Dunkin’ Donuts Is Getting Rid of Donuts—& We’re Not Kidding

by Erica LoopSeptember 25, 2018

It’s official: Dunkin’ Donuts has a new name and will now officially go by just Dunkin’ as it drops “Donuts” from its name and logo, the company announced Tuesday. After 68 years, the Donuts of Dunkin’ Donuts will be no more—at least in name only.

If you live in Massachusetts, chances are that you already knew about this drastic Dunkin’ departure. If not, keep reading to get the scoop on how the iconic donut retailer has changed in a big way.

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A post shared by Dunkin’ (@dunkin)

Earlier this year, foodies freaked out over the possibility of their beloved IHOP changing to IHOb. While the restaurant that’s known for plentiful pancakes simply pulled a marketing stunt in honor of their new burger menu, the Dunkin’ Donuts name change isn’t for advertising purposes. This is the real deal.

As part of a rebranding effort, the donut makers are changing up their store design, adding new beverage choices, providing customers with digital kiosks to order from and…changing their name to Dunkin’. That’s Dunkin’, minus the Donuts—you know, that thing its pretty much known for.

The first new Dunkin’ store opened earlier this year in Quincy, Massachusetts. By the end of 2018, 50 more stores (30 in the Boston area and another 20 across the country) will go Dunkin’. The rebranding concept isn’t exactly a new idea. Reports of the retailer’s change in direction surfaced last year.

Hmm. Just one name? Well it works for Oprah, Cher and Madonna. So why not Dunkin’ too?

—Erica Loop

Featured Photo: Hello I’m Nik via Unsplash

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The Museum of Illusions

by Melissa HeckscherMay 9, 2018

You know how sometimes the pictures of what you did are way better than what you actually did? Like, you know, that time you went to the beach with your kids and spent 95 percent of the time in a state of anxiety but nevertheless took to your social media accounts later to post photos of your smiling brood enjoying a #familybeachday? That’s kind of the point at the Museum of Illusions, a pop-up exhibit on Hollywood Blvd. that puts visitors in front of various backdrops designed to take photos, solely to share. Scroll through to see what we thought and if you should go too.

Basically, the museum is a ticketed photo shoot that’ll make all your Facebook followers jealous. The “illusion” is really just that the backdrops are dimensional enough to make it look (kind of) like you’re doing whatever the scenery implies. The photos will show your kids scrambling up the side of a deep ravine…and tiptoeing on floating blocks high above the city.

Waving from inside giant bubbles…

And doing bizarrely wonderful stuff like this…

And this…

Kids will love role-playing their way through the museum, and grown-ups will love sending the finished photos to friends and family. Suffice it to say, the place needs no actual advertising to sustain its popularity (#genius). And it is popular: Expect to wait 30-60 minutes to get in if you visit on a weekend and about 15 minutes if you visit on a weekday. Museum organizers say you can avoid the wait if you pre-buy timed tickets online.

The Cost of Cool

So what’s the price for a destination that offers really cool pictures but no actual activity in which to partake (besides posing for all those really cool pictures)?

You can purchase tickets on the Museum of Illusion’s website for $25 (it’s $10 for kids 6-12 and free for kids under 6), or get $20 adult tickets at Goldstar.com. Sure, it’s a bit pricey for what you’re actually doing, but considering the dozens of seriously fun pictures you’ll have when all is said and done, we think it’s totally worth it. And just think of the super-weird holiday cards you could send this year!

If you don’t want to schlep to Hollywood for a single excursion, consider that the museum is nestled next to the Hollywood Wax Museum; across the street from the Ripley’s Believe it or Not!; and a block east of the bustling Hollywood and Highland Center. So make like a tourist and stay a while, especially when the grandparents are in town.

Note: Park at the Hollywood & Highland Center for only $2 for four hours if you dine or shop in the complex.

Museum of Illusions
6751 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles
747-274-9374
Online: bigfunny.net

Note: When we visited, there was no working elevator to take visitors to the second floor (museum organizers say this has yet to be fixed). Keep this in mind if you’re bringing strollers or if anyone in your party is unable to climb stairs.

Have you been to The Museum of Illusions? Show us your cool photos in the comments below!

— Story and photos by Melissa Heckscher

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This CVS “Beauty In Real Life” Campaign Is Awesome & So Important

by Erica LoopApril 20, 2018

Forget about those picture-perfect glamazons that grace the covers of magazines (or at least, all over IG). “Beauty in Real Life” is the name of the new unaltered beauty photo campaign from CVS, and it’s changing the standard—in a major way. If you’re not all-in for the Photoshopped version of models, check out what CVS is doing!

Back in January, the retailer announced its plans to create a more realistic picture of what beauty is. In doing this, CVS said it was committed to transparency in revealing whether the final images that the customer sees are, or are not, digitally altered. Photos that feature the “CVS Beauty Mark” watermark highlight images that are unaltered.

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A post shared by CVS Pharmacy (@cvspharmacy)

The campaign which will be featured in CVS’s digital, print and television advertising, as well as on their social media channels, will run from April through June. With photography by Mei Tao and direction by Kat Keene, the “Beauty in Real Life” campaign is created for and by women IRL. Look for photos of women getting real while riding the bus to work, getting ready for the day with their kiddos or prepping for a girls’ night out.

Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, CVS Health, Norman de Greve said (in a press release), “There’s been a shift in what consumers want to see when it comes to beauty. They are asking for more transparency and authenticity, and that’s what Beauty in Real Life is all about.” And we say a resounding, “YES!” to that.

What do you think about this new beauty campaign? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

—Erica Loop

Featured Photo: Kaboompics via Pexels

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IKEA Just Released Its First Pregnancy Test & Oh, It’s Basically Free, Too

by Keiko ZollJanuary 12, 2018

Yes, we too have just done a spit-take of coffee all over our laptops. No, this is not some very early or terribly delayed April Fool’s Day prank by our beloved purveyor of Swedish home goods, cinnamon buns and tasty cheap meatballs. IKEA really has made its first pregnancy test—and it could be coming to a newsstand near you. Not only that, it’s basically a free pregnancy test for what you would pay to get it and it’ll save you money on your big nursery shopping trip to IKEA, too.

We know, right?!

So, here’s the lowdown on IKEA’s Ürinstik—ha ha, just kidding. Sadly no, that’s not what it’s called and it’s not something you can actually buy in an IKEA store—but it is a real, honest-to-goodness pregnancy test from IKEA.

AdWeek explains how Åkestam Holst, an award-winning Swedish advertising agency, came up with a positive-ly (sorry) brilliant way to advertise IKEA’s handsome Sundvik cribs. The IKEA pregnancy test actually comes as full-page magazine ad, created in collaboration with Mercene Labs. On part of the printed page, a specially-printed strip can detect the presence of hCG (the pregnancy hormone that pregnancy tests look for).

Here’s where it gets ridiculous. Instead of showing two pink lines or a plus or a minus sign, positive pregnancy test results reveal themselves as a discounted price on the Sundvik crib. You can see this amazing feat of modern printing and science in the ad agency’s video below:

No word on whether or not the ad will appear in U.S. magazines, but it’s highly doubtful, what with that whole “Food and Drug Administration” thing. But presumably, hopeful Swedish parents-to-be can flip through the pages of their favorite magazine, pop a squat and save a pretty krona on their first crib purchase at IKEA.

WHAT 👏 A 👏 TIME 👏 TO 👏 BE 👏 ALIVE.

Would you pee on a magazine page if it meant saving a couple of hundred bucks on a piece of IKEA furniture? Discuss.

—Keiko Zoll

Just What Every Kid Needs: A LEGO Hair Bike Helmet

by rtgretchenkunzJune 25, 2017

Featured photo: MOEF

Helmets are important for cycling safety, but sometimes kids have to be convinced to wear them. This is what inspired Simon Higby and Clara Prior to create a helmet kids would want to wear.

Photo: MOEF

Higby and Prior work for worldwide advertising agency DDB in the Stockholm and Copenhagen offices. The two cities are famous for their biking culture, and facing the statistic that 44% of children surveyed don’t wear a helmet while riding a bike motivated Higby to do the project as part of his MBA thesis.

photo: MOEF

The pair teamed with Danish design company MOEF to create a prototype helmet that would capture the LEGO hair look last year.

Photo: MOEF

The helmet would require further design and testing, but you can watch the video below to see how cool the creation process was.

We hope they do get produced, because there are a lot of kids, and adults we know, who would like to wear them.

photo: MOEF

What do you think of this helmet? Would your LEGO lover wear it? Tell us in the comments below!

Soon-to-be-Father Creates a Virtual Reality To ‘Meet’ His Unborn Daughter

by Red TricycleOctober 5, 2016

When you’re about to become a parent, sometimes it’s really hard to wait. Excited (and creative) father-to-be Samuli Cantell thought of a unique and personal way to meet his daughter before she’s born – Virtual Reality. Samuli, who has a background in digital advertising, persuaded his pregnant girlfriend to receive a 4D ultrasound. Using the 4D scan, he produced a 3D model of their unborn daughter that would be viewed using VR.

“This idea felt weird from the get go, so I knew I was doing something interesting,” Samuli told Tech Crunch.

Creating the VR of Baby Freja was a mess in the beginning. It involved turning importing the DICOM ﬁles to OsiriX lite in order to sculpt a clean 3D model. After the 3D model had been manually tweaked, it was placed in a Unity project — and the VR experience was ready for folks to see.

All Photos: Tech Crunch

“VR was nothing compared to meeting [Freja] in real life… With this ‘low budget’ production without animations, professional textures and lights etc. it still feels a bit like computer game,” he continued.

If anyone else is interested in using VR to meet their soon-to-be baby, Samuli encourages doing the 4D ultrasound before week 32 of the pregnancy in order to get a cleaner 3D model.

Does this sound like something you would try? Let us know in the comments below!

H/T: Tech Crunch

JetBlue Rewards Passengers for Crying Babies

by Red TricycleMarch 4, 2016

We all know that traveling with a baby can be hellish, not only for the mom and dad, but for the other passengers too. Jet Blue recently released a video called “FlyBabies” in which the airline awarded passengers 25% off their next trip every time a baby cried.

“People smile at babies everywhere, except on planes,” said Elizabeth Windram, JetBlue’s director brand management and advertising (and a mother of a toddler). “For Mother’s Day, we wanted to acknowledge how moms (indeed all parents and caregivers) often feel stressed while traveling with children.” We can all cheers to that!

This was a one-time promotion, just for the flight in the video. See how everyone reacted below:

Photo & Video: jetblue via YouTube

Did you fly with your baby? How’d it go? Tell us in the comments below!

Red Tricycle Is Hiring Local Sales Reps!

by Sara OlsherFebruary 12, 2016

Red Tricycle is looking for Local Sales Reps to manage and grow local advertising for our collection of newsletters and local and national sites. Our Sales Reps are responsible for generating sales revenue from local businesses for Red Tricycle by identifying prospects, developing strategic plans, preparing presentations and proposals, negotiating rates and schedules, and communicating results and/or challenges to management.

What We Offer:
Red Tricycle is a vibrant and fast-growing start-up focused on offering clarity and solutions for moms, who are the primary decision makers for over $5 trillion a year in consumer spending. Red Tricycle is already the #1 resource for families planning their weekend.

We offer a highly attractive commission package on an entrepreneurial team that continues to outpace the competition year after year. Positions are remote, so you can avoid the commute!

What You Offer:
The ideal candidate will have the following qualities:

Very strong and extensive relationships in the travel industry with media buyers and key decision makers
The ability to work independently to craft creative and efficient solutions to marketers’ requests for proposals
Superior communication skills
A track record of meeting and exceeding sales goals in the travel category; at least 3 – 5 years of sales experience
The ability to thrive in an entrepreneurial environment

Job Responsibilities:

Selling and executing local marketing solutions that leverage Red Tricycle’s digital products
Cultivating, developing and maintaining relationships with advertising decision makers at the client and agency level
Meeting and exceeding weekly goals for outbound activity
Customizing various sales aids, visual presentations, research reports and sales support data to close deals

If interested, please send cover letter and resume to admin@tinybeans.go-vip.net.

We’re Hiring: Sales Marketing Manager

by Jacqui BolandAugust 25, 2014

Red Tricycle is looking for a bright, optimistic, hard-working “idea person” to join our team as a Sales Marketing Manager based in Sausalito, CA.

In this role, you will report to the VP of Sales and partner with our local and national advertising sales staff to drive revenue growth for our brands. We need an enthusiastic strategic and creative thinker who has a strong understanding of how to translate the long term business objectives of advertisers into solutions.

Your duties will include:

”Big” Idea generation and media program development – you will work with advertising sales, editorial, ad operations and customer acquisition marketing teams to create compelling solutions-based marketing programs involving eNewsletters, web, mobile, social media and native in response to RFPs, multi-sponsor marketing programs and proactive media pitches.
Lead tactical “kick-off” meetings, brainstorming and investigatory/ idea meetings to foster collaboration among sales team and other departments.
Developing and writing compelling, strategic proposals and category pitches that effectively communicate program concepts, benefits and requirements to advertising partners
Responsible for the development of digital marketing collateral, media kits, sales materials and implementation of general projects, campaigns/promotions, proofing and more.
Partner with visual designer in maintaining the voice and creative look and feel, across all sales marketing materials, presentations and proposals
Produce and manage timelines for execution and success of custom digital programs and events
Managing on-site logistics and activations at events
Responsible for client and category case studies and program recaps
Ensuring marketing program results are tracked and shared with reps and internal groups
Keep abreast of current trends in pop culture, technology and digital innovation to constantly optimize digital and social marketing programs
Evaluating competition and ensuring advertising marketing materials effectively communicates our position versus the competition
Assist in evaluating advertising marketing partnership opportunities
Understanding revenue/cost implications of advertising marketing plans and proposals that make strong financial sense
Work with VP of Sales to train sales team on marketing materials and programs available to/for selling.

DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Four years of direct experience working in marketing/sales development for a digital media publisher
Enthusiastic, energetic, focused individual
Highly detail oriented and able to thrive in deadline-driven environment
Exceptional proposal writing, presentation and interpersonal skills
Team player with strong balance of strategic and creative ability
Solid understanding of digital advertising, integrated marketing, including digital, social, and mobile media platforms
General proficiency in Microsoft Office, Salesforce (preferred), Adobe Creative Suite (preferred)
Thorough understanding of all digital media channels, tools, etiquette, best-practices, and metrics
Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
Flexibility and willingness to support the changing needs of the department
Thirst for knowledge and desire to learn
Innovative and collaborative thinking a must
Strong familiarity with all social media outlets and opportunities.
Network of outside event, design and creative talent to draw upon if necessary is helpful

Why Work at Red Tricycle? Here are 12 Awesome Reasons.

Send resume and cover letter to jobs@tinybeans.go-vip.net

We’re Hiring an Editorial Assistant

by Erin LemSeptember 27, 2013

Red Tricycle is currently seeking an outstanding, engaging and enthusiastic editorial assistant to join our team in Sausalito, California. The editorial assistant will report directly to the Editorial Director and Managing Editor. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills (both written and verbal), be highly organized, totally in-tune with the digital media parenting space (what’s new, what’s cool, what’s so last year) and possess a keen desire to excel with and learn from a small team of hard-working, fun people who love what they do. This is a full-time, in-office position (sorry, no work from home).

Responsibilities:
— Under the Editorial Director and Managing Editor’s supervision, EA will proofread and copyedit local and national stories for consistency, readability, and brand style.

— Identify emerging trends and content opportunities. Pitch story ideas on a weekly basis.

— Proofread marketing & promo social media shout outs.

— Write content for the National, Bump + Baby, and Food editions.

— Write business profiles on behalf of our advertising team.

— Assist in all things editorial related, whether this means communicating with the City Editors and freelance writers, updating content, or perusing blogs to discover the coolest (and easiest) way to throw a Pirate-themed birthday party. The sky’s the limit.

Qualifications:
B.A. in English or Journalism
Familiarity with Red Tricycle editorial brand with ability to adopt writing to express RT style
Can easily whip up quality copy in no time flat aka you need to be impervious to writer’s block
Ability to edit copy & fact check in an online environment under deadline
Experience working at an online publication in an editorial capacity
Familiarity with parenting and digital media trends
Knowledge of WordPress

Email your resume, cover letter, and writing sample to Editor AT tinybeans.go-vip.net for consideration.

ML Interest Tag: advertising

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