Kids want and do get cellphones too, especially in affluent cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. But, you know, kids tend to displace their possessions easily and parents are hesistant about buying their children cellphones when they might just lose it the other day. So what to do? MYMO has come up with the idea of designing a cellphone which specially caters to kids only. Gizmodo reports:

The MYMO phone is a pretty fun idea for parents who want to provide their young children with the safety and convenience of a mobile, but don't want them making calls to just anyone. The MYMOs are locked down to just five numbers, all controlled by just three buttons. MYMO knows their market, and knows such limitations won't fly for most kids past the age of ten, but if you're in the UK and you want to get your kid wirelessed without giving them free run of the phone bill, the £60 phones look pretty sporty. There's even an integrated headset that doubles as a necklace, so your kid won't have to bother with carrying in in a bag (and losing it).

Read:
MYMO Phone for Kids [Gizmodo]
MYMO Shop Product Page
Cellphones offer way to track the kids [Boston.com]

It seems that if you can pack three elements, 1) multiple functions, 2) lightness, and 3) low prices into your gizmos and gadgets, you may be able to succeed in luring back-to-school shoppers to part with their money. Apparently, tablet personal computers that function as video cameras and digital music players are in hot demand by students who want a device that caters to their academic and entertainment needs. Reuters reports:

Tablet personal computers on which users can type or handwrite their notes, next-generation handhelds that double as video players and advanced camera phones are among the hottest sellers, analysts say. One of the highlights is Averatec Inc.'s C3500 convertible notebook, whose display swivels back on itself and can be used to take notes longhand. While such a product isn't new, the Averatec PC is a hit because of its comparatively low price, analysts said. It starts at $1,349.99 before a $50 mail-in rebate, according to the company's Web site. "I've been told consistently that that has been one of the hottest products," said analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies.

Another interesting trend brought up in the article: video instant messaging is increasingly catching on among youths now. Even Yahoo! and other media companies have rolled out video instant messaging.

Read: PluggedIn: Multifunction Devices Draw Back-To-School Crowd [Reuters via Yahoo! News]

Pure Digital Technologies has made the world's first truly disposable digital camera for nationwide sale. The Pure Digital camera, which costs $19.99, has a color preview screen and the ability to delete pictures. After you bring it in for processing, you will receive a free picture CD along with your prints. Unlike conventional digital cameras, the Pure Digital camera cannot be connected to a PC for transfering images. Instead, users have to camera stores to use the image processor unit to transfer pictures from the camera. In other words, users will have to keep coming back to the camera stores - and retailers love that!

Pure Digital Technologies is appealing to a very specific niche market that would love to take digital photographs without spending big bucks on digital cameras which typically cost hundred of dollars each. The company can potentially bring digital photography to the masses with this disposable digital camera which doesn't mess around with wires, memory cards or computers. Taking into account the rapid adoption of digital photography, this disposable camera might just bring in the money.

Read:
A Disposable Digital Camera Enters The Market At $19.99 [USA Today via Yahoo! News]
Digital Cameras Go Disposable [PCWorld.com]
Disposable Digital, One For The Bin? [BBC News]

An innovative form of advertising is slowly but surely making its way into our lives, or rather, our subways. In Boston, USA, subway riders will get to see an ad for a cruise line which slowly takes shape outside the windows of the city's trains while travelling toward downtown Boston.

This ad unit works like a frame-by-frame animation. In the case of the subway ad in Boston, 400 still images are placed on a 1,000-foot stretch of tunnel wall. The animation is timed such that passengers see 24 images per second with lights flashing on and off a passing train. The images are transformed into a mini-movie featuring several cruise-goers having fun aboard the cruise-line's ship.

This ad technology isn't really new too. It has made its debut three years ago in such cities as Atlanta, Budapest, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Advertisers and train operators benefit from these subway ads. As a new form of advertising which most people haven't seen anything like it before, it is certain to generate buzz. Moreover, it faces no competiting ads being shown simultaneously to riders along the subway tunnels. For train operators, it represents a new source of revenue.

Read:
Next stop, ad buzz [Boston.com]
Cruise Line Launches 'Underground Movie' in Boston [Adrants]

Thanks to the implementation of RFID technology, parents can have great fun with their children in Legoland without worrying about losing them in the vast park.

The Legoland amusement park in Denmark is implementing a new child-tracking system that combines radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and Wi-Fi technology which allows staff to be able to locate a child who got separated from the parents. How does this work? Basically, parents with SMS-enabled cell phones can rent wireless-enabled wristbands for their kids from the staff. This reveals the location of children should they become separated. There are many Wi-Fi access points and location receivers scattered throughout the amusement park to pick up Wi-Fi messages from the wristbands.

This is a smart move, really. At amusement parks, parents want to let their children have fun. Yet, at the same time, they're concerned about their safety. Implementing such a wireless tracking system can only alleviate their fears and make the park a great place for the family to enjoy themselves. This's a great strategy worth copying!

Read:
Legoland Tags Kids for Safety [CIO.com]
Legoland Builds Safety System for Kids [Network IT Week]
RFID Chips On Kids Makes Legoland Safer [Silicon.com]

19-year-old university student Keiko Groves started her Internet-based business, Postlapsaria, with just a weblog. The clothes designer markets her original clothing to teenagers around the world who are searching for fashion that cannot be found in local malls and boutiques through her Live Journal weblog.

Groves uses her weblog on Live Journal to market her clothing because her targeted customers (those who don't like the selection at local stores and prefer original, unique designs) are bloggers too; hence they are appreciative of what a weblog does. By mixing her blog entries about her business with other posts such as photographs illustrating her life and everyday happenings, she succeeded in engaging her target audience. Such an approach attracts people to keep coming back and buying from Grooves.

Who said that you need an world-class website like Amazon.com's to sell online? You can just do so with a blog!

Read: Blogger does more than blah blah [OrlandoSentinel.com]

In the first issue of our CoolBusinessIdeas Newsletter, we reported on Adwalker, an innovative advertising unit that shows ads on an LCD screen mounted on a wearable jacket. Now, that clever adverts-on-shirts concept has come to the US.

San Francisco-based Brand Marketers has launched Adver-Wear, an ad medium that is made up of an 11-inch flat screen mounted at chest level and four hidden speakers which deliver sound. An Adver-Wear TV-shirt weighs about 6.5 pounds and costs around $1,000 to make. Brand Marketers is sending models out in public with these Adver-Wear T-shirts, and their first assignment is to promote the Fox movie "I, Robot." at theaters and malls.

Apparently, younger generations are so used to moving images on TV that if an advert isn't a moving image, it doesn't leave an impression on them, said Adam Hollander creator of the Adver-Wear shirts. This concept seems to be effective because it doesn't pretend to be something other than advertising. You can expect shirts that deliver marketing messages to become common in the future because of rapid advancements in television and miniaturization technology. Who knows, maybe one day the whole shirt will be a screen!

Read:
Have You Seen What's On TV-shirt Today? [Los Angeles Time]
Hubcap Ads Put New Spin On Marketing [Yahoo! News]
Look At Those Walking Ads!

Nokia has recently introduced Nokia Lifeblog, an automated multimedia diary. Nokia Lifeblog is a PC and mobile phone software combination that effortlessly keeps a multimedia diary of the items users collect with their mobile phone. Lifeblog automatically organizes their photos, videos, text messages, and multimedia messages into a beautiful chronology they can easily browse, search, and save.

In a phone, the Nokia Lifeblog automatically keeps track of photos, videos, and messages so the user doesn't have to. With Lifeblog on the phone users can browse items and share them with others. Connect the phone to a PC via USB cable to transfer the phone items to Lifeblog on the PC.

In a PC, Nokia Lifeblog provides easy browsing and searching of the items collected with Lifeblog on the phone. The PC part also helps store multimedia items. With one-button synchronization, photos, videos, text and multimedia messages are transferred from the phone. That means no more losing something to make way for more space on the phone. Lifeblog helps users keep precious multimedia items on their PC.

As consumers become more affluent, they will move towards collecting and storing life experiences and memories. Already, the number of bloggers seeking to archive events in their lives has reached epic proportions on the Net. You can cash in on this new trend by perhaps developing applications which record and store the things consumers treasure most!

Read:
Log Your Life Via Your Phone [BBC News]
Mobile "Nokia Moments" [Fast Company]

The Internet can be used conveniently to find all sort of information; now it appears that you can use it to find a masseur in your city too.

FindAMasseur.com is a comprehensive global massage therapy and male bodyworkers directory serving the Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco areas and other main cities in the US. FAM has created a network of professional male massage therapists for potential clients as a referral directory for male bodywork. With so many choices and various techniques offered, potential clients can find a massage tailored just for them with discretion amongst the male massage service community simply by using the FAM service.

These individual masseurs are also listed by their locations and website users can tap the site's advanced search to find the most suitable masseur. Visitors and clients can also use features such as writing reviews and saving their personal favorite masseurs and cities after creating a free account.

Indeed, if you haven't been tapping the Internet for your business, you really ought to do so now, given the many advantages of the information superhighway.

That's what the makers of Quantum Sleepers promise you. A Quantum Sleeper is an one-of-its-kind innovation; more than just a plain bed, it is a high-level security system designed for maximum protection when resting in various hostile environments, such as during a terrorist attack, tornados, hurricanes, floods, etc.

Besides protection, the Quantum Sleeper also serves entertainment and communications purposes. It comes with options for a CD player, DVD Screen with PC hookup, microwave, refrigerator and other luxuries. In case you need to communicate with the outside world from within that sleeper unit, communication devices such as cellular phones and short-wave radios can be added to the system.

Perhaps you could start creating new applications and consumer goods by looking at how consumers' fears and insecurity can be alleviated? ;-)

What to do if you can't make it to France for Pope John Paul's pilgrimage to Lourdes this weekend? Thanks to a new French website, Croire.com, you can now say a prayer and light candles there -- without ever stepping out of your house!

The Croire website is offering to add prayers it receives by e-mail to the intentions to be prayed for during the annual Lourdes pilgrimage the pope will attend on Saturday and Sunday. For a five euro ($6.13) fee, it will light a candle at the grotto where Saint Bernadette Soubirous saw visions of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, in 1858.

This innovative prayer service had already brought in over 2,000 messages in several languages, some from as far away as India and Venezuela.

Read: Catholics E-Mail Prayers and Candles to Lourdes [Yahoo! News]

First it was games making an appearance on your mobiles. Then it was movies, followed by magazines, news and digital music. Now, novels are set to arrive on your mobile phones in the near future.

The copyright for China's first novel to be delivered by mobile phone text messaging, has been sold by a Beijing-based wireless business operator for 180,000 yuan ($20,500), Xinhua news agency reported.

The abbreviated, 4,200-character "Outside the Fortress Besieged" will be delivered in installments by SMS, WAP or IVR format, which can be read by short messaging system (SMS), on the Internet, or listened to on a mobile phone, Xinhua said. IVR stands for interactive voice response and WAP for wireless application protocol. "Outside the Fortress Besieged" is a short story that describes an extra-marital love affair.

So it wouldn't be long before you're paying for short novels to read on your mobile phone. Although it would be unlikely for consumers to pay for the entire text of full-length novels (like Harry Potter) to be delivered to their mobiles, this represents a new opportunity for mobile network operators and content providers alike to cash in by delivering short novels and literature to their customers.

Read:
Chinese try out text msg novel [BBC News]
Copyright for cell phone novel has been sold [Textually.org]

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of discount European airline easyJet, is ready to unveil a cut-rate mobile telephone service in Britain as soon as next week. The low-cost wireless voice and text-messaging service will be named easyMobile and it will be supported with the expertise of Danish operator TDC A/S, which will handle customer billing and network operations for easyMobile.

Mr Haji-Ioannou plans to reduce the mobile phone bills of UK consumers by as much as half by buying millions of minutes from network operators and reselling them cheaply.

Will this low-cost model work?

Well, somebody has done it before. Danish operator TDC owns Telmore which has signed up some 500,000 subscribers for telephone services at low, standardised rates in the past three years. Let's see whether Stelios Haji-Ioannou can pull it off with his easyMobile.

Read:
EasyJet founder to launch mobile phone service [Yahoo! News]
Strand Consult comment on EasyMobile's entry onto the MVNO market [Moremobile]
Low-cost, No-frills Budget Airline Cinema

Sometimes, it's a smart move to incorporate new features into existing consumer gadgets to suit consumers with special needs, like athletes.

Philips and Nike have introduced the MP3RUN, a digital audio player with the innovative speed & distance monitoring. This unique combination provides runners with music playback as well as on-demand audible feedback on their sport performance such as distance covered, running speed and elapsed time.

Worn on the arm, the MP3RUN features a speed and distance sensor (via Bluetooth technology) which when attached to the shoe, records time, distance and pace. This is automatically logged onto a website operated by Nike to track progress. An audible voice will state time, distance and pace through headphones with the press of a button. The MP3RUN can play MP3s in addition to the digital FM radio. And for those who like night running, the device boasts a strobe light for low light conditions.

Read:
Philips Press Release
The Ultimate MP3 Player for Athletes? Could Be [CNET Reviews]

(Be sure to also read this article about the future of consumer gadgets from PCWorld. Pretty inspiring!)

Apple's iPod has taken over the world and inspired many look-alike digital music players. Now, iPod's success looks set to be replicated in the mobile world, with T-Mobile's launch of Ear Phones. The 3G mobile phones enable T-Mobile's customers to store and play CD-quality digital music.

Just like Apple's digital music store iTunes, Mobile Jukebox (lauched together with the Ear Phones initiative) lets T-Mobile customers browse, download, store and play music in their phones. It's free to sample and pre-listen to a full catalogue of 'mobile mix tracks' from Ear Phones's label partners Universal Music and Sony Music.

It takes some two minutes on a 2.5G phone to download a mobile mix track from Mobile Jukebox. On 3G phones, it is around 30 seconds per mobile mix track. The cost per download track will be £1.50 / €1.50 - almost the same as what it costs to download digital music from your usual Internet line. The best thing is, you need not go buy a digital music player which can set you back by as much as a few hundreds dollars! With your Ear Phones, you can listen to your favourite music while on the go.

Ear Phones launches with 5 new handsets (mobile music downloads supported) at around £29.99 / €59.95 each for post-pay customers. By Christmas this year, there will be 12 handsets in the collection.

Looks like mobile phones will become as synonymous with music as they already are with voice!

Read: T-Mobile Press Release

There is a creative new way to help your favourite sports team when it hasn't won a major championship title for ages. For fans of the Red Sox baseball team in USA, it's to perform a ritual. 'Eat a dream, share a cookie, believe in Boston, and break the curse!'

Red Sox hasn't won the World Series since 1920. Luckily for Red Sox's fans, they could help their heroes thanks to the introduction of 'Break the Curse' cookies (from Boston's Dancing Deer Baking Co.) which use every possible means to help break the jinx: rituals, karma, positive thoughts, doing RNTs (Random Nice Things), whatever. Combined with the tasteful cookies, Red Sox's championship dreams might just come true!

Now you might be thinking, 'what has this got to do with me if I'm not a Red Sox fan?', but look at it this way: by incorporating humour and creativity in the packaging of your products, you can actually build brand loyalty in a fun and engaging way!

(Hmmn, this reminds us of an article in Issue #2 of our newsletter about Nestle's Cookie Crisp with its engaging character Chip the Panther. Check it out!)

Read:
Ice Cream, Ale And More Let Sox Fans Savor Success [BostonHerald.com]
Cookie Power [Iconoculture.com]
Bakery Bolsters Bosox With Blessed Batter [New York Post Online]

If you love Friendster for bringing you new friends, you would love WhoLivesNearYou as well. WhoLivesNearYou is a Singapore website which is based closely on the concept of Friendster-style online social networking, except that instead of getting to know new friends or find new dates, you can get to know your neighbours better through this hot new service.

In the WhoLivesNearYou website, users register for free with their postal codes to meet other members living in their area. They can see who lives in their block (high-rise buildings define the Singapore landscape), within a 15-minute walking radius, or anywhere in their neighbourhood. And, users can customise their personal profiles, search for other members according to interests or hobbies, or chat in a virtual forum with their neighbours.

This social networking site has become widly popular among teens in Singapore; most members are aged between 18 and 30. The current number of users stands at 50,000 and it's still rising exponentially. Although the website is ad-free now, the owners of WhoLivesNearYou (two undergraduates aged 21) said they plan to start selling advertising space to help pay for the site.

If this concept gets replicated around the world, you would have no excuses for not interacting with your neighbours! ;-)

If you missed playing the amazing classic arcade games in your youth, you could enjoy those countless hours of sheer fun and joy again with The Classic Arcade Machine from BoysStuff. Enjoy an amazing 118 arcade classics at home – with just one full-size arcade machine!

The Classic Arcade Machine features timeless favourites such as Space Invaders, Pacman, Defender and Bomber Man. The full range of 118 arcade games also includes Nintendo favourites such as Mario and Super Mario Bros, Wrecking Crew and Donkey Kong. There are also less-known yet equally enjoyable games such as Nuts and Milk, Jewellery and Horse Circus for you to try out.

To restore the nostalgic feeling of non-stop gaming which grown-ups may had in their youths, this professionally crafted retro cabinet machine features the real arcade buttons and joystick controls, giving you authenticity and reliability.

Here's the real lesson: just like what the Advert Channel has done with advertisements, the Classic Arcade Machine has turned arcade games into classic cultural icons which satisfy our longing for experiences and objects of the olden days in the face of our constantly-changing living environemnt. Another point to note: this concept of bringing arcade gaming into the home means that gamers need not step into a crowded and noisy amusement arcade again, as pointed out by Tech Digest.

Are you already thinking of marketing classic objects which can appeal to people's desire for returning to the good old days? We hope you are!

CoolBusinessIdeas Newsletter Issue 5 - August 1, 2004

New Business Ideas/Opportunities Featured In This Issue:

• Mixing Coffee With Music
On the new Starbucks menu: cappuccino, muffin, and jazz music! Starbucks has teamed up with their Hear Music brand to open a new innovative coffeehouse cum music listening bar.

• Convert Your Spare Cash into Starbucks Coffee
Are you wondering what to do with all those spare change in your piggybank? Well, with Coinstar's pilot program, you can turn them into coffee at the nearest Starbucks store!

• Take a Nap With Us!
USA-based MetroNaps provides mid-day rest facilities: a clean, comfortable place to take a nap. MetroNaps was born from the realization that many employees spend significant amounts of their day dozing at their desk or catching powernaps in odd places.

• Hail The World's First Advert Channel!
The world's first free-to-air channel devoted exclusively to ads will debut in September 2004, allowing UK viewers to tune in 24 hours a day to their favourite commercials, the brands ranging from Guinness and Nike.

• Star Trek Communication
The magic of Star Trek "com badges" has come to life! Wearing a Vocera badge, people can touch the slim device they wear on their uniforms, identify who they want to talk to and start talking immediately as they did on the TV show.

• Tellme More Please, Won't You?
Silicon Valley entrepreneur Mike McCue thinks that his company, Tellme Networks, can transform the cell phone into a powerful tool for sales and marketing with its proprietary technology.

• Keeping Fit While Flying
If you often use your road warrior lifestyle as an excuse to avoid working out, a couple of airlines may have a solution for you. Starting this month, Song, the new low-cost flyer from Delta (USA), will rollout its new in-flight workout program.

If you often use your road warrior lifestyle as an excuse to avoid working out, a couple of airlines may have a solution for you.

Starting this month, Song, the new low-cost flyer from Delta (USA), will rollout its new in-flight workout program. For US$8 passengers will get an elastic band, a squeezable ball and a how-to manual with a workout designed by fitness guru Dave Barton.

Song isn't the only airline aiming to keep you fit in flight. For the past several months Jet Blue has offered in-flight yoga, and more recently, Pilates (a workout program). What's more, experts say that regular physical activity, especially on long flights, can help prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Also known as "economy class syndrome," DVT is a blood clot in a vein that can result in heart attack and stroke. The DVT risk increases when a traveler is immobile for long periods of time, and since he or she may or may not show symptoms, prevention is key. That's why such in-flight workout programs are so popular!

Let's Get Down To Business...
It is a smart concept to introduce an additional service on top of already existing services. In the case of Song Airlines, they have married in-flight workout services to their usual flight services, knowing that exercise would be very appealing for their globe-trotting customers who hardly have time for physical workouts. Do help to alleviate consumers' concern for their health as well; incorporate such health-benefiting services in your business and you might just gain an edge over your competitors!

Related Ideas & Trends
Airlines Boosting In-flight Exercise [CNN]
Start-up Airline Has In-flight Workouts [Post-Gazette.com]

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Mike McCue thinks that his company, Tellme Networks, can transform the cell phone into a powerful tool for sales and marketing with its proprietary technology. Tellme uses a combination of Internet and voice-recognition technology to replace human operators and traditional automated attendants. Instead of requiring people to enter data by pushing numbers on the keypad, Tellme allows them to issue commands to a computer by speaking in their natural voices over the phone. And the digital attendant can speak back to the caller as well. This gives companies a more personal sound when customers call in or when they are telemarketing.

A number of Tellme customers already use the service for sales and marketing. Tellme's major customers include AT&T, AT&T Wireless, and Verizon Communications. Verizon uses the technology to run its directory assistance in nine states, and it's about to expand the use of Tellme nationwide.

Just how great is Tellme's technology? Verizon says the technology is a great marketing tool. If a caller asks for the number of a local restaurant or movie theater, Verizon can use Tellme technology to ask the caller if they want a map e-mailed to their cell phone. "It will help us serve our customers better," says Joel Horton, executive director of technology of Verizon Live Source, the telecom's directory-assistance business (Source: BusinessWeek).

Let's Get Down To Business...

Undeniably, this technology is a great marketing tool. It can help cut costs and increase the efficiency of a company. For example, companies can reduce the number of human operators if they were to choose to use this new telemarketing technology. Also, callers can simply tell an automated attendant what the tracking number of their package is. That's faster and easier than entering the data by pressing numbers on a keypad. This technology is definitely less troublesome for the customers and this might actually help companies in maintaining a loyal base of customers thanks to the good service. Needless to say, that personal touch will definitely attract customers!

The point to note is that we have to be on our toes and constantly think of ways on how to improve not only efficiency but also to retain that personal touch with customers. Only then can you win over their hearts. :-)

Related Ideas & Trends
A Telemarketer You Can Talk To [BusinessWeek]
Verizon's New 411 System: Is It a Live Operator, or Is It 'Darby'? [Via PR Newswire]
America, Get Ready for "Ringbacks" [BusinessWeek]

The magic of Star Trek "com badges" has come to life! Wearing a Vocera badge, people can touch the slim device they wear on their uniforms, identify who they want to talk to and start talking immediately as they did on the TV show.

The Vocera Communications Badge, made by Silicon Valley-based Vocera Communications, contains a digital signal processor chip and a Wi-Fi radio. The former handles all the voice processing and the latter transmits them to a computer network.

How then, does this communication system work? The badge is actually controlled using natural speech. To initiate a conversation with Jim, for example, the user would simply say, "Conference Jim." This triggers a powerful server-based application that matches the name spoken with a database entry. It then locates Jim on the network, activates their badges and initiates the conversation, which takes place using Voice-Over-Internet Protocol or VOIP. In addition, when a live conversation is unnecessary, text messages and alerts can be sent to the LCD screen on the back of the Vocera Communications Badge (Source: Forbes).

Hospitals and medical centers are big fans of the Vocera Communications System. It reduces some of the chaos and streamlines communication in such facilities. Healthcare workers spend an enormous amount of time trying to page, call or e-mail each other for very simple but often critical communications. This communicator significantly reduces the amount of time the doctors spend trying to get things done. And that means more lives can be saved!

Let's Get Down To Business...

Communications systems and devices should be designed to increase business productivity, teamwork, and customer service levels. A system that enables efficient, instant voice conversations among team members, across groups, and throughout an organization of mobile professionals is highly valued. Efficiency is a very powerful tool in helping any business organization cut its costs. Bear that in mind!

Related Ideas & Trends
Vocera Communications Product Page
Your Trekkie Communicator Is Ready [Forbes]
Hands-free, voice-activated communication system being tested at UC Davis Medical Center [UCDavis Update]
Eat It Ripe and Right

Can you imagine watching a TV channel that shows nothing but advertisements after advertisements? Having to bear with advertisements that interrupt your favourite TV shows is bad enough; why would anyone want to watch Advert Channel, UK's first TV channel dedicated to showing nothing but ads?

The world's first free-to-air channel devoted exclusively to ads will debut in September 2004, allowing UK viewers to tune in 24 hours a day to their favourite commercials, the brands ranging from Guinness and Nike.

Advert Channel promises more than endless hours of TV ads; other programmes include Ad Chat, where presenters will chat live about the top TV adverts; Advert Focus, looking at ads making the news; Adverts for You, featuring the adverts that make you laugh, cry and those that are controversial; and Adverts Today, a behind-the-scenes look at how top adverts are made. Themed shows will focus on commercials of a certain era and segments, such as ads from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's, late night adverts, sports and celebrity adverts (Source: TheAdvertChannel.tv).

The channel expects to earn its money by charging viewers to participate in phone polls and to download ads on to their mobile phones. It will also have nine minutes of paid advertising an hour.

Let's Get Down To Business...
Advertisements are known to be marketing strategies, persuading viewers to purchase a certain product or to create brand loyalty with consumers. The Advert Channel has, however, reinvented adverts as a form of entertainment and culture from an artistic and creative aspect. CoolBusinessIdeas.com believes that this concept of repackaging things into cultural icons can be applied to many other areas: games, photos, ringtones, and so on.

And not to forget: focusing on a specific niche such as classic ads can attract a close knitted community of passionate consumers with the same interest. Such destinations will be able to offer razor-sharp targeting to external advertisers! And the results reaped would definitely be overwhelming.

Related Ideas & Trends
After the Break ... Another Break: a New Channel for Advertisement Lovers [Independent News]
First TV Advert Channel Planned [BBC]
Soap Confidential: Unfolding the Drama

Doesn't this sound familiar? "Most of us have experienced one of those sluggish work days where all you want to do is crawl under your desk for a power nap. With so many people feeling over-scheduled and stressed out these days, consumers tell us there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for sleep." (Source: Metronaps.com)

Well, do not underestimate this seemingly insignificant fact that has been taken for granted as a necessary sacrifice for career success; the all-new concept of making money by allowing busy business professionals to take a POWER nap in the afternoon is based on it! USA-based MetroNaps provides mid-day rest facilities: a clean, comfortable place to take a nap. MetroNaps was born from the realization that many employees spend significant amounts of their day dozing at their desk or catching powernaps in odd places.

Founded in 2003 and researched and tested at Carnegie Mellon University, MetroNaps has developed a process and facilities to help maximize the rejuvenating effects of a brief rest. Combined, the MetroNaps Method and the MetroNaps Pod (no, not the Apple iPod) provide customers with the quick recharge needed so they can do more with their day, both professionally and personally. MetroNaps opened its first location in the Empire State Building in May 2004 (Source: TrendCentral.com).

Let's Get Down To Business...
Indeed, the concept of "sleep for sale" is an interesting one. It really is a novelty and the idea might just become a booming success. Besides the aesthetic appeal of the product (with its sleek cool design), the concept of allowing people to have a good powernap in the afternoon will also appeal to many. This is especially so for executives who are always on the go. The MetroNaps Method is designed to let you recharge in just 20 minutes. You'll feel refreshed without feeling groggy. The amazing thing of this whole concept is that it takes less than 25 minutes. It is not time-consuming but is able to make you feel recharged, refreshed and energized - exactly what worn-out execs need!

Related Ideas & Trends
Turning Sleep Into Profit [Trendcentral]
High-tech ZZZZZ's [Salon.com]
Siesta And The City [Gothamist.com]

Are you wondering what to do with all those spare change in your piggybank? Well, with Coinstar's pilot program, you can turn them into coffee at the nearest Starbucks store!

USA-based Coinstar offers coin counting, prepaid products, payroll services and more through its national network of self-service kiosks. In its latest move to attract customers and increase revenue, Coinstar is adding Starbucks' cards to its range of services. When converting coins at the kiosks, consumers can opt to top up their Starbucks Card instead of receiving cash (Source: The Seattle Times). With the spare change converted and transferred into your Starbucks card, you can now enjoy a nice cup of cappuccino at Starbucks - from all that spare change! :-)

Let's Get Down To Business...
This is a creative way to encourage consumers to spend that extra sum of money which would otherwise not be spent. Consumers want a practical station that provides a hassle-free user experience that saves time, money and simplifies their life. Besides Starbucks cards, prepaid wireless, cash cards, ring tones and many other such services can be easily sold through such a station. Imagine consumers buying your services with their spare change every time they go shopping! And do not underestimate the sum of money, as all that spare change could actually amount to quite a significant sum that will contribute towards your revenue.

Related Ideas & Trends
Turn your Spare Change into Coffee [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Coinstar to Turn Change into Coffee [The Seattle Times]
Coinstar Document
Micro-purchasing

On the new Starbucks menu: cappuccino, muffin, and jazz music!

Starbucks has teamed up with their Hear Music brand to open a new innovative coffeehouse cum music listening bar. The newly opened Hear Music Coffeehouse in Santa Monica, USA, is a revolutionary record store where Starbucks customers can enjoy their favorite Starbucks beverages while creating their own custom-made CD compilation in just a few minutes. The price: at JUST $6.95 for five songs and $1 for each additional tune!

In the coffeehouse, customers can relax to overhead music and live performances, or read and listen to exclusive artist interviews. The CD burning service allows customers to burn full-length albums and personalized compilations from a comprehensive digital library of over 250,000 tracks. The listening bar has 70 interactive Tablet PC-based listening stations powered by HP and over 10,000 CDs available from artists dating back to the 1990s. The diversity is also great! From Yo-Yo Ma to the Rolling Stones, one can find them all.

The Hear Music Coffeehouse plans to bring music into people's lives by helping them discover great music from young emerging artistes, as well as those artistes outside of mainstream (Source: Starbucks press release).

Let's Get Down To Business...
The Starbucks brand is defined by innovation in products and services that preserves and enhances the coffehouse experience such as the exclusive music compilations, the Starbucks Card and Wi-Fi access. If you're in the F&B industry, you should look out for innovations that can transform the way your customers enjoy their dining experience. Not only should you strive to serve great food and drinks, but you should also try to keep a nice ambience of your store and create a unique service that sets you apart from close competitors.

Also, digital music is projected to grow from $256 million in downloads this year to $2.1 billion in 2007 (Source: Forrester Research). Already, music distribution is undergoing a major transformation, giving rise to new opportunities to explore ways in which industries can enrich the experiences of their customers by taking advantage of the potential of digital music. Do take note of that!

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