HyperQuake

Case-Real, a Japanese design firm, just introduced a new way to think about “dual purpose”. The obvious answer has always been to add storage. A bed that doubles as a dresser, a dresser that doubles as a bookshelf, the list just goes on and on.

But where does your cat go you ask? Why, under this table of course!

Thanks for the tip Apartment Therapy.

Target has officially made holiday shopping painstakingly easy by launching small Target To-Go shops in NYC, Washington D.C. and San Francisco. The lucky individuals living in these cities can now purchase holiday presents in just three easy steps:
1. Walk up to the counter
2. Choose one of the top 50 gifts by number
3. Walk over to another counter to pick up the fully wrapped gift

So, not only have they taken all of the annoyances out of holiday shopping (wrapping, aisle pushing), they’ve narrowed down the selection for you too. A great strategy for those that always end up double and triple booking themselves during this time of year.

Thanks for the info Fashionista.

“The Exhibitionist” from Heineken’s KnowTheSigns.com

Some psychographic research has finally been done, and now we have verifiable proof: Heineken drinkers are poseurs. Hey wait, I drink Heineken, you say? Sorry, the proof is in the pudding according to a recent research study conducted by Mindset Media. Wait no, you say you were joking, you actually drink Blue Moon? Data shows that you may be the type of individual who’s sarcastic and snide to get your point across. If it was Michelob Ultra you REALLY meant, those drinkers rate high in superiority and can be conceited.

So what’s the point? Well, psychographics are fun for starters. It’s great to be able to ‘peel back the onion’ and see what accurate stories we can tell about individuals from things they like or don’t like, do or don’t do, brands they wear or don’t wear. Turns out, the beer you drink (or don’t drink) tells a pretty detailed story too, and makes figuring out the most effective ways of marketing to individuals that much more fun.

As competition becomes fiercer, as private labels compete on quality, as incremental innovation becomes less discernable to consumers, the need to make brands relevant to the individual is more critical than ever. But who is the individual? And do individuals exist in large enough numbers to push a brand forward? That is the critical question facing every brand today, and a question answered by Aspirational Targets.

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