Paper Holds Water at Milan Expo 2015

Eco-friendly design is Andrea Ponti's answer to a very contingent issue: what to do with the thousands of plastic bottles that will be used every day in Milan Expo 2015. The idea is to conceive the whole water problem differently: to use the Life (this is the name of the container) as a refillable solution with water fountains around the global exposition to meet visitors' daily demand.

Crafted in natural cotton and a recycled paper layer, it does not use any chemical ink or adhesives, truly becoming a one-day-use bottle. Eco-green strap to carry along, relevant printed information and there you go: paper holds water.

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Take a Break, Live Your Roof

Have you ever walked on your roof, for the very pleasure of doing so? Have you ever dreamed of living up there when you were a kid?

The Living Roof appears to be made exactly for that purpose: it is a refuge to recover, plan excursions into the city, or simply stare into the stars.

Clean, minimal interiors allow for concentration and thought, but the real wonders are eco-friendly. Based on the assumption that the contemporary citizen seeks mobility, but does not want to drain the environment, NAU designed Living Roof. Astonishingly, this small housing unit produces more energy than it consumes.

All the functions of daily life are condensed in a compact and self-sustaining capsule (it measures only 8.5 metres), which is ready to be airlifted from your rooftop. The beautiful twist of the windows gives you the chance to see both the sky or the street below. Real life or sci-fi, it is worth dreaming of.

Read more and be fascinated.

Images © NAU

Social media campaign improves visibility for OKI C300/C500

The Think Tank was asked to extend a pan-European OKI product launch campaign in the UK marketplace using social media channels to widen reach and promote the product in a non-traditional manner.

The creative campaign that was developed for the launch of the OKI C300 and C500 series of printers featured the products as real 'stars' on the covers of leading publications. A fanzine style micro site was developed to act as a focal point for the campaign and this included a blog which was used to deliver content for the social media element of promotion in the UK. The regular addition of content to this blog was communicated via Twitter over a six month period, with additional content being added to Flickr and YouTube to provide additional links back to the micro site. 

The campaign resulted in almost 12,000 views of content over the period and engaged a wide range of sector specific individuals, with Twitter followers reaching more than 1,300.

The Demographics of Social Media

Did you know that 86.5% of the people who like cats on Facebook are Women? An interesting fact, but have a look at the demographics pulled together in this table. We are often debating on the value Social Media and on their role in a company's life. It was quite time that we shared some stats.

Be it that you are looking at the ever growing 35-54 demographics or that you are considering Twitter's penetration (less than 10%), how should this affect your Social Marketing?

Read more on Advertising Age.

Top Five Building Product Brands Chosen by Architects

A new survey of UK architects lists Kingspan, Trespa, Velux, Schüco and Otis as the "strongest brands in building materials."

In the Q1 2011 research from the European Architectural Barometer, which is a quarterly study of attitudes of 1200 architects across Europe, architects were asked which brands they perceived as "strongest" in building materials such as bricks, concrete, mortar, insulation, facade and cladding material, aluminium systems, construction floors and roofing material. The top five firms for the UK were Kingspan (with 40% of responses), Trespa (15%), VELUX (8%), Schüco (7%) and Otis (6%).  

Read more on Building Products

Dispelling the myths of Social Media

Marketing through Social Media channels has become a commonly discussed subject in recent years. It is a topic that The Think Tank is regularly asked to explain, clarify and recommend how it can be used to expand and supplement traditional forms of B2B marketing. The topic itself is quite complex, however Social Media can be used effectively to supplement a wide range of marketing activities including Brand Development, Media Relations, Direct Marketing, Promotions and Advertising.

Social Media is being used extensively within the B2C marketing environment however it has only really starting to take hold in business to business marketing recently with many organisations struggling to find justification for engagement. It is essential to ensure that this marketing channel is used to meet specific objectives, expand current marketing activities and not try and replace them.

Social Media campaigns should be developed to ensure relevance to each organisation's marketing objectives, however for those investigating whether they should engage or not Liam Bateman, Director, The Think Tank, dispells a few myths of Social Media that you may wish to consider:

1. We need to use every Social Media channel that we can find. 

2. Social Marketing is free!

3. If we set up profiles people will follow us

4. Social Media is just for chatting with friends   

Click here to view the full article  'Dispelling the Myths of Social Media'

Amphibious 1000: Qatar's Luxury Semi-Submerged Hotel

The name is revealing: Amphibious 1000 is Qatar's first semi-submerged hotel designed by the Giancarlo Zema Design Group. Like a big aquatic animal plunging into the sea, the project encompasses a land section and a sea section: the facilities follow a semi-circle around a central tower (a restaurant with dazzling panoramic views).

"Jelly fishes" are the 80 floating suites. They boast incredible underwater views of the surrounding artificial reef, bringing the experience of a luxury resort to a totally new level. Another truly amazing structure!

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Image © Giancarlo Zema Design Group