I love New York. Why? Well, I was born there and it truly is an epicenter of culture. From concerts, to musicals, from shopping to dining, the big apple has it all.
I also love Cincinnati. Why? Well, I was dragged here 10 years ago and despite turning my nose up at the city early on, I’ve come to appreciate the many things that Cincinnati has that delight me (and would delight many others I might add.) What are those things? Well, affordable housing, awesome concerts, okay-shopping since Nordstrom arrived and some amazing restaurants.
It’s no surprise to anyone who knows Cincinnati, there are 3 things that most residents claim as Cincinnati’s own, all relating to food. Skyline, Montgomery Inn and Graeter’s. Up until this point, they’ve been hidden in this little city on the Ohio River, having not seen much light outside of the area aside from some limited restaurants or distribution in the Indiana and Tennessee areas, as well as Dayton and Columbus.
Well, thanks to a restaurateur in New York City, the tastes of Cincinnati are taking over New York, not to mention generating a lot of curiosity and some great business for the guy. At Edward’s, “Cincinnati Night” is the last Monday night of every month. He serves the delicacies from our fair city up to the palettes of NYC and goes to great length to do so as authentically as possible, even grating the fluorescent yellow cheese to top the Skyline Chili with since it travels so bad.
From the sound of it, things are going well and the residents are coming out to show their support for Cincinnati culture which is a very cool and deserving thing. So next time you are in NYC, stop by Edwards on “Cincinnati Night” and live like a Cincinnatian for a little bit.
Frederic Tabary and Yann Falquerho have seriously outdone themselves with this one. An article posted by Hotel Chatter states that the duo, who own a company that rents out unusual venues to adventure-seekers, just opened a hotel that allows you to live like a hamster!
The hotel room comes complete with hamster outfits, a wheel, food bowl filled with grains and water bottle. The room is a pretty literal interpretation of an actual hamster cage but seems to be balanced with some minimalistic design choices to make it a little more attractive and appealing.
Just one of those rare occasions when an absolutely crazy idea somehow manages to be brought to life.
You guys, I seriously think that Murray (aka Rhys Darby) might be my favorite person in the universe. I once watched Yes Man in the close confines of an airplane and disturbed everyone around me by cackling aloud every single time he came on screen, I find him that delightful.
Anyways good old Murray is now hawking cell phone service with Robo-Pal Jeff, if I lived in New Zealand, I’d probably sign up. Take a look!
Like many others in the office, I have become mildly obsessed with the life of Little Edie. At first, I was shocked by her “eclectic” lifestyle. She lived in filth, wore the most outrageous ensembles and acted as if she were a permanent fixture on The Ed Sullivan Show. Then, after getting over the initial shock, I was hooked. I needed to know what she was all about – her past, her present and, most importantly, her fashion choices.
What sold me was her passion, presentation and the unpredictability behind both. It didn’t matter whether others liked her “costume of the day”, believed in her vision or made fun of her. As long as she was happy with her choice then she was able to exude that infectious confidence that is so inspiring and made me love her.
If “Little Edie” were a brand, I’d be its biggest fan and, after googling “little edie fashion”, I’d say there are plenty of others that feel the same way.
“We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory.” www.rolighetsteorin.se
So it comes as no surprise when I say that our economy has been on a continual rollercoaster ride the last year-plus. What you may not know is that due to economic woes, expense accounts at many a business have had to adjust accordingly. To all those fat-cat employees used to dining well on steak lunches/dinners on their companies dime, this has hit their stomachs and it’s hit them hard. For the over-the-top restaurants that have traditionally catered to this business crowd, profits are down. In this very symbiotic relationship, both groups of these poor folk have been suffering day in and day out, until they could see each other again and bask in the glory of tremendously overpriced food, paid for by someone else of course. Well, the day has come when they may get to see each other again. Kinda.
In an effort to generate some unique digital engagement with the Maloney & Porcelli brand (a Manhattan-based restaurant) and ultimately attempt to build business, we see the entrance of expenseasteak.com.
The tool is simple and markets the restaurant in a very tongue-in-cheek way. The concept is simple, albeit a little fraudulent in its approach, but heck, for those who really want that steak lunch and may have forgot about Maloney & Porcelli, maybe it’ll get them in the door even if they can’t expense it.
What, you say you’ve spent $3,000 on a meal at Maloney and Porcelli? Oh, no problem at all. Just go enter your check amount into expenseasteak.com and out will pop your expense receipts for things like $1,600 on toner and $1,000 on air-in-can dusters….. No one in accounting at your company will question that right????
Bottom line, the tool is truly a fun and unique way to get people to engage with and think about the Maloney & Porcelli brand, and I love it. Will it translate to getting butts into the seats? Only time will tell. For all those non-New York residents like myself, I’m just having fun putting in some numbers and seeing what comes out. It’s got me thinking steak though and if I were going to NYC anytime soon, that would be a good thing for Maloney and Porcelli, but certainly not for my checking account based on the $48 per entree lunch prices.
Nate Williams just launched Letter PLAYGROUND, a wonderful community for people who like letters (and making them). You can join and upload your own designs!
There is never too much to ask of ourselves when we’re looking for the next big idea. Check out this Bathroom in Hamburg: To promote the exclusive thrillers and horror films on 13th Street, the toilet of a nightclub in Hamburg was specially prepared. Just after entering the room, the light suddenly goes out and the room is bathed in black light. And now a bloody crime scene becomes visible on the floor and walls: “See what others don’t see. 13th Street. The Action and Suspense Channel.”
…just another way to think about advertising, heightening people’s awareness, fear level, and anticipation. Even we should feel like this before going through one of our own installations.
