The speculations about the new Apple device came to an end when Steve Jobs finally showcased the iPad on January 27. Some pundits were overenthusiastic about it, others disappointed. The fact in itself that people are talking so much about something that they barely have seen and probably not yet touched is significant.
Personally I love my iPod Touch, but I use my Blackberry for email and reading RSS feeds on-the-go: I can rely on a better battery life and have not got used at typing on the iPod’s touchscreen. However, recently I finished to read Open by Andre Agassi through the Kindle application on my iPod and it was a very pleasant experience. I also worked on a few applications to distribute travel guides on the internet (i.e. Monaco) and I would not think about doing it for a Blackberry. I believe that the iPad will consolidate the ongoing trend that tablets, netbooks and smarphones will be the favorite access points to digital content. Still not sure how much of an impact it will have on consumers and travelers in general. Troy Thomson at Travel 2.0 has an interesting take on it. I am sure that once the device is in our hands will find favorite ways to use it and developers will implement new ideas to make it more powerful than what it looks now.
At the conference, I was somewhat surprised with the optimism shown by most hoteliers. While economists and finance people see a full recovery in 2011, they affirm that we are already seeing some good signs of recovery and banks are starting lending again.
Another point that struck me – perhaps because I deal with the luxury travel market – was that most upscale CEOs have decried rate reductions. Nowadays, most properties are discounting like crazy, cutting personnel and increasing staff productivity by cross-training their employees. Corporate clients are in a position to negotiate rates and ask for more perks. However, lowering rates does not always work to boost demand and drives revenues down.
An interesting article about this can be fount at BTNonline.com.
The Swiss Tourism Board posted a video announcing that it was seeking volunteers to join the Association of Mountain Cleaners. The video claimed, “The Association of Mountain Cleaners… makes sure that our holiday guests can always enjoy perfect mountains. Using brooms, brushes, water and muscle power, they clean the rocks of any bird droppings.”
At the end of the video, visitors to myswitzerland.com were invited to take a mountain cleaner aptitude test and submit their name for a chance to win a week’s holiday in Switzerland.
They got tons of media coverage around the world. No kidding. Simply smart!
Execution: For the second year in a row, Pilsner Urquell rewarded the bartenders around the globe that set the benchmark in their profession and pride in Pilsner Urquell. Fifteen bartenders selected among the best in their own country met in New York on October 13 and 14 to compete for the International Master Bartender Awards 2007. The countries represented were: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, South Africa and United Kingdom. The event coincided with the 5th Annual Lucie Awards, sponsored by Pilsner Urquell to celebrate excellence in photography, at the Lincoln Center on October 15.
Description: The competition was held at the trendy Tribeca Grand Hotel. The bartenders had to take a written test in the morning. The interviews with the judging panel followed after lunch. The bartenders showed off their pouring abilities in the evening.
What We Like: Most of the bartenders were escorted by their country’s Pilsner brand manager. The bartender becomes a real ambassador of the brand after this experience and so the brand manager. This initiative already inspired lots of publicity in each bartender’s country. For instance, the Italian competitor Marco Castellani and his business partner were happy just for being part of this event since their bar “Il Fondo” opened a little over a year ago. The combination with the Annual Lucie Awards at the Lincoln Center creates an aura of good will around the brand that even not-beer drinkers enjoy!
What We Don’t: Being only at its second year, the competition can grow and improve. Fifteen countries do not represent the global beer market.
Conclusions: the International Bartender Awards is a clever marketing and branding tool. The juxtaposition with the Annual Lucie Awards is an advantage. However, the reach of the event is still limited and constrained just to a few.
Brand: Pilsner Urquell
