Archive for the 'Travel' Category

Maghreb Marketing

Waaaaaay back in the Spring of Aught-Eight (2008, for you youngins), I departed my beloved America to live and study in Morocco for a little over 4 months.  Without boring you with a diatribe, my experience was incredible - never before have I learned so much about culture, language, religion, myself, and a whole host of other things in such a short amount of time.

What does this have to do with marketing, you might ask?  Well, these photos (taken by yours truly) demonstrate some of the incredible Islamic design work accomplished by Moroccan artisans at large. To think, what these guys could have done with modern tools and a world of demand recently for Moroccan aesthetics!

Also, keep in mind that there are over 1.3 billion Muslims in the world... we could learn a lot about reaching an audience!

Also, as an Account Executive whose primary responsibility is to communicate effectively - I can think of no better gauntlet to hone that ability than being dumped into the middle of a country as linguistically fragmented as Morocco.  Not only is Arabic mixed with French (and Spanish, in the North and extreme South), but there are 3 distinct Berber (indigenous language) dialects mixed in depending on which region you find yourself in.  Case study: I spent some time in a rural village with city dwellers (native Moroccans), who were often unable to communicate effectively with the other Arabic-speakers from the area.

Nevertheless, that struggle is precisely what made my time there such a beneficial adventure.


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I'm ready for fun

yacht

It's getting colder out, the responsibilities of visiting our families over the holidays are approaching, and I am personally already looking forward to planning a sick vacation this spring or summer. Traveling is expensive, and thus we need to book early these days! Fortunately, The Yacht Week is getting ready to take bookings, and after stumbling across the event while partying in Croatia this summer, I cannot wait to make my reservation. Grab a hot looking skipper off the dock, your awesome group of friends,and jump aboard a luxurious sailboat. Don't have enough cash? You can also get a job at Yacht Week - from being an actual skipper to a videographer - allowing you to be right there in the mix as well. Trust me, you will never want to leave....S.O.S. won't be required.

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DANSE

This past weekend I enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Bahamas. Heard this song and haven't stopped listening to it since I got back. Might just be the 4:30 kick you need...Cheers!

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Typographic Maps

Is traditional cartography still a popular artform? I can’t remember the last time I unfolded a large paper map and searched for the R-17 square to find my location, or even ran my fingers over a big round globe. I regularly use Google maps, GPS and my smartphone location apps (yes, “apps” plural), but I had almost forgotten that these are all derivatives of the good old fashioned paper map.

Thankfully, Axis Maps has reminded me.

Chicago type map

These beautifully designed typographical maps make so much sense that I can’t believe I’ve never seen anything like them before- instead of drawn outlines representing streets, lakes, and neighborhoods, the Axis Typographic Maps use text to fill every space of the map. When you see a street, you no longer need to run your finger down the page to find the name, or guess where the borders are for each neighborhood. I especially love the energy in the type treatment for Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan Type Map

Prints of the maps of Boston and Chicago are available for sale, but I’m holding out for the upcoming map of NYC. As a bonus, check out their blog for some behind the scenes info on how they created these masterpieces.

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A Glimpse Into The Future

Check out this exclusive video of the VSS enterprise. The first ever commercial flight into space. 300 tickets have already been sold at a whopping $200,000.00 a person. Knowing how quick technology is moving, that ticket will probably be no more than a flight to Miami by 2013. I think ill wait a bit.

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Night Sky

Spent time this weekend up in new england...one of the first things i noticed was how much more beautiful the night sky is once you get out of the city. Seeing all these stars reminded me how much i love the country sometimes.

great article on the affects of light pollution on gizmodo

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NEED A NAP? PLEASE DON'T WEAR THIS WHILE DOING SO...

Just because it is Friday, and this made us laugh....who the hell is going to really buy this? The only justification for purchasing this, is Halloween.

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HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND

What's up everyone? We are leaving for a long weekend and will be back Tuesday with great posts, and Fashion week warmup. Stay tuned...Have a SAFE and Semi-Sober weekend.

Hopefully we will be surfing this tomorrow, keep us in your thoughts.

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GPH BLOG::GAP'S ANITA BORZYSZKOWSKA

Gramercy Park Hotel has an incredible blog. It is rich with content and is just down right cool. They have featured interviews with everyone from Danny Meyer to Ian Schrager. It is a great way to get be a part of the Gramercy Experience. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook for all of their updates. So go ahead and check it out, it will not disappoint.

Via GPH:

For ANITA BORZYSZKOWSKA, the Gramercy Park Hotel is a literal home-away-from-home. The London-based VP of Public Relations at Gap Inc spends almost a third of her time in New York — always staying at The Gramercy Park Hotel. Indeed, Borzyszkowska is one of the Gramercy Park’s most frequent guests — with a keen eye for the hotel’s leading features and a true appreciation for its style, service and setting.  As she preps for another late summer visit, Borzyszkowska shares her take on what makes GPH New York City’s top hotel hideaway.

URBAN ZEN: Gramercy Park is so peaceful you feel like you are in the countryside. It’s truly inspiring — I actually have an homage to Gramercy Park in my own garden back home in London.

HEAVEN ON EARTH: The beds at the Gramercy Park are so comfortable they’re a bit like heaven itself–as is the entire room.  The rooms are so quiet they keep out the light and the noise pollution of the entire city.

SAFE HAVEN: As a woman traveling alone, safety is as important as comfort. At The Gramercy Park I feel completely comfortable being on my own.

LUXE LOTION: The Gramercy Park Hotel has the best body lotion I’ve ever tried — anywhere.  The MARIO BADESCU VITAMIN E LOTION is so great; I even went to the Badescu shop and bought ten full-sized bottles for myself.

EXPERT AMENITIES: In fact, the entire amenities range is among the best I’ve ever experienced — uniquely curated by editors at Allure Magazine.  The collection is truly independent — I love the fact that the hotel is not affiliated with just one single product brand.

EXCELLENT EATERY: Maialino is a fantastic restaurant — the kind of place I can visit both on my own and for business meetings.  When it comes to breakfast I am nothing if not a creature of habit and Maialino offers a little something for every whim; both healthy and indulgent options. Muesli with fruit, panini with ham and cheese –these perfect croissants with perfect sugary glazing. There is really nothing like it.

CHIC CROWD: I always bump into friends and colleagues at the Gramercy Park, particularly during Fashion Week.  I love bringing visiting journalists or our Gap design heads to the hotel to experience the environment.

GAL ABOUT TOWN: The Gramercy Park makes a great base to explore the rest of the city — it’s within easy walking distance to areas like SoHo or the Meatpacking District without being right in the center of all that action.

CITY CYCLIST: I also love to bike around New York and I even have my own bicycle which I keep at the hotel.  They always have it ready for me when I arrive and I love to cycle along the West-side Highway or right up to the George Washington Bridge.  It’s a great way to explore the city.

ART OF SERVICE: It’s the people at the Gramercy Park that really make it special — they’re friendly and helpful, intuitive and informative.  They’re warm, genuine and cool– but you never feel like they’re too, too cool.

BUSINESS BASE: We’re launching a new collection of black pants for Autumn/Winter as well as expanding for the first time into Italy with a debut Gap shop in Milan.  We’ll use the Gramercy Park to host international media meetings with Gap Head Designer Patrick Robinson.  Like our designs, the hotel has an urban sophistication, a common sense of city style

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TUSCANY: DREAM VACATION

Castello di Vicarello is the kind of place you dream about- the kind of place WE are dreaming about. Who doesn't want to live like Diane Lane's character  in Under the Tuscan Sun? The castle sits on a hill overlooking the Maremma countryside in southern Tuscany, and provides everything you could possibly want to experience in the Italian Countryside.


Alright...ready to dive into this pool!

UMMM Can we please be teleported to this kitchen now?

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