… And this time it’s not about who’s got Green Park or what to trade for Mayfair, but rather which classic token gets the boot (no pun intended).

“It’s the trial of the century! The fate of every classic MONOPOLY token rests in your hands. Vote daily to save your favorite token from a life sentence off the board.”

That’s right, folks. Soon your go-to lucky Monopoly token may be a thing of the past.

Renowned for being a game that can go on for hours and cause explosive arguments, Monopoly has been a family favourite since it was first published in 1934. It even played a role in World War II, when the Secret Intelligence Service sent escape maps, compasses and real money to prisoners of war, concealed in the unassuming guise of a board game.

But now Hasbro have decided that it’s time to refresh the line-up, giving fans the chance to vote on Facebook for the tokens they want to save. Up for eviction are the Car, the Thimble, the Boot, the Scottie Dog (a personal favourite), the Battleship, the Hat, the Iron and the Wheelbarrow. It’s not the first time Hasbro have retired tokens, with previous tenants the Lantern, the Purse and the Rocking Horse all disappearing in the ’50s.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, for as one classic token is stood down, a new 21st century contender will be instated in its place – and voters can also decide whether they’d like to see the Robot, the Diamond Ring, the Cat, the Helicopter or the Guitar make their way into new editions.

At this point in time, things aren’t looking too good for the Iron or the Wheelbarrow on the leaderboard – to vote for your favourite visit:

https://apps.facebook.com/saveyourtoken/.

I was walking the aisles of Selfridges Food Hall and came across this eye-catching display. At first it looks quite normal, but if you linger a few seconds more, one can see that everything is not quite as it seems…

Selfridges have displayed these ‘de-branded designs’ as part of ‘No Noise’, which they describe as, “An initiative that goes beyond retail, we invite you to celebrate the power of quiet, see the beauty in function and find calm among the crowds.” Other brands participating include Beats by Dre and Crème de la Mer and all are available to buy in ‘The Quiet Shop’. Selfridges are even de-branding their iconic yellow bag.

The lack of brand and product name detracts nothing from establishing what’s inside the can or jar. In fact, this communicates just how powerful these brands are i.e. very. We know exactly what we’re getting from the shapes, colours and imagery left on display, leaving no need for a logo to spell it out. Which other brands could get away with such a confident move – Cadbury’s? Coca-Cola? Apple?  The answer to all three is surely, ‘yes’. Although, one cannot ignore the irony of the public noise which will be created by this ode to silence. But then again, I guess Selfridges has thought of that by giving you a Silent Room to get away from it all in!

It’s worth taking a minute to think about the fact that some brands have this rather incredible ability to strip away a few of its most recognisable features and still be correctly identified. This is a sign of a brand that has penetrated public consciousness and embedded itself there indefinitely without us noticing it’s happened. Until that is, someone turns down the noise and turns on the spotlight, showing the powerful brand in all its silent glory.

Take a look at the full No Noise offering here:

http://nonoise.selfridges.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_OE7MQY6RPw

Most soccer players run seven miles in a game.

On Sunday, The Value Engineers were delighted to be asked to contribute to a regular LBC radio show, hosted by the lovely Kay Burley.

Lou Ellerton joined Kay to talk about the post-Christmas retail surge, as consumers flocked to London’s Oxford Street, Westfield and shopping centres around the country to make the most of the sales.

Leading department store John Lewis announced a record start to its online sale which began on Christmas Eve, with hourly orders up 70% on last year, while Selfridges took in more than £1.5 million in its first hour of trading on Boxing Day. The story was no different online, with UK internet users making 84 million visits to retail websites on Christmas Eve and 107 million visits on Christmas Day, up 86% and 71% respectively compared to the same days in December 2011.

So what’s the story behind the surge? In Lou’s view, much of it can be boiled down to a metamorphosis by UK consumers into strategic shoppers – or ‘stroppers’, for short.

Now well trained by the major retailers to expect heavy discounts in the week immediately before and after the 25th, ‘stroppers’ are spending less on presents to unwrap on Christmas Day – focusing on smaller, more intimate gifts that show thought in place of the big-budget purchases of Christmases past – leaving them able to take advantage of discounts for the key family purchases.

While the post-Christmas sales boom will have come as welcome news to retailers beleaguered by poor pre-Christmas figures, the Olympics downturn and stormy weather, it remains to be seen whether tills will have taken enough to keep them from suffering as we head into another year of economic uncertainty. Either way, we’ll be keeping our ears open for more signs of the stropping phenomenon…

Sadly, we’re unable to post a copy of the interview here due to size constraints, but if you’d like to hear Lou’s comments or find out more about stropping, drop us a line.

The average human produces 25,000 quarts of spit in a lifetime enough to fill two swimming pools.