The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Spas focus on coaching, gaming, feet in 2012 Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:46 PM PST NEW YORK, Dec 29 — Beauty coaching, online wellness, snow showers and sound massages are just a few of the luxury treatments clients at spas around the globe will be experiencing in 2012. Massages and facials will still be big draws for the US$250 billion (RM790.5 billion) industry, but spas will be branching out into more personal coaching programmes, spa parties and packages for families and even online games, according to a new report. "Overall, we see two distinct themes emerging," said Susie Ellis, the president of SpaFinder Inc, which compiled the 2012 Spa Trend Report of the top 10 trends. "One is the industry innovating with diverse, new sensory experiences and treatments — from cold and vibration therapies to new services for healthy feet. "The second is how spas are ... moving beyond the sporadic visit, to programmes aimed at developing long-term relationships such as coaching and online gaming." All types of coaching, whether it is beauty, sleep or wellness, are expected to be big in 2012, with spas offering coaching packages, with follow-up emails and phone conferences to support clients. Spas will also be turning down the heat, with cold therapies designed to improve circulation and reduce inflammation. Spa designer Thermarium's will launch the first-ever snow shower, according to the report. The shower's digital touch screen will enable users to choose between light snowfall, moderate snowfall or blizzard. For an even more bone-chilling experience, there is cryotherapy — a few minutes in a frigid chamber at -120 degrees C wearing only a swimsuit, socks, gloves and ear and mouth protection against frostbite. "A human can only last two to three minutes in a cryotherapy room or pod, but it's all the rage with elite athletes to help them recover from workout inflammation and pain," the report said. "The Olympic rehabilitation centre in Poland has a cryotherapy chamber used by sports teams from around the world." Focus on feet, gaming Ellis and a team of up to 100 experts, who visited hundreds of spas around the world to compile the report, also predict a surge in wellness gaming next year. "Our report is more of a forecast," Ellis said. "We wanted to look into the future and one of the things we are seeing is that online gaming is becoming huge in different parts of the world." The report noted that French cosmetic company Clarins is a pioneer in the field with its Facebook game "Spa Life". Other companies are expected to follow by using gaming to connect with clients through online workouts and sessions with therapists. Ellis is also seeing a new focus on feet because of aging baby boomers, foot ailments and the popularity of high heels. Some spas are offering computerised gait analysis, treatments in zero-gravity chairs and lessons to strengthen some of the muscles in the foot, according to the report. "Medical experts argue that high heels share the blame for the fact that four in five American women now suffer foot problems and also for the arthritis pandemic under way in the UK, with 60 per cent of cases now occurring in feet," according to the report. "The pain can be so agonising that some women are actually having Botox, silicone and Restylane injected into the bottoms of their feet, to counteract the damage their high heels have done," it added. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| For the not-so-serious drinker: Marshmallow vodka Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:57 PM PST NEW YORK, Dec 29 — Vodkas flavoured with citrus and berry have been around for years and recently some newer brands have been trying to create buzz with unusual flavours. But this holiday season, for the first time, the world's largest vodka brand is trying to appeal to Americans' sweet tooth with zany flavours such as "fluffed marshmallow" and "whipped cream".  Diageo's Smirnoff Whipped Cream (left) and Fluffed Marshmallow flavoured vodkas recently launched in the US: Taking on the upstart brands. — Reuters pic Tasters preferred a "toasted" marshmallow flavour, but the marketing team decided that "fluffed" marshmallow would be a better name, McDonough said, since it would help avoid perceptions that the drink tasted "chalky or burnt". Diageo paired the drinks with an advertising campaign around the title "Fluffed and Whipped" that features a circus of dancers, dogs, aerialists, women spraying whipped cream into their mouths and model Amber Rose purring that "vodka never felt this good". Young vs mature drinkers The mixing of sugar and spice has struck a chord, particularly with younger, female drinkers, say some New York bartenders. "In five years of bartending, I have never seen a bottle sell out that fast," said Dena Kravitz of Rosie O'Grady's Irish Pub in Manhattan's Times Square. "It's the martini of the younger generation." Smirnoff, born in Russia about 150 years ago, says it is trying to make itself relevant and cool to younger adults, drinkers in their 20s and 30s. But some industry opponents see sweet drinks as moves to lure under-age drinkers who can use them to transition from soft drinks to hard liquor. "I see this move into these sweet drinks as catering to a youthful taste," said James Mosher, president of Alcohol Policy Consultations, a private consultancy group. "This is not a drink that a mature adult is going to prefer." Mosher wrote an article slated for publication in the January 2012 issue of The American Journal of Public Health in which he argues that youth-oriented marketing campaigns by Smirnoff and other distilled spirits, which appeal to underage drinkers, were a key factor in the rise of spirits consumption over the past decade in the United States. Furthermore, the sexy images and allusions in the "Fluffed and Whipped" ad put Diageo in the dog house at industry watchdog group Alcohol Justice, which did a "Doghouse Blog" entry on it in November, saying the campaign "may have set the bar at a new low" for what it calls "pornahol" ads, or those that "use sexual innuendo and objectification to sell alcoholic beverages".  Young adults the targets. — Reuters pic Diageo called Mosher's article "seriously flawed and unsupported by government data and marketplace realities". As for the sexy ad, McDonough defended it and called it "a little bit tongue-in-cheek". Diageo, the world's biggest spirits maker, has a portfolio that includes Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky, Captain Morgan rum and Jose Cuervo tequila. Going straight to dessert The notion of confectionary flavours in alcoholic drinks is not new. In recent years, smaller producers have come out with Cupcake Vodka, Burnett's Whipped Cream Flavoured Vodka, Pinnacle Cotton Candy Vodka, Three Olives Bubble Gum Vodka and Georgi Candy Cane Vodka. Diageo already sells Godiva Chocolate vodka, Ciroc Coconut vodka and Qream, an ice-cream inspired liqueur. But Smirnoff is the first very large brand to go straight to dessert. Smirnoff, the top-selling vodka in the United States, has faced competition from small, fast-growing brands that have more cachet, such as Bacardi's Grey Goose and Diageo's Ciroc. Its sales in the United States are still more than double those of the No. 2 vodka, Pernod Ricard's Absolut, but its market share slipped and it reported net sales fell 2 per cent in North America in the fiscal year that ended June 30. In the months that followed, Smirnoff had seen sales increase, with US sales up 3.6 per cent in November, Diageo said, citing data from industry sales tracker IRI. The beverage behemoth has been pulling out all the stops, including sponsoring a reality television show and various nightlife events. Diageo said Smirnoff controlled about 30 per cent of the flavoured vodka market, a fast-growing segment. According to Nielsen data, in the 12 months that ended November 12, flavoured vodka sales rose 20 per cent to account for 19 per cent of all US vodka sales. Unflavoured vodka sales rose only 2 per cent over the same period. But the more unusual the flavour, the more limited its appeal, some say. "As they become more esoteric, you've got to wonder what the return on these is, since you're speaking to a smaller and smaller consumer base," said Alexander Smith, editor-in-chief of the IWSR Magazine. And while sweet cocktails in the United States date back to a rum punch by the original first lady Martha Washington, certainly not everyone wants sugar in their alcoholic drinks. "It's too much," said one man in his 40s who was drinking recently at a bar in Manhattan's Harlem neighbourhood, when asked about the new Smirnoff flavours. "It's too, too much." For now, at least, Smirnoff does not have to share the pie with its larger rivals. For Absolut, confectionary-inspired flavours would "not be consistent with" the brand's flavour strategy, a spokesman said. Its newest creations include Absolut Grapevine, a blend of white grape, dragon fruit and papaya. Skyy Vodka, owned by Italy's Campari, also has a slightly different strategy. It says its flavours — such as ginger, pineapple and coconut — are based on real fruit infusions rather than using artificial sweeteners. "We don't think that consumer is interested in flavours derived from the candy aisle at their local convenience store," said Skyy spokesman Dave Karraker. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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