Is the booming coffee scene in Hong Kong a fad or a movement?

Speciality coffee came to Hong Kong only a few years ago and within this short time it has become a new trend that has gone through a huge boom.

But, the mystery at the bottom of our coffee cup is the sustainability for the abundance of high-quality cafes spreading through the streets of this urban jungle.

Who better to ask than the industry leaders themselves? This unveiled surprising information, both optimistic and pessimistic, for the survival of cafes – will it be a case of only the best make it or is it simple a bubble waiting to burst?

Making a coffee business sustainable in Hong Kong is challenging, with a fast-paced market of new joints opening every other week, infamously high overheads – due to Hong Kong having “the world’s highest rent for prime retail properties,” and ultimately having owners and customers alike suffer premium costs – with filter coffee reaching expensive averages of US$9 for an average speciality grade.

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The world's most extravagant chocolate Easter bunny worth $49,000

A master chocolatier and two solitaire diamonds! This edible Easter treat was carved in two days and has 548,000 calories. This was an impressive and extravagant stunt from VeryFirstTo.com, who are known for their flamboyant products and packages. Did this Easter themed product have people hopping at the chance to own a diamond-studded chocolate bunny?  Click here to read more.

WeChat vs WhatsApp

The WhatsApp trend has overtaken WeChat - the former world leading instant messaging app. A world battlle on 2 different continents with 2 completely different strategies. WeChat keeps innovating and now works with world leading brands. While Whatsapp focuses on essential features and refuses all forms of advertising. Will WeChat manage to seduce users and a wider market to salvage their position at the top. Read more.

The truth about bias and prejudice #Lovehasnolabels

Nothing shows love like skeletons dancing, hugging and kissing. The lovers of all kinds embrace and then emerge to reveal their differences to the crowd. The message stays consistent, ‘Love Has No Labels.’

Skeletons dance to embrace diversity! A moving awareness campaign to stop bias and prejudice: the vast majority of us aren’t even conscious of our snap judgements about people based on what we see - is it possible we’re more biased than we know? 

How much do you know about implicit bias? We do 98% of our thinking in our subconscious mind - and that‘s where we collect and store implicit biases. This campaign educates us to watch for biases when they surface, advocating that to end bias, we need to be aware of it.

"Before anything else, we are all human. It’s time to embrace diversity. Let’s put aside labels in the name of love."

Some Clever Interpretations of the Dress.

'The Dress debate' has torn us all apart on a global level! We even have a 'team blue & black' and 'team white & gold' here at MADE - with two strong (if not stubborn!) viewpoints certainly evident amid our many office debates (also known as creative thought showers!).

The question is, does a smart brand join debates of 'how can a thing such as the colour of a dress go viral?" or do they 'jump on the bandwagon and launch their own interpretations of the dress'.

Take a look at those smart marketers across the globe taking a creative spin on this worldwide phenomenon, by utilising the viral-worthy content and tailoring their product campaigns to #thedress.

This just goes to show, the importance of creating conversations to engage with your audience. This example simply shows that any content that can polarise views and make the conversation a debatable one has the ability to go viral.

Which is your favourite?

Another amazing Ad Campaign raising awareness for gun safety

Gun safety organisation, Evolve has taken a comical and controversial approach to illustrate a serious message - 'keep guns away from our children'. These funny print ads, including various scenes of children 'playing' with untraditional toys from tampons to condoms and sex toys, simply yet daringly state "if they find it, they'll play with it." To read more about the campaign, please click here for the full article.

Ordinary Behaviour

Hong Kong's Kevin LCK makes a feature in Colossal. Phenomenal work and a great guy to work with. 

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/06/ordinary-behavior-cardboard-electronics-containing-absurd-miniature-dioramas/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+colossal+%28Colossal%29

A 'Real Apple Store' created...

Borough Market celebrate their 1,000th birthday! As part of it's anniversary celebrations, an ingenious installation showcased 1,000 various kinds of 'real' apples, which parodied the tech giant Apple. For one weekend, the market's traditional apple display was a playful reinterpretation of the distinctive designs and layout from the famous Apple stores. Question is... will their next celebration display be inspired by mobile network operator 'Orange' or clothing retailer 'Banana' Republic perhaps?