We have a lot of runners at Egg. A couple of us have experimented with the “freerunning” movement. In short, minimalist footwear to produce close-to-natural footstrike. While still within the minority, this freerunning movement is gaining traction (sorry, had to do it) and is proving to be a cost-of-entry innovation for most mainstream footwear companies. New Balance, Adidas and Nike have joined the race (there we go again).

These races against similar products inevitably produce a battle of differentiation (messaging, colorways, sponsors). Ultimately, the winner will harness an element of distinction its competition can’t match. I’ll propose Nike’s getting there with the below video. Always attentive to its ownership of the convergence between athletics and pop culture, Nike produced a video with the help of a couple Japanese DJ’s (not going to pretend I have the street cred to elaborate) that while absurd, highlighted the core attribute of its Nike Free shoe (next-to-natural flexibility) in a way that resonates with runners and peaks the interest of those profitable fashion-forward sneakerfreaks.

This is a challenge to rethink the way we communicate our most important attributes. Re-imagine how our targets experience the benefits we shout from the rooftops. Turn a simple function into art and in one down-beat, beat down the competition.

At the beginning of any kind of ideation, we always say to participants “it’s OK to be uncomfortable”. In fact, if you’re not a little bit scared by your new ideas, maybe they aren’t so innovative, so really you should “embrace the discomfort”.

While I stand behind this thought when brainstorming, we rarely ask consumers to be uncomfortable do we? The best innovations are nearly always those that might seem revolutionary, but really require very little change in behavior.

So maybe we should be looking at discomfort in a couple of ways. First - as ideators, if we experience discomfort, why is that? Can we figure out a way to make consumers feel more reassured? I think of this kind of discomfort as a challenge to work around…it’s a good thing. Second, any good new product idea needs to provoke a reaction, otherwise how is it going to break the status quo and sustain itself? So maybe we should harness some of that discomfort and use it to our advantage. All this said, a good bit of healthy fear keeps us on our toes, as this brilliant clip shows, but it’s respecting and using that fear that matters. Thanks to Toph for the clip.

Ok this is really cool.

I always thought Dyson would be one of those one-hit-wonder kind of guys who had a great revolutionary idea that changed a category that no one had thought about in a long time.  I figured he would have this splash and retreat to count his millions on the tropical island of his choice.  But he has done it again folks, this time re-inventing the humble fan.

So for the twist on this one…no blades…sublime.  He now goes on the list of people I want to have a drink with before I die.  To be able to re-think the mundane and turn it into inspired innovation (which sells at a premium, mind you) is truly a gift.

I am totally inspired by the groundbreaking force-to-be-reckoned-with of social media it what is proving to be pivotal in the historic events in Iran this week.

It has catapulted a technology that I was previously entirely cynical about into the realms of the truly revolutionary with average Iranian citizens able to get their personal experiences out to the world despite media blackouts and internet censorship with simple micro-blogging.

Hooray for a media coming of age and finding it’s worth. I am brimming with ideas to incorporate Twitter methodologies into our work!

My friend Vaughan (The Real Gent) visited an Alcoholic Architecture installation recently - what’s that?.. I hear all 6 of our loyal readers yell in unison. Essentially a bar designed and set up to feel like you are inside your actual drink…in this case a delicious Gin and Tonic. The air in the bar is infused with booze, so you are literally inhaling your drink. Patrons have to don protective CSI style crime scene suits to prevent the alcohol seeping into their hair and clothes, but apparently it does go through the pores of the skin and in through your eyeballs. You can buy real Gin and Tonics to drink in the regular fashion, if required. £5 buys you 45 minutes of breathable cocktails - equivalent to drinking one G&T or if you hid in the bathroom for a few hours , I suppose you could get quite hammered.

If “inhalable brands” are the way of the future, at least this seems more satisfying than Le Whif.

In an effort to keep the 2009 glass half full, here’s some interesting information from Martin Bishop over at Brand Mix.  The greatest fear in our business is that marketing and innovation budgets are going to be slashed this year, but perhaps we’re swinging the pendulum into negative territory too fast.  When an economic bubble bursts, often the corporate mantra shifts to a “back to basics” approach as Martin suggests. This doesn’t have to mean that anything new or innovative suddenly gets taken off the table.  Instead it means remembering the fundamentals of a brand and the reasons for its success and building from there.  If brands keep this as their mantra, rather than using it as an excuse to cut back, they will be in much better shape once consumer confidence bounces back.  In fact, “back to basics” might be the best approach all the time, regardless of economic conditions.

Thought we’d start the new year off with an optimistic outlook for 2009.  Courtesy of the always excellent Brand Camp:

In its latest installment of viral goodness, Burger King offers you ‘Flame’, the IT-fragrence of 2008 and perfect holiday gift for the spicy-hot-man-who-has-everything on your holiday list. Check it out at the brilliantly named website: firemeetsdesire.com.   

Reported to make your man smell like “the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.”…..mmmmmm, sexy.

It is a bargain at its $3.99 price point and available at Ricky NYC or online. 

Happy Holidays!

Of all the online brands that offer "edit my life" services (on trend with our idea of  "creation vs. curation"), I do have a soft spot for Charles and Marie Quintessentials.  A friend of mine just mentioned a new product she saw there recently called Bling Band-Aids.  They are Swarovski crystal encrusted band aids for the injured urbanite.  As I look at the madness unfolding on the stock markets around the world, I applaud such nonsensical innovation.  I salute you bling band-aid inventor - happy Friday!

I love this new idea from Knorr Soup in Canada. Rather than innovate with fancy ingredients like Organic Tuscan sun-dried baby tomatoes, they've gone back to basics with a brilliantly simple idea based on sound nutrition.  They've just launched a new line of ready-to-eat vegetable soups that are simply known by the colors of the ingredients - hence red soup (tomato, red pepper, paprika - there's beets too, but I'm guessing their research told them that beets were "polarizing" so they just left that ingredient off the main list).  Also in the line is yellow soup (corn, summer squash, yellow carrot), orange (butternut squash, carrot and curry) and green peas, spinach and chives). The nutritional rationale is that your diet should be colorful as different colored veggies have different properties.  How easy is that - what a great idea.

The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards (this Sunday 7th) are being presented by Russell Brand. Unless you're English or have seen the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, you might be forgiven for not knowing Mr.Brand. In the UK, he's a hugely popular stand up comedian, writer and DJ with a checkered past of heroin abuse and bad behavior. He's also known in Britain as the winner of "Shagger of The Year", awarded by the widely read Sun Newspaper.  He's certainly a brand in more than just name. Why do I mention Russell?  Firstly I think he's hilarious, his podcast is great entertainment, but mainly because I think he's one of the few who would buy Taxi Cosmetics new products: Manscara and Guyliner launched in the UK through mainstream drugstore Superdrug. The brand of make-up designed specifically for men is supposed to appeal to those who borrow their partner's make-up?  Who are these guys? I totally understand the growth of "male grooming" products now worth billions of dollars worldwide, but surely there's a gap between a Clinique afer shave balm and throwing on some Guyliner to "give an accurate, subtle defined look to the contour of the eye, making them appear larger, more distinct and seductive.  Does anyone think this idea really has legs?

For those of you who are as passionate about green living as I am, you must check out ecopop.com.  The website was launched in 2006 by Chad Rea who saw a real need to create a virtual world where edgy companies can put their real-life, innovative ideas on display.  Ranging from food and beverage to transportation and travel, ecopop.com works as a starting point for the public (i.e., you) to view, discuss and even launch their own ideas. 

Ecopop adds fuel to the fire of inspiration, with its end goal being the generation of new ways to “greenify” our world.  As the site puts it, “The world could use better ideas… to you and all of your crazy, sexy, cool, world-changing, profit-making, do-gooding ideas, we welcome you to ecopop.com.  Inspire at will.”

One of my favorite ideas has to be the reinvention of the business card.  Based on the Cradle to Cradle mentality (if you haven’t read it, read it… immediately), companies are beginning to design business cards that move past the traditional ways of recycled paper and into new, unchartered waters of, yes you guessed it, sustainability.  Because let’s be honest, where do half of your business cards really end up? 

Companies are turning their basic card stock business cards into other, more constructive devices.  For instance, why hand out something as boring as a paper business card, when you can give your client a handy-dandy moist towelette with your business information conveniently printed on the eco-friendly wrapper?  Yes, a little unconventional, but definitely buzz-worthy.  Another great example is the wildflowers card.  That’s right – there are actual seeds planted in the business card paper.  So regardless of where the card ends up, you can rest easy knowing your card is not harming the environment.

The possibilities are endless.  Got a better idea?  Visit ecopop.com.