Buy -Ology

Why we buy the products we buy? What is neuromarketing?  Is everything we believe about why we buy is wrong ?  Martin Lindstrom has all the answers and more in his book Buy-Ology that i am reading now and i recommended to all marketers and customers. You will discover in this book:: 

1. Cigarette warning labels actually encourage smoking.
2. Product placement only works if the brand has a logical and integral function in the storyline.
3. People purchase goods and services that they think will help them be more like the people they admire.
4. Subliminal advertising works, and may be more powerful than a logo.
5. Products enjoy greater brand loyalty if they are associated with a ritual or superstition.
6. People react to strong brands in the same way that they react to religious icons.
7. Advertisements that appeal to multiple senses are more effectual than those that rely on vision alone.
8. Sex and beauty don’t always sell.

Coca-Coca Light the Lagerfeld way.

Packaging is a very important to glamorize the  product in order to attract the consumer’s attention.  Packaging is so important that it cost more than the product itself sometimes. It is the case of the Evian bottle and  the Coca Cola bottle designed by Karl Lagerfeld. I love package design I judge a product by its packaging design before buying and i collect some of them .. .Hope to see this bottle  soon in the Lebanese market.

Decorated simply with the Kasier Karl’s silhouette on a white bottle, the coca-cola bottle comes with a unique limited edition box with an accompanying bottle-opener discreetly hidden in a drawer. We love. We want.

Play Time.

Photo: Joesbox©

Last week I was working on a fun project using wooden blocks, well I am not posting this to tell you about my project but  about  this creative wooden planks called kapla, "Kapla is a wooden block construction toy for children and adults. Each block is an identically sized and shaped piece of pine, with dimensions in the proportions 1:3:15"

What is amazing about this creative toy is each wooden block is made of pine and is identically sized and shaped and every block is perfectly balanced.  They are intended to be stacked, and you can stack them very high, depending on your design and your creativity.

Photo: Joesbox©

I made this architectural design in 20 minutes..it was so nice working with a green simple material.  This toy gives me the freedom to create and stimulates my imagination and i realized that we can be very creative using simple tools  ... You think that it is so boring  but when you start building you don't want to stop! It is a great gift idea for kids and adults! Read more about Kapla Here.

White Lady.

Photo: Joesbox©

I am amateur photographer, what I like it the most is taking pictures for older people and kids. I love taking pictures for older people  their faces tell you a story…Today i took this picture of my neighbor. I love her white face her great wrinkles and her shining eyes. Hope you like it!

Boycott this??

Who doesn’t remember the star of the 80's Ras el Abed- tete de neigre, what a brand name!!! the negro head  it is so racist !!! I was searching for some today but I couldn’t find any in the supermarket I thought  it is boycotted  like  other racist business in Lebanon  but I found out that this brand is seasonable and will be available again this winter...

Photo: Joesbox©

I Guess Gandour company will have to deal with different problems with the anti racism movement in Lebanon this winter  so I suggest them to change the brand name and the package as well :O)
[Update] it is officially called "Tarboush" now . Thanks again to all my readers for the Update!!

Mall Boom.

Building boom transforms Beirut into an investment haven at a time when other regions suffer from different crisis on the picture a new project in the heart of Beirut for the famous architect Jean Nouvel honestly I was disappointed when I realized that  this project is just another Mall yes  a new mall in this small country few meters away from the Beirut Souk.  Do we need another mall?? Of course not we need a big museum, an international library an opera house… Hope to see one of these exciting projects  very soon in this booming capital.

Raci$m ?!?

Racism is everywhere London ,Paris, and of course Beirut , the majority of Lebanese will deny that it exist but Last week everyone was talking about the famous  video of Anti Racism Movement activists In the video, three people approach the entrance of the swimming pool. "We do not allow maids in," says the pool cashier, has he calls the bouncer to the door. well of course I am against that discrimination but we can’t blame the resort for this action and his policy ,first because there is no law in Lebanon against discrimination  and second  if he will accept everyone  he will lose all his racist Lebanese and Arab clients and that will affect his business…In my opinion  this video will not raise awareness or combat racism in Lebanon but it will highlight this fact.
Picture*: Oliviero Toscani- controversial advertising campaign for Italian brand Benetton

"Classic"

Photo: Joesbox©

Last week I posted about a billboard that grab my attention:Voules-vous coucher avec moi?  I was wondering if it was a classic ad  or something else. Today I realized that it was just another "Classic" ad for bed linen - FAP!

Joe's Box Turns Three Years Old!

It's been just over three years since I started this blog I had maybe two or three readers now I have over 500. While I'm not the greatest writer when it comes to sentence structure I am awful in English as I am French educated but to communicate with the biggest number of people I have to write in English, to share with you the content of my box and everything that interests me… The success of my blog comes from loyal readers even others bloggers who link to me ..So thank you everyone.

Special thanks to my talented cousin Dee who made that fantastic cake for that occasion, a delicious chocolate Box cake thank you Dee for that great surprise!!!..you should enter  Dee Homemade treats page and discover her special work.

"Schtroumpfs" Made in Lebanon

Photo: Joesbox©

Apparently this summer in Lebanon is full of activities, exhibitions, concerts and more..this weekend I was at Beirut Souk and saw a nice original "schtroumpfs" or Smurfs with different colors more than 300 different designs: the smurf chocolate, the Lebanese, Abou al Abed, Indian and more .

Photo: Joesbox©

For their 50^th anniversary the famous blue creature of  the famous Peyo are here in Lebanon reviewed and adjusted by talented young Lebanese … you can find this nice artistic work at Souk Ayyas-Beirut

Photo: Joesbox©

Dali, Botero and Niki in Beirut!!

Dali, Arman, Botero, Yves Klein, Niki de Saint Phalle, Damien Hirst or Serge MENDJISKY exposed in Beirut! I was so excited to go and see the  "original works" of these stars of contemporary art  presented at the Metropolitan Club  Achrafieh by the Swiss gallery Bel-Air Fine Art, until 11 July.

Love Bird-Niki de Saint Phalle-Photo: Joesbox©

Great original works exposed in an old Lebanese house, famous sculptures for Dali and Niki..Time flies when i contemplate those great pieces.  I was so happy to discover  new Talented  pop artist like David Kracov, Mazel-Jalix. …If you are searching for good art exhebition don’t miss it. Metropolitan Club -Achrafieh- Trabaut Street. Enjoy some pictures...

Fruits-Mazel Jalix-Photo: Joesbox©

Butterflies-David cracov-Photo: Joesbox©

the Famous Botero--Photo: Joesbox©

Ads for medical herbs 'prohibited'

Do you remember my article concerning  the Medical herbs [I can make you pure]  today the Daily star published that The General Directorate of General Security announced on Monday that advertisement for medical herbs was prohibited. Great News Finally

BEIRUT: The General Directorate of General Security announced on Monday that advertisement for medical herbs was prohibited. The directorate based its decision on Law number 90 of June 3, 2010, which prohibited media outlets from advertising for medical herbs and other products of a medicinal nature. The decision included written, audio and audiovisual media outlets. – The Daily Star

Free is Good!?!

Photo: Joesbox©

Isn’t there something wrong with this picture?

What  this detergent is doing here? And who need that damaged product after a sun exposure in a temperature of 30C to 35C?!

If you think Free Goods are Good ! you have to think again :O)

White Flag !!!

Photo: Joesbox©

You know something? I am getting fed up with all that world cup fever from fireworks to the flags on cars …and the real big problem is that I can’t escape that fever… But today a driver makes me laugh when I saw a long white flag on his car, of course he is a non-soccer fan like me he chose the white flag maybe to symbolize surrender or to express his point of view or maybe he couldn’t find any Lebanese flag as Lebanon is running out of it... instead international  flags  are waving under the sky of Lebanon.