The standard way to launch a wine brand is to invite journalists to a stuffy wine bar, swirl some glasses around and talk about terroir… very seriously (yawn). Luckily Fairview wanted something different for the launch of their latest adventure in wine La Capra. Our solution was a Victorian-era styled gypsy caravan complete with vaudeville three piece band and Bridget Back (daughter of the famous Charles Back) dressed up as a fortune teller.

We  invited media to come and experience the new wine and be told a tale or two about how it was concieved. Tony and Anika from the drinks team camped out with the La Capra caravan at Wembley Square in Cape Town over two days for the briefings where it also didn’t hurt that all the passers by got to have a look (and a taste if they wanted). The launch has already picked up some great coverage on the wine blogs (you’d be surprised how many they are) with more articles in the pipeline. Check out La Capra’s Facebook Page for some more pics.

Sepp, a Boston Terrier from Cape Town takes up offer of free flights

Sepp, a young Boston Terrier from Cape Town, is receiving free flights from low fare airline kulula during the next month following an offer to fly the president of FIFA around South Africa. Responding to an advert placed by the low fare airline in the Sunday Times, the dog’s owners pointed out that the offer didn’t specify which Sepp the ad, referred to, so their pet was eligible to take advantage of the free flights. Sepp (the dog) changed his name specifically to take up the offer.

kulula has agreed to honour the promise of free flights during June and July and will be giving Sepp Blatter (the dog) a seat up front on any flight he wishes to travel on. The original advert was made as a conciliatory gesture towards the human Sepp following well publicised criticism from FIFA of previous kulula marketing during the World Cup period.

“We really wanted to make a gesture to Sepp Blatter for putting on such a great show and to make up for our somewhat cheeky advertising telling people how reasonable our fares are. We were somewhat surprised that instead of flying the president of FIFA around we’ll now be giving a seat to a Boston Terrier but he’s really quite cute and very well behaved so why not,” said Nadine Damen, Marketing Manager of kulula.

Sepp (the dog) will be enjoying flights to Jo’burg and Durbs over the next few weeks. Having impressed kulula with his sparkling personality and canine good looks his trips will be covered on the kulula Facebook page http://tiny.cc/seppthedog. Sepp can also be found on Twitter at @seppthedog.

Last Friday Atmosphere Cape Town launched its version of the World Cup, with the first task being the Football Fundi Flag Hunt. Teams were challenged to hide their opponent’s flags in the office, with team Cameroon coming first and taking home the trophy. Opening hosts, America, not only provided an assorted array of traditional cuisine, but entertained everyone with some strange facts about the country. With everyone dressing up to support Bafana and decorating their desks, Atmosphere Cape Town was alive with world cup gees.

Atmosphere Jozi also joined the fun by decorating their desks in a rainbow of colour. Amanda chose the Dutch team and bathed in a pool of orange memorabilia. Duni tried to parlez vous the ‘ol Francais and went to town decorating everything in sight in red, white and blue. Young Florence tried her hand at scrap-booking her work area in green and white. Gary played the role of uniting the nations by hanging seven participating teams around his desk. However, Lydia stole the day with her fervent depiction of anything Brazilian! And with the racket of vuvuzelas heard from the streets, and the thrill of watching the opening ceremony, Atmosphere was truly captivated by the day’s events.

We recently launched the Wheel Of Excellence for the V&A Waterfront - just part of their plans for the World Cup. It’s a giant Ferris Wheel, along similar lines of the London Eye, that will (temporarily) be part of the Cape Town skyline. The V&A team at Atmosphere expect a busy couple of weeks over the World Cup as the waterfront expects thousands of visitors and is one of the key hubs of the city during the games.

Atmosphere arranged a fun speed-dating event, at Sinn’s in Wembley Square, for our Sanlam Personal Finance spokespeople and selected journalists to interact and get to know each other better. Time constraints kept the pace up as the speed-daters hurriedly gathered as much information as possible about their partner before they had to move on. The one-on-one sessions were designed to build direct relationships between the media and Sanlam spokespeople in a useful and memorable way.

We launched Virgin Active’s Fans In Training classes recently with a photo call with Sir Richard Branson himself at the Sandton Virgin Active. He joined in a streaker training class (while he was fully clothed the rest of the participants were draped in strategically placed flags) and was given a lesson in vuvuzela playing by two characters called TK & Vusi.

Cape Town, May 2010: Bio-Oil’s intensely nourishing formulation makes it a must-have skincare product for surviving the elements this winter. Heaters, chilly winter weather and wind strip your skin of its natural oils leaving it feeling flaky, tight, itchy and dehydrated. Developed for scars and stretch marks, Bio-Oil’s enhanced formulation makes it highly effective for numerous other skin concerns, including skin dehydration. A few drops of    Bio-Oil in your bath, or applied directly to the affected area, will ensure your skin stays healthy, protected and nourished all year round.

Bio-Oil helps restore the natural lipid layer and provides lubrication to severely dehydrated skin. It works by locking in your skin’s natural moisture, forming a protective layer on the surface. Its breakthrough ingredient, PurCellin Oil™, is rapidly absorbed into the skin leaving an invisible, non-greasy layer on the surface that prevents further irritation and moisture loss.

PurCellin Oil™ also acts as an advanced delivery system for Bio-Oil’s key ingredients - Vitamins A and E, Lavender, Rosemary, Chamomile and Calendula - which offer specific benefits for damaged skin, from stimulating the healing process to regenerating the damaged skin.

Bio-Oil contains no preservatives, is dermatologically tested, hypo-allergenic, non-acnegenic and suitable for all ages and skin types. Bio-Oil is available at pharmacies and select retail outlets nationwide in 60ml (R42.99), 125ml (R65.99) and 200ml (R95.99). For further information visit www.bio-oil.com

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About Bio-Oil
Bio-Oil is a specialist skincare product that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone. One of the world’s fastest growing skincare brands, Bio-Oil is sold in 19 countries across five continents including the UK, the USA and Japan.

Its enhanced formulation, which contains the breakthrough ingredient PurCellin Oil™, also makes it highly effective for numerous other skin concerns, including ageing, dehydrated and sunburnt skin. For further information visit www.bio-oil.com

Johannesburg, May 2010: Floors Direct has a brand new and unique laminate flooring offer, the Kronotex Route des vins or Wine Route range that has a classical, yet sophisticated look.

What makes this laminate unique is the print that replicates the wording on vintage wine bottles and barrels. Ideal for any room in the home, but in particular the kitchen, dining room, pub, wine cellar or even small restaurants or boutique cafes, this product has a vintage feel that lends elegance to those areas where guests and family are entertained.

The range consists of a dark colour, Route des vins Fonce or Wine Route Dark and a lighter colour, Route des vins Clair or Wine Route Clear, is priced at R145.95 per m² retail price and has a grading of AC4 class 32. The grading means it is extremely durable and has a high resistance to surface abrasion, which makes it suitable for general traffic areas, even in a commercial environment.

“Laminate flooring is extremely durable and can handle almost any stains, spills and dirt, making it the ideal flooring option for entertainment areas,” says Jose Dos Passos, managing director at Floors Direct.

Wooden floors are an asset in any home and the company offers products that are beautiful, fashionable, cost effective and affordable. Kronotex laminates, manufactured in Germany, are available at Floors Direct and comes with the Floors Direct lifetime guarantee.

Whether you want to create a stylish kitchen that is reminiscent of a French delicatessen, sidewalk café, or a kitchen in the heart of Provence or a dining room boasting an extensive wine collection, the Route des vins laminate adds flair to any room in the home where you choose to fit it.

Floors Direct not only stocks a wide range of wooden flooring and the accompanying cleaning products, blinds, mirrors and rugs but offers various other services including matching profiles, technical expertise, professional installations as well as DIY-friendly, quick and easy installations.

For more information contact Floors Direct on 0861 1 FLOORS nationwide or visit their website www.floorsdirect.co.za.

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It’s not very often you get to sign up two Virgins… but after a whirlwind romance we can now announce we’re up and running with Virgin Group and Virgin Active as clients. We’ll be doing a mixture of corporate and brand communications and we look forward to playing a part in the ongoing story of this really exciting company.

Due to a batch of new clients we need a new AD!

US: High flying agency with a stack of awards for our creativity and business driving results. We enjoy PR campaigns that open mouths in wonder; honing our expert media knowledge and long romantic walks on the beach. YOU: An Account Director with excellent consumer brand experience (in particular on liquor brands); organisational skills and enough creativity to really light our fire. You should also be based in Cape Town (or ready to move) and GSOH essential!

We can offer the right match: a great team to manage, interesting work in a supportive environment, good wages (with potential profit share) and we’ll remember to send you flowers on your birthday every year. Send CVs and covering letters to dan@atmosphere.co.za.