Seriously, it’s all about content. Of course, a new and only cat café attracts a lot of people, but how can you make people engage with your brand/content even before you open up? or like your page without knowing the place yet?

In their case, they want to share their love and passion for cat in everything they do and write. When they share something on Facebook, they make sure the copy is “cat appropriate” and that it will actually deliver a great message. The website is built the same way: goofy, funny and cute.

It opens up on August 6, and so far, lots of people have checked in the place, plenty of reviews (and good ones!), 5,612 people liked the page, and I am also aware of a get together organized there, I’ll call that quite a success!

We should always keep in mind these simple factors when marketing a brand/product/service: Great content coupled with adequate delivery channel. Then of course, the place and service must be on the same standard

Meow!

When you have different prototypes, you usually want some quick insights on them. Even if you will conduct a thorough market research, you still want opinions, so you ask the first people surrounding you, colleagues, family, friends.
For instance, my brother in law was figuring out which cover to use for a part of a product its company was about to produce.
He then asked me and my sister to be "guinea pigs".
He asked me to feel 3 sticks covered with different materials, we will call them stick A, B and C.
So he first asked me to pick the material I preferred from stick A and B. I was confused because they felt kind of the same, but I did pick A. Then, he introduced stick C and  asked me the same. The touch and feel for me was better with A, smooth and even, so I staid with A.
He then asked my sister what she preferred between B and C, to what she answered "C" with no hesitation, and added "you want a good grip from wheelbarrow handles, and this one feels it won't slip or anything like it".
Interesting, isn't it?
Would I have picked this one as I had known the purpose of the cover - to be on the handle on wheelbarrows? Stick A and B were actually the same, no wonder why I doubted myself!
If your guinea pig don't know what he is testing for and looking for, it's hard to tell what would be the best, but then, sometimes, we need "blind" tests.
Treat answers you get with caution, knowing that sometimes your questions were not given in a good context and the person giving them to you is not your target customer.

I have no interest in cars. I don't have one and don't want one. To be honest, I see it more as a source of problems than a cause of happiness. Money, parking, insurance, maintenance, and more money.
Then, when I need one, I rent it, I was even about to take a Zipcar subscription before I left. But owning a car? Not for me!
I don't think I am alone, I really do think this is more a generation perspective or a kind of lifestyle. I came across this article on Slate explaining why young people do not buy new cars anymore. Phew! I am not alone ;)
So I bike, rent cars, carpool, take trains, planes!
I know there are still opportunities for car makers but I am surprised they are not diversifying towards carpooling, car-sharing or any other form of using cars for people who don't want to own a car. Making nice, interconnected (are they already? or are they just pretending it?!) and profitable car is great. Nevertheless converting people with car needs but no car necessity into loyal users would be amazing, no?

Customization seems to be the answer to clients new requirements and the textile industry adopted this concept really quickly.
On demand - just in time production - no inventory cost, but what about the cost of production? The business model is not yet perfected, many former companies can testify it. 
However customization allows a company to adapt its products or services to the exact (or almost exact) needs and desires of an individual. And this is just perfect, because we all want to be special, have our own and individualized products and services. 

Even Apple now declines its iPhone in different colors (maybe for Apple it's a bit different, I mean, is it a sign of understanding customers wishes or a lack of further innovation to offer?)!
We want new, individual, unique experiences in a global market where everyone wants the same product!
The answer is then mass customization, where a company can take advantage of both mass production combined with customization. And it is becoming very important for company to understand and apply it because alternative is mainstream and customization, a mass concept.

This video about Tailorwork was really well done, unfortunately, the company no longer exists or so it seems.
I am leaving you, I have to go drink my made to order extra hot, light, chai tea latte with soy milk and eat my personalized M&Ms ;)

I can't stop imagining new ways to do stuff, new objects, new hobbies, new restaurants.... However what's the point of an idea if I don't start something with it? Good or bad, if I imagine it, someone else will do or already did so. 
Then, as I am not going to open a gym, a restaurant or launch new products on the market - at least not for now - I am going to share some of the ideas I have, had, will have. I use to write down most of them, still I can't remember them all.

Today, I wanted to talk about strollers. Family law in France works effectively and children are everywhere! Have you ever noticed that many women/men with strollers are also checking their phone? giving one hand to another child? trying to blow their nose (don't forget it's winter time) ? Well, it's very impractical!

Nonetheless, parents know that you always need one hand to do something else while pushing a stroller! So, you have the jogging strollers, the lightweight strollers and the like, but there is still no one hand controlled stroller. Indeed, you might think that parents want to be sure that they have full control over the stroller, but wouldn't it be great to have the freedom to use only one hand sometimes?

Parents need the ONE hand free option! Strollers makers give it to them!

While Uniqlo (a group company from Fast Retailing) is opening more stores in Europe and by the way creating employment (Le Monde), I wanted to share with you their amazing concept for raising the brand awareness and make it fun and original. (It se
They created a widget that runs 24/7 combining time and fashion, a mix between a clock and a showcase of their clothes. Depending of the time and the season, the models/dancers wear different clothes and are more or less active.
To understand the case, why they did it and the results it brings, watch the  Youtube video below.
As you can see in the video, it won a Grand Prix in the Cannes Lions (International Festival of Creativity).
With its international development strategy, I am sure it will come up with some new ideas (4 years since Uniqlock!), and I can't wait to see them!
Read more about it: Projector

I really like the Nike "Find your greatness" campaign because I think it really speaks to most of the people. It inspires me and I was wondering about how a sport brand can acquire more market share. I truly think that there is a segment that could be more targeted in western Europe and the US as the population is aging: the “over 40’s”.

Let’s have a look at some figures: most of the athletes we see and admire are less than 30 years old and the median age for an Olympic athlete is 26. These 2 articles about age in sports are very interesting:
Could you be an athlete? Olympics 2012 by age, weight and height
Olympic Athlete Ages: What is the “peak” age to be an athlete?

So, yes, having an athlete for your sport brand is great, because we all admire them, but as the Nike campaign says, greatness is everywhere and “we are all capable of it, all of us”.

A campaign for the over 40 years old would be great with a direct message like  “let’s be honest, when you look at the mirror, you don’t see a 20 something Olympic athlete, but you are an athlete and you have your goals and your own merit”. It would be kind of sponsoring the real/strongest athlete, the ones that never stop their effort. Of course you need to improve this idea, add features (like a online Club with retired athletes who give advice on sport?), and make it more concrete, but that’s the essence.

Want to try?

Nowadays, the world is more connected than ever, but sometimes I feel that we are not taking full advantage of it. Have you ever think about how a fashion blogger from Japan can influence trends in Argentina?

That is the beauty of globalization and sometimes what most people fear about it. Every little thing can ¨travel¨ from one side of the world to the other in a nanosecond. Everywhere in the world, bloggers, designers and people like you and me express themselves about topics that they specially love and care about. On the other hand, we all know about video conference, video call, private network or platform.

So now, take a renown brand, mix the ingredients mentioned above and let´s see what happens!

You must be thinking : ¨where is she leading us?¨ Well, mesdames et messieurs, I am leading you to the first international fashion runway designed and created by young and soon to be famous designers in partnership with bloggers. And the brand in that?

Let´s imagine I am "BrandX", with a rebel image or an out of the box philosophy. Well, BrandX is offering to those designers and bloggers the extraordinary chance to put together a collection inspired by the brand for an international event during the fashion week of - maybe not NYC - but LA . How cool is that?

BrandX sponsoring and promoting designers in order to have a new collection that reflects what it inspires to people.... WoW!

On one side we have bloggers that follow trends and can contribute by sending insights about what they thing is next and how they see the brand, what it inspires them. On the other hand, you have the designers who take all of that and work together from remote places in order to create a collection inspired by the brand with their own touch. Of course, it might be difficult and complicated to make people agree on the same thing, so the project manager has to divide the collection and roles.

Once you have it running though, you gain valuable insights of the brand perceptions in different countries, the human resources and talent worldwide and of course media exposure.

Want to try?