Added 26 November, 2013
To anyone looking at consumer culture, the rise of energy drinks and eCigarettes represent two of the biggest trends of the decade. Energy drinks, the older of the two, has already matured into lots of other markets, from energy shots to energy sprays. eCigarettes are far newer, but also potentially much larger as most major tobacco brands have...
Added 21 November, 2013
A few months ago in the US state of Colorado, citizens voted to legalize marijuana. Not just for medical uses, but for recreation too. Now the town of Central City has made history by licensing the country's very first pot store. Annie's, located in an historic building on Nevada Street, is situated right next to the town's police station. The...
Added 19 November, 2013
Now that lighting up indoors is banned in so many parts of the world, vaping is becoming the new smoking. But backlash against eCigarettes is ramping up too, with many restaurants and other public places saying no to that too. So what's an eSmoker to do? One answer is opening at Heathrow airport in the form of an electronic cigarette airport...
Added 10 November, 2013
Farm-to-table, a moniker that's short for fresh food, locally sourced and unadulterated from the time it is picked to the time it reaches the kitchen, has been part of the dining lexicon for a while now. The trend has become so pervasive, in fact, that it is showing up in other parts of our lives. Take spas, for example. Put in the spa context,...
Added 7 November, 2013
There's been lots of talk about 3D printing over the last couple of years. Much of this chatter has been from technology doubters who complain that real applications haven't been happening. At least fast enough for them. Now, McDonalds one of the largest retail businesses in the world, is considering putting a printer in every restaurant so they...
Added 1 November, 2013
Food and beverage companies often jump on fads quickly in hope of making a quick buck before the fickle market changes its mind. Another strategy is to put lots of products into the marketplace with the knowledge that most of them will fail, but a few will become hits. Fair Quinoa Vodka apparently looked at the market and decided to through the...
Added 29 October, 2013
For generations of Americans, one of the goals of a lifetime of work has always been a relaxing retirement; years when former workers could rely on savings and government pension plans to fund them through the end of their days. The financial crisis of 1998 seems to have changed that math, and culture along with it, as more and more middle class...
Added 28 October, 2013
Millions of students and recent graduates have depended on internships as a way of testing a career path and getting a foot in the door of a desirable company. Especially in the United States and Europe, the internship has become almost a rite of passage. But a nagging debate on both the legality and ethicalness of unpaid internships has been...
Added 28 October, 2013
Food tourism is huge these days. Travelers are choosing destinations based on the restaurants there, making reservations far in advance, and centering their vacations around food. The trends surrounding food these days are related to being sustainable, organic, local and small-batch. Put the travel trend and food trend together and you get food...
Added 24 October, 2013
Businesses of all stripes are getting greener by the day. But it's one thing to be more ecological, and another to communicate those values to your customers. The London Marriott has invented a creative way to share those values with its guests. The hotel created a limited edition tote bag made from 100% recycled bed linen provided by U.K....