One-stop shop for urban essentials in Buenos Aires

I love cities that invite people to walk and explore. New York, London, Paris, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, my São Paulo doesn't quite make the list. The beauty about these cities is that by walking you feel the city vibe and get the pulse of what's happening on the streets.

From a trade perspective, cities with large pedestrian areas tend to be a wonderful playground for marketing people. I was in Buenos Aires a few weeks ago and it's probably one of the best place in terms of kiosks. Kiosks are the perfect stop to get a candy bar, refresh, get a copy of Clarín one of best coverages of soccer, buy credits for a mobile phone or go online. It's pretty much a one-stop shop for urban essentials. No place in the world, are kiosks so well developed like in Buenos Aires. Next time, you're in town, check them out.

Monocle on Sao Paulo

Walking back to my London hotel to pick up my things, I pass by the Monocle Shop (24 George St. a few steps off Marylebone High Street). I've always been a fan of the magazine but had no idea they had a store. I bought the Nov.'10 edition which comes with a 24-page city survey on Sao Paulo - a guide covering business, design, architecture, culture, media, retail and why Sao Paulo has become one of the great cities of the world.

I'll have some fun reading for the flight back home.

Books for Cooks

This morning, before heading off to Heathrow, I went to Books for Cooks (4 Blenheim Crescent in Notting Hill) to pick up a few books my wife asked me to buy. This has always been one of my favorite retail concepts (London is such a great place to see new ideas in retail).

The people behind Books for Cooks describe themselves as "A Cookbook shop crammed with thousands of tasty titles and equipped with a squashy sofa for cookbook junkies in need of a long read. In this shop we really do cook the books - cookbooks are put to the test in our cafe at the back of the shop, while cookery classes take place in the demonstration kitchen upstairs."

If you're into cooking, this is a place you have to visit.

Click here to read the Books for Cooks story.

Using design to re-invent the fast food experience

You have to give credit to McDonald's for constantly looking for ways to re-invent the fast food exeperience. Reason why I enjoyed reading FastCompany's article "Making Over McDonald's" as part of the special edition Masters of Design 2010. The article talks about how the burger icon has been using the power of design to recreate the mcexperience.

If you also agree that design is one of the most fascinating forces behind marketing, it's worth the read.

Giving customers what they really need

Apple Store Lincoln Road, Miami Beach - Today 11:00am. I walk in determined to buy a MacBook Pro. I had done all my research online back in Brazil, which I usually do, so I knew 'exactly' what I wanted in terms of hardware configuration. A salesperson comes by and starts asking all sorts of questions about my family's computer habits and makes a completely different recommendation. I end up paying US$ 700 less than my original order. I swipe my debit card on the spot, no lines, no hastle. They guy finds out I like photography and gives me cool tips in terms of storage, photo compression and file sharing resources. No hard sell. Pure bliss.

In a world where we're so used to so many annoying salespeople pushing high-ticket products or features you don't want just to guarantee a higher commission, from insurance brokers to car rentals, today's experience was awesome. An experience that only reinforces my love for the Apple brand and makes me coming back.

Giving customers what they need even though that means selling for less than the person had budgeted for is an amazing lesson... that will certainly pay off later on in terms of loyalty.

Gearing up for FIFA World Cup 2014

São Paulo Futebol Clube is Brazil's most successful soccer team in recent years with six national titles. Their home stadium, Morumbi, is going through a major transformation in preparation for FIFA World Cup 2014.  The project is designed by Ruy Ohtake, one of Brazil's most celebrated architects. 

Friday, I went to visit the first visible change of this transformation, what is called the Morumbi Concept Hall__ a soccer-themed entertainment area similar to what you see in European and North American sport venues but unheard of in Brazil. A stunning Reebok Store (the largest in Brazil) and the Santo Paulo Restaurant where we had lunch overlooking the pitch are both in full operation. Next to the restaurant, UCI is building two cinemas. VISA has launched a service called PassFirst in which members have access to 20,000 seats and special treatment using their cards.  It's not enough just to go an watch a match, sports are a fantastic opportunity for brands to provide a powerful marketing experience.  The World Cup will certainly elevate the game in the area of sports marketing in this country.

On the outside, the stadium has plans to renovate the parking area and build a monorail that will link a nearby subway station to the stadium gates.  

A visit to Brazil's very first 'green' supermarket

I finally went to visit Brazil's first 'green supermarket': the Pão de Açúcar located in Indaiatuba, about an 70-min drive from São Paulo. It's been something I've been wanting to do since they opened last July.  

You start noticing a few differences in the parking lot even before you walk into the store. There are reserved parking spaces for cars running on ethanol. Next to the colorful recycling bins (becoming so common in markets all around the country), there's a specific bin for batteries and electronic waste.  

At the entrance, a large sign with the amount this particular store has recycled and the amount of energy saved. 

 

Inside, as I expected, more emphasis on organic, locally-produced products and an exclusive line of bags and household items made from recycled material. Shopping carts made from recycled PET bottles (the same material we are also using in the production of snack displays). You can also feel more natural lighting.  A few signs in different locations explain that some details are not visible to the everyday shopper, that the building has many architectural features designed using recycled material and it was built adopting many energy-reducing practices. There's a simple idea that I liked a lot. A bin placed right after the check-out where shoppers can discart secondary packaging, like for example, the carton box used for toothpaste.

Waiting for our new digital SLR camera

My wife and I have been wanting to get a digital SLR camera for quite a while. Speaking to a local photographer, he recommended I buy online at B&H. When we lived in New York, B&H was the best store for photo, video an audio. I wasn't sure if buying online from a U.S.-based store would work but I decided to give it a try. Next step was to choose a camera for us. The B&H website does a good job describing each camera's features with useful links to reviews and product demos. We settled for the Canon EOS 50D with the 18-200mm lens kit.

The experience so far has been very good. To cater to customers in Brazil, B&H has set up a website in Portuguese and when I called the customer service to track the order, the person who answered was bilingual. The package is scheduled to arrive next week.

I decided that in 2009 I want to reconnect to a few things I used to enjoy more in the past. Photography, being one of them. So at least I'm starting off the year with an exciting new camera.

Click below to see some of the capabilities of the Canon EOS 50D on a demo I found on YouTube by professional wildlife photographer Brutus Östling.

The challenges of reaching the lower-income consumer

Every marketing professional I've spoken to this year has told me about the challenges of reaching lower-income consumers. Brazil is witnessing the phenomenal rise of the C/D socio-economic demographic, clearly one of the main drivers of GDP growth.  There are a few companies that are doing an outstanding job in making a real connection to a segment of the population that is finally coming of age from an economic standpoint.  Casas Bahia - Brazil's largest furniture and appliance superstore (and the country's #1 advertiser) - is one of the best examples of a company that knows how to reach out to the lower-economic consumer.  This week's Veja magazine brings a fantastic interview with Michael Klein, the genius behind the successful model.  One of the most famous campaigns from Casas Bahia asked consumers to 'name the price'.  That is, store sellers would ask how much a person was willing to pay per month for a stereo equipment, for example, and then they would calculate how many installments would be needed.  This is a company that understood before others that monthly disposable income for many consumers is more important than the total price. A long installment plan is the only way many consumers can afford to buy. The interview brings some amazing insights.  Mr. Klein explains how C/D consumers have evolved over time and how they are demanding products with strong brands instead of shopping only for low prices. Or how many of the store's customers prefer wardrobes with mirrors on the outside because they create a larger feel for bedrooms that are typically very small.  He also said that their best-selling category is mobile phones.  Because many of his customers live in communities with no public phone service, the mobile phone is the only phone.  Therefore, these customers are not willing to settle for the basic phone.  They want a cell phone with extra features.

I became a fan when we came back to Brazil last year. After shopping around for a washer, dryer and refrigerator, we ended up buying at Casas Bahia.  Prices were great, the salespeople were incredibly knowledgeable and the items were delivered exactly when we agreed.  Last week, my wife had a stove delivered to her assistant as a surprise birthday gift.  The next day, the assistant said how excited she was to see the Casas Bahia delivery truck at her door.

For those targeting lower-income consumers, this is a case study to learn from.