The Chanel Paper Bag

I’m not sure if this is a real Chanel or someone being creative/sarcastic, but it’s a great fashion statement. It’s amazing how a powerful brand can give value/fashion status to a plain brown paper bag!

I would totally wear it (am not even a Chanel fan)…very funky and unique!

(via J&J)

Lemonade: The Movie

Lemonade is a movie about advertising professionals who lost their jobs in the economic crisis, and how they managed to turn their lives around and start over doing things they love. It was the idea of Erik Proulx, an ad copywriter who lost his job, and after coming across other  laid off ad professionals, decided to film Lemonade to tell of their stories after exiting the ad world.

Watch the trailer below:

Working in the advertising and creative communications industry for just over 2 years, I guess I can safely say that almost everyone working in the field hates their jobs to pieces but loves it just as much! Working in an ad agency is like riding a roller coaster every day of your life…a messy emotional roller coaster ride every single day. Working in an ad agency is a combination of a fun environment, urgent jobs, stress, craziness, impossible deadlines, laughter, multitasking 10 different things, dealing with sh*t from clients, dealing with creative drama queens, working 12-15 hour day and staying on top of it all – while managing to breathe, have an occasional bite and somehow staying sane.

That’s why when I saw the trailer for Lemonade I fell in love with it. I could really relate to the people in the film and to what they’re feeling. The trailer is inspiring enough to make me want to resign tomorrow! But that’s not only why I loved it; it shows how when you work in advertising, you become trained to always manage to find a way, a solution for a situation gone bad, to think of plan B,  and am glad that these people used this quality and their creativity to move on with their lives and be happy beyond life in an ad agency.

The movie is also a great case study on the power of Twitter as a medium, as it was through Twitter that Erik found his cast and crew for the film, and that is how he got a production house to produce the movie, free Airline tickets to get to some of the locations for the filming and of course used and still using Twitter to promote the movie. This article details Twitter’s contribution to the movie, and quoting its closing line:

“Lemonade the movie.  Conceived by Erik Proulx.  But brought to you by Twitter.”

Lemonade will air online sometime next month. Follow Erik @eproulx on Twitter for live updates.

Vimto Season

In about a week’s time, Ramadan – the Islamic holy month of fasting – will commence and with that another Vimto season will start! The drink we all forget about 11 months of the year, but drink religiously during the month of Ramadan is probably being stocked and restocked in huge quantities at all hypermarkets across the region, in preparation for Ramadan.

Vimto Cordial, a mixed berries drink, is mysteriously very popoular during Ramadan, and is almost considered a basic Ramadan staple by some. It is served in many households during Iftar (breaking of the fasting meal), and is favored by adults and children alike.

I’ve always wondered why Vimto’s popularity is linked with Ramadan. There is nothing seasonal about Vimto..it is available year round, and not linked to Ramadan in any way, or made out of ingredients which are often served in Ramadan. You’d expect it to compete  with other juices (fresh bottled or long-term syrups/powders) rather than compete with Ramadan seasonal drinks like Ammaridin (dried apricots/peaches), Jallab (not sure what goes in this one) and Tammer Hindi (dates drink)!

Vimto's Vintage Packaging

Maybe it’s due to Vimto’s marketing strategy over the years, which focuses on promoting it during Ramadan, that has turned it into a seasonal, Ramadan ritual. I really cannot remember seeing ads for Vimto at any other time of the year. But it could also be the other way round – somehow Vimto got popular every time during Ramadan that its producers saw an opportunity to promote it as seasonal drink.

The question remains unanswered, but that won’t stop me from enjoying drinking Vimto with my Iftar almost every day during Ramadan.

Vimto is a UK brand, that is produced in the Middle East by Aujan Industries. They’ve been responsible for bringing Vimto to the Middle East for 83 years now. It probably had the same vintage packaging back then as it has now

Happy Vimto Season and Ramadan Kareem everyone!

The Resume Shirt

Lost your job in the recession? Been emailing your resume to all recruitment agencies and all companies you want to work for and every other company you’ve come across, but feel that your emails go unread among the huge amounts of “Hire Me” emails going around?

The Resume Shirt

You need to wear your resume on your shirt to get noticed! Irina Blok has designed an awesome shirt that you can customize for $50 with your personal resume. I think it’s a fun, creative way to make a statement and get noticed…works great if you’re looking for a job in a field where all the companies are clustered together in one location (like Dubai Media City for example, where many media-related firms are located next to each other, with common rest areas and cafes). You can then walk around lunch hours networking and pitching yourself to potential employers! That would be really cool, especially for selling yourself in the creative communications & media field…makes me want to be unemployed to test it out!

Visit Irena’s website to order your shirt, or to order a cheeky unemployment badge.

Walk Abu Dhabi Style

Abu Dhabi is scoring high on the global cool-o-meter right now that it has sandals named after it!

Office Shoes, a UK brand, has named one of gladiator sandals for Spring/Summer 09 “Abu Dhabi”.

Abu Dhabi Sandals

Description on Office’s website: “Arabian nights. Natural snake printed leather, lace-up, peep toe. Like Arabian days. Geometric cut-outs and mini stacked wedge. Leather lining and sock. Man made sole. Also available in black leather and taupe suede.”

They’re not my type, but I still think it’s pretty cool for Abu Dhabi!

Via Grape Shisha Blog.

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.