GAME CHANGERS

When we think of #sustainability, we often think of plastic, emissions and such elements, but it never strikes us that a simple thing as a tennis ball could be playing havoc with the planet. Every year, 300 million tennis balls are produced and hardly any of that gets recycled. 

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. being the sponsor of The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament wanted to do something about it as they believe in the circular economy.

They recycled tennis balls and came up with completely new products, including a playground. This took the tennis world by surprise and got them great earned media. You can read all about it in the link below, and also see the case study video that made them the winner at The Drum Experience Awards 2019. 

                                          ABN Amro turns tennis balls into playground

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STAR WARS

On 20th Dec, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker will have its premiere, and to build up the excitement for that, the team behind it is coming up with various marketing ideas across different countries.

In Philippines, the team has launched a beautiful ad film, which shows two young kids going to crazy lengths, working on a mysterious project to create something magical.

The film has been made by Wunderman Thompson Philippines and the beauty of the film is in it finer points:

1. You do not need to know the language to understand the ad. The message can be understood by everyone.

2. The entire film keeps you intrigued, really showing the power of storytelling. 

3. The end is surprising and makes you smile.

Enjoy this gem of an ad.

EDIBLE COFFEE CUPS

Every year, millions of plastic cups are used across airlines and then dumped into the growing pile of plastic that lies in the world.

New Zealand airline Air NZ knew that they had to do something about it, as they serve 8 million cups of coffee on their planes annually. 

So, they have just introduced edible coffee cups in their lounges and all their flights as a test. Made in partnership with the NZ company Twiice, these plant-based edible cups are vanilla flavoured and can withstand the heat from the coffee without melting. 

Some time back, they had already started serving #coffee in biodegradable cups, but this is definitely a step further. Having edible cups on board will also reduce the weight that they carry and further help in reducing the greenhouse gas that planes release. It is a great step forward towards a #sustainable planet.

2020 ROGER FEDERER COIN

If you are a tennis fan, enthusiast or aficionado, then chances are that you love Roger Federer or admire his achievements. 

He is often hailed as G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) because of his consistency, longevity, passion, humility and hunger for more. With 103 tour-level titles, including 20 Grand Slams to his name, it is hard to debate that at all. 

The Swiss Government tends to agree too. In honor of his achievements, they have done something unusual. 

It is for the first time in history that a living person will be immortalized on a Swiss coin: Roger Federer! 

Swissmint, the official mint of the Swiss government, will be producing a special silver coin bearing Roger Federer's name and face. The heads side of the coin shows #Federer playing a one-handed backhand.

The denomination of this coin will be 20 CHF =~20 USD. It is a limited edition and a total of 55,000 such coins will be released. 

The coin went on sale from Dec 2nd. As soon as Federer posted the link himself, the website got 2.5 million hits and crashed a few times. 

In May 2020, the Swiss mint will be releasing a Roger Federer gold coin with a 50-franc denomination as well. 

Now if that does not define #success and #legacy in capital letters, then what does?

CHANGE

When organisations want to bring in #change, it is extremely important that they plan properly and consider all five elements that matter and bring them all together. 

These five elements are: Vision, Skills, Incentives, Resources, and Action Plan.

Even if one of the element goes missing, it will not ensure a smooth transition and create more hurdles in reaching the final outcome.

OPEN 24 HOURS

Simple, effective and creative. The print campaign by McDonald's in Uruguay is brilliant. 

With the upside down text, the reader will turn the page around and as soon as she does that, she will notice that the time reads right on both sides, even though the time itself is different. The message is extremely clear. 

Conceptualized by TBWA\Worldwide, this is yet another example of a lesson in #communication - Do not try too hard. Keep it simple.

GREEN TEA IN A GUMMY

If you are in a rush and have no time to wait for that warm cup of green tea, but still want to enjoy the benefits, then the answer is here. 

Three New York entrepreneurs have come together and launched gluten-free gummies that come infused with #Matcha, giving you the fix of a green tea in a quick and convenient way. This is a good combination of functionality and fun. 

Currently available in a few select retail channels in USA (online and offline), the product will be scaled up, depending on the response. 

Matcha in a solid format is not something new. Chocolate brand KITKAT has been selling KITKAT Matcha for a few years now in the markets of Japan and Malaysia, and earlier this year, they had also done a Green Tea Matcha launch in Europe. There are other chocolate players also that have been selling a green tea flavour in their portfolio. 

With the acceptance of #greentea and matcha becoming more mainstream worldwide, we will continue to see it evolve into multiple products across different markets. The launch of these gummies is one more indication of that trend. 

What is your preference? A green tea in its pure form or green tea in a product format like this?

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Pic courtesy: Matcha Bears

DIGITAL ADDICTION: YOU DON'T KNOW IT

Have you ever been in a restaurant or a tourist spot or a public transport and seen most heads down, looking into their #mobiles or other #digital devices, even when people have company?

As long as you are conscious about it and it does not affect your conversations and relationships, it is fine. However, when mobile phone engagement overpowers the real and true engagement and you start neglecting your relationships, there is a problem there.

Delete Institute, an NGO in Brazil, dedicated to guiding and informing society about the conscious use of technologies through training, consulting and support has launched a fantastic print campaign that uses extremely powerful visuals and shows people in different situations, busy in their phones. 

The beauty of the campaign is that each of this black and white picture shows a typical scenario, but the digital device has been removed from the picture. 

Each picture ends with a powerful line Digital addiction. Only you can’t see it. Delete conscious use of technology.