Author Archives: Ana

Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters: Masterful. Bold. Bravo, Barneys New York

In an admirably masterful move, Barney’s New York decided to use seventeen transgender persons for their Spring 2014 campaign called “Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters.” The models are stunning, and Barneys sent a powerful message to our culture. The campaign was exclusively launched on The Window, and was shot by Bruce Weber.

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Pinterest gets a cyborg-like upgrade: Rich Pins will blow your mind

There are article pins, product pins, place pins, recipe pins and movie pins. And all of them contain information that is just what you are looking for. Retailers, hotels, publishers, CPG brands are somewhere rubbing their hands in delight. This is contextual advertising at its best, mixed with a heavy dollop of utility. The sexiest of them all are product pins, clearly, as they are the perfect outlet for relevant product information: price, availability, shopping and, of course, the opportunity to shop. And all of this without ever leaving the Pinterest universe. Make no mistake: retailers benefit plenty - once user decided to buy a product, the rest of the transaction is completed on the retailer website. The bottom of the funnel is the same - it’s its top that has gotten more complex, and for the better.

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Warby Parker for mattresses? Sure, bring it on!

In the domain of online shopping, there are some things that are thought to be off-limits. Like sunglasses. Like shoes. Like mattresses. Apparently, this perception all wrong, as Warby Parker, TOMS and now Tuft and Needle have demonstrated. The latter is the foam-mattress business that sells its much-loved products exclusively online, through their website and via Amazon, bypassing distributors and all the hustles that go with them.

What’s the next industry to be disrupted? Hair-color, perhaps?

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Sensory fiction: sure, as long as we aren’t reading about Frankenstein

So get this: scientist at MIT used temperature and lighting to create a book that conveys to readers the emotional states of its characters. Depending on the page the reader is on, the book changed the “mood” via ambient lighting and vibrations to convey emotional atmosphere of the story. There’s a wearable vest involved as well, that vibrates, changes pressure, and temperature, but that’s a bit further out. Either way, identification with the characters of fiction has never been closer. Read further here.

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Neiman Marcus launches products on Pinterest

Neiman Marcus figured out that “being where your users are” is the best policy. The upscale retailer orchestrated the Pinterest exclusive product launch, debuting its new Spring products on the social network rather than on their website first. The results? 3K new Pinterest followers and 32% increase of pinning activity from NeimanMarcus. com.

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Forgetify me not

Forgetify is a new site meant to right the wrongs of the winner-takes-all, hit-driven culture. The site streams songs that have never been played (like, ever, not even once) on Spotify and gives them a chance. Everyone deserves a chance, the saying goes, but apparently some of the underdogs on Spotify don’t - early reviews report unexpected encounters with Bollywood tunes, sounds of unclear origin, and bands called The Fishmongers. Still, it’s great to think that maybe your next favorite song may bubble up, and serendipity definitely keeps music lovers curious. And, apparently, the album art is unforgettable.

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How much (hair) is too much?

More news from the American Apparel department: just in time for Valentine’s Day (which is the day when men apparently maniacally buy lingerie), AA outfitted mannequins in its East Houston store, NYC, with a little bit of hair. Pubic hair that is. I am going to check it out tomorrow, it looks, well … authentic.

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Delta rocks the 80′s

In an unexpected fit of creativity, Delta time-hopped to the 1980′s for its newest safety video. The crazy hair, Alf, KISS, Muppets, leg-warmers and neon pink everything make it actually pretty fun to watch. As far as safety videos go, this one’s a winner.

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Sexy has no expiration date

Staying true to its unique brand of provocation, American Apparel featured a 62-year old Jacky O’Shaughnessy as its lingerie model in the latest campaign. The brand known for pre-pubescent girls bending down or sitting naked but for tights has gone mature. Like, very mature. The model looks amazing though, and its incredibly refreshing to see someone above age 25 in a fashion campaign. The image was released via American Apparel’s social media channels Facebook and Instagram. Good job.

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Hello, this is your Mother

Say hello. Mother is home and family monitoring system. She (?) is equipped with a number of sensors aimed at detecting movement, temperature and other parameters needed to successfully manage home life. For example, Mother can instantly detect some suspicious activity at the front door, remind you to water plants or take your meds or, prompt you to exercise. Mother can monitor up to 24 objects when connected with a home network. You can get yours for $222.

Created by Sen.se.

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