I may well be behind the times slightly on this, however during a conversation with a long standing client recently, I was introduced the phenomenon that is ‘Pop-Up Shops’. The hippest shops, bars and clubs that are only around for long enough, that they don’t go out of fashion.

At first I thought this a crazy concept, however when you consider our current high-speed, short attention span culture it makes perfect sense. Bars and clubs are never the hippest places to be for more than six months, so by pulling it down and starting again, a business can be constantly reinvented. Being temporary, bigger risks can be taken, they don’t need as much investment, nor do they need to be perfect from day one, blink and you’ll miss it.

You might be thinking, whilst this is a great idea, it’s just a way of making some quick cash, however even some big brands are jumping on board, towards the end of last year Toys “R” US opened 350 temporary stores across the US, in a bid to boost sales during the crucial Christmas shopping period. The Gap opened stores in both Chicago and New York, dedicated to its 1969 jeans brand.

Pop up shops could also be a great way for business owners to create excitement and buzz about a new line of products, a brand re-launch or just get people talking about them, companies with main stream outlets would be able to increase footfall in the main outlets, through a short-term investment in a pop up shop.

I suppose it’s also worth considering if you do partake in the Pop Up Shop revolution, returning items could be an issue, if the shop disappears after you’ve bought something, you’d be hard pressed to return it! You have been warned.

Subject: General by Neil

There are sports fanatics and there are extreme sports fanatics and once you’ve met Deborah and Wayne you’ll realise that neither will settle for anything less than being mental sports fanatics. So we thought we’d give them a little support to help them on their way at this weekend’s endurance race in the Yorkshire Dales. In addition we supplied their kit for the race – well when I say kit, I actually mean shorts and t-shirts emblazoned with the Foundation logo, website and pink fluorescent supportive hands strategically buttock-positioned. There was a nice little piece about them in the local press too, with them at the Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley,  Deborah not missing the opportunity to  position her bottom straight to camera. Bit of a sly one, that Deborah! As Marketing Manager for Yorkshire Agricultural Society we work with her on the Countryside Live and Fodder accounts, know her quite well and she’d be the first to say she doesn’t have time for girly frills and fancies. However, after seeing her sport a new blue-tint lippy last week and only 2 days later seeing the models on the Paul Smith catwalk do likewise, reckon she’s a bit of a dark horse!

Anyway very best wishes to both Deborah and Wayne this weekend as they rock climb, mountain bike, run and kayak – against the clock! Find out more about the event at  www.openadventure.com and more about their club, the York Mountaineering Club at www.yorkmc.org.uk

Subject: General by Liz

Firstly, apologies if you’re expecting week 2 of Foundation’s Plan for a beach ready body but in light of the World Cup Tournament I’ve had to abandon this featurette.  It’s estimated that the average male English fan will be consuming 5,567 EXTRA calories after each England match (in the form of copious pints, snacks and then delivered-in pizzas). This means that short of working on numerical simulations in the evolution of contail microphysics in the vortex phase, there’s little I can recommend that will give your brain a sufficiently intensive work-out to come close to working off a World Cup match blow-out!

I, in the meantime, will continue to boost my cognitive calorie workout by walking upstairs backwards, cleaning my teeth with my left hand and trying really, really hard to understand the infamous offside rule (as though I care!).

Subject: General by Liz

I’ve just learnt something interesting. It comes courtesy of Lauren Laverne (in ‘Grazia’ magazine, so it must be true) and basically: your brain burns 20% of your daily calorie requirement and that learning something new burns more calories than repeating something you already know. How good is that? 

So, I’ve devised a workable programme that over the next month will help you shake off unnecessary poundage WITHOUT altering what you eat or how you exercise. Over the next four weeks I’ll be bringing you a fact each week that you’re hopefully unaware of , or encouraging you to do a task that is a break from the norm all with the intention of achieving ‘brain burn’ and a more efficient calorific  burn-rate. The Foundation Plan doesn’t guarantee weight loss but by the end of June the science would suggest we’ll all be in much better shape, plus  we’ll possibly know 4 more things than we knew before!

Week 1. Hey Presto – as you’ve read and digested the above you’ve already learnt your new fact this week and your brain is in the zone. If you wanted to up the ante (or indeed if you already knew this fact), why not learn a language such as Croatian?

Check-in next week for the second session, after which you’ll already be half way through the programme. Bring on the holidays!

Subject: General by Liz

There’s an app for that……probably.  But now there’s also a fantastic A5 booklet that we’ve produced for environmental charity BTCV to help get you started. It’s full of tips and advice on how you can reduce your impact on the environment, reduce your food miles, be more carbon-aware and cut back on waste – all by growing your own courgettes, who’d have thought? The booklet offers advice on how to forage for free food (note. We accept no responsibility for being shot while trespassing, poisoned whilst eating the wrong sort of mushroom or outbreaks of rare or life-threatening skin conditions from nettles and the like) and how to eat with the seasons.

It’s also got a bit of background to some of the great projects BTCV have underway currently and details on how you can get involved in rural and urban community work in your area. Plus, it features celebrity recipes too – if you’re thinking Beyonce’s Maple Syrup and Lemon Juice Supper, Reese Witherspoon ‘s baby food feast or Posh’s Salt & Vinegar blowout, then think again. We’ve got yummy, wholesome recipes for soups, meatballs, muffins and flapjacks from the likes of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Charlie Dimmock and Julia Bradbury. And I can say from experience that they’re delicious because I’ve made some of them myself.  The courgette cake was delish but was squeezed out in the final edit to make way for Beetroot Bolognese – I kid you not!

The guide’s free and you can request your own copy at www.btcv.org/carbonarmy

Subject: General by Liz

We really, really love the clients we work with, so to have them rate us as highly as they have on the Recommended Agency Register is really satisfying. Sandi’s happy that she’s being recognised as ‘passionate’, Neil slightly less so by the description ‘punctual’ !!! Even, if I do say so myself, what a fantastic team we make - fusing passion, creativity and strategic thinking, with a strong sense of delivery, attention to detail and accuracy – clients’ words not mine. And, let’s not forget our lovely creative guys who were described as refreshing and held in high regard.

So what’s not to love about us? (Apart from the unattractive smugness we’re displaying here, possibly!! And the continued overuse of exclamation marks!!!!!!!)

Subject: General by Liz

For the youngsters out there, this was the title of a famous comedy film from the 60s/70s. Obviously I don’t remember it either!! Anyway, the Foundation t-shirt has been on its travels again, this time it’s been to the South of France. The t-shirt seriously enjoyed its time at Monaco’s Historic Grand Prix over May Bank Holiday weekend – in fact, I don’t think it wanted to come back to cold, cloudy old Gran Bretagne. Who could blame it? Mixing as it did with the fashionably well-heeled, the sheer quality and style of the t-shirt meant it felt quite at home with the luxe labels and limited editions. I, on the other hand, felt a little uncomfortable. For starters, the fashion at the moment would appear to be for the over enlarged trout- pout. This currently only seems to be affecting the ladies – but give it time; but generally the flatness of their posteriors  suggests that they’re probably shifting fat from butt to lips – it’s not an attractive look, infact it’s rather comical, especially when you watch them eat or drink! The second crime is the classic Med look for the male silver fox – without exception they ALL wear custard coloured chinos, light blue shirt and navy jumper loosely tied round the shoulders, regardless of age. Sooooo boring! Finally my last observation is to do with dogs, more precisely their poo. Nice’s dog-loving population has a serious objection to picking up their dog’s do’s –  it’s quite literally merde, and plays havoc with the hem of your maxidress!

Subject: General by Liz

Being the lucky boy that I am, I was very VERY lucky to be taken to Edinburgh for my 21st birthday a couple of weeks ago, however as I’d already been photographed in the legendary t-shirt, I thought it was time someone else was given the chance… cue Aaron! Unfortunately I couldn’t persuade him to wear the t-shirt with a full kilt and sporran, tossing a caber, however we did stage the photo in front of the beautiful Edinburgh castle.

So the Foundation message has now gone north of the border to bonnie Scotland. Where next?

Subject: The T on Tour by Neil

Last week saw the culmination of weeks of preparation for National Meet the Buyer 2010, the largest food and drink event in Yorkshire. Having been involved in producing the identity and supporting collateral for the event, I was greatly excited to pop along and see the event come together.

National Meet the Buyer, organised by The Regional Food Group, took place at Oulton Hall in Leeds and allowed suppliers from food and drink companies across Yorkshire to meet and sell to buyers from some of the UK’s biggest brands.

Just some of the buyers attending included: ASDA, Booths, Tesco and the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation. National Meet the Buyer 2009 generated over £3.8 million worth of business.

Let’s hope this years event was even more successful, providing another boost to the region.

Subject: General by Neil

The Foundation message is spreading far and wide, Rome, New York and now….. Bath!! Granted, it’s not quite as glamorous, but I guess that depends on your opinion, with house prices starting from as much as £350k for a one-bedroom flat on the Royal Crescent perhaps it is as glam as NYC, it certainly has the house prices to match.

So,on my recent trip to Bath I sashayed along the Royal Crescent and skipped round the Circus, drinking in the gorgeous Georgian architecture. And even, much to Sandi’s disgust, took the Bath city bus tour to find out more. In keeping with our recent plight to promote Foundation across the world, I dutifully had my photograph taken on one of the famous crescents, sporting the now world famous Foundation t-shirt.

Don’t forget, if you visit somewhere exotic, or even somewhere not so exotic, have your photograph taken wearing the Foundation t-shirt and you will be rewarded.

Subject: General, The T on Tour by Neil