A to B becomes special again

A film funded by Eurostar and a reality TV show in partnership with Monarch raise a host of questions about changing attitudes towards class, aspiration and reality in the shrinking travel environment.

For rail and air

Somers Town is the new Shane Meadows film, depicting the friendship that develops between two outsiders who live in the shadow of the new St Pancras International train terminal in London. It was funded in part by Eurostar.

Celebair is ITV’s eight-week reality show in partnership with Monarch Airlines, in which ‘celebrities’ are employed at check-in and in cabin crew on a fully functioning airline. The outcome of the show is a contestant winner and a charity prize donation. For rail and air, the implications and outcomes of both ventures are far more complex.

• Eurostar’s involvement with Somers Town represents a new form of product placement and the film has come in for some stick for occasionally lapsing into dialogue of the ‘It only takes 2 hours!’ variety.

When the two protagonists do finally get onboard Eurostar and arrive in Paris, the film (previously in black and white) bursts into colour a la The Wizard of Oz. All that’s missing is a dog called Toto in tow. This shift into colour and an unlikely rendezvous with a French waitress (the boys are besotted with) lends the Parisian scenes the feel of a dream sequence.

Reclaiming fantasy

By design or accident, Somers Town reclaims travelling abroad as the stuff of fantasy and lends Eurostar an idealistic and aspirational edge. This is pertinent, since as travel becomes more expensive, it will become less frequent and more ‘special’, even for those of us living way beyond the means of the lads who get lucky in Somers Town.

In the film St Pancras International isn’t just a transport hub, it’s a hub for the narrative itself, linking characters – and by inference the community - together.

• In one sense Somers Town democratises the travel experience and reassures us that as the low-cost carrier era hits the ground, holidays are still in reach.
• On the other hand it depicts its holiday duo as ‘golden ticket’ winners straight out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and makes crossing the channel look like changing dimensions, never mind destinations.

Fresh air for travel

Celebair by comparison is pure cheese, but it’s undeniably aimed at putting some (admittedly D-list) fame and glamour back into the flying experience, whilst pleading with us to sympathise with airline staff getting screamed at by irate customers, despairing at their lost luggage and the end of their multi trip lifestyles.

The contestants are a parade of washed up never-have-beens, distinguished only by the presence of Mica Paris and Lisa Maffia of all people. Whilst the Internet was putting the boot into their music sales, it was nurturing their new employer Monarch and its ‘cheap fares’.

However, now the no-frills airline sector is on a final descent towards a bloodbath and Monarch is preparing the ground for a future where air travel heads back towards a more traditional age. For us, this means fewer flights, and holidays – like fuel – becoming a precious commodity once more.

The whole experience is reclaiming its sense of excitement again. Travel will become something to dream about once more, and not just in Somers Town.

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A Journey of Flavor

Seeking and finding new experiences is a status symbol; you have gone where few people from your culture have gone before. You have tried the new, the different, you are part of the exclusive club that has eaten jalapeños covered in chocolate.

Translating the depth of experience, history, and fun of experimenting with different varieties of peppers, their diverse flavors, varieties, and different usage, will help capitalize on the value of focusing on the Sense of the Intense. For consumers, it is about furthering the experience with familiar products in new and unexpected ways.

“Latin flavor” foods typically conjure up the image of flavorful foods. This is usually followed by the thought of hot and spicy—mouth burning with chili peppers.

We think of this as something new and rather exotic, but, really, what’s new about a vegetable that has been a part of the human diet in the Americas for about 6,000 years. Chili peppers are one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas that are self-pollinating.

This pollination took a bit longer to make it into our grocery stores and restaurants, but it's undoubtedly going to continue to have an impact on the flavors we enjoy, and the tastes we hope to experience.

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Kellogg gives the functional food market a boost

Kellogg's new American release, the ‘Live Bright’ Brain Health Bar are designed to sustain brain health with the help of 100mg of DHA, and are set to give this market credibility and wider prominence.

Brain-enhancing food established in Asia

Food products that can boost brain health first started to be developed in Asia and are now commonplace across many different products over there (from confectionery to dairy).

Snack bars are popular vehicles for nutritional ingredients, but few companies have clearly promoted snack bars with omega-3 fatty acids as beneficial for our grey matter. Kellogg’s involvement signals a new era in the functional, brain-enhancing food market, making it more mainstream and accessible.

Functional bars & snacks growing fast in the US

Sales of functional bars and snacks have almost tripled in the US between 2002 and 2007, to reach US$197 million, with more growth expected in this sector in the next few years (according to Mintel’s US Report on Functional Foods, from May 2008).

The brain health segment will also prove popular, as around three in five consumers of functional food mentioned that they would like to see more foods that can support healthy brain function (from same report). Kellogg’s ‘Live Bright’ brain health bars therefore come at an ideal time, when the market is still in development, and as consumers becoming increasingly focused on what they want from functional foods.

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Aveda Develops Green Credentials with Net-Zero Climate Impact Launch

The concept of carbon footprints is hot on everyone’s lips at the moment. Aveda’s latest hair spray launch claims to have a net-zero impact on the earth’s climate.

Aveda is taking environmental responsibility beyond packaging and ingredients by making sure that its products are environmentally friendly at the manufacturing stage. Newly launched  Air Control Hair Spray  (£14.50) is formulated with natural and certified organic ingredients such as flaxseed and organic plant essences. It also claims to have a “net-zero impact on the Earth's climate” as a result of Aveda's funding of wind-based energy.

The product’s North American and Australian formulas also claim to set a new precedent by having a low 35% volatile organic compounds formula. This means that fewer gases are released from the product therefore lessening the product’s impact on air quality.

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Branded Applications

The boom in social networking has seen a greater number of companies looking to take advantage of applications as a means of engaging with consumers.

Network Knowledge

Although brands have begun utilising sites such as Facebook with branded applications, and the iPhone has opened up the market further, there is still much potential benefit to be gained.

Applications have to be engaging and entertaining, though, to stand apart. The success of an Audi-branded racing game for the iPhone shows that customers want something that offers something fun and interactive, rather than staid and inert advertising.

Social networks have permeated the digital world, but with people beginning to turn away from the original social sites and looking for something new in the Web 2.0 world (exclusive members clubs, more niche sites), brands have to be aware of how quickly the success and credibility of networks can change.

• Is it worth targeting Facebook members if there is a shift towards less frequent use?
• Will people checking messages or looking at photos want (or have time) to open such applications?
• It seems the iPhone may be the most valuable market to target - portability lends itself to idle browsing, and applications can find success among consumers looking to pass a few minutes on a train journey or waiting for a bus.

We have seen with the launch of Blyk that customers may be willing to receive branded content in return for free or reduced cost services - applications could begin offering something similar. Money off an internet package deal in return for using specific branded applications, perhaps, would be one such deal.

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Pick of the Week from Expedia.com

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Slightly Carbonated Soft Drink

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