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Thursday August 25 2011 |
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Letter from the Editor - Edition 89 |
Too Much
Regular Espresso contributor Emanda sent us through this photo a few days ago, taken on the escalators at Westfield Shopping Centre Bondi Junction. It carried the comment, "Geez, I can't even travel the escalators without being bombarded"
. My belief is that in the next year or two simplicity, minimalisation and clarity of message will become the best tool a business owner or marketer can have. Instead of shouting AT people and bombarding them with continued spam, it's going to be more about talking with people when and how they want to have the conversation with you. This sort of brash in-your-face advertising is a thing of the past. It's amazing how a brand like Westfield can build such beautiful shopping centres yet have all of the designer food, fashion, environment, furniture and retail mix be diminished by cheap, nasty and overbearing messages that scream at their target audience. It's just not well thought out. It's not the screaming, it's the talking to the right people in the right tone about the right things. Anyone who owns a business or is responsible for promoting or marketing a brand needs to take
stock. In our current work environment which is fast, frenzied and totally full of stuff...less is more.
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Tour De Cure |
1.5 Million and Rising
The Mission... to cure cancer. The Vision... by 2015 be the most inspirational cycling community in the world. "We want to inspire the world... people, kids, corporates, charities, cancer sufferers... all communities". The Goal...raise $1.5 million by June 2011.
Total raised as of 5th April 2011...$1,566,892.82. Well done guys, we are sure this will not be the first milestone The Tour will break on their 10 day, 1379 kilometre journey from Sydney to Melbourne.
Today they begin Stage 6, a 100+ kilometre journey ascending from Lake Jindabyne up into the alpine village of Thredbo. The Espresso would like to wish the 2011 Tour de Cure team - both riders and support members the best of luck on this noble journey to finding a cure for cancer. You can follow their progress and donate on the link below.
2011 Tour De Cure Donations
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Technology |
Good Projections
We all know the feeling. A large group of friends or work colleagues crowding around a tiny iPhone screen to catch some pointless but highly amusing video clip from the net. Well no more. For around 200 pounds ($320.00AUS) you get to turn those 3 inches into around 70 (bigger than the standard flat screen TV at home!). Introducing the MiLi iPhone Projector
. With a respectable integrated speaker system included it's almost like a mini pocket cinema! All you need is a blank wall. The focus is fully adjustable and it'll also charge your iPhone/iPod and Crackberry. Additionally, you connect other external video devices like an iPad, PC, Laptop, DVD player or VCR thanks to the AV in/out connection. This is a perfect tool for those on-the-spot presentations, the only downside that The Espresso
has encountered is the lack of battery power (only about an hour and a half) when not plugged into a power outlet and also, as with most projectors, you need a low level of light to get the full picture without glare. Still, with a sleek little remote and a sturdy stand this gadget has everybody thinking "at last somebody has thought of it". Bring on the next YouTube clip!
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Books/ Charity |
Knowledge is Power
Every 29 seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with cancer and, in an instant, they have to come to terms with a whole new future. To help make this adjustment just that little bit easier, here is a collection of real advice from real people who have all had first hand experience at the pointy end of cancer. What I Wish I Knew about Cancer
talks with survivors, pre-viviors, partners, husbands, wives, children, researchers, and medical professionals and asks them all, “If you could go back and give your younger self some advice about preventing, treating and/or outlasting cancer, what would it be?” It then goes on to describe their cancer journey, and how they came to their particular insights. The result is another inspirational What I Wish I Knew book full of the wisdom of hindsight that will help anyone facing this disease. It also has advice on how to better our chances of never hearing those fateful words, “I’m sorry, you have cancer.” What I Wish I Knew about Cancer has been produced to support Tour de Cure
, Australia’s leading cycling foundation. Tour de Cure has so far, raised over $4 million in cash contributions towards research, support and prevention of cancer in men, women and children. The authors are proud to donate all their royalties to curing this indiscriminate, stubborn and, let’s face it, bloody obnoxious disease.
Click here to purchase a copy and fight the cause!
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Wife Says No...But
We all know that all of us at The Espresso are huge fans of Apple's genius in product development, marketing and all round brand imaging. Last week we received a story in relation the release of the new iPad2 (released in Australia on the 25th of March).
[Apple's] focus this week has been to troubleshoot all the iPad 2s that customers are returning to the stores. One iPad came back with a post-it note on it that said "Wife said no." It was escalated as something funny, and two of the VPs got wind of it. They sent the guy an iPad 2 with a note on it that said "Apple said yes."
We're guessing a free iPad satisfied any objection the customer's wife might have had. Brilliant.
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Stickman RULES!
Let’s DO Well provides children with a resource for all the tricky questions they may have concerning cancer. Being such a scary word and not something that people talk about freely, children can sometimes become quite fearful when someone they love gets sick. Children are amazing at being able to process the truth and Stickman Rules! - Let’s DO Well
is about allowing them to have those difficult yet important conversations. Stickman’s very simple yet respectful explanations, takes Chloe and Freddie on a journey of self expression, courage and personal responsibility. The author, Terry Hawkins, remembers when her own father was diagnosed with lung cancer, it was almost taboo to talk about it. It was very confusing for herself and her family, especially when he lost a lot of weight and was required to stay in hospital for long periods of time. Let’s Do Well! is for all of us in learning how to express our grief and taking responsibility for our own wellness.
Click Here to Purchase StickMan Rules
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