November 2011
1 post
Marketing: Old Spice 'Fresh Collection'
I was looking for a new deodorant and came across the new Old Spice ‘Fresh Collection’ series. To my surprise, they had a deodorant inspired by Cyprus, my homeland. So, I decided to smell like home and bought the Old Spice “Cyprus” deodorant. A closer look on the packaging though and my hopes of taking an olfactory tour of my home country evaporated…
The...
October 2011
4 posts
Design Trend: Infographics
I’ve been obsessed with inforgraphics for a while now. I think they’re a fantastic example of why design matters, even in categories we have never considered it useful, like data gathering and synthesis.
The folks at Column Five Media have put together a great little video bringing to life the value of infographics. Check it out here.
And here’s a great example of how...
Food-Making Class: Truffles, Truffles, Truffles
Never imagined how fun it would be to spend five hours on a Sunday morning making truffles!
I signed up for the truffle-making course at the Institute of Culinary Education to get a better idea of how to make gourmet truffles and finally get put some of my crazy flavor ideas into action! My group of ten people made a dozen types of ganache, which is the soft inside part of the truffle and then...
Nightlife: Inspired by Mexico City
The Mexico City lounge experience seems to be the new craze in New York, with a few similarly-themed places opening, including Salon Hecho, the loungier version of Hecho en Dumbo, and Pulqeria, the next-door sibling to Chinatown’s fancy cocktail den Apotheke. I had to visit them both and see why suddenly NYC is taking cue from DF.
One of my favorite Mexican joints in the city, Hecho en...
Film: Weekend
The most honest and romantic film of the year so far happens to be gay-themed.
Weekend is a British indie that celebrates love and just happens to have gay characters. Director Andrew Haigh goes for a realistic, documentary feel and believable characters that capture the essence of a chance meeting that develops into a more intense relationship over the course of a weekend.
The reason I find...
September 2011
1 post
Trend Trekking: Berlin
Berlin is still touted as the artsy capital of cool. In many ways, it merits this distinction, but even though I see and experience lots of amazing things every time I visit, I feel like the city needs more business to move forward. There’s no real industry established here and the city has one of the highest unemployment rates in Germany. From my interactions with lots of locals, I gathered...
June 2011
1 post
Theater: Spiderman
I was invited to see the new version of Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark and I went out of sheer curiosity. I was intrigued by the facts: this has been the most expensive show ever produced on Broadway ($70 million and counting!), the show with the most preview performances (146, compared to the usual 30) and also the show with the most cast injuries, due to the demanding aerial stunts. The original...
May 2011
3 posts
As Quoted In: Quick-Service Review
I was recently interviewed for an article in QSR about the ever-expanding trend in pop-up restaurants. I think the writer has done a good job in explaining the pop-up restaurant craze from an industry perspective.
You can read the article here.
I am personally a big fan of this trend. As a culture vulture, I love experiencing new culinary concepts, especially ones that are here today and gone...
Event: Festival of Ideas for the New City
This past weekend, I spent quite a bit of time in Nolita for the Festival of Ideas for the New City organized by the New Museum. The main drive for the festival according to the organizers was “to harness the power of the creative community to imagine the future city and explore the ideas destined to shape it” Hundreds of organizations, agencies and brands collaborated to put...
Branded Experience: Audi Urban Future
The highlight at the Festival of Ideas for me was the Audi Urban Future: Project New York. This breathtaking exhibit envisioned a new city based on the award-winning concepts from the inaugural Audi Urban Future Award – hosted at the 2010 Venice Biennale. I love seeing brands involved in projects that seem outside of their scope but that promote innovation that is beneficial to global communities....
January 2011
2 posts
As Quoted In: New York Post
I was recently interviewed for a New York Post article about whether Americans are getting lazier.
Check out the complete article here.
I feel like my quote was used to promote a POV I don’t quite share. I tried to steer the reporter towards a very big trend that has been going on for a few years now, that of “lifestyle curation.” We are seeing that consumers expect their...
Retail: Eataly vs. Limelight Marketplace
New Yorkers have been inundated with food halls and indoor marketplaces in the past year, bringing a “European” flair to indoor shopping and eating (as compared to the more American mall experience). Some have been more successful than others. Case in point: Eataly.
This vast food hall pioneered by mega-chef Mario Battali is the super-sized reincarnation of the Torino, Italy...
October 2010
1 post
Nightlife: SPiN New York
As part of a Now Plus One Innovation Summit, we took our group of clients to check out out the latest in nightlife entertainment at SPiN New York. For ping pong lovers, this 13,000 square foot social club is heaven on earth! The club offers 17 individual tables, including a stadium-like center court. In addition, SPIN New York houses a pro shop, lounge, bar, private room sponsored by Fred Perry...
September 2010
1 post
Food Trend: Popsicles
Move over Pinkberry and the rest of the fro-yo purveyors: there’s a new craze in town! New York is embracing the latest trend in healthy culinary indulgences in the form of paletas, or in plain-speak, popcicles.
Paleta means little shovel or trowel in Spanish, and paleterias can be found selling them in any large Mexican neighborhood, first in Texas and California and now almost...
August 2010
1 post
Branded Experience: Target's High Line Fashion...
Target staged what may have been the most expensive fashion show ever put on outside of the official New York fashion week schedule. The company bought out the entire Standard Hotel straddling the city’s popular new High Line park, hired dozens of dancers and models to perform a synchronized show in the hotel windows while what has to be one of the most ambitious light shows the fashion...
June 2010
1 post
Branded Experience: Gillete Shave Studio
The Gillete Fusion ProGlide Shave Studio is going on tour throughout North America after kicking off in New York. At the snazzy shaving pop-up, visitors are able to test drive the new razor and talk about what their experience. Their reactions were captured and are featured on an online webcast.
When I showed up, there was a pretty long line of eager shavers and the freshly shaved guys coming...