Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Kimberley Walsh is 'feeling broody'
The Girls Aloud star – who has been dating partner Justin Scott for six years – wants to settle down and raise a family with her boyfriend eventually, but isn’t ready to give into her maternal urges at the moment.
She said: 'Yeah I am feeling broody, but I am not ready to have that commitment just yet. Eventually I would like to settle down and have children.
'We’re both in the same place and we’re enjoying our lives together at the moment so hopefully it will just naturally come about.'
Kimberley insists she and Justin are content with their relationship and though they are engaged, still have no plans to marry.
She added in an interview with Britain’s Star magazine: 'There’s no plans for a wedding just yet, but we are both very happy together.'
The 28-year-old beauty recently admitted she would ideally like to get married before she has children, but her boyfriend is 'stubborn'.
She explained: "Justin is stubborn and will only do it when he feels the time is right, not because people tell him he should. Ideally I'd like it to happen before we start a family, but none of it is too far away."
She said: 'Yeah I am feeling broody, but I am not ready to have that commitment just yet. Eventually I would like to settle down and have children.
'We’re both in the same place and we’re enjoying our lives together at the moment so hopefully it will just naturally come about.'
Kimberley insists she and Justin are content with their relationship and though they are engaged, still have no plans to marry.
She added in an interview with Britain’s Star magazine: 'There’s no plans for a wedding just yet, but we are both very happy together.'
The 28-year-old beauty recently admitted she would ideally like to get married before she has children, but her boyfriend is 'stubborn'.
She explained: "Justin is stubborn and will only do it when he feels the time is right, not because people tell him he should. Ideally I'd like it to happen before we start a family, but none of it is too far away."
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The 10 Most Addictive Sounds in the World
Does sound make us buy more, want more, dream more and eat more?
By Martin Lindstrom
(Fast Company)
You're probably among the millions who have experienced it: driving in a car, listening to the radio, and suddenly this song comes on. It is not just any song--this was your favorite song when you were a teenager. As the first few notes strike up, you're transported back in time. Everything is so vivid, and your mind wanders to parties, first kisses and sweaty palms. It's as if time stands still and you suddenly realize that for the entire duration of the song, you haven't seen a single thing on the road.
There's no doubt about it, sound is immensely powerful. And yet 83% of all the advertising communication we're exposed to daily (bearing in mind that we will see two million TV commercials in a single lifetime) focuses, almost exclusively, on the sense of sight. That leaves just 17% for the remaining four senses. Think about how much we rely on sound. It confirms a connection when dialing or texting on cell phones and alerts us to emergencies. When the sound was removed from slot machines in Las Vegas, revenue fell by 24%. Experiments undertaken in restaurants show that when slow music (slower than the rhythm of a heartbeat) is played, we eat slower--and we eat more!
Is this just coincidence, or does sound make us buy more, want more, dream more and eat more? Any 50-year-old American can sing a whole range of television jingles from the 1970s--they are all well stored in the recesses of our brain. Yet if you were to ask the same of those who have come of age recently, you will find them stumped. Has the magic of a television tune disappeared, or has the advertising world lost sight of the fact that people do indeed have speakers at home? I decided to put these questions to the test.
Buyology Inc. and Elias Arts, a sound identity company in New York, wired up 50 volunteers and measured their galvanic, pupil and brainwave responses to sounds using the latest neuroscience-based research methods. We learned that sound has remarkable power. This may not be surprising for many, but it was certainly surprising to realize just how many commercial brands over the past 20 years have made their way into the world's 10 most powerful and addictive sounds--beating some of the most familiar and comforting sounds of nature.
Forget the sound of the waves or the songs of birds, they didn't even make the top 10. But the jingle advertising a computer chip, and object which most of us have never even seen, took the prominent second spot in our brains in terms of addiction. We strongly respond to the sound of Intel! This tells us that repetition is the key, since most of us can't even sing it. What this tells us is that there's no limit to this phenomenon, because a computer chip doesn't really have a sound.
The third most powerful sound is just over 10 years old, and yet it had such a profound effect on our volunteers that as soon as they hear it, they remove their headsets and check their bags for their vibrating cell phone. When we switch our phone into silent mode, we think it cannot be heard. But the vibration has its own sound, and almost immediately the test subjects stopped whatever they were doing to attend to their phones. It's hardly surprising that the Blackberry has been dubbed a CrackBerry--even President Obama is hooked.
Psychologically speaking, this is not a happy discovery. Recent studies show that the first thing we do when we wake is check our BlackBerry. Going to the bathroom, brushing our teeth and eating breakfast takes a back seat. Increasingly people sleep beside their phones--that message that arrives at 4.00am, is now a priority! Even though the sound of a vibrating phone has taken second place to a baby's giggles, it seems that in just over a decade technology now provides the predominant sounds of daily life.
As marketers become more aware of the power of sound, it will be used to increase brand recognition in increasingly sophisticated ways. It's just a matter of time before our brains hear sizzling steaks, newly lit cigarettes and sparkling sodas, and immediately register them as Outback, Marlboro and Dr. Pepper.
THE MOST ADDICTIVE SOUNDS IN THE WORLD
Non-branded and branded sounds:
1. Baby giggle
2. Intel
3. Vibrating phone
4. ATM / cash register
5. National Geographic
6. MTV
7. T-Mobile Ringtone
8. McDonald's
9. 'Star Spangled Banner'
10. State Farm
Top 10 Branded sounds:
1. Intel
2. National Geographic
3. MTV
4. T-Mobile
5. McDonald's
7. State Farm
8. AT&T Ringtone
9. Home Depot
10 Palm Treo Ringtone
Top 10 Non-branded sounds:
1. Baby giggle
2. Vibrating phone
3. ATM / cash register
4. "Star Spangled Banner"
5. Sizzling steak
6. 'Hail to the Chief'
7. Cigarette light and inhale
8. "Wedding March"
9. "Wish Upon a Star"
10. Late Night with David Letterman Theme
--MARTIN LINDSTROM is a 2009 recipient of TIME Magazine's "World's 100 Most Influential People" and author of Buyology--Truth and Lies About Why We Buy (Doubleday, New York), which appeared on both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Lindstrom is an adviser to executives of McDonald's Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Microsoft Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, and GlaxoSmithKline, amongst others. His personal global audience is estimated at over a million people. His book, Brand Sense, was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "...one of the five best marketing books ever published." Lindstrom's latest books, Buyology and Brand Sense have been translated into more than 40 languages, and are now out in paperback.
By Martin Lindstrom
(Fast Company)
You're probably among the millions who have experienced it: driving in a car, listening to the radio, and suddenly this song comes on. It is not just any song--this was your favorite song when you were a teenager. As the first few notes strike up, you're transported back in time. Everything is so vivid, and your mind wanders to parties, first kisses and sweaty palms. It's as if time stands still and you suddenly realize that for the entire duration of the song, you haven't seen a single thing on the road.
There's no doubt about it, sound is immensely powerful. And yet 83% of all the advertising communication we're exposed to daily (bearing in mind that we will see two million TV commercials in a single lifetime) focuses, almost exclusively, on the sense of sight. That leaves just 17% for the remaining four senses. Think about how much we rely on sound. It confirms a connection when dialing or texting on cell phones and alerts us to emergencies. When the sound was removed from slot machines in Las Vegas, revenue fell by 24%. Experiments undertaken in restaurants show that when slow music (slower than the rhythm of a heartbeat) is played, we eat slower--and we eat more!
Is this just coincidence, or does sound make us buy more, want more, dream more and eat more? Any 50-year-old American can sing a whole range of television jingles from the 1970s--they are all well stored in the recesses of our brain. Yet if you were to ask the same of those who have come of age recently, you will find them stumped. Has the magic of a television tune disappeared, or has the advertising world lost sight of the fact that people do indeed have speakers at home? I decided to put these questions to the test.
Buyology Inc. and Elias Arts, a sound identity company in New York, wired up 50 volunteers and measured their galvanic, pupil and brainwave responses to sounds using the latest neuroscience-based research methods. We learned that sound has remarkable power. This may not be surprising for many, but it was certainly surprising to realize just how many commercial brands over the past 20 years have made their way into the world's 10 most powerful and addictive sounds--beating some of the most familiar and comforting sounds of nature.
Forget the sound of the waves or the songs of birds, they didn't even make the top 10. But the jingle advertising a computer chip, and object which most of us have never even seen, took the prominent second spot in our brains in terms of addiction. We strongly respond to the sound of Intel! This tells us that repetition is the key, since most of us can't even sing it. What this tells us is that there's no limit to this phenomenon, because a computer chip doesn't really have a sound.
The third most powerful sound is just over 10 years old, and yet it had such a profound effect on our volunteers that as soon as they hear it, they remove their headsets and check their bags for their vibrating cell phone. When we switch our phone into silent mode, we think it cannot be heard. But the vibration has its own sound, and almost immediately the test subjects stopped whatever they were doing to attend to their phones. It's hardly surprising that the Blackberry has been dubbed a CrackBerry--even President Obama is hooked.
Psychologically speaking, this is not a happy discovery. Recent studies show that the first thing we do when we wake is check our BlackBerry. Going to the bathroom, brushing our teeth and eating breakfast takes a back seat. Increasingly people sleep beside their phones--that message that arrives at 4.00am, is now a priority! Even though the sound of a vibrating phone has taken second place to a baby's giggles, it seems that in just over a decade technology now provides the predominant sounds of daily life.
As marketers become more aware of the power of sound, it will be used to increase brand recognition in increasingly sophisticated ways. It's just a matter of time before our brains hear sizzling steaks, newly lit cigarettes and sparkling sodas, and immediately register them as Outback, Marlboro and Dr. Pepper.
THE MOST ADDICTIVE SOUNDS IN THE WORLD
Non-branded and branded sounds:
1. Baby giggle
2. Intel
3. Vibrating phone
4. ATM / cash register
5. National Geographic
6. MTV
7. T-Mobile Ringtone
8. McDonald's
9. 'Star Spangled Banner'
10. State Farm
Top 10 Branded sounds:
1. Intel
2. National Geographic
3. MTV
4. T-Mobile
5. McDonald's
7. State Farm
8. AT&T Ringtone
9. Home Depot
10 Palm Treo Ringtone
Top 10 Non-branded sounds:
1. Baby giggle
2. Vibrating phone
3. ATM / cash register
4. "Star Spangled Banner"
5. Sizzling steak
6. 'Hail to the Chief'
7. Cigarette light and inhale
8. "Wedding March"
9. "Wish Upon a Star"
10. Late Night with David Letterman Theme
--MARTIN LINDSTROM is a 2009 recipient of TIME Magazine's "World's 100 Most Influential People" and author of Buyology--Truth and Lies About Why We Buy (Doubleday, New York), which appeared on both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Lindstrom is an adviser to executives of McDonald's Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Microsoft Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, and GlaxoSmithKline, amongst others. His personal global audience is estimated at over a million people. His book, Brand Sense, was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "...one of the five best marketing books ever published." Lindstrom's latest books, Buyology and Brand Sense have been translated into more than 40 languages, and are now out in paperback.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Lady Gaga pays for all in Birmingham pub
Lady Gaga picked up a bar tab for an entire Birmingham pub.
The 'Alejandro' singer – who is currently back in the UK for the second time on her 'Monster Ball' tour – went to The Prince of Wales pub on Wednesday (26.05.10), and treated locals to a round of drinks and left a huge tip at the bar.
A source inside the pub told the Sun newspaper: "Everyone was stunned when this striking blonde came in. Most of the blokes had no idea who she was at first.
"She sat at the bar with a pal for two hours, downing spirits and scribbling notes. She told the locals how much she was enjoying having a drink on a day off because she can't handle drinking before a show.
"She signed autographs for staff and left a huge tip – a few hundred pounds."
The 24-year-old took to twitter to talk about her time in the pub, and confessed she was writing a new song there.
She wrote: "In a Pub in England, ruining bar napkins with lyrics and memories. Dreams are never weak like we are, drunk or sober.(sic)"
Recently Lady Gaga confessed she had written a brand new song while in Liverpool.
Writing on her fan site Gagadaily.com, she said: "I've already written the first single for the new album and I promise you, that this album is the greatest of my career. It is the anthem for our generation.
"I wrote for you because of you, when I was in Liverpool, I wrote the greatest music I've ever written."
Friday, May 28, 2010
Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana is apparently doing a covers album with special guests. There are some interesting choices made for this one. ASB reports: Nas performs AC/DC's "Back in Black" with Santana, while Cocker tackles Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and Soundgarden frontman Cornell provides vocals on a rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". Manzarek joins Santana for a new take on The Doors' "Riders on the Storm", and the guitarist insists the updated version of the song is "really far out and psychedelic".
Rapper Nas, Joe Cocker, Chris Cornell and The Doors' keyboard player Ray Manzarek have teamed up with guitar great Carlos Santana for his new album of classic rock anthems.
Nas performs AC/DC's "Back in Black" with Santana, while Cocker tackles Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and Soundgarden frontman Cornell provides vocals on a rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". Manzarek joins Santana for a new take on The Doors' "Riders on the Storm", and the guitarist insists the updated version of the song is "really far out and psychedelic".
Santana tells Rolling Stone magazine he was aiming to make a record that would turn women on: "I paid special attention to the groove so the females would get completely aroused." No words on the title and release date for the upcoming album.
Rapper Nas, Joe Cocker, Chris Cornell and The Doors' keyboard player Ray Manzarek have teamed up with guitar great Carlos Santana for his new album of classic rock anthems.
Nas performs AC/DC's "Back in Black" with Santana, while Cocker tackles Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and Soundgarden frontman Cornell provides vocals on a rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". Manzarek joins Santana for a new take on The Doors' "Riders on the Storm", and the guitarist insists the updated version of the song is "really far out and psychedelic".
Santana tells Rolling Stone magazine he was aiming to make a record that would turn women on: "I paid special attention to the groove so the females would get completely aroused." No words on the title and release date for the upcoming album.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Snow Patrol side-project Tired Pony announce second London show - ticket details
Tired Pony, the supergroup featuring Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody and REM's Peter Buck, have announced a second show at the HMV Forum.
Already set to perform a sold-out show at the London venue on July 14, the group will now also play a second set later in the evening at 11.15pm (BST).
Playing in support of their debut album, 'The Place We Ran From', the Garret 'Jacknife' Lee produced LP will be released on July 12.
To check the availability of Tired Pony tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094
Friday, May 21, 2010
Vote For P!nk In This Week's Sophie's Challenge
Thank to everyone who voted last night! P!nk won and is going on to the next round of "Sophie's Challenge" this week on Sophie@103.7. "Glitter In The Air" is now up against Needtobreathe's "Something Beautiful". Lets make sure she wins this one too guys. Click the updated link below to vote.
Click here to vote for P!nk in this week's "Sophie's Challenge"
Click here to vote for P!nk in this week's "Sophie's Challenge"
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