In-Bag Self-liquidated Promotional Concept for Snacks

When it comes to conceptualizing and executing innovative promotional concepts, there's a guy on my team that is simply the best. His name is Roberto Angelino and he's our Marketing Mgr. for the Kids & Teens Snacking Portfolio, as well as our very own promotional guru. Angelino and his team, Bia Tilkian, Cinthia Gherardi and Debora Bertolozzi, created an in-bag self-liquidated concept for the Cheetos® Brand that has been a huge success, called Cheetos® Surpresa.

Every 8 weeks a new theme is launched, anticipated by kids all over Brazil. This month, Angelino has introduced a new edition with one of the most powerful global licenses out there:

Disney's High School Musical 2

Kids will be able to collect 12 different tags with color prints of the HSM cast and 10 different metallic key chains. This new wave comes with a product improvement of 70% less saturated fats. Good news for kids, good news for moms.

Mobile Stock Broker Service in Brazil

Here in Brazil, I can finally trade stocks from the convenience of my mobile phone or BlackBerry. Itaú - one of Brazil's banking giants - has just launched Itaú Mobile Broker. Fantastic news!

More on Cachaça...

Coincidentally, an article came out three days ago in BusinessWeeek.com on how cachaça may become the next tequila. Click here to read the article.

The Challenge of Taking a Product Experience and Making it Convenient

It's very hard to replicate a food or beverage experience in a ready-to-eat or ready-to-drink format. There's a special ritual behind the preparation of a café latté, a wood-fired pizza or a brazilian caipirinha that becomes a tremendous challenge for companies that want to offer a convenient ready-to-consume version. From a simplistic standpoint, why not offer consumers their favorite food or drink from a supermarket shelf so they can have it in the comfort of their home anytime they want? The truth is, it's much more complicated than that. The reason is that consumers want the experience... the ritual of watching the barista, pizzaiolo, barman romance their craft... the customization of "skim milk please" or "add some kalamata olives" or "brown sugar instead of white". Customization makes people feel special and the good news is that, many times, they're willing to pay a premium for those little indulgent moments.

Which takes me to my neighborhood deli. This morning, I saw a cooler selling a product I hadn't seen before: sachets with ready-to-drink caipirinhas, called One®. The sachets come with different fruit versions from traditional lime to passion-fruit to mixed berries in either vodka and cachaça. Great packaging graphics, good communication of what the innovation was all about and a cool website. I like how they have found an innovative way to market a Brazilian classic. However, I can't avoid to be a little skeptical on whether this is a big idea or a niche. From a personal perspective, when I'm entertaining guests at home, I love the ritual of preparing caipirinhas with different combinations and hard-to-find cachaças. It makes the moment special. So I'm guessing I'm not the target. There could be potential, not only from Brazilians who value convenience, but as a great export product considering that non-Brazilians are less used to preparing the cocktail.

Watch's Next?

I've noticed more and more people around me who are not wearing watches anymore and reaching for their mobile phones to check time. Have you noticed the same?  Phones have become calendars, address books, cameras, SMS devices, portable search engines, MP3 players, calculators, e-mail, the fastest way to check your stocks ... so it's not surprising that it's substituting something as trivial as a wrist watch. 

The interesting news is that manufacturer's are finding innovative ways to reconceptualize the traditional watch by adding new functions and value-added services.  One example is Garmin® with a line of high-performance personal trainers (it wraps around your wrist but they're not even calling it a watch) with GPS receivers. Athletes can upload workout data to a website to analyze and track performance and even share running routes with friends. As a skier, I was happy to see the Swatch® Snowpass watch which allows you to go online and order ski passes. Then, just flag your watch at selected resorts, from Aspen to Bariloche to Zermatt.... and enjoy the slopes.

I think the watch can be so much more that just keeping time...

With the expansion of RFID technology, for instance, couldn't the watch be a practical way to substitute the debit card?  

Just wave your wrist at a cash register, sign and off you go. But again, can't the mobile phone do that too?

Connecting to Brazilian Soccer Fans

It's amazing how Nike seems to always be ahead of the game when it comes to making an emotional connection to fans at a very local level.  For Brazilians, the news that Ronaldo was hospitalized last week and may be away from the beautiful game for the next nine months was devastating.  Nike Brazil quickly set up a hotsite allowing fans to post messages, send an SMS or upload a photo to wish him a fast recovery.  I absolutely love the message "Nunca Desista" (never give up) which is a feeling that is so much part of Brazilian culture.  Just brilliant.  

Click here to leave your message to Ronaldo "O Fenomeno"!

One of the World's Most Innovative Architects

I find architecture a great inspiration in terms of design and innovation when conceptualizing innovation in consumer products.  In the latest edition of Arquitetura & Construção - one of my favorite magazines in Brazil - there's a wonderful article on Ma Yansong, a 31-year-old Chinese Architect founder of MAD Architectural Design Studio. This guy rocks! Take a look at the amazing 56-floor building, which is referred to as "Marilyn Monroe" being built in Toronto. In MAD's website, this was written on the building: 

"The building is sculpture-like in its overall effect, and its design expresses the universal language of audacity, sensuality and romance."  

I couldn't help but thinking about the power of great design. As I think of packaging, we can certainly find inspiration in many places, from the artwork of restaurant menus to origami to beautiful buildings. Architecture is certainly a wonderful inspiration.

For those who live in São Paulo, Ma Yansong will be a speaker at an Architecture Forum on March 14.  Click here for information on the event. 

Wired Magazines's Life Cycle of Blog Posts

Last week, my good friend Flavio Maria, knowing how much I love the world of blogs, gave me a great article that explains the behind-the-scene life cycle of a blog post.  What really happens after a blogger presses the publish post button.  The article is from Wired Magazine (a publication I love). Click here to see the diagram that shows how a post goes from blog host... to search engines... to data miners... to content aggregators... to social bookmarks... all the way to you the reader.  For marketers, a valuable opportunity to understand how news travels in an interconnected world.   On one hand, it's the beauty of people having the opportunity of voicing their opinions influencing their social network, their community and potentially even having an impact on someone on the opposite side of the globe. On the other hand, from a marketing perspective, the rage of an unsatisfied or frustrated customer can spread like wild fire having tremendous consequences to a brand or business.  

Real Estate with a Designer's Eye

Since we have moved to São Paulo, I've been looking at the real estate market. I have been disappointed with the online resources available. The sites I have visited are either not user-friendly at all, some are just not responsive and the visual references are a disaster. The photographs are poorly taken so there's no way to really get a sense of the property... well until I found axpe.com.br. I immediately realized there was something different about them. There seemed to be a more rigorous selection of properties and they have done an interesting job in classifying them in a more intuitive way. For example you can select homes that have architectural relevance or homes with a sense of style or homes with great outdoor space or apartments with wonderful views. Oh... and by the way, the photography is done in a very professional way, with good lighting resources and wide-angles when appropriate to get a better idea of space. It's not perfect. They still don't offer the video resources you see in many real estate websites abroad, but I appreciate their sense of esthetics, which I later found out is because Axpe® was founded by ad agency people.  Inspired by the site, I went out with an Axpe® agent, who wasn't a traditional realtor, but an Architect who provided a unique perspective on the properties.... how cool is that?  They definitely have found a differentiated positioning in a cluttered market.

Collaboration Model for the Amateur Journalist in All of Us

While following the Presidential Elections on CNN and their website, I was positively surprised with how viewers have been actively using iReport - CNN's user-generated reporting initiative. Today I read that CNN will be expanding iReport into a stand-alone website to be hosted at iReport.com. Viewers will be able to upload video, audio, photos and breaking news reports from their home towns, as well as, rate content and embed it elsewhere on the internet. The new site will be moderated to avoid fake reporting and inaccuracies.  As a huge fan of collaboration models, it's great to see the concept expanding to so many different applications. 

Insights Can Be Found Anywhere

More on one of my favorite business stories of the year.  I just read an article on Ratan Tata and the insight that led him to develop the Tata Nano - India's amazing US$2,500 car.  In 2003, going home after work in Mumbai he saw a family of four on a motorcycle... man, wife, child and baby ( a very common scene in India) struggling in traffic under a torrential monsoon rain.  A simple image that became the driving force in the development of an affordable and safer means of transportation for an emerging consumer class.  

Many times we spend tons of money and time with focus groups and other research techniques looking for insights that can drive our innovation agenda.  The wonderful thing about insights is that they are anywhere....  it just takes a good eye and a curious mind to find them and make the right connections.  Sounds easy.... but it's a rare and fascinating talent.  The beauty about this story is that it started off with a great insight, but it took a man with tremendous vision, hard work, persistence and a strong desire to change the rules of the game to make the dream a reality.  It's worth watching Ratan Tata present the Tata Nano to the International press where he talks about his insight and how he overcame many obstacles and critics.  Click here for YouTube where you can see his presentations.

Wood-burning Stove that Produces Electricity... a hot idea bringing comfort for isolated families in the Amazon Region

Brazilian mechanical engineer and researcher Ronaldo Sato spent 7 years developing a hot innovation (hot... literally): a wood-burning stove that also produces electricity. The first prototypes generate enough electricty for five light bulbs and a TV set. The project, called 'Geralux', was designed to save 50% firewood versus conventional stoves and does not release ashes in the environment. The energy produced by the stove is stored in the same type of battery used in automobiles. The innovation is very practical because it can generate electricity, for example, for a public school while the cafeteria lunch is being prepared. After several trials in the Xapuri region - a rubber tapper settlement - a final prototype is ready for roll-out. The State of Acre has announced plans on using this innovation for 20,000 families who live in isolated communities in the Amazon region. A valuable lesson that even an old product like a wood-burning stove can be recycled to become something entirely new.

Hot, Spicy & Ubiquitous

This weekend we were eating seafood on this quiet beach off the coast of Santa Catarina and sure enough... the little red bottle was there on the table ready to be poured and give the food an extra kick. I'm obviously talking about Tabasco®. I've travelled extensively over the years, and no matter where I go, Tabasco® is present on the countertops and tables of bars, diners, restaurants (I found out on their site that they export to 160 countries and print labels in 22 languages). In a marketing world where innovation is a driving force, it's amazing to see the McIlhenny Co. - family-owned and operated since 1868 - making the classic pepper sauce with the same recipe for 140 years. It's also great to see how they have been careful in dealing with innovation by launching a wide range of other products from Chipotle Sauce (which I also love), spicy BBQ sauce, bloody mary mix, to spicy ketchup and mustard... extending the Brand to different categories but all positioned to deliver a hot & spicy experience.

"How Does Google Know Everything?"

During dinner the other night, our 6-year-old daughter asked me... "How does Google know everything?"  A fascinating question specially when you think it came from a first-grader.  It made me reflect on my elementary school days.  My Father had a pretty large library at home and there was a Britannica Encyclopedia.  I remember that I would flip through the pages of those 24 volumes and think that all the knowledge of the World was there... (how I was mistaken!).  For my daughter and her generation, Google, Wikipedia... are becoming their first stop for answers.  I just hope that the search engine won't substitute an afternoon at the public library.  My wife and I have spent countless hours at the Ridgefield Public Library reading to and with our daughthers and many times looking for answers to questions they made during the week.  Here in São Paulo, we found two wonderful bookstores, one called Livraria Cultura and the other Livraria da Vila. During our ski week last month, we spent an afternoon at the Telluride Public Library and we were very impressed with their facility.  So, although Google is a great resource to find just about anything... there's something magical about the search and exploration at a great bookstore or library.

Soy!

Last night, hearing the sound of carnival drums in the background, I read a fantastic article in Fortune Magazine (Jan. 21 Edition) titled "How Brazil Outfarmed the American Farmer". The article explains how Brazil, in less than two decades, became a global agricultural superpower (#1 in soybeans, beef, poultry, pork, coffee, orange juice concentrate, sugar and ethanol) resulting in US$ 27.5 billion in farm trade surplus in 2006. The article focuses more on soybeans. Brazil has developed a competitive advantage with soybeans, outplacing U.S.'s traditional dominance. The reason is a combination of the cerrado's ideal climate yielding two to three crops a year, lower production costs, abundant farmland and government investment in crop breeding and soil science. Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária), a network of state-run agricultural research agencies, played a pivotal role in securing Brazil's rising position in the global soy trade.

I always knew that soybeans are widely used for animal feed, as a food ingredient with good source of protein, in the formulation of healthy beverages and in the production of soaps. I was blown away by the amazing number of other uses that soy has. Soy is also used in building materials such as flashing tape, caulk, waterproof membranes that reduce mold, outdoor paint and wainscoting... in the production of candles, shampoos, deodorants, dishwashing liquids, after-shave lotions, disposable wipes... even in the production of lingerie!

Click here to read the article that also raises an important question... what other crops will gain importance in Brazil's growing agribusiness... corn... wheat?

Using Color Strategically

Yesterday I had a beer with Jesse Stollak, from Nike Brazil. We worked together in NY a few years ago and I was happy to find out he is now based in Săo Paulo. We talked about a lot of things including some of the projects we worked on together for Pepsi. Jesse mentioned that Corinthians - Brazil’s most popular football team along with Flamengo – just came out with a new Nike jersey. Corinthians’ two official jerseys are white and black, the team’s official colors since the club was founded in 1910. Now, the legendary team announced a third jersey which is completely purple. Purple in Portuguese is ‘roxo’ which for Brazilians means the color of passion… in a more fanatic sense. For instance, a passionate sports fan in Brazil is called ‘torcedor roxo’. So, how appropriate to try and ‘own’ the color purple for a team known for its insanely passionate fan base. A brilliant example, from Corinthians and Nike, on how a simple color can be an innovative way to celebrate the strong emotional connection a brand has on its fans.

It made me think of other companies and brands that have strategically decided to 'own' a color in the hearts and minds of consumers.

Take UPS, the global package delivery company with its ubiquitous brown trucks and its celebrated campaign

"What Can Brown Do For You?"...

Or European mobile telecommunications giant Orange™

with its fun stores where orange is, not only everywhere, but it's also the Brand itself...

How are you using color in your marketing strategies?

No More Jugs

When it came to supplying our household with quality water for drinking and cooking purposes, it bothered me that we hadn't found an ideal situation. Years ago, we looked at installing a reverse osmosis system in our former house in Connecticut but it was too expensive. Here in Sao Paulo, we found ourselves driving to a local spring, filling up a 20-gallon jug and hauling it back home. A week later, we would repeat the cycle. We are fortunate to live close to a spring but the process didn't feel very practical. With the idea of making life easier (and reducing our carbon footprint in the process), I was happy when my wife suggested we order a water purifying system. She selected a model from Brastemp® - leading Brazilian appliance maker. It arrived two days ago. We pay a monthly fee and they service the equipment replacing filters. My only suggestion to the manufacturer would be to include an ice maker in future developments. It feels like we're taking a little step towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

Thinking Global, Acting Local.. with the help of a local artist

At the year-end party we held at home for my colleagues from the office, my wife and I decided we wanted to set up a caipirinha bar. So I went to the supermarket to stock up on cachaça, vodka and sake (the barman we hired explained that there's a trend of sake caipirinhas particularly popular among women who want a softer version of Brazil's favorite cocktail). Selecting the right cachaça was easy for me and someone gave me some sake bottles from a well-known Japanese market. So, when it came to selecting a vodka among dozens of choices, the bottle pictured here caught my attention. The art on the label had an unexpected Brazilian spirit to it (even though Absolut is as Swedish as it gets...). Back home, researching online I found out that Absolut commissioned artwork to 12 local artists and there were two finalists. The bottle I thought was so cool was, in fact, created by Brazilian graphic artist Daniel Senise. I also found an interesting video on YouTube that shows the label being created and the technique used by this artist. http://www.danielsenise.com

Two things came to mind. First, the experience I had shows how brand communication is becoming more and more multi-dimensional and not necessarily dependent on a 30" spot. Extraordinary packaging led me to research the brand's website that led me to explore a video on the artist behind the label. Second, the experience made me reflect on the "think global, act local" movement from a few years ago. What an inspiring example of how an iconic global brand, using the universal language of art, is reaching out and making local connections. http://www.absolutbrasil.com.br

Doritos Crash The Super Bowl Campaign

Last year's Super Bowl winner was... Doritos® with its 'Crash The Super Bowl' campaign. It was a fantastic case of collaborative marketing where consumers were invited to post 30" spots for the tortilla brand. The most voted spot was aired in the Super Bowl half time.  The campaign was awarded USA Today Best Ad 2007 and Time Magazine's Top 10 in 2007).

This year, Doritos® has invited consumers to post their amateur music videos at MySpaceTV and thousands are voting for their favorites. The most voted band will win a contract and a 60" video will be aired in the 2008 Super Bowl on Feb. 3.  In the U.S. market, Doritos® has been an early adopter of a consumer-generated model and is making marketing history.  Congratulations to the Frito-Lay Marketing Team for leading the way when it comes to a more inclusive collaboration-style marketing!

http://www.myspace.com/doritoscrashthesuperbowl

Fun Educational Content for Kids

A friend of ours from Florida, Doris Wernick - an inspiring homeschooling role model - introduced our kids to National Geographic® Kids. During our vacations, both our young daughters were completely enchanted by articles on amazing animal facts, tips to help the planet and science news presented in a fun way. In a world where kids seem to be spending more time in front of the TV, it's refreshing to see how a magazine is combining educational content that engages and entertains kids. Their online presence is also worth visiting with a library of videos ideal for parent and kid interaction: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com 

This Year's Theme at Davos... The Power of Collaborative Innovation

I was positively surprised to see that the theme of this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, which starts tomorrow, is “The Power of Collaborative Innovation”. For five days, leaders in government, academia, media and from the business world, will discuss the most significant world affairs. From a marketing perspective, we have been covering on this blog how collaborative innovation is a powerful concept that converts consumers and key stakeholders into active participants in the process of ideation, concept development and validation of product development. Read what was written in today’s International Herald Tribune by Klaus Schwab founder of the World Economic Forum… “…my intuition is that those leaders joining us in Davos this week understand that, in the current global context, collaboration and innovation are highly undervalued concepts - particularly in a world that is shifting from mono-polar, hierarchical structures to multi-polar, flat networks.” 

The same goes for corporations. Smart companies looking for an environment that fosters greater innovation will also need to re-think internal structures and be more open to external input to leverage the power of collaboration.

The Voting Booth and the Cash Register

Last Friday, I read this brilliant article in the New York Times from David Brooks called 'How Voters Think'. The article talks about how the press and political pollsters are having a hard time trying to anticipate each primary in this year's election. Read this...

"The truth is that many of the theories we come up with are bogus. They are based on the assumption that voters make cold, rational decisions about who to vote for and can tell us why they decided as they did. This is false. In reality, we voters - all of us - make emotional, intuitive decisions about who we prefer, and then come up with post-hoc rationalizations to explain the choices that were already made beneath conscious awareness."

I immediately thought that the very same process happens with consumers in relation to brands.  Why would someone purchase a German import when an equivalent Korean vehicle with the same features costs $15,000 less?

The article goes on...

"After seeing a candidate for 100 milliseconds, voters make certain sorts of judgments based on expressiveness, facial structure, carriage and attitude. Then, having formed an impression from these thin-sliced appraisals, voters rack their memory banks. Decades ago, Kahneman and Amos Tversky argued that human judgment is less a matter of calculating probabilities and more a matter of trying to fit new things into familiar patterns."

Doesn't the same happen in consumer behavior?  The perception we have on brands is also a collage of hundreds of different impressions.  From the basic visual stimulus from packaging, an ad, to the memory of who was consuming it the first time we saw that brand.  Maybe a certain product or even the comeback of an old jingle reminds us of good feelings we had in our youth (is that why I bought a Converse All-Star® the other day?) or maybe we unconsciously choose comfort food to help cope with stress from a busy day?  

Like selecting a candidate, there are many emotions that go through a purchasing decision that may have nothing to do with a rational choice. I'm having fun watching the political theater unfold... and it's quite interesting to see that there may be more similarities between the voting booth and the cash register than we think.

The Little Car That Might Change The World...

Every once in while a disruptive innovation comes around and completely changes the status quo. This month, it happened in the auto industry. India's Tata Group unveiled the Nano. The innovation isn't a new hybrid technology, the innovation is all about the value proposition. The Nano will be sold for only US$2,500... a price tag that will certainly revolutionalize the auto business in India, but it may also generate a major disruption beyond the Indian borders. Tata is tapping into the millions of consumers in developing countries starving for the comforts and conveniences that many of us take for granted. What I love about this base-of-the-pyramid story is that this affordable car for the developing world is not being produced by GM, Toyota or Ford... it was designed and is being produced by a company from India. 

The year has just begun... but I believe that we will look back and consider this innovation among the most significant of 2008.  I hope we will see more innovation like this coming from BRIC countries.

Cool Concept for the Eco-Traveller...

More from Telluride... in a community like this one that has an emotional almost spiritual connection to the mountains and a strong appreciation for outdoor sports like hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and skiing, it's not difficult to find environmentally-friendly business practices. Yesterday, walking on the streets of Telluride, we found this cute electric car parked and I noticed it was a rental from a company called Go Green™. What a great idea for destinations targeting a more environmentally-concerned traveller...

A Warm Experience... at Sub-Zero Temperatures

This week we're on a ski vacation in Telluride, Colorado (reason why I haven't been so active with my blog). We've had amazing ski days with sub-zero temperatures. Although I'm not a tea guy, it caught my attention when my wife ordered tea after a long day on the mountains. The waitress brought a box with these beautiful pyramid-shaped tea bags in a variety of soothing flavors. Everything about the experience was inspiring, from choosing the flavor from the wooden box, unwrapping the unique packaging to reveal the silken tea infuser, a leaf detail at the end of a stem... all very nice. I wasn't at all familiar with the brand: Tea Forté®, but after trying some myself, I became a fan. I recognize coffee gets all the press these days, but if you're in the mood for a tea experience, try this one.

Certain Success Stories Are Hard To Explain...

I remember when my wife, who is an early adopter for anything new, organic or that has a good story behind it, brought home a box of Melona® popsicles. It was the Summer of 2005 and we lived in Connecticut. For those who aren't familiar with Melona®, it's a green melon-flavored South Korean ice cream. Although my daughters loved the novelty, I didn't think much of it. Ok, it was very refreshing but there wasn't anything very innovative about it. No competitive advantage. No differentiated packaging idea. Almost two years later, I'm surprised to see Melona® appearing in hot spots all around São Paulo and getting a lot of PR. It's definitely the flip side of the local food movement.

In the land of so many wonderful fruits like cajú, acerola or cupuaçú and so many cool Brazilian ice cream brands like Mil Frutas from Rio or Rochinha from the São Paulo Coast, why would a Korean popsicle gain popularity?
Is it all about certain trendy consumers going against traditional brands in favor of the unusual newcomer?

I guess certain success stories are hard to explain but I have to admit there's something deliciously intriguing about this underground brand. I'm curious to see if the news will melt by the end of the summer?

The Local Food Movement

The local food movement is emerging as the one of the hottest trends. It seems like everywhere you look there are books, articles and TV programs on how cool local food has become (not to mention the smaller carbon footprint and positive impact on the environment). I enjoyed the definition of the local food movement on Wikipedia: "Collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place and is considered to be a part of the broader sustainability movement." On the other hand, searching the Web, I found an interesting comment from Tom Tomich, director of the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, saying that a food item that is local doesn’t necessarily mean that it is better, environmentally speaking. The distance that food travels from farm to plate is certainly important, he says, but so is how food is packaged, how it is grown, how it is processed and how it is transported to market.

In Brazil, the 'feira de rua' (the equivalent to a farmers' market set up on a specific street in every neighborhood once a week) is an institution that embodies the local food movement. The experience is not only about the food. Walking through a feira is a colorful, flavorful and very sociable experience for Brazilian gatekeepers since stall owners are the ultimate salespeople using amazing communication skills to sell their produce (some even resorting to poetry and song).

Here in São Paulo, there's an even larger temple of local food and it's called the Mercado Municipal - a beautiful building built in 1932 with 12,600 m2 of the very best of Brazilian food. If you're looking for a Brazilian local food experience, you can't miss it.

Why Hasn't the Drive-thru Model Expanded?

It's been exactly a year now that we call São Paulo home. A big shift from our days in Connecticut.  There are many wonderful things about South America's largest city, the magnificent restaurants, a vibrant cultural scene, the warmth of the people, to mention a few.  One of the downsides of life in São Paulo - with a population of over 11 million people - is traffic. It doesn't help that over 600 vehicles are licensed on a daily basis.

Which leads me to the following question, why hasn't the drive-thru model expanded beyond fast-food chains and a few ATM machines?

When we lived in Florida, I remember driving through Farm Stores Express to pick up last-minute groceries: soda, maybe a carton of milk, a box of cereal or a pint of ice-cream. It was fast, convenient and a relief not having to get out of the car specially when the temperature was close to 100F, which was rather common.

Brazilians are addicted to 'padarias' the wonderful intersection between a bakery and a c-store, loaded with Portuguese tradition.  Couldn't a drive-thru padaria succeed in the many busy corridors that lead to and from residential areas in a massive urban sprawl like São Paulo?

Innovative Service with Mobile Phones Helping Patients who Suffer From Diabetes

I just read an article in today's paper on a fantastic innovation that is being tested called GlicOnline - a software that allows a patient who suffers from diabetes to use a mobile phone to control the level of insulin he or she needs to take. The software was developed by a tech incubator at USP-University of São Paulo and is in being tested at the Hospital das Clinicas. It's a four-step process. Patient checks glycemic level, keys in result on phone, selects foods/quantities being considered, and the software calculates the exact amount of insulin to be taken. Software and service expected to be available in a few months. Great to see innovations from Brazilian universities and how the mobile phone is becoming so pervasive in our everyday lives.

Celebrating Brazil's Cachaça... here's to 2008!

Another interesting book I recently read is "Cachaça - O Mais Brasileiro dos Prazeres ('the most Brazilian Pleasure')" written by Jairo Martins da Silva, probably the most-knowledgeable guy there is on the subject.
The theme has always fascinated me because I believe there are few products that incorporate the Brazilian spirit like cachaça and 'caipirinhas' - the wonderful cocktail indelibly associated to cachaça - that tastes like a hot summer evening on Ipanema Beach (just as much as a Pisco Sour transports me to Lima or a Mojito to Miami).

Jairo Silva is a gifted storyteller. His book takes you on a journey from the historic roots of sugar-cane processing during colonial days to the influence of cachaça in Brazilian folclore, music and popular literature.  

The question is... why hasn't cachaça become a global alcoholic staple like vodka, whisky, (or the more Latin) rum or tequila?

Traditional brands like Pitú®, Ypióca®, Velho Barreiro® or Cachaça 51® have been exporting to Europe, North America and Japan for many years. And it has been interesting to see new brands starting off with a global mindset, like Sagatiba®, Leblon® or Cabana®.  I was thrilled to see at the ANUGA showcase in Germany, the presence of a great local brand I admire called Armazem Viera® from hip Florianópolis and newcomer Gabriela® - an organic cachaça from Ribeirão Preto. Lots of excitement in the category but we'll have to wait and see how much these initiatives will help increase cachaça's profile on a global scale. 

Meanwhile, as Brazilians would say... 'Saúde in 2008!'.