories as possible. Closely related to NOWISM and HAPPYNOMICS.
Includes 80+ related trend innovations.

11. LOCAL LOVE

While the entire world may be at their fingertips, the vast majority of consumers still live a 'local' life, and happily so. Overlapping many of the other trends, the enduring appeal of all things 'here', from URBAN PRIDE to MADE HERE to LOCALITIED to NICHE NODES, will prove to be an endless source of innovation in 2011.
Includes 160+ related trend innovations.

12. DESIGN AND TRENDS

While, strictly speaking, not a ‘consumer’ trend, design has become such a key concern in the consumer arena and society at large, that it warrants a section in the 2011 Trend Report and database. Expect a to-the-point overview of key design trends and thinking in 2011: from biomimicry to devolved design to data-driven design to crowd-sourced design to beta-design to design simplicity and more.
Includes 70+ related trend innovations.

13. YOUNIQUE

From BRAND ME to CUSTOMYZED to SIPs (Socially Important People), consumers are embracing (and profiting from) everything that has to do with personal branding and social capital, relishing their elevation to MASTERS OF THE YOUNIVERSE.
Includes 30+ related trend cases and examples.

14. JOYNING

It's all about collaborative consumption as traditional boundaries between corporations, competitors and customers continue to blur. Brands are teaming up with customers, with designers, with brands from other industries and even with competitors. On top of that, consumers will continue to explore novel ways to form any kind of CROWD EXPRESS, connect P2P, or go down the SELLSUMER lane, joining the business arena not just as collaborators, but as players. While this trend is no longer 'new', the many insights and examples we're adding for 2011 certainly are!
Includes 80+ related trend innovations.

16. WELLBEINGS

With basic needs satisfied, consuming products, services and experiences with embedded (health or knowledge) benefits becomes a key concern amongst those consumers intent on achieving self-actualization . Learn from sub-trends like EVER-EDUCATING and WELLTHY, as consuming becomes a positive pursuit.
Includes 150+ related trend cases and examples.

17. EMERGING

From BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID to FUNCTIONALL to EXCEPTIONALL, via URBANY and the GLOBAL BRAIN, the incredible rise of emerging economies (yes, that would be Turkey and China and South Africa and India and Brazil and Vietnam and Indonesia and so on) remains one of the key consumerism stories in 2011. Satisfying the demands of both newly minted middle classes and low(er) income consumers means the avalanche of innovations for and by emerging giants will continue to surprise and delight in the next 12 months.
Includes 110+ related trend innovations.

18. INFINITE INNOVATIONS

Some trends are so well-researched and so pervasive that the only thing they're good for is relentless innovation. Think certain demographics, lifestyles, or themes like 'convenience' and 'personalization'. Hence our focus on fun new products and services from around the world, delivering on specific needs and wants. Brace yourselves for the latest and greatest innovations in PINK PROFITS (the Gay & Lesbian market), FEMALE FEVER (female purchasing power), BOOMING BUSINESS (baby boomers), MINISUMERS (infants & kids markets) and more, all waiting to be copied or improved on in 2011!
Includes 300+ related trend innovations.

19. ENDLESS-ECO

The 2011 Trend Report and database will continue to bring you the best of the best in brilliant eco-thinking and innovating from around the world. Whether it's ECO-EDUCATION, or ECO-EASY, or ECO-ICONIC, or ECO-SUPERIOR, the sheer amount of smart green innovations leaves you no excuse to not go all out on profitable sustainability.
Includes 210+ related trend innovations.

20. PARTICIBRANDS

Last but not least, the section on PARTICIBRANDS is really a roadmap for brands and organizations on how to anticipate and apply all trends highlighted in the 2011 Trend Report. Time to ‘MOVE WITH THE CULTURE' indeed!

To follow these trends home visit http://trendwatching.com/premium/content/

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