Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s pick of new product, packaging and design launches this week:
- iGlass is a new product that turns shop windows into touchscreens;
- More luxury festive season gifts for your favourite clients (and media);
- Sweet window branding for Marc Jacobs’ new launch; and
- A report back on KFC’s Hope campaign.
Window shopping
Shop windows have just become interactive touchscreens too, with the launch of iGlass in South Africa by NXT\ digital company.
iGlass creates interactive sales displays, turning a standard storefront window into a touchscreen where consumers can buy products, get quotes, browse catalogues or brochures, and view and be alerted to product information.
This innovative retail technology is targeted at retailers and landlords of properties with high foot-traffic rates who want to draw more passing trade, but are facing traditional constraints in the retail space. These include limited shopping hours, limited floor space for displays, and increased rental space costs.
The value to retailers includes being able to promote their businesses at events and trade shows, in shop fronts, or as part of ‘lobby displays’.
The window-display technology works with adhesive rear projection film. Images, video and dynamic media content are projected onto the storefront window — or mobile display, turning it into a TV screen. Music and sound effects are also possible add-ons.
It can be tailor-made to specific retailer needs, catering for different glass or surface dimensions. The projectors can accommodate small surfaces to large buildings.
Because of the unique gestures available on iGlass, it can also be used to play games designed by the retailer, to take part in competitions and to share company information socially on multiple platforms, including social media.
iGlass comes with a reporting solution and is a measurable technology.
NXT\’s Wayne Levine says, because iGlass is first and foremost a visual medium, retailers it has presented it to have quickly understood its potential to capture consumers’ attention. “It’s a solution with unlimited creative potential that really captures the imagination of everyone who sees it.”
See iGlass in action: www.facebook.com/NXTDigitalInnovation.
Singing the blues
Now here’s an exclusive festive-season gifting idea that’s luxury personified: Johnnie Walker Blue Label has partnered with iconic designer Alfred Dunhill to create a limited edition collection, aptly promoting the rarity and flavor of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.
The result is a collection of exclusive gifts inspired by the pioneering spirit of John Walker and Alfred Dunhill. The Limited Edition Giftpack features a 750ml designed bottle with its interior evoking the contours of a map, bringing the two iconic brands’ shared journey to life. The bottle’s exterior seamlessly marries the Johnnie Walker Blue Label signature-blue colour packaging with Dunhill’s signature ‘Chassis’ design and gunmetal finish made famous in its leather goods.
The Limited Edition Giftpack is available for purchase from Makro and Norman Goodfellows stores nationwide and the recommended retail price is R2199 per giftpack.
Additionally, the collection includes a Travel Retail Exclusive Giftpack; and a Limited Edition Travellers’ Trunk, valued at R80 000. Only 500 bespoke pieces of the Limited Edition Travellers’ Trunk have been produced globally.
Exclusive much?
Honey, honey
Honey is a new fragrance brand from international fashion and fragrance house, Marc Jacobs. Primedia Unlimited’s Fashion Media business, which specialises in in-store advertising and window displays, was commissioned to launch Honey, aimed at women.
“The brand is utilising a multitude of our media platforms inside Edgars and Red Square stores including vibrant window displays for a period of two weeks,” says Fashion Media CEO Sean Reed.
“By advertising on prominent window displays, customers who are in the market for a new fragrance are firstly made aware of the product and, secondly, are enticed to enter the store to try it out.”
Honey by Marc Jacobs is described as being ‘sunny, delicious and floral’, with the freshness of green pear and a bright splash of fruity punch and juicy mandarin.
Hope for the hungry
Here’s an update on KFC’s Add Hope campaign: it has raised R210 million in five years to feed hungry children, after a total of R3.7 million was raised by KFC customers during this October, World Hunger Month. This amount is part of the annual total of R23 million donated by KFC customers.
KFC franchisees also contribute to Add Hope, with this year’s contribution totaling R23 million, which will be added to the customer donations, reaching a cumulative total of R46 million for 2013.
Through the Add Hope initiative, KFC seeks to use the role of its brand in SA to make a real and meaningful difference to hunger relief in the country, using its store network of over 700 stores to raise funds every day of the year to help feed hungry children.
The 2013 KFC Add Hope campaign, which began on 1 October and ended on 9 November, saw the KFC brand give up its iconic Colonel logo at 104 of its stores and replaced it with the smiling faces of children who represent those who benefit from Add Hope funding throughout the year.
Customers ‘Add Hope’ to their KFC bills through a R2 donation.
Shelf Life by Louise Marsland is a weekly column on MarkLives. Tweet new product, packaging and design launches to @louise_marsland or email her at louise.marsland at gmail.com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Louise has written about the FMCG, media, marketing and advertising industry for 18 years of her 25-year media career as a former editor of magazines AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Progressive Retailing, as well as websites Bizcommunity.com and FMCGFiles. She currently edits the weekly Wednesday Media & Marketing Page for The New Age newspaper; and is the co-founder and publishing editor of South Africa’s industry trendwatching portal, TREND. at www.trendlives.info, in partnership with MarkLives.com.