Miss Oops sponges for those mishaps on clothes

The household sponges market is becoming more specialised with a novel launch in the US from Easy Industries, LLC. It comprises a  Miss Oops branded dry sponge especially aimed at women, and positioned as ideal for messy mishaps on clothes such as deodorant stains, make-up smudges and baby powder. The scalloped edges on the red sponge mean it can also remove particles from hard-to-reach areas, such as in-between buttons. Furthermore, the sponge has stain-removing properties and does not need to be wet in order to work. 

It is seen as a convenient on-the-go item, packaged in an elegant handbag shaped carton, with each sponge small enough (measuring 3" x 3") to fit into most handbags.

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Bulgaria or bust

Recently voted top bargain destination by Teletext Holidays, and with its first ad campaign through CNN rolling out, Bulgaria is making waves in the world of tourism

Bargain destination

Bulgaria has come out on top of a list of bargain destinations, with affordable accommodation, food and drink pushing it ahead of the likes of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, and way out in front of traditional UK favourites France, Spain and Italy.

In a February 2007 report, Mintel stated that Bulgaria 'is in desperate need of an international marketing campaign to drive demand' - and now the country's tourism body has teamed up with CNN to push a number of vignettes promoting Bulgaria across a range of media platforms.

2008 - a vintage year?

2008 looks set to be a good year for Bulgaria, as it can tap into the UK travellers' demand for emerging Eastern European destinations, and it offers the ever-important 'somewhere new' factor for tourists who want bragging rights when they come home.

Bulgaria has naturally diverse attractions, from the Black Sea coastline to snowsport-friendly peaks, as well as a strong range of more niche attractions, including natural springs, historical sites and eco-friendly resorts. The country's tourism infrastructure will benefit greatly from this new, concerted push to reveal itself as a viable, interesting and affordable destination for western holidaymakers.

See Travel and Tourism - Bulgaria - February 2007 for more information. Mintel's Top Ten City Destinations - Europe report will be published in December 2008.

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Just Ship It!

Marriott visitors will now be able to ship luggage ahead of time to avoid checked-bag fees on airlines.

Through a partnership between Marriott Rewards and the Luggage Club, members of the Marriott Rewards program will be able to use points to send luggage door to door.

• The program will provide someone to pick up bags from homes or offices prior to departure and return them afterward.
• There is no limit on size, weight, or number of bags.
• "It is our responsibility as a business in the travel industry to step up to the plate and make travel more hassle-free," said Todd Kempinger, CEO of The Luggage Club.

The VIP Experience

Airlines and hotels have more of an opportunity to streamline their services to ensure the traveling experience is as hassle-free as possible.

Services like remote check-in and flight updates in the form of text messages have made the day-of-travel experience less stressful for the traveler.

However, as flight delays and cancellations become more commonplace, and with the recently added luggage fees, air travel is becoming an ever-aggravating experience.

There is always more room for improvement and streamlining:

• On Virgin America, passengers are able to compose their personal music playlist (from the 3,000 plus on-board mp3s), save it under a user name, and pull it up again next time they board the airline.
• Can the same concept be used for frequent hotel visitors?
• For instance, if the frequent Marriot visitor needs the same necessity items (eg: Pantene shampoo, Crest toothpaste, and Bausch and Loom contact solution) every trip, could it be entered into a database and the hotel can provide those items for them every time?
• Certain room settings, like temperature and music playlist, can also be stored on a database and loaded before their arrival. How about greeting them with their ‘favorite’ meal when they arrive?

Reward programs for airlines and hotels are ubiquitous, and standardized free or discounted prices for flights and rooms won’t cut it anymore. To make their customers feel like VIPs, the programs need to provide their customers with a more personalized experience that is customized to suit their needs, whatever it may be.

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A Strict Market

The airport retailing proposition is as strict and controlled an environment as the security and passport checks that both follow and precede it. Anything certainly does not go.

We are already vulnerable to expenditure because we are in hedonistic holiday mode. Our holiday hopes are then dashed by the crushing reality of the airport experience. The boredom that ensues makes us even more vulnerable than our earlier happiness. We want to spend away the pain and we’re not fussy about how we do it or in feeling the quality.

This is the scenario that spawned the ‘airport novel.’ However, airports try to pitch themselves away from trash culture, presenting us with an array of high-end aspirational retailers that are somehow meant to heighten the travel experience.

There is very little of the DIDO (Dip In Dip Out) culture in evidence here. Where is the chance to sample the fruits of the destinations we’re bound for, or the ones we might consider in future?

One airline executive has dubbed airport travel as “a rollercoaster of anxiety” and it’s hard to disagree. With the onset of passenger tracking, the sense of constraint and paranoia will escalate, whilst freedom will recede. As the airport becomes less and less like a gateway and more and more like a prison, the very freedom and escapism we are seeking diminishes – and this is the reason we are there in the first place.

Holidays are increasingly an expression of who we are as individuals, but at the airport, we find ourselves herded like cattle: firstly through the gates and then towards a numbingly narrow selection of retail ‘experiences’. In reality the array of airport experiences rarely extends beyond the boundaries of the sandwich-coffee-paper-toilet model.

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Community First Credit Union of Florida – Home Equity Line Of Credit

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Dosage to deliver for Maria Galland?

The latest launch from Maria Galland joins a band of products adopting a medical-inspired dosage approach to product delivery.

Maria Galland’s Silhouette Body Sculpturing Concentrate (€115) claims to offer “an intensive 28-day anti-cellulite treatment designed to make problem areas such as stomach, waist, bottom and thighs look firmed”.  The product’s active ingredients (including caffeine) are not new, but what is innovative is the way in which the product should be applied.

Packaged in ampoules for a measured delivered dose, the product is guaranteed to lasts for the required length of treatment and is applied in the correct amount for the promised results.  This is drawing from the influence of the medical world, where dosage is just as important as the product being prescribed. One pack contains 14 ampoules, meaning two packs are required for the 28 day treatment.

Findings from Mintel’s French Bodycare report would suggest that the Silhouette Body Sculpturing Concentrate will find favour amongst French women most notably the Parisians and those who live in the South West where body care usage is higher. 

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