Saying Hi to an Old Friend

It put a smile on my face when a colleague from 5 years ago, who I wasn’t that close to, and not really in touch with called me out of the blue to check on me and say hi!

It’s nice to know that you’re on someone’s mind, even though your paths don’t cross, and always great to catch up with old friends.

In this fast-paced life and crazy busy schedules, I often look back and regret not getting to know some people better…people who I have worked with or studied with on a daily basis, but was too preoccupied and too busy to get to know better on a personal level. As humans, we connect by sharing, but often we find ourselves putting barriers for all kinds of reasons. Behind these barriers there are people with interesting stories, personalities, experiences and lives and it amazes me that sometimes you could interact with someone everyday, and only find out a year later that he/she speaks 6 languages, or have a metal leg to replace the one lost in an accident, or some other interesting, random piece of information!

Ice Cream Talk

I finally had the much craved for 2 scoops of Baskin Robbins ice cream today

I’ve been seeing their ads in the streets everyday all last week but been too busy to stop by the nearest shop to have some. I’m not the biggest Baskin Robbins fan, but seeing the ads with the ice cream, chocolate syrup and strawberries everyday has gotten to me and I’ve been craving it all week! You’d think since I work in advertising, I’d be resistant to the tricks of Photoshop and a witty headline; but in the scorching UAE heat I doubt anyone can resist the thought of a giant scoop of frozen ice cream.

The problem with ice cream is I can never decide which flavor to have! I always get stuck trying to decide whether I feel like having a refreshing tangy, sour fruit flavor or a dreamy, creamy concoction or a rich chocolate blend. When I was younger I had a trick when I go to Baskin Robbins…I ask to try about 5 different flavors, act like am analyzing the taste and then finally settle for a choice. That way I used to get away with having a bit of every flavor I felt like eating and then having a scoop or two of the ’shortlisted’ flavors…I still do it sometimes

Soon enough we’ll have our own ice cream van on the streets of Abu Dhabi, complete with a logo of a camel licking ice cream courtesy of two British brothers. Read about it here.

The “Grazia Insider” Card Experience

Finally! My Grazia Insider card got delivered to my front door last week…about a year after I signed up for it!

The Grazia Insider is the loyalty programme offered to Grazia magazine readers,  which provides members 20% discount at top stores in the UAE. That’s great value at some of the trendiest stores like River Island, Bauhaus, New Look, Ginger & Lace and Top Shop, among others. Also great for Grazia’s  credibility as the leading fashion guide for women.

I was flicking through an issue of Grazia at the nail salon and they were advertising the free membership you get by registering for the card on their website. I thought great, the more i save on shopping, the more extra stuff I can buy, and it’s free so why not? So I signed up for it and was told that I will be notified by email if I qualify for it (I think it was available for the first 3000 applicants). The counting process must have been done manually, as i got an email 4 months later notifying me that I qualify for the card and can now collect it from the publishing house’s office in Garhoud, Dubai.

I live in Abu Dhabi so going to Dubai on a week day to collect the card is impossible  as I work 9-6:30, so I emailed them back asking if it can be delivered instead. Surely I’m not the only member living outside of Dubai, and even if I was, I still expect a loyalty card to be delivered to me rather than I having to go pick it up!

I never got a relpy to that email, which is really bad customer service and really bad for my perception of their brand. Afterall, most loyalty card programs exist to help retain customers and develop loyalty to the brand. Another reason for loyalty programs is that they can be used to build a CRM (customer relationship  management) database, where the members’ demographics, shopping habits and other info can be tracked, as well as a basic list of contact details, so they could contact their customers when needed. But I didn’t get a phone call either!

An email was sent out last April asking those who didn’t colllect their card to do so before their memberships get cancelled. I replied again asking if it can be delivered instead. They must have gotten the same reply from other people as well because an email was sent a few weeks later announcing that cards can be delivered using a courier company but the costs will be charged (not great but good enough!)

I’ve already used my card a few times on shopping sprees, and the 20% off feels great. The card however expires end of July…I hope I don’t need another year until I get a renewed card!

Drop in for some (or lots of) coffee!

Hospitality. The UAE is famous for it. Whether you live here or visiting, you will feel it in the warm welcome, the open doors and the overflowing trays serving Emarati coffee and dates wherever you go.

This shop window dispalying hundreds of coffeepots captures this essence in an unexpeced way. It’s a giant piece of art, the way I see it! (Click the image for a clearer view)

That’s about 6-parked-cars wide x 6 shelves high, now that is alot of coffee!

So if you haven’t visited the UAE yet, please drop in – you’ll love more than just the coffee

Mirror Mirror on My Phone

I miss my old phone, the MOTOKRZR  K1, which I initially bought because I fell in love with its elegant gold color and killer signature Motorola flip. Then I discovered how functionally useful it was: the reflective gloss surface doubles up as a handy pocket mirror!

I’d use the mirror numerous times in a day, without anyone noticing how vain i could get, well.. am not vain, but for example if I just stepped in somewhere for a meeting, I’d gracefully glance at my phone, pretending to check for messages/check the time while what I’m really checking is whether my hair is in place (it was windy outside) or I’ll be having dinner with friends and subtly look at my phone to check if there is something between my teeth (you know how bad taboulleh looks between teeth). Or if my make-up has gone wrong (heat + makeup can be disastrous) I’d be able to wipe something off, and of course it comes in handy with the hourly lip balm ritual.

It’s so frustrating though that after around 6 months after I stopped using this mobile (it died on me) I still find myself glancing at my new phone and then realizing that there is no mirror!

Someone once asked me what feature/built-in tool I think mobile phones should have. I couldn’t think of anything as they pretty much have it all there (connectivity, reminders, alarm clock, mini torch lights, games, dictionaries, cameras and so on). Maybe they should utelize the vibrating power so that mobile phone could double as a mini massage device (no I wasn’t going to say “vibrators”), or maybe they should add a swiss knife, or better a nail file.

I don’t know where I’m going with this….for me I’m happy with a phone i can talk & sms with and set an alarm really, I barely use any other features….I just think a mirror is  great feature to have in a phone.

Dont you just love it when

When you randomly go to the mall on lunch break, and on passing by one of the stores’ windows you find that (expensive but gorgeous) blazer you tried on and fell in love with just a week ago, is on SALE in an unannounced part-sale in the store?

It certainly made my day!

Digging into your neighbour’s pockets

If you happen to be an Abu Dhabi resident, your favorite neighbour, Dubai (Mall of the Emirates, to be precise) wants to honor the proximity and offer you exclusive deals and discounts as part of their ‘Welcome, Abu Dhabi Neighbour’ Promotion.

After proving you are from Abu Dhabi (e.g. driving license issued from Abu Dhabi), you get a voucher book with coupons for discounts from several outlets at the mall. The promotion runs from April 30 to May 9, and the vouchers are valid unitl 31 July.

Have Dubai people stopped shopping recently, or are less tourists coming and spending their money in Dubai that the malls are trying to get a share of Abu Dhabi people’s pockets? Or maybe Mall of the Emirates is trying to retain its existing Abu Dhabi people market share, as it is probably now facing fierce competition from Dubai Mall, the recently opened largest mall in the world and the popular outdoor shopping/leisure venue The Walk – JBR.

All in all, it is a good promotion for Abu Dhabians. And ofcourse it does make us feel special to have something especially for us, and they preferred  us over their other neighbour – Sharjah! I just think the promotion should have run longer as April 30th – May 9th means 2 weekends only (Abu Dhabi people would go to Dubai on weekends). By the time the offer was announced (press, lampposts and radio ads started on or just before the day of the promotion, if I recall correctly). By the time people started asking and the promotion spread by word-of-mouth, the first weekend was missed and this left us with only one weekend to go to Dubai and collect the voucher book and make use of this promotion. Other than that, they could have used more targetted communication channels like door-to-door leaflets to ensure maximum reach to Abu Dhabi residents. But that’s just my word of advice – neighbour to neighbour.

What does every woman want? Hair straighteners, obviously

I read recently about a new restaurant lounge in Dubai called Hive, which has found the winning formula to satisfy its female clientele: add hair straighteners to its female toilets!

Imagine, on a night out, your hair is done and you’re looking all stylish and  dressed up, but after waiting in the UAE humid weather your hair frizzes up and you end up looking like a scarecrow. Sounds familiar? Well if you arrive at Hive, all you have to do is excuse yourself to freshen up, and presto! you come out of the salon toilet with your hair back in perfect shape!

This is pure genius…why didn’t anyone think of this before?

You can read the short article here. Yes, I stole the title..couldn’t have said it better! That really is what women want in a restaurant toilet. Cuz, you can have a huge handbag with your entire make-up kit, perfume, extra hosiery and other essentials, but it’s always the hair that needs that extra oomph to complete the look!

The Obama Protocol Breaches

I’m loving the protocol-breaches of both Michelle and Barack Obama last week.

Watch Michelle touching the Queen of England here and Barack bowing to the Saudi Arabian King here.

They make their own rules as they go, showing that the US administration is not a power above all…now that it kewl change! What’s cooler, they even gifted the Queen an Ipod!

Under the umm… PLASTIC bag?

Last weekend, Coldplay made their Middle East debut here in Abu Dhabi, with a live concert on the lawns of the Emirates Palace. Apparently it was a sensational show for the crowd of 15,000, despite the heavy rain and thunder – which infact, as everyone seems to agree, has made the show surrealistically amazing!

But Coldplay weren’t the only heroes of the show. An agreement between the concert organizers and the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF), to use the event as a platform to promote the ‘Heroes of the UAE’ campaign (a campaign by the EWS-WWF urging to cut down energy consumption, which was already launched in the UAE), resulted in 15,000 concert attendees  given a green ‘Heroes’ wristband to raise awareness about the campaign and drive traffic to its website. The collaboration did not just result in a marketing exposure win of 15,000 wristbands, some branded banners and press exposure; but as the concert date coincided with Earth Hour day, it was agreed that all the carbon emissions of the show will be offset by a new wind-farm investment in New Zealand (according to this article atleast). Further, Coldplay wore ‘Heroes’ wristbands throughout the show and wore Earth Hour/Heroes of the UAE t-shirts during the final song.

For the ‘Heroes of the UAE’ campaign (more about what I think of campaign later), the tie-up with the event generated great exposure and is a great example of how co-sponsorships can be leveraged in marketing communications. This exposure ultimately is great for the actual cause of the campaign.

For serving the cause too, the carbon offsetting of the  event’s emissions is a great initiative of course and for those environment-conscious concert-goers it must have felt good to be doing something for the environment while enjoying a great music show.

It is important to point out that this music show’s organizers did not allow people to use umbrellas. And because the weather forecast predicted the heavy rains, people came prepared with plastic bags to cover their heads. I could not help but wonder..were any arrangements made to recycle all these plastic bags? Or were they included in the calculations of the carbon emissions of the concert? And from the ‘Heroes of the UAE’ campaign’s point of view, was there a creative way to provide an alternative for umbrellas/plastic bags?