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Monte Design Introduces Grano ~ Style Plus Gliding *and* Reclining!

They're well known for their gorgeous group of rockers and chairs designed for stylish families - and now our client Monte Designs is introducing what's sure to be another big star in their collection. 

The Grano is Monte Designs first chair that both glides and reclines.  Set to hit stores in early December, Grano will offered in a variety of colors including white, stone, brown, orange, green, and gray.

A remarkably comfortable chair, the Grano has all the features of a recliner, without the bulk that you might typically find with some models.  Perfect for the nursery, the Grano will be a wonderful addition to family and TV rooms as well.  Starts at $1195.

Monte Design's Low Rider in Tot Trends Weekly

 

One of the freshest baby magazines is surely Tot Trends Weekly.  The site consistently features of-the-moment information and great well edited products.  So we were really thrilled that they chose our client Monte Designs fabulousLow Rider Chair to feature in their Room to Grow column this week. 

Of the chair they write, "The low-rider glider and ottoman from Monte Designs is no ordinary glider combination! Sleek lines and a clean design allow these pieces to blend into any contemporary floor plan. Available in 9 attractive colors!"

Monte Design Gets Hearts From Growing Your Baby

Our client Monte Design, the creator of very cool furniture for kids and nursery, was featured on the fabulous blog Growing Your Baby today.  They took a shine to the company's newest offerings, the Alto and Luca Chairs, which I love too.  Check out the post here>>

Links | Now On Our Other Blogs

Now on our other blogs, these scintillating stories that I know you won't want to miss!

On Bloomacious: 

Bebe's New Fall Ad Campaign is inspired by The Tudors

Chrisitian Siriano Rolls Out a New Collection (of color!) with Victoria's Secret

The US v. John Lennon ~  a VH1 Documentary you'll want to see

Basking in the Dog Days of Summer ~ some end of Summer ideas to max out the fun!

on Bloomacious Digs:

Monte Design has a very cool glider for the nursery ~ rockers have never been this cool.

on Bloomacious Cafe:

Member Pooja Renee Motl discusses the new film, Julia & Julia

and offers a recipe for Heirloom Tomato Salad that looks just scrumptious!

Social Media Marketing ~ How To Infuriate Your Fans & Friends on Facebook pt. 1

About a year ago if I mentioned the concept of harnessing the power of Facebook and Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, ect as a realistic strategy for marketing a brand, I would generally get a very long "hmmmmmm ....." followed by a very pregnant pause from many of the people I talked to.   A massive question mark would float over their heads as, more often than not, they just couldn't grasp the concept. 

Magically within the past six months however all that's changed with virtually every person I've ever known jumping on (at least) the Facebook bandwagon.  Unfortunately, rather than adopting the evolving norms of social media into the platform, which BTW are based on (1) actual human contact (2) original and interesting ideas (3) reciprocation ~ most Facebook newbies have attached dusty old marketing ideas to their shiny "new media" programs.  

As a result Facebook in particular is being used in some very annoying ways.  I thought I'd start tracking the most insidious behaviors and note them down here (mostly as a venue for venting my angst about the situation)....if you want to annoy on Facebook, here are some ideas:

1)  Businesses who want to really tick off their Facebook fans should be sure to send incessant group emails announcing minor sales, bland product announcements, and other information that is of interest only to their internal sales staff.  As a blogger, I'm used to getting press releases from other PR firms emailed rapid fire via specific email accounts, as such I really have little patience for this type of information sent to my Facebook in-box ~ and I'll lay you odds that I'm not in the minority here.  Even the most casual Facebook user is most likely not interested in being spammed about your 5% off sale once a day - if they are they'll visit your page to see it.  Facebook by definition is a "FACEBOOK" ie: people attached to faces, and personalized messages should only be sent this way. 

2) Keep requesting your friends "fan", join a group, or attend an event 0ver and over and over - even though they've probably repeatedly chosen to ignore your previous attempts for a reason.   Once is more than enough.

3)  Repeatedly poke, send game requests, gift requests, and all manner of the embeddable widget nature to people you've never had any sort of correspondence with and to whom you're a complete stranger - they love that.

4) Post only the dullest and most narrowly defined product photos and information about your company on your Facebook page so that instead of a lively interactive forum with an array of accessible ideas and information, it resembles a yellow page ad.

5) Never correspond with your fans or friends when they post info of their own (you know - the stuff that comes through on your homepage news-feed from them) ~ we know you're the only one that matters!  And when they comment on your posts or go so far as to post items to your page or wall, be sure to ignore them.  People love being treated solely as "consumers" and not individuals - isn't that what "social" means?  Oh it doesn't??  It means engaging and talking??  Whoa ....

Oh....there will be more .... stay tuned.   Yes, the Medium is the Message, but only if you know how to use it.  Otherwise it's just another cyber-armload of junk-mail to toss in the trash unopened.

Bloggers Beware ~ The FTC is Watching.

 
In an announcement that will surely send a ripple of terror through the mom and beauty blogging business in particular, the Federal Trade Commission has accounced it will soon be cracking down on blogs that offer "reviews" in exchange for free merchandise, as well as those that make affiliate commissions without revealing the arrangement.

Troubled by what seems to be a lack of journalistic ethics, the FTC cites the practice that many bloggers employ in which free merchandise is exchanged for positive reviews. 

"If you walk into a department store, you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk," Rich Cleland, assistant director in the FTC's division of advertising practices told the Associated Press recently. "Online, if you think that somebody is providing you with independent advice and ... they have an economic motive for what they're saying, that's information a consumer should know."

"Journalists who work for newspapers and broadcasters are held accountable by their employers, and they generally cannot receive payments from marketers and must return free products after they finish reviewing them," the AP article continues...

"If the guidelines are approved, bloggers would have to back up claims and disclose if they're being compensated — the FTC doesn't currently plan to specify how. The FTC could order violators to stop and pay restitution to customers, and it could ask the Justice Department to sue for civil penalties."

The situation does remind of the Napster flap up a few years back and I predict that a few specific violators may find themselves being held up as unfortunate examples.

Read more about it here>>

Food PR | Appleton Estate's Drink Generator

 
I thought this online drink generator from Appleton Estate was pretty nifty when I saw it this morning.  I was cruising the site after Forbes emailed me with a recipe for a Royal Apertif which is a blend of Appleton's Rum, syrup, lemon juice, and champagne.  It looked good but I was hoping for a larger picture - and then I found the impressive drink generator - sort of a fun mood ring for partiers. 

 

Basically you click on the site, and then pull levers in answer to questions like: 1) How are you feeling right now?  2) What are your plans for the evening? 3) what smells and tastes attract you? 4) How would someone describe you? 5) How do you deal with a rainy day?  and so on ... my answer the first time was the Planter's Punch shown above, which does indeed look like something I would enjoy. 

The Appleton Estate Drink Generator is an interesting, unilaterally accessible version of the personalized cocktail creation service from Liquid Relations that I wrote about a couple weeks back.  It gets consumers involved with the brand in a way that informs them about choices and asks questions in a conversational manner.

This is a great concept for cocktails, but it could also successfully be applied to a range of consumer goods, such as customized fragrances, salad dressings, candles, room fragrances, floral arrangements, china patterns, art work, cake flavors, ect. ect...!  Great concept!

Technology Trendcaster | Become a Sociopath ~ It's the Latest Thing!

I recieved an invitation this morning to join the new social network StyleCaster (which sounds suspiciously like a column that I write called Trendcaster on Bloomacious.com) - naturally I immediately zoomed over to take a look and post my mug on my own page.  

While the site doesn't seem all that different from our own network Bloomacious Cafe it apparently is embedded with lots of watching and listening devices that when explained in the video below makes me yearn for a nice long nap. 

Terms like "associated neuro network"  and "associative dynamics" are a far cry from my favorite phrase "me likey!"  but they mean similar things.

If there's any doubt after listening to this explanation that networks are the new blogs (which are the new magazines) then take a sneak peek at Fashionair which is girding up to launch soon.

Broken down gently, networks allow companies to watch the patterns and flows of their members - whom they friend, what they comment on.  We've done the same thing for the past 6 months through our networks and it's not quite as scientific or reliable as the Sociocast guys would like you to believe. 

Networks do provide a venue in which individuals can enjoy a club-like camaraderie- they also can serve as a TV station, a community blog, a messaging system and a newsletter - and are the next step beyond Facebook and Twitter.

Star Sighting ~ Marcia Cross and Jessica Alba in Orbit.

We were super jazzed to see this post about Marcia Cross on People.com today.

Marcia is a longtime fan of our client Orbit Baby's line of products and she's shown here with their fabulous Toddler Stroller as she takes her adorable twins out to play.

Of being photographed so consistently (often with the Orbit) she told the magazine:

“I realized that there was nothing I could do about [being photographed]. Being upset about the paparazzi would put me in a cranky mood and ruin my time. I decided I didn’t want that to happen, so I’ve just ignored them.

There have been a couple of times when I’ve gotten upset, usually when boundaries are crossed. There’s a certain protocol that even the paparazzi seem to follow, and when that’s broken then I get a bit outraged. But for the most part if they keep their distance, my children don’t really know what’s going on, so I’m fine with that … Sometimes they’re nice – they’ve given me pictures, or they’ll give me privacy for a day.”

Check out the article here, and be sure to check out the People.com slide-show of Marcia with Eden and Savannah over the past year or so.

 Elsewhere on People / Celebrity Baby Blog, Jessica Alba was spotted out and about in Los Angeles recently with her little daughter Honor. 

Jessica has been a fan of Orbit Baby long before she gave birth.  She's shown here out in the park with her nanny, who is pushing the Orbit Toddler Stroller. 

There is also an extensive slideshow of Jessica and her family that includes a number of shots of the Orbit Infant System, and Toddler System.

Katie Holmes to Launch Kid's Clothing Line

Sounds like the rumor that Katie Holmes is launching a kids clothing line are true. According to Grazia the line will be created in concert with her stylist Jeanne Yang.  If little Suri is any barometer of what we can look forward to, I'm guessing there will be quite a few cute frilly dresses in the collection. 

Star Sighting ~ Ashley Simpson & Pete Wentz in Orbit

Ashley Simpson and Pete Wentz were spotted last week with their baby Bronx, and our client Orbit Baby's fabulous Infant System in Mocha. 

Celebrity Sighting ~ Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner In Orbit.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are great fans of our client Orbit Baby - they were spotted out on Friday with some of their new baby gear.