Author: coolerinsights

More Than Meets The Eye?

July 5, 2009 • Blog • 1 comment

Spy movies have always held a certain glamour, romance and intrigue, but most appear to paint the protagonists as super slick agents of the state. Witness how this common premise is oft-repeated in the 007 James Bond franchise, as well as movies like the Bourne Ultimatum and Wong Kar-Wai’s Lust, Caution. Taking a slightly different tact, Tony Gilroy takes a more light-hearted look in Duplicity, which sets itself in the cut-throat commercial world of New York-based MNCs.

Helmed by A-list Oscar winning Julia Roberts and Academy Awards nominee Clive Owens, Duplicity has more twists, turns and double-crossing action than a pretzel store in New York (which is where it is set). Former CIA agent Claire Stenwick (Roberts) meets ex-MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) as corporate spies acting on behalf of two feuding MNCs. The object of their affections (other than each other) is a secret formula which is fiercely guarded by Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and his cronies, much to the chagrin of rival CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti) who appears to be the main perpetuator of this commercial spy-versus-spy tale.

Rolling Hills, Chocs, Cheeses and Vineyards

July 4, 2009 • • 1 comment

Standing at 727 metres high, Mount Lofty Summit is the highest point of the Mount Lofty Ranges which is 15 km east of the City of Adelaide. It forms part of the ranges called the Adelaide Hills and is adjacent to the Cleland Conservation Park area. Offering breathtaking panoramic views of the city (on a clear day), it contains television transmission towers operated by the Adelaide Television Station, as well as the Mount Lofty Fire Tower. Naturally, its also an excellent place for picnics and just hanging out in the beauty of nature.

The first order of the day is to get our carpark tickets sorted as fines are hefty here!

Understanding What Makes Kids Buy

July 1, 2009 • Business and Management • 1 comment

Toys R’Us and Power Rangers – a potent kid marketing combination!

As the father of a five-and-a-half year old boy, I naturally have a deep interest in what goes into that little cranium of his.

Why is my son attracted to certain brands and products more so than others? What made his tastes in toys so different from his cousin who is merely 5 years older than him?

From Excellence to Evidence

June 26, 2009 • Blog • no comments

Newspaper reports add credibility to one’s business (courtesy of Matt Callow)

With so much information easily available at the click of a mouse (or the tap of an iPhone), consumers are becoming more enlightened than ever before. As Mulder and Fox would have told you, “the truth is out there”, and it is now showing at an Internet-enabled screen near you. With so many websites, forums and blogs established to conduct independent consumer and product reviews, people will no longer take your word for it.

What can companies and businesses do to ride this trend? Is it enough to claim that you are able to make them taller, smarter, cleaner or more relaxed than the competition? No, it isn’t.

Charming Creatures of Cleland Wildlife Park

June 24, 2009 • Blog • 1 comment

Located just a short drive away from the Adelaide City Centre, Cleland Wildlife Park is a haven for native Australian wildlife in South Australia. Nestled within the sprawling Cleland Conservation Park area in the Adelaide Hills region, the government operated attraction is spread over 35 hectares of pristine bushland. All the usual marsupial suspects like the kangaroos, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, and echidnas can be found here, as well as native reptilian and avian species. What’s great about this sanctuary for beasts is the painstaking attention it pays to keep its surroundings as authentic and natural as possible.

This photo at the entrance of the reserve was taken by our little explorer Ethan himself.

As in all tourist attractions, the souvenir shop is a mandatory feature.

Are Flash Mobs Useful in Marketing?

June 23, 2009 • Blog • 2 comments

Participants of one of Singapore’s first Flash Mob (Courtesy of nuffnangsg)

By now, almost everybody would have heard of the phenomenon of flash mobbing, which is essentially involves an orchestrated mass activity where people congregate in a particular location to perform a specific act. According to Wikipedia, flash mobs are normally mobilised through social media channels like viral emails, SMSes, social networking platforms (especially Facebook and Twitter) or other social media channels.

The most famous Flash Mob group on the planet is probably Improve Everywhere based in New York City which is founded by Charlie Todd in August 2001. With more than 80 missions under its belt, the worldwide group is probably the most prolific flash mobbing organisation on the planet.

Do We Really Need So Many Options?

June 18, 2009 • Blog • no comments

One of the greatest contradictions in life is that “the more the merrier” isn’t necessary true when one is swamped by choices. In fact, having too many options open to you could lead to an analysis paralysis and a freeze in decision making.

So having one hundred different flavours for your ice-cream, a thousand different blog templates, or 10,000 different pantone shades to paint your wall in may actually work against your business rather than for it.

Don’t believe me? Just watch this engaging presentation by Barry Schwartz, a well known psychologist and academic at Swarthmore College who spoke about the paradox of choice. His central thesis is that having a greater variety of options needn’t necessarily improve the quality of life. In fact, the plethora of choices that we have in this Internet-fueled day and age may actually lead to lower satisfaction levels and discontent rather than hyper delighting one’s customers.

June 16, 2009 • Content Marketing • 1 comment

What was the greatest company or brand story you’ve ever heard? Why were you enchanted by it?

Since time immemorial, mankind has always relied on stories to transmit information, values and ideas from generation to generation.

Sexy Selling in Less than 10 Words

June 15, 2009 • Blog • no comments

If this outdoor advertisement doesn’t catch your eye, I suppose nothing else will. No prizes for guessing what product they are pushing for! What’s more interesting though is how a seemingly simple advertisement like this follows the age-old rule of AIDA. In advertising parlance, this means Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.

1) Attention – Obviously a headline like this written in bright red on a yellow background catches one’s attention. The sentence is also provocative and uses one of the most attention grabbing word in the world (not sex but) – love.

2) Interest – In this case, the same headline also helps to stir one’s interest by using the phrase of “Making Love” and “Doing It…” which piques one’s curiosity.

3) Desire – Instilling desire (in those who are already naturally inclined) is done by weaving in words like “Longer” and “Try” which are positive building words. In other words, you can have your cake and eat it too.

4) Action – This of course is where the rubber hits the road (no pun intended), and the call for action is conveyed through the word “SMS ‘Try’ 1800 711 711”. When one is outdoors without access to the internet or pen and paper, the fastest way to do so is through SMS. And the sensitivity of the subject is such that people will probably find it easier not to have to speak to a ‘live’ person about wanting to “do it longer”!

Fresh Food Galore at Central Market

June 13, 2009 • • no comments

Celebrating its 140th year in business, Adelaide’s Central Market is located between Grote and Gouger Streets, which is between Victoria Square and the Adelaide Chinatown neighbourhood. Like Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, it boasts of a wide selection of fresh daily produce like fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, cheeses, candies and lots of other goodies. While the market seemed to be slightly smaller than the Victoria Market, it does appear to have fresher and slightly more affordable produce which hail from the sprawling South Australian rural countryside.

Apparently, the market is so distinctive as a tourist destination in the city of Adelaide that there are tours which you can book to learn more about its history, stories, sights, sounds and scents! As usual, any visit to an Australian market is a feast for the senses in more ways than one.

First, a photo opportunity outside the entrance featuring Ethan and I.