Eco-Friendly Sex Toy GASM

What started as a prank for April Fools day, Swedish sex toy maker Lelo is in the process of producing a totally sustanable vibrator named GÄSM. Lelo sells high luxry price tag "pleasure objects" such as the Vibrator "The Inez" that retails for A$15,000 as part of a range which includes a 25kt gold plated but plug named "The Earl" for A$2,900.

GÄSM was created as a prank for April Fools day which was made of recycled car tyres and wood pulp. It was battery powered and rechargable by twirling a manual hand crank, Allen key. It was sold in a set of separate pieces to reduce packaging, and had to be assembled by the customer, just like an Ikea couch and came in Forest green color. 

Looking at the reaction to their little prank, they have decided to make the GÄSM an actual product. Recycled wood pulp and recycled car tyres is not the best method of production. They are looking to utlise silicone but using 100% recycled materials, a hand-cranked power system and a disassembled, low-packaging delivery. Lelo plan to launch their eco-friendly GÄSM vibrator next year.

Another example of taking an existing product and re vitalising it with a green slant and re-packing it, although in this instance by accident.

Berlin City Breaks Include a Local Guide

Taking an overseas city break is a great experience, but somehow it always seems like the locals are having all the fun. If you’ve visited Berlin, Germany, and wished you knew where to find the best entertainment or the “in” places to eat, you can relax. Plus One Berlin has launched the city break with a difference – you not only stay in a modern studio apartment in Berlin’s trendy Kreuzkölln district, you get the company of a local resident who can show you where it’s all happening.

Plus One Berlin visitors have a choice of accommodation and a selection of local hand-picked guides who are chosen for their knowledge and passion of the city. When a guest makes their reservation, guests are given a login to enable them to browse and select their guide. Once they pick a local guide, they indicate if they wish to experience the local area by going to a restaurant or be taken to popular local hangouts.

Plus One Berlin is a great example of exceeding expectation by thinking outside the box. Hospitality entrepreneurs from around the world, here is a value add service idea to add to your offering!

Airstream Trailers Making A Comeback

The polished aluminium travel trailers that we use to see in Hollywood in the by gone era is making a comeback. When Wally Bryan launched the first Airstream travel trailer in 1931, he made the rounded light aluminium construction to enable for easy towing. What he didn't know was that the unique trailers would become a design icon.

Airstream are hitting the niche luxury mobile traveller market with its ultra high quality trailers. Just recently, Airstream brand launched in Sydney with two modified models, the 624 and 762 which comply with the Australian standards. With a $115,000 starting price tag for the 624, 6.2m long model the classic trailer is specifically targeting the high end outdoor traveller market segment.

Perfect example of how one company is revitalising a past classic icon to a new updated design with a niche luxury twist. Can you think of any other product or service which has the potential of been redesigned and revamped for todays market?

Bridal Brokerage: Market-Maker for Unwanted Wedding Ceremonies

It’s a sad-but-true fact – every year, thousands of brides-to-be change or cancel wedding plans, many ending up out of pocket because they can’t recover money spent on advance bookings for the big day. “Not any more,” says Bridal Brokerage, an online start-up, featured in The New York Times, that finds buyers for unwanted wedding ceremonies, receptions and wedding parties.

Couples who need to tie the knot in a hurry, or those for whom cost is a big factor, are the target market. Bridal Brokerage identifies cancelled ceremonies that match the required date, location and number of guests, and acts as a go-between, negotiating a price acceptable to both parties.

Bridal Brokerage claims that anything from wedding photographers to catering services can be reassigned. Once the deal is done, it utilises an in-house graphic designer to produce invitations and orders of service for the new couple – all in double-quick time.

The new service helps disappointed couples to minimise the financial impact of changing their plans, while allowing lucky brides and bridegrooms to enjoy wedding days that might otherwise have been unaffordable.

If you’re involved with events or bookings, is this an idea that you could apply in your niche segment of the market?

If You Fancy One of Your Facebook Friends, SlipperFits is for You!

Ever had a crush on a Facebook friend and wished you had the courage to ask them out? Maybe the fear of rejection held you back and, before you knew it, the chance was gone? Way too embarrassing …

If that’s you, breathe again – with SlipperFits, a free app for PCs, tablets and smartphones, you now can use Facebook to find out anonymously if the object of your desire feels the same about you.

The idea is simple – using SlipperFits, you create a private HOTLIST of Facebook friends you’d like to get up-close and personal with. Each of them receives an email, telling them they have a secret admirer and encouraging them to create their own HOTLIST on SlipperFits.

If someone on your HOTLIST puts you on theirs, you have a match, and SlipperFits emails you both to let you know. So far, it’s all completely anonymous, and if you want to find out which of your friends fancies you, you pay a small fee for the privilege – it’s totally up to you.

Maybe you just prefer knowing that someone else has the hots for you … what would you do?