Oh, Scotch Tape! What Have You Done?

This landed in my inbox this morning. What is it? Well, it's a promotional tape dispenser shaped like a high heeled shoe, of course! I'm stunned. Scotch is a brand I've always respected--a classy company that makes tough, practical products. What on earth makes them think I'll collect shoe dispensers from them?

I also don't get the timing of the promotion. Maybe this is a Mother's Day push that got stuck on the boat. That's the only vague tie I can find to validate a high heeled dispenser. Even then, I really question if this is in line with Scotch Brand consumers--this dispenser is huge, must be out on a table, can't fit in a drawer, looks awkward to actually use, and would require regular dusting.

Those aren't product characteristics I think moms are screaming for. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong--perhaps tape dispenser collecting is the next big wave in scrap-booking.

Sephora + Pantone = Cool?

Billed as a "breakthrough partnership" between two giants in the world of color trends, Sephora and Pantone have launched an exclusive color of the year campaign. Pantone's marketing of color trends is undeniably sexy, down to the name for the color of the year: Tangerine Tango.

Are average consumers familiar enough with Pantone's brand for the collaboration to matter? It may not matter, because so far the marketing strategies and visuals are compelling and cool. Passerby may wonder what the heck a "pantone" is, but in the end all they made need is the juicy colors and assurance that these colors are exclusive to buy in.

 Promotion for the collaboration includes an undeniably cool pop-up shop(featuring pantone's trademark color palettes in super scale), which was just in Chelsea in March, and can be viewed at The Grove in LA from April 18-22.

Snobject: Nike Thermo-molded Shoes. For Real.

"Seamless, one-piece vacuum-packed upper construction" of three of Nike's most iconic shoes -- the Air Force 1, Dunk, and Air Max 90. No stitches. I wonder what they feel like! Press releases say they'll be out later this year.

A Castle of Your Own...

It's easy to walk through a room and think, I really need more furniture, or I wish I had more artwork to hang.  It's easy to forget about your walls.  Vinyl decals transform walls in an instant and bring a burst of personality to a drab room.  I especially love the kids motifs, which offer real style at a great price. And if you were ever a gamer, there are retro game decals here that'll make your day.  If you've never browsed the Blik catalog, do yourself a favor and check it out!

Baby Needs Cool Kicks TOO!

Are you kidding me? Trumpette has the absolute coolest baby socks I've yet to see. I wish my boys could revert just so that I could put these socks on them for a while! Great styles for girls and boys, check them out!

Can you Guess What This is??

No, it's not a toilet. No, it's not a dishwasher. A very very over the top potato scrubber? Nope, it's a head massager. Specifically, the Headtime scalp massager, produced by Kinatech.

Snobject: Blik Surface Graphics

I love vinyl wall decals. We have them in our son's room, and they were much much easier to put up than the pattern I painstakingly stenciled on our walls in Chicago years ago...check them out at Blik. This is Bunny Family Anomalies:

And, you can vote for new patterns based on Threadless original T-shirt designs, which for almost 10 years has offered a social venue for designers to submit their original shirt designs with the potential for a real pay-off.

The Death of Crocs?

According to this article on MSNBC, the much loved and equally derided Croc may be on its way out. The company swung from a profit of $168.2 million in fiscal year 2007 to a loss of $185.1 million last year. In its annual report, Crocs said that an independent auditor expressed concerns about "conditions that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue." Its stock price has plummeted 76 percent.

Why? The market is saturated due to the product's longevity, footwear is trending in new directions, the company was ramping up when its product's potential was flattening...all good points that logically add up to the decline. But why hasn't this company re-applied itself? You can't tell me there are no more good ideas for this material. It's nearly indestructible, anti-microbial and infinitely moldable. Here are three good categories to explore off the top of my head:

1. personal accessories: belts, bags, bookbags (builds on existing category)
2. bath and water products: storage, toys, yard (utilizes brand's capital as a kids product)
3. eating on-the-go: transitional products for car, stroller, school and office to manage, cool and protect foods (explores an entirely new category with the same primary purchaser, moms)