the worst hotel in the world

I was killing time at the MoMa store the other day when I chanced upon this book:

I think every advertising, marketing and PR person should at the very least leaf through this highly entertaining book, which talks about how the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam has built a solid business upon marketing itself as The Worst Hotel in the World. When the owner hired ad agency KesselsKramer to design its ad campaigns, his only wish was to stop receiving complaints from hotel guests. So they figured, if you advertise it for what it is, people can't really complain right? And so The Worst Hotel in the World was born. The ads are tongue-in-cheek, really funny, and just pure genius.

With everyone getting on the green bandwagon, Hans Brinker Budget Hotel wasn't gonna get left behind. Their very own eco ads:

This marketing shtick has been so successful that Hans Brinker regularly has 80% occupancy, even on slow seasons. I mean, what backpacker wouldn't want to boast of having braved The Worst Hotel in the World, right? I'm strangely intrigued actually. What people would put themselves through for a good story to tell!

Wishing you all a great Saturday! It's a crisp but beautiful day in New York, with the sunshine streaming through my curtains. I've just finished my H&H bagel with lox cream cheese and Sbucks cafe mocha, and I'm all set to head to Newport to watch I Love You, Goodbye. I'm off!

buh-bye

I'm an evil, evil person for saying this, but I was all smiles after reading 24/7 Wall Street's writeup on 12 Major Brands That Will Disappear by the end of next year. I know, companies closing means more unemployed people and so on, which is bad, bad, bad ... I was sad to hear that they think Esquire will shutter, and even though I haven't bought anything at GAP since I was 16, I don't want to see the GAP/Old Navy/Banana Republic trifecta vanish too ... but I can't contain my joy over Crocs being on the list! I'm evil. But Crocs are worse than evil. That's all I'm gonna say about that ...

banh mi overload

Looks like I'm not the only one with Banh Mi on the brain. In "Building Layers of Tradition", Julia Moskin writes about the many different iterations the Vietnamese sandwich has taken on in New York and lists a veritable goldmine of places to try the Banh Mi at. Looks like I'm gonna be on a Banh Mi mission!

Reading Material: Schott's Vocab Blog

This is such an interesting read. Schott's Vocab is a blog that compiles modern words and phrases, which range from silly (McSaint refers to a "perenially perky" employee at McDonald's) to the disturbing (corrective rape refers to the use of sexual assault to "cure" lesbians in South Africa). The blog not only introduces new terms but also provides a pulse on what's happening all over the world.

I am fascinated by the term amortality. It sounds so desirable and yet so troublesome.

Must Read on Today's NY Times

I loooooooooved reading this article on today's New York Times. I have been the victim of evil salespeople many times—oh and this was while I was interning at Cartier, mind you, so they were actually sort of co-workers at the time. I've just always known that the people on Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue need major attitude adjustments, and I guess it took the fall of the investment banking industry to stick it to them.

Read "Economy Adjusts Store Relations on Madison Avenue" by Eric Wilson. I officially love this writer.

Quote for the Day

"If I spot Anna Wintour taking the subway, I’m immediately heading into the bunker with lots of water and canned food."
- David Carr, "When Even Condé Nast Is in Retreat", The New York Times

DABA Girls blog

Have you seen this? My interest was piqued after reading the New York Times feature on how women dating finance guys are coping with their new lifestyle that no longer involves bottle service at Kain, dinners at Megu and shopping allowances for Bergdorfs. At first I wanted to choke them with their Hermes scarves (ok I kinda still do), but the blog is actually a pretty entertaining read. Check it out!