It's great to be reminded that there are always opportunities for innovation. Shower Shock is the original and world's first caffeinated soap from ThinkGeek.

Tired of waking up and having to wait for your morning java to brew? Are you one of those groggy early morning types that just needs that extra kick? Know any programmers who dont regularly bathe and need some special motivation?

Each bar of Shower shock contains approximately 12 servings/showers per 4 ounce bar with 200 milligrams of caffeine per serving.

No, they're not kidding and no you don't eat it. The caffeine is absorbed through the skin...

And what a great name too!

Posted by Colin at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Consumers know that products with more features are harder to use, but before they purchase a product they value its capability more than its usability.

Once consumers have purchased a product, their preferences change. Suddenly, usability matters very much.

These are the findings of research published in Harvard Business Review. And of course, it makes perfect sense. But what are the implications? Well, one implication is that loading a technology product with a high number of features can maximize initial sales, but will not maximize lifetime value (because usability of the product is low).

Posted by Colin at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hmmm... quite interesting. Top 3 brands in Asia: Nokia, Sony, Nestle.

Only 3 brands from the USA in the top 10, which surprised me: Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola and 7-Eleven. (Though plenty in the top 100.)

The two biggest markets, China and India, showing a stonger presence of local brands (which makes sense if you think about it, they have the critical mass to build their own brands). In China this is particularly true: with local brands such as Mengniu, Haier, China Mobile, Lenovo and Nongfu Shan Quan making it into the top 20 brands.

Across the region, Heineken the leading brand in the beer category :))

The survey was conducted by Synovate for Media magazine. Nine markets were included: mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India and Indonesia. Synovate interviewed people aged 15 to 64 years old, with sample sizes per country of 500 (apart from China and India, where the sample was 750 across three and four top-tier cities respectively).

Posted by Colin at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's 'Defeat Depression Week' here in Hong Kong... (well it made me laugh).

Reminds me of an airline that I flew in India once, which was having a 'Safety Month'. lol.

And restaurants that have 'specials'... shouldn't all the meals be special?

Seriously though, isn't it better to decide what you are good at, and deliver it consistently. Make it the very core of what you do, not an occasional add-on.

Posted by Colin at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Branding commodities is always a huge challenge, product innovation (even in packaging) can help. UK-based Lion Quality Eggs have achieved that, and more.

You can now buy eggs marked with 'thermochromatic' invisible ink. The inks have been created to appear after three minutes to indicate a soft-boiled egg, after four minutes for medium and after seven minutes for a hard-boiled egg.

It could be an answer to the prayers of people who, quite literally, cannot boil an egg.

Posted by Colin at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Microsoft has confirmed that it's new portable music player, the Zune, will launch sometime this year.

My prediction is this... it will fail to dent the dominance of the iconic iPod. Why? Because it's from Microsoft, and who wants to walk around with a 'Microsoft' round their neck?

They can brand the product as sweetly as they like, but they can't escape from people's perceptions of the corporate brand.

Posted by Colin at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Google Video has just launched in the UK and 7 other countries... hot on the heels of YouTube. The difference is Google has deals to distribute content, including: Disney, Barcelona FC, the Cousteau Society, etc.

How long before media planning has to take account of online viewing? And how long before we have Ad Awards based on Google Video rankings? (People seeking out your ads, what better accolade?)

Here are two of my favorite ads doing well on YouTube...

One you probably have seen:
John West Salmon... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_VlVckrUgY

And one you might not have seen:
Unif Green Tea... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oON-pgvJJ2s&search=green%20tea%20ad

Posted by Colin at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)