Kiehl’s Since 1851 will be opening their first Midwest flagship store on Michigan Avenue in November 2011. Our team is thrilled to be working with this beauty brand as we oversee the media relations, social media efforts and opening party plans.
While Chicagoans anxiously await the store opening, I asked members of the Zapwater team to share their favorite Kiehl’s beauty products and why they can’t live without them:
Product he can’t live without: The Facial Fuel and Ultimate Men’s After Shave Balm and Moisturizer. They make my face feel cool like a peppermint patty and soft!
Product she can’t live without: Lip Balm #1. The first one I ever bought got confiscated at the airport because I was flying the day of the London liquid bomb. TSA made me throw it away at the security gate, and I contemplated throwing a fit. I hate having chapped lips and mine get especially bad in the winter. Lip Balm #1 makes my lips softer than any other product I’ve ever used, and a jar lasts over a year.
ASHLEY KIME
Product she can’t live without: Kiehl’s Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub! I love using scrubs to get my skin soft.
MY PICK:
Why I can’t live without it: My favorite product is Kiehl’s Rosa Artica. When I read that Lucky Magazine’s beauty editor Jean Godfrey-June swears by it, I knew that I had to incorporate it into my skincare routine.
Visit www.kiehls.com to check out their full product selection and find a product that you can’t live without!
Zapwater client, Gura Gear, made its debut at the PhotoPlus International Expo in New York City, and I was lucky enough to take part firsthand. If you haven’t heard, Gura Gear is a line of durable, lightweight bags, perfect for photographers, travellers, and adventurers alike.
I’m relatively new to this whole business travel/trade show thing and wasn’t completely sure what to expect. In a nutshell, trade shows are pretty insane – so much activity, so many people, so much standing, AND so much fun. President of Gura, Greg Schern and Founder, Andy Biggs were on-site to speak with industry editors, publishers, professionals, photo enthusiasts, and fans about Gura’s functional, one-of-a-kind bags.
Here are some photos I captured from the trade show:
Stairway to photo heaven
The Gura booth before madness ensued
Andy, working his magic on the trade show floor
Lights! Camera! Action! Greg and Andy being interviewed by PDN
Team Gura!!
The show was a great success, and there was never a dull moment in the Gura Gear booth. PPE 2012, here we come!
This last week of October marks my two year anniversary at Zapwater. Looking back at my time here, a lot has changed. Zapwater as an agency has grown tremendously in more ways than one and being a part of the growth has been and will continue to be exciting.
In honor of my ‘anniversary,’ I wanted to provide a quick snapshot of all that has changed in the life of Zapwater during my time here:
· More dogs: When I started we had Douglas, Henry, Boots and Leonard. Now we have Brooklyn and will soon have a new puppy Chloe, hanging out in the office.
· Events: The events just keep getting better and better. Most recently, the Zapwater team hosted an event with one of the world’s billionaires, Miley Cyrus and Gerard Butler. Need I say more?
· The Office: We were finally busting at the seams in the old office so we relocated to a loft building in the West Loop! The new space amazing and only two blocks from my place (a bonus for me!).
· Caliber of Clients: As a Chicago based agency, we will always love our local clients. With that said, it is still very exciting to be working with national and even global brands and our agency has seen more and more of those coming in over the past two years.
· Some things actually haven’t changed: which is a good thing! Since I’ve started, I’ve not only seen us bring in new clients, but have also witnessed and helped retain old (and still very important) clients. It’s satisfying to work with a client for a long period of time and watch and help them continue to grow.
Even though I am relatively young, I have had the privilege of living in both the cities of Los Angeles and Chicago where I currently reside.
I spent roughly five years in LA during college and the first years of my life in the work force. One year in Hollywood completely burnt me out and I took my professional life in a new direction. I recently went back to LA for a week’s vacation and was not surprised to see that nothing has changed.
People tend to knock the weather in Chicago. Alright I will admit it’s not the best, but there are so many other great things about the Windy City. In fact I would take Chicago over Los Angeles any day of the week. I always tell people I would rather “love the city and hate the weather” as opposed to “love the weather and hate the city”. I am confident I made the right choice as I regularly find myself happy with the work I do, the relationships I’ve made, and the great times Chicago has given me.
Still skeptical? Then read my Top 5 List as To Why Chicago is a Better City Than Los Angeles:
5) The Food: Chicago is renowned as a top city for foodies while LA is known for bad Mexican food and stuffy LA restaurants better known for the scene than the food.
4) The Fashion: Chicago has a Topshop/Topman while LA saw the birth of Juicy Couture and Ed Hardy, enough said!
3) The Traffic: Chicago has the CTA and while not glamorous you can read or listen to music while commuting. Try reading a book while stuck in gridlock on the 405!
2) The Booze: Chicago has dollar beers and even dollar drinks at some places. Try spending less than $10 on a vodka soda in LA, I dare you!
1) The People: Chicago is a big city with Midwest values. Los Angeles is crawling with wannabes, bad highlights, and fake breasts.
Sorry City of Angels but you aint got nothing on my town!
Old friends. New friends. One of Zapwater’s loyalist clients is back and he’s brought new friends with him. It’s no secret that Zapwater has worked or opened almost everyone of Matt Eisler’s projects.
Matt and business partner/designer Kevin Heisner have now teamed up with chefs and brothers Michael and Patrick Sheerin to open a new restaurant on the site of the recently vacated Spring restaurant on North Avenue.
We’re excited to be working with this amazing team behind Trenchermen. Coming in 2012.
Haberdash, Chicago’s top destination for men’s apparel and accessories re-launched their website and blog this week and it’s amazing! One main addition to the website is their Aficionado Shop. The Aficionado Shop allows Haberdash to presents a carefully curated selection of rare quality goods for the discerning man.
Aficionado items are limited in distribution and sought after by those who appreciate a well-made authentic product. The items are available by calling their in-house experts and the first set of products available are LBM 1911 unconstructed jackets. I’m looking forward to purchasing one for my husband!
Ever since my wedding, I have been obsessed with inspiration boards. I know it’s not some new idea, but i love them. I have even been know to make one or two for a few friends.
Recently, I discovered the best website for inspiration boards, Pinterest. A website where you can store online inspirations on pinboards. You create as many boards as you like and anytime you see something online that you like you “pin it” and it automatically stores your images. You can also follow friends and check out their favorite pictures. From home decor ideas, fashion, and photography it’s a great tool to keep everything in one place. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen something and when refering back to it, I can never remember where I saw it. Now, I pin everything and definitely spend too many hours exploring other people’s boards and pins. This discovery also happened at the perfect time as I attempt to redecorate my living room and could use all of the inspiration possible!
DISCLAIMER: Annie even made an inspiration board for Zapwater’s new office.
As a dog friendly office – are four legged friends include Mr. Douglas, Brooklyn, Leonard, Boots & Henry – and a dog fanatic, I wanted to share this story about Harper. A tiny puppy born with a rare disorder who was thrown away in the trash, but with the will of her rescuers and a lot of determination she has overcome the odds and has started to walk. This story is truly inspiring and shows how loving an animal and giving them a fighting chance makes all the difference in the world. Plus she is such a cutie!! Read more about Harper here and watch her nibble on Matt Lauer’s shoelaces by clicking here.
As my first ever Zapwater blog post, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the Chicago Marathon since it’s my favorite event the city puts on. I get this giddy feeling every year the city starts preparing for the race and I love how so many people come out and support the runners.
The race is this Sunday and starts at 7:30 a.m. in Grant Park and even if you’re not running the race, you should definitely make plans to watch, especially since the weather is supposed to be great – cross your fingers the forecast stays that way since some years we’ve seen snow and other years we’ve seen 90+ degree temps! Besides cheering on 45,000 runners, the race is a great excuse to get out and explore different Chicago neighborhoods. My personal favorite neighborhoods to run through are Boystown, especially for the cheerleaders, my neighborhood of Lincoln Park, Greektown, Pilsen and Chinatown.
If you want to track me or anyone else running this Sunday, make sure to visit active.com
Twitter campaigns. Everyone has participated in one and most companies have done them.
But, what makes a Twitter campaign successful? Is it the topic of the campaign? The prize? The unique hashtag? Whatever the magical formula, it’s important as someone that handles social media to know what you look for in campaigns that you love. This week, Moviefone’s “Name the Horror Movie” contest, which will launch on October 1 and last the entire month, has caught my attention.
Why?
The contest is simple. Moviefone will post one iconic movie still from a horror film every day in October. The first person to guess what the movie is wins free tickets to a theater near them. The only requirements for your tweet are that you reply to @moviefone, follow them on Twitter and use the hashtag #HorrorGiveaway.
It has something people want – FREE tickets to a theater near you.
Competition. I want to win.
Holiday appeal. The site is taking something they know (movies) and applying it to something everyone loves (Halloween and horror films).
Have a place to house more information (like Moviephone has done on their website)
Reward the people that follow you
There are no set rules for creating a Twitter contest, but knowing what appeals to you, your company or your client will always be a great start. Happy Tweeting!
