Clever Leap Year themed marketing

This afternoon I received the following email...see what you think...

Firstly I must say that I did not end up calling this company (if our business circumstances were a little different I probably would have though). Even so, something about this email prompted me to forward it to some of my colleagues, read it the WHOLE way through, check out their website and even blog about it.

Being a bit of a marketing geek I just had to share this - I absolutely loved the clever copy, the targeted nature of it and how it really made me smile. A company that communicates a sense of humour are those that I enjoy working with. Such a simple concept but for me it had a lot of power.

So would you have given them a ring, if you had received this today?

L x

*Click the picture to check out their website.

N.B All opinions are my own

Inspiration...find me

Do you ever have those weeks where you really do not feel you have time for 'you'?! It's only Tuesday and I'm already having one of those weeks. I've hardly tweeted, I haven't blogged or updated A Girl's Imagination Facebook page. Work is really busy - I have a deadline this week. So apart from the odd tweet or pin on Pinterest (a result of procrastination) I really haven't had any 'me' time...except for sleep. While I write this, I am standing in the kitchen multi-tasking between cooking dinner and typing. Which means one will be a disaster...

I don't like to blog when I'm not feeling overly inspirational but I feel like I need to post tonight, if only to have something to show for my 'me' time and to prove to myself that I am not constantly working!

Our weekend was pretty dull to talk about, although very productive. We finally got round to clearing out our shed, which for me was what I imagine a bush-tucka trial experience to be like. Did a ridiculously expensive food shop...eating healthy is costly! A few trips to the tip and that was about as exciting as it got.

This weekend should be much more fun - going to Cambridge again to stay with family and celebrating my fiance's birthday. Roll on Friday.

Anyone else have weeks like this? Or am I literally the only 23 year old turning 45 rather than 24?

I did find some really inspiring/fun pins on Pinterest today...


Must fill my life with more Yoga

Remember ALWAYS

Buy more outfits like this

Bake more fun cupcakes!

If you're on Pinterest share your page link in the comments below.

Lx

My week in pictures

Image above my bed in a Hotel in Sweden , it covered the whole wall! ~ Entertainment on the plane: Kindle and snacks

Malene Birger @ Copenhagen Airport ~ Øresund Bridge (Copenhagen to Malmo)

Gucci at Copenhagen Airport ~ Jamie Oliver's Lasagne ~ My fiance playing pranks

Engagement present ~ Grazia Big Fashion Issue ~ Fresh Juice; made with apples, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries

Have a good week!

L x

Diamonds and cake

You know when you and your friends are growing up as you all start to reach big life time decisions at the same time. When I got engaged last year, I was the only one. Now there are 3 of us. Although, I will the last out of everyone to get married! It's been nice to be able to share the experience with my closest friends.

We went to my gorgeous friends' engagement party last night. She got engaged in Bali, her boyfriend fiance earned lots of brownie points with his romantic choice. It was interesting to hear 3 husbands-to-be talk about their thought process when thinking about how to ask the girls. This really made me laugh, "It's like Lord of the Rings, when you put that ring on them they change. All of sudden it's wedding, wedding, wedding."

She had hired a cocktail guy, who made the most amazing raspberry mojito! Such a great idea, everyone was crowded round the bar, engrossed in what he was doing. Ate too much cake too. It looked too good to cut though...

I know Sophia reads this little blog, so thank you for a great evening! Wishing you both every happiness. You are the most lovely couple and deserve all the good luck and love in the world. Have fun dress shopping. I hope you Mum has tissues - mine cried the first time!

L x

Airport Style

Hermès, Gucci, Mulberry, Burberry, Hugo Boss stores all side by side. Copenhagen has to be one of the trendiest airports I have passed through. A plethora of high-street priced stores proudly stand alongside these high-end, luxury brand stores, creating a shopping experience to suit all tastes and budgets.

I spent the most part of my 4 hours at the airport tucked away in Starbucks with a large English Breakfast tea. If you have ever been to Scandinavia you will know how difficult it is to come by a good cup of proper tea. I had a good wander and look round the new H&M store, which wasn’t completed last time I was here. Many of the items were those that were shown at the preview last week and that I hadn’t been able to find online. I limited myself to one item since one could have easily led to two, two to three…you get the idea. Bonus was that I found the Danish prices to be a few pounds cheaper than when purchasing in the UK!

I bought a pale blue and white knit jumper with gold knit trim around the neckline. I did wonder whether to purchase a jumper being that Spring is just around the corner. It will be a great piece for travelling with as it’s quite light and will layer nicely over little camisoles.

I wrote this last night on the plane with the intention of posting as soon as I got home. However the journey was extremely bumpy. Needless to say I was not in a good place when I finally got home to post!

L x  

February GlossyBox

My monthly surprise of neatly packaged goodies arrived yesterday afternoon. I posted a sneak peak photo of these yesterday. I didn’t write the details yesterday as I like to try out the products rather than simply post what I received. Anyone can write about the packaging and research the brand online to all come to a similar decision.

A few of the reviewers have felt disappointed with the February box. In all honesty, when I opened this month’s box and saw all miniature versions my excitement sunk a little too. My previous 2 boxes have both included a full size luxury item, which has been the highlight.

However, after reading the back of the little GlossyBox card, it all started to make sense and after testing all the products I was won over again! The theme of the box is Fashion Week. So the products are deemed beauty essentials any fashionable girl could want and use whilst travelling to the fashion capitals of the world. Hence the ‘travel’ style samples.

1. I was immediately drawn to the BM Beauty Pure Mineral Eyeshadow in a gold colour. I think mineral eye shadows are great as anyone can dabble with them to make their eyes look as though a semi-pro has applied it. All you need is a couple of colours and a couple of brushes for different textures. The colour is perfect for me, being that I usually go for a more natural look. I find the natural colours easier to blend and correct when you mess up slightly. It has the right shimmer to it to suit day or night and would also work as a great highlighter for the corners of your eyes.

2. Next was Paul Mitchell Express Style 'Round Trip' which is a light serum to help enhance curls. My curls are really heavy so usually light products don’t tend to tame to or hold the curls throughout the day. I am an avid Shockwaves moose fan. A gave it a go though. After diffusing my hair had a really bouncy curl to it. I’m writing this over 12 hours on and my curls have fared well although a little flatter than normal (see pic). It still made it into my liquids bag for travelling today though.

3. It took a few seconds to decipher exactly what Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap was. The packaging reminded me of something you would find in a joke shop?! (…just me then?!) The wording is very little and there is a lot of it but perhaps that’s got something to do with the size. I received Tea Tree which I love. It left my skin feeling revitalised and a little tingly – that must be the tea tree. For me it’s a little bit of a faff for soap, having to dilute it. Although, the result is worth it. Knowing that there are absolutely no nasties going on to your skin or down the drain is also a nice added benefit.

4. I tend to stick to lipstick rather than lip gloss as I can’t bare the sticky sensation and my fly away curls constantly attached to my lips. I was pleasantly surprised to find the DuWop Venom Gloss in Buttercup wasn’t sticky, although after a minute I realised it was a lip plumping gloss as the pins and needles sensation began to set in. I was pleased with the colour, again tailored to my beauty profile being the natural look my preference. A great gloss for bare lips (pic) or over the top of a lipstick. Nice product.

5. Lastly was the Como Shambhala invigorate Body Lotion. Apart from the interesting name, this product caught my attention the least. The packaging doesn’t jump out at you. If anything it reminded me of The Body Shop packaging, of which I’m not a huge fan. However, this turned out to be my favourite product! It smells divine and feels lovely on your skin. I found it sunk in quickly and didn’t leave a greasy residue. A clear winner for me!

Did you get a GlossyBox this month? Would love to hear what you thought of your goodies and whether you would now purchase any of them. 

L x

Duvet Days

Sunday was a beautiful day in the south-east and I ashamedly did not step out of the front door. When I started to get a little agitated that I should be outside enjoying the sunshine, I supressed my guilt of feeling lazy by making a cup of tea, which I enjoyed  on the patio. Does standing at the back door (with it open) count as the patio? I finally decided to grab our enormously cosy duvet and settle in on the sofa, resolving to go to the gym first thing Monday morning so that we could relax and begin to enjoy feeling unmotivated. Usually I cannot sit still so a duvet day is a strange ‘activity’ for me. It takes me a few hours to relax into relaxing…if that makes sense. So yesterday afternoon was filled with lots of tea, mini eggs and a healthy portion of comfort food in the form of ham, egg and chips.

This morning I successfully woke up in time for a quick gym session before work, a nutritious bowl of Ready Brek (amazing stuff) pimped up with a few crumbled walnuts and found myself sitting at my desk at 8.35. A very successful morning. I was then rewarded for my efforts with the delivery of this month’s GlossyBox. I feel as though I should have another duvet day to pamper myself with the deliciously smelling products.


Here is a sneak peak as to what I received this month. I will have a play with these this evening. Check back tomorrow if you are interested in reading what I thought of each product.

L x

My week in pictures

A chocolate Valentine's desert ~ Valentine's Day ~ Creme Eggs begin to appear in our office

'Prim and Proper' Topshop nails ~ Hummingbird Bakery, Soho ~ intriguing print on H&M Fashion for Aids Jacket

Neon and busy prints at H&M Preview ~ Planning trips ~ Bold Clashing Colours

Pie, Mash and Gravy at EAT ~ Leicester Sq ~ Quick stop at M&M World

You can follow me on Instagram @agirlsimagination

L x

H&M Spring/Summer 2012: The Trends

Following on from yesterday’s Preview post, I came away from the H&M showroom feeling inspired and ready to shop and shuffle around clothes in my own wardrobe. Stores like H&M allow absolutely anyone to have a slice of this seasons runway looks. They make fashion attainable for the masses. I saw a beautiful blue short suit that will be coming to store over the next few weeks. The jacket was just £19.99!

I wanted to share with you what the H&M stylists shared with us at the Thursday afternoon preview.

For women, tailored, fluid pieces will be a key look and work well for business wear. Neutral colours, including the white suit will be a Spring/Summer must have. Pair with a bold top for a runway worthy look. Blazers in different shades and styles will be the key accessory this season. H&M have great blazers in bold colours with a great price tag;

{Images taken from H&M website}

Orange will be a key colour along with neon, yellow and shiny gold and silvers.
Earthy tones and pastels of course will feature throughout.
Bold prints such as paisley, exotic flowers and peppers (yes I said peppers) will be found on blouses, jackets and trousers. On March the 8th H&M's next collaboration with Marni will land in stores across the UK, with a key theme being quirky and eclectic prints.

Peplum tops and dresses will be a trend that features on a number of runways this fashion week. A look back to the Twenties and Fifties will be apparent this season, seeing floaty skirts, lots of chiffon, calf-length A-line skirts teamed with light 3/4 sleeved jumpers. Vintage themed crop tops and the bandeau will appear a lot this season...so get crunching ladies!

For more trends and images have a quick look here

And forgetting the men - the theme will be "Work meets play" from H&M. Neutral linen suits with Marine influenced jackets. The double breasted navy blazer will be a key piece for men this season. Neon and orange are also key colours for the guys. Team Neon and greys together for an on trend look. Shorts will be the 'pant' of the season for men in pastel colours, neutral earthy colours and bright oranges.

With the Olympics coming to town sporting influences for both men and women will feature this season.

Enjoy London Fashion Week.

I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to getting my spring wardrobe out!

L x

H&M Spring/Summer 2012: The Preview

At 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon I made my way up to London. At times I wish I worked in London so I could read on the train, as recently I can never find the time. Although I was on the train, with a seat and only 5 others in the same carriage until we got closer to the City. It wasn't exactly a typical 'commuters' journey.

A little door in the centre of the City opened up to a white, high ceiling reception. Very Swedish, but I would expect no less as Swedes are very proud of their culture and roots. On the second floor we were met with Champagne as we passed into their showroom. If every H&M store was presented in this way, I would spend a small fortune! I tend to find H&M stores resemble a jumble store and the items are so tightly squeezed on the rails, it's hard to pull out a single coat hanger without 5 attached to it.

Here the rails were presented with one of each item for male and female ranges. There was also a small space for their home range which featured eye catching brights or whites and blues with soft patterns like you find on antique china.

 

H&M Spring Magazine. Colourful menswear. Pastels for women. Pastel looks. Fashion for Aids and Womenswear Colour items. Earthy, Neutral womenswear. Fashion For Aids Jacket. £15 Voucher for attending.

From the photos above you can see what the key trends will be the Spring/Summer. There was a rail with lots of yellow, neon green, silver and busy prints but didn't seem to get a photo of that. I'm sure this look will be heavily photographed during London Fashion Week!

Tomorrow I will post the key trends in the words of their design and buying team. They gave a really interesting talk with lots of ideas of how to stay on trend this season.

What do you think about the trends for Spring? I love the pastel and earthy toned looks.

L x

H&M Spring/Summer 2012: Wearing

This evening I’m off to a H&M Spring/Summer preview and I cannot wait. I’ve been offered tickets through a Swedish Organisation as the company I work for are members, since having roots in Scandinavia, just like H&M.

Just a quick post today, I will tell you what the event was like tomorrow with lots of pics hopefully. I’ll be posting pictures tonight as I take them on Twitter (@lollabennett) and Instagram (@agirlsimagination) if you want to follow me there.

I'll leave you with photos of today's outfit and make up.

Wearing; Uniqlo light grey chino type skinnies, jumper from Next and plain white shirt with cute collar.

Make-up; Clinique Perfectly Real Foundation, Clinique True Bronze (02 Sunkissed), No7 Natural Blush (12 Coral Flush) - feel like I've got loads of this on, but look really pale in photo!, Rimmel Exaggerate eye liner, Urban Decay eye shadow, No7 & Rimmel eye brow pencil, Maybelline Colosal Volum' Express Mascara and lastly Mac Matte lipstick.

Going to have to redo all this on the train later as my make-up never stays put!

L x

Wedding Fair

This was the first wedding fair I had been too and was a little disappointed but perhaps that's due to it not living up to the imaginary expectation I had built for myself. I had high hopes for the Catwalk, having watched lots of YouTube clips. It was really bad! It was as though the worst/unsold dresses were chosen, as a last attempt that someone in the masses might like it and want to purchase it! I would have loved to have shown you photos but no photography was allowed.

I also expected to come away with lots of freebies; make up and cake for example...but nothing except a bundle of leaflets that were thrust at us as we past the stands.

The best thing about the fair was the endless rails of dresses, which I took great pleasure in playing dress up in. Pronovias had a beautiful selection.

We have decided on a long engagement as we have so much going on this year and next but I just couldn't help having a little look and gathering some inspiration.

L x

p.s. ♥ Happy Valentines Day Everyone ♥

"Trendfear"

I read a really interesting article on the BBC website the other week. I came across the article on the same day I was researching the difference between Pinterest and Pinspire. Whilst waiting for my Pinterst invite to come through, I came across Pinspire and was a little confused between the 2 sites.

The article aptly titled, "Trendfear: Do you ever feel you are being left behind," really touched home for me. As a Marketer I am incessantly reaching new channels and trends where consumers are freely sharing information and engaging with each other and brands. Tom de Castella cites that those in particular roles "might find themselves looking a bit silly" if they didn't have a knowledge of a particular trend or emerging technology.

Tom coins the term "Trendfear" which he defines as "the nagging anxiety at the back of the mind that you are missing out." Perhaps Trendfear was the driving force for me to immediately request an invite from Pinterest and urge me to research what it was and why people were using it. My worst fear would be in an interview situation where I was asked about a particular technology or channel and I wouldn't know what it is or how it could be used to the brand/company's advantage.

The digital landscape adds another layer to the Marketer's strategy. Working in Marketing demands a knowledge and a level of understanding of the different sites, especially as the social networking environment seems set to be around for the long-term. Companies who have not engaged in social sites or even have no knowledge of different sites are the ones who could be left out in the cold.

The problem I'm having is trying to remember all the different logins for each of the sites I am active on!

How many social sites are you active on and which do you use the most frequently?

L x

p.s. you can follow me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/lollabennett/

Do you juice?

A huge part of my life that I haven't blogged about yet is how I attempt to keep healthy. It all started with swimming 3 mornings a week before work a few years ago and has grown into gym classes, weights and running. Last year my new year's resolution was to make as many meals completely from scratch. This really opened my eyes to some of the chemicals and 'stuff' added to food.

It was my Mum who introduced me to Jason Vale and the benefits of juicing. She bought a juicer and blender and it gave her a new lease of life.

So I had to find out more about her miracle juices. We ordered a juicer and blender a year ago too and haven't looked back. If you only have room for 2 appliances in your kitchen, make it these! Every morning we juice 4 apples and blend the juice with a handful of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries (much cheaper if you pick the berries up from the frozen isle).

The past few weeks juicing has lapsed a little. Cold and dark mornings are not luring me out of bed. But when you are juicing consistently I cannot explain the difference it makes! You feel more awake, it kick starts your metabolism, suppresses your morning office hunger, improves your skin and hair, gives your more energy....the list goes on. Now of course you can be as 'obsessed' or as little with juicing, but once you start you'll be hooked. The recipes in Jason Vale's book are delicious too.

What prompted me to write a post about my juicing routine was a product I tried in Waitrose this weekend...Coldpress juice;

What is so special about this juice is that has not pasteurised using heat. All juices in cartons and bottles are heated at really high temperatures to help shelf life. This means a lot of goodness is 'cooked' out of juice. Essentially you end up drinking sugars. Coldpress uses no heat, preservatives, no cconcentrates or sugar or sweeteners, no colour, no added flavours.

This is going to be my new lifesaver. On the cold, dark mornings when I'm not in the mood for juicing I can add Coldpress to my blended berries. One less appliance to wash up! Oh and it tastes exactly like the fruit! Once you've tried it, it will make you think about what is in other ordinary juice for them not to taste like Coldpress/real fruit.

Find out more about Coldpress here or follow them on twitter @ColdpressJuices
Or find out more about Jason Vale here.

L x

"Be a force of beauty"

Image taken from bareMinerals campaign site

The advertising industry has come up against strong criticism for beauty ads recently. I've been following the dispute through a daily MarketingWeek bulletin. The most recent articles have really made me think about both sides of the argument; from a Marketeers point of view and as beauty product consumer.

The ad industry are accused of heavy airbrushing and lack of realism in the ads they create. Heavily cited are the computerised models on the H&M site and the banned L'Oreal ads. As I'm in Marketing, I can understand why they use these techniques - to sell, attractiveness sells.

I then read the following quote from a spokesperson at Boots on the subject; "Women don't want to see unattractive or everyday people - they want...aspirational." On second reading of this, I felt quite offended. In their 'terms' I would be classed as an "everyday" person. I can't quite find the right words to say why it offends me. Perhaps because I fall into the everyday category or perhaps because I don't fit in to the unattainable beauty category. Either way I felt quite put out and it pushed me to carry on with a little more research.

Then I came across a campaign that bareMinerals have created - "Be a Force of Beauty". bareMinerals have recently become the brand partner of the All Parliamentary Group for the Body Confidence Awards this coming April. I was interested.

As part of their campaign they have 'blindly' selected 5 models whose photos, that feature here on the campaign website, have not been subject to any airbrushing whatsoever. I personally prefer these more real and natural beauty shots. Overall I spent about 15-20 minutes on the site, looking at the products they were wearing and the videos they have to support their photo. I can most definitely state that the adverts where it is almost obvious the photo has been heavily airbrushed, have never encouraged me to find out more about the product. A strong part of you knows it's not real so why waste your time looking at a product that is never going to prove to be miraculous! I think a natural photo builds a more natural affinity between the consumer and the product.

The Campaign for Body Confidence Awards are to recognise those brands who show best practise and encourage/help to promote body confidence. Why are they doing this? They believe that "ad industries need to stop ripping off consumers with dishonest images...Images can be aspirational without being faked." Just look at the bareMinerals campaign site to believe it.

It makes sense though...was it a supermarket or meat/egg producer's advert that was taken off the TV for falsely suggesting that the chicken or pig lived a long and 'happy' life in a huge field. So if something like this cannot be falsely advertised then why should the beauty industry be allowed to get away with it? My biggest bug-bear is mascara adverts - you can quite clearly see the models are wearing false eyelashes, yet that isn't false advertising?!

In an age where it is 'normal' to go ahead with all different types of cosmetic surgery and fake'ness' is celebrated (think The Only Way is Essex and Desperate Scousewives), I think a campaign like this is seriously needed. I don't have anything against a set of falsies or cosmetic surgery, I might be in a place one day where I feel it is right for me, I just feel that girls, women, boys and men are clearly lacking confidence in their natural beauty. Otherwise why would you want to augment that if you were truly happy and confident with what you naturally have. I love the line "pretty is what you are, beauty is what you do with it" on the bareMinerals site/image above. Also to mention, this post comes across as suggesting that beauty is aesthetic, it really isn't. Beauty comes in all forms and like the quote, your actions and how you carry it off is what beauty is.

Find out more about the Campaign for Body Confidence here and if you agree sign their pledge.

L x

Websites cited; MarketingWeek , Campaign for Body Confidence and bareMinerals
Disclaimer: Opinions in this post are my own. Where I have quoted others, this material is cited above.

Pink noses

My guess is the majority of those with a blog will be posting about the snow. I have nothing new to say on the topic of snow so I thought I'd share the photos I took this morning instead...



So pretty.

L x

Lunch date with Jamie

A Girl's Imagination is a month old today! Yesterday, it's Facebook page was finally finished. I had moved away from Facebook since leaving uni and got into Twitter. I have too many social pages/logins to keep up with and more that I want to start using i.e. Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr...!!!! This was one of my reasons for starting a blog - to learn more about social media channels and the best ways of using them as part of a wider marketing strategy. So I have cleaned my Facebook page up, turned a new leaf and created a page for this blog - click the 'Like' button on the right --->

My Fiance and I had a lunch date with Jamie this afternoon. Bluewater Shopping Centre (in Kent), has recently opened a new events venue with new restaurants. Jamie's Italian is one of those. Before Christmas it was so difficult to get a table but now the hype seems to have calmed down and a 'free pasta dish' voucher from MyBluewater helped soften the 25 minute waiting time.

The restaurant, as you would imagine, is very trendy yet rustic; wooden serving boards, tea-towels for napkins, school dinner style cutlery and quirky lighting/decor.

For lunch, we chose the Spaghetti Fitters to start, the Revolution Burger with Famous Polenta Chips and Tagliatelle Bolognese for our mains.

I love the spaghetti fritters. They are fried (I think) with a little cheese. So delicious. I had to introduce my fiance to these although he didn't think much of them, which meant more for me!

I had the Revolution Burger with a side of Polenta Chips. The burger was a little dry but would order this again regardless. The mayo and salsa really make this burger! Loved it. The chips are so much more interesting than normal potato chips. The salty Parmesan cheese makes these so moreish. I like to learn how to make these, although this could be dangerous as I'm sure that they aren't the healthiest option. From what I tasted of the pasta, it was lovely, although a little too fragrant for me (if that is a justified taste reason?!). There's lots more on the menu I'd like to try. I think I'll go for fish next time.

We really enjoyed the atmosphere, the staff we're helpful and very friendly, the food was delicious and reasonably priced (voucher was a bonus!) and....

To all those who followed, have been interested and commented on my blog during it's first month, thank you so much! You can Like A Girl's Imagination on Facebook now too :)

L x