House & Home (128)
Digital thermostat
The energy company Essent offers customers a free E-thermostat when they subscribe to a 3-year contract for green energy. This allows them to remotely set the house’s temperature via their smartphone or tablet devices. Also, thanks to a built-in motion sensor, the heating is automatically turned off when you leave a room allowing consumers to save energy and money.
Why it matters
Consumers are looking for ways to improve their carbon footprint in easy and effective ways. They are also looking for ways to save on their energy expenses as prices have soared. Essent taps in to this by offering their customers an easy to use product that allows you to take control and save. How can other companies help their customers save money and help save the planet?
Subway flat
During one week, Ikea created a pop-up apartment in a Parisian subway station and hired 5 people to live in it. Commuters could follow their lifestyles in real-time but also online, thanks to a dedicated Facebook page. The 54m² apartment was equipped only with Ikea’s furniture. Next to it, the brand made the exact duplicate of the apartment in which people could enter to discover Ikea’s furniture.
Why it matters
With this installation, Ikea managed to combine street marketing and reality TV making the story appealing for both commuters and web surfers. But beyond the gain of exposure for the brand, Ikea is enhancing its “brand to live” image, with concrete product placement. What actions can you take to place your products somewhere which will eventually serve your brand image?
Village commune
Imagine if one person who retires could buy a house on the beach or in the mountains with their savings. What could 10 people buy if they put their money together? A whole village!
This was the idea of a group of Spanish friends who decided to buy a village on the mountain to retire and relax together. They renovated the village to build their dream, group living experience, a “business class commune”.
They are building common places to share activities such as a big kitchen and a swimming pool. But everybody is going to have their own private home.
Why it matters
We are used to living in an individualistic way, where we have to fight for our dreams and make them come true with our own hard earned savings. But what would happen if we were more open-minded, started to pool our resources and share our dreams? Is this an example of a new lifestyle based on communal life and sharing? The results could be phenomenal, how could brands get involved in this kind of project and harness some of the momentum?
