360 DEGREES Weblog

We will be off with Santa and back in 2008!

Because real police work takes a lot of effort, cops in Rancho Cordova, California are pulling over people for good driving and giving them $5 Starbucks gift cards donated by local businesses. The idea came from a traffic cop who wanted to “promote the holiday spirit and enhance goodwill between the traffic unit and the motoring public.” What if you don’t like Starbucks coffee? Prepared to get tased, bro. It’s a White Mocha Frap or a few thousand volts. African American community leaders applaud the effort as they’ll be happy to see white people get pulled over despite doing nothing wrong for a change.

Thanks Jalopnik

“Here’s something trend watchers, CMOs and other business professionals should be able to agree on: in the end, when dealing with (and selling to) people, everything always comes back to status. In a traditional consumer society, he or she who consumes the most, the best, the coolest, the most expensive, the scarcest or the most popular goods, will typically also gain the most status.”

Now, you guessed it: the above will still ring true in 2008, and should be on your mind whenever/wherever in the new year—when tracking trends, when mapping out new strategies and when coming up with new products and services for your customers. In fact, expect 2008 to be the year in which even more brands realize (if not grudgingly accept) that ‘old’, mass-era status symbols, from the Audi R8 to the De Beers Talisman Watch Collection are no longer every consumer’s wet dream. After all, as mature consumer societies are increasingly dominated by (physical) abundance, by saturation, by experiences, by virtual worlds, by individualism, by participation, by feelings of guilt and concern about the side effects of unbridled consumption, status is to be had in many more ways than leading a lifestyle centered on hoarding as many branded, luxury goods as possible.

The above phenomenon is dubbed by Trendwatching: STATUS SPHERES: a variety of lifestyles, activities and persuasions, which can be mixed and matched by consumers looking for recognition from various crowds and scenes.

Read the articleÂ

The description on the packaging says it best - “For Schmucks that Won’t Pull Out”. You know, it is all fun and games while you are involved in the situation, but you have to know what to do when the time is right. Take this advice to heart. And for only $ 6,95 you don’t need the Senate’s approval.

Fireplaces are usually considered traditional fixtures and people seldom let their imagination loose when setting them up. Well, how about taking a fresh look at things? Winner of the Platinum ADEX Award for innovative design, the Sueno Indoor Fireplace from Wittus offers an attractive way to modernize your living room while keeping all of the comfort of a fireplace alive. With this Danish braedeoven (fireplace) you get the perfect combination of state-of-the-art technology and innovative, modern styling. You can choose from floor and wall mounting models.

The new G100 GumEase promises to give pain-free dentistry without the need for nasty needles jabbed into your tender parts. Just stick the thing in the freezer for half an hour, then pop it into your mouth over your gums. The reusable device will freeze your gums and make them impervious to pain, drilling and all dental work side-effects. If the effect starts to wear off, just pop another popsicle into your mouth and carry on. Sounds a little too good to be true, but sheesh what do we know?

Karl Lagerfeld has designed a limited edition Holiday Log with the Parisian baker Lenôtre. The Holiday Log is a traditional French dessert eaten during the holiday season and represents a log from a fireplace. The Karl Lagerfeld holiday log comes in a mirrored box and a axe made of caramelized sugar. The actual log is made of gingerbread with almonds and hazelnuts filled with a compote of sweet orange and apricot and a chocolate coulis. The cake will only be available by order from Lenôtre during the holiday season.

It’s come to my attention that losing the remote control in one’s home is a universal problem. Clearly, it doesn’t matter what brand you’re using, or what kind of home you live in (apartment, mansion, mobile) someone is gonna get blamed for losing the remote. So unless you have an extremely sloppy household this one should do the trick. Available at Brookstone for just $19.95 (that’s only € 14)

Set to debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month, the Land Rover LRX Concept is a mix of one part hybrid-coupe and one part Battlestar-SUV. The compact, 3-door LRX sports an ultra modern design — a reimagining of Land Rover’s traditional clamshell bonnet, floating roof and wheel-at-each-corner stance — along with futuristic sustainability-focused technologies that make it easier on the environment. The LRX offers iPhone integration, full-time four-wheel drive and Hill Descent Control, as well as a special version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, which gains a new “Eco” mode for lower emissions during city driving.

If ever €6.8m seemed like a bargain price for staging a fashion spectacular, it was Fendi’s sunset show on top of the Great Wall of China which, in one fell swoop, cemented the Roman luxury brand as the most famous in the world’s fastest growing market.In an audacious display of glamour and chutzpah by Fendi and its designer Karl Lagerfeld, 88 models strode down the 2,000-year-old wall as giant arc lights branded the surrounding jagged hills with football field sized versions of the famed double F logo. In a telling comment on contemporary China, the show was staged during the Communist Party Congress, in full swing three blocks away from the hotel where Lagerfeld, Fendi staff and visiting media were partying hard. (IRISH INDEPENDANT, IRELAND)