Congratulations to Expedia who were a multiple winner at the Clio Awards – much deserved for a great campaign which uses airport codes from around the world to create humorous messages

This week saw Unilever announce the launch of new Organic Delight shampoos and conditioners under its Timotei brand, staking the company’s claim for the new products as the first mass-market

This week saw Unilever announce the launch of new Organic Delight shampoos and conditioners under its Timotei brand, staking the company’s claim for the new products as the first mass-market 100% organic haircare range.

With all-organic ingredients, Ecocert approval, a 95% biodegradable formula and 100% recyclable packaging, the new range will add a hefty dose of support to the brand’s ‘natural’ positioning. While it’s very unlikely that Timotei’s Organic Delight products will draw the UK’s most environmentally-active consumers away from smaller, specialist brands like Organic Surge, Lovea Bio or Green People, they offer a potentially punchy point of difference around which to grow and build new growth.

We were delighted to comment on the new launch in this week’s The Grocer. Rebecca Cook spoke of its relevance and appropriateness to the brand, adding that it was likely to be considered an attractive addition for existing users.

To see the full article, click here.

Budweiser is introducing what their website says is “the World’s Most Unique Beer Can – a bowtie-shaped aluminum can that mirrors Budweiser’s iconic bowtie logo” and which will be available in a special 8-pack in US stores from May 6.

“The world’s most iconic beer brand deserves the world’s most unique and innovative can. I think we have it here.” said Pat McGauley, vice president of innovation for Anheuser-Busch

Now the marketer in me whole-hearted approves, a distinctive pack can be a real CEq – communication equity – for your brand as Marmite, Orangina and of course Coke all ably demonstrate.

However when McGauley added “This can is incomparable, like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” I did wonder if he was opening himself up to a few lighted hearted challenges

And sure enough, finedininglovers.com and others couldn’t help but comment that they feel it might be reminiscent of something; in fact it looks “like someone drank then crushed it”

An interesting new trend emerging is the power of the Clean Slate brands.  However I am not sure the trend is that of clean slate ie I don’t think consumers are looking for brands without baggage so much as it’s so much easier and less risky now to search and buy the new – with personal recommendations driving trust and appeal.

KEY FACTS:  92% trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising, up 18% since 2007. Online consumer reviews are the second most trusted source of brand information with a 70% trust rating, up 15% since 2008. Television ads were trusted by only 47%, down 24% since 2009.  (Nielsen, April 2012)

My favourite new brand (which my children have introduced me too) is Tinc.  Taps into the eternal passion that children have for stationary combined with cool packaging and really touchy feely products.  Each of the products has a name which gives a pencil a moshi monster type appeal and personality.  They even have an app that you can use to earn ‘pebbles’ (by marketing Tinc to your peers) to get money off products.

Facebook Home was launched earlier this month and seems to have gone down well with the majority of reviewers. Undoubtedly such a land grab will further frustrate operators clamouring for attention from mobile users beyond the standard out of box, problem resolution and renewal journey. The good news however is that the Home platform may well grow operator profits through data consumption; tests have shown that Home chews through data pretty rapidly. There is an option to limit the data consumption however it seems as though this will limit the end user experience somewhat.

Home is not really alone in what it’s doing here, there are other similar programs around with the likes of Blinkfeed from HTC feeling remarkably similar. However such an aggregator from a powerhouse like Facebook is a big move. Given the nature of the mobile experience aggregators are hot property at the moment. Yahoo have just purchased Sumly for £18 million, not for the programming experience of an 18 year old founder from Wimbledon either, he had none. But for the aggregator technology he sourced in developing the application. It will be coming soon to a Yahoo screen near you.

As a pariah on the Android OS and compatible with HTC and Samsung phones Facebook Home will undoubtedly appeal to young Facebook natives using it as their network HQ. However a meagre 2.5 stars in the Google Play Store and only half a million downloads suggests that the jury is out. Having discussed it with peers; those first swept up during Facebook’s launch in 2004/5, it seems as though interest in the platform is wearing a little thin. It feels as though checking Facebook is becoming an, albeit inevitable chore for the inaugural generation once completely submerged in and excited by its use. Whether any backlash will be strong enough to compromise any of Facebook’s plans to become the hub of a social world we shall see. While Facebook Home is clearly an early step towards that end I for one can’t see why I would need to sign up just yet.