OK, I admit, I was giddy to find out that there was one at the end of my street when I moved out here. It’s a mecca for all food-lovers/foreign-supermarket addicts and prides itself on being the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods.  I was intrigued by Wholefoods and its brand message - ‘food labels that inform not confess’, and had high expectations of the store.

I think I pretended to like it for the first few visits but then reality actually kicked in as I started to realise a common theme to each trip:  

1. Enter store and wander around aimlessly for the first 20 minutes, slightly overwhelmed by the amount and range of food on offer.
2. Get confused by the way all the prepared foods are labelled up – some by nationality, some depending upon whether they are hot or cold and other random ones e.g. Indian curries being dubbed as ‘comfort’ food.
3. Slight panic as I realise how many people have dipped into the food that day and also wondering just how long the food has been sat there for.
4. Thinking can I really be bothered queuing for another 20 minutes in a long line that sweeps around the store, only to be faced with a military-style member of staff who barks the number of the till you have to quickly move to?

 Wholefoods - not a great instore experience and in my opinion, totally overrated.

NYC Waterfalls In the sizzling hot heat of the summertime, what better way for a city that prides itself on art and culture, than to create a temporary art exhibition of waterfalls around the city?   The temporary installations are dotted around Manhattan and Brooklyn, with cruises running each day, every 30 mins. Sunset’s the best time to go as the waterfalls light up from behind and you get stunning views of the city. Check them out 

They are everywhere. whether it’s lifts, shops, down the streets or even in their very own designated ‘dog parks’, the cuddly, smelly and giddy canines have officially taken over the city. From pugs to pitbulls, shiatsus to sausage dogs, the canines strut around town with the most glam NYC attitude, looking like they are the ones taking their owners out for a stroll. At first glance, it’s not that tough being an NYC pooch, with the options being endless - getting groomed, having a play or even going to a fellow canine’s birthday party, bar mitzvah or wedding - all revealed here.

 Of course there’s a downside. Inevitably, it means that there are more dogs to get abandoned and mistreated. Pedigree is a brand that is dedicated to the cause – afterall, why shouldn’t a brand take it one step forward? A can of dog food can’t take care of a dog for all of its life. And so, the brand dedicated itself to an annual dog adoption drive, with their most recent campaign including a pop up store in Times Square. The store acted as an adoption centre that enabled dog lovers to meet the adoptable dogs, make donations to support the cause and people an easy way to show their love of dogs. It was also made for a great store experience. Another part of the campaign was an installation of bright yellow dogs in central park, each one carrying a quote such as ‘I wish I was home’. Great, clever marketing that targeted probably one of the biggest and most intense dog-loving cities in the world.

So, given that we’ve got the Olympics out of the way, there’s finally time to breathe. I’ve seriously never seen such a diverse range of brands being able to get involved with one event.

TBWA\ New York houses the TBWA\WW team here so you get to see everything big that’s going on throughout the global network. And they really go all out for the Olympics, from TBWA\China being hugely patriotic in their countdown to the Olympics for client, adidas and government anti-steroid campaigns from New York through to bespoke spots created for financial clients that are touch and go until the last minute, and totally dependent upon which athlete wins which medal. 

Maybe we should be more flexible in securing one off media spots. If it’s relevant and it works, why not do this instead of going with the humdrum and often channelling a load of $$$ (sorry, my keyboard doesn’t have a pound sign) into ineffective stuff. It’s definitely the reason for the guys here doing regular Media Arts sessions with clients. The whole idea of doing something that gets your brand to behave, be seen and be where their audience is, unsurprisingly seems to works.

If you want a taster, TBWA\London have done it well with their cocktail umbrella campaign for watchyourdrink.com. Targeting bars throughout the country, mini cocktail umbrellas were placed in drinks across the country when people weren’t looking, with a message on the umbrella saying ‘this is how easy it is to spike your drink’. Definitely more impactful than a TV awareness ad that’s hardly going to engage you whilst you’re on the safety of the TV couch… 

Which gets me onto tonight’s activities - must get out and play in the city. Sun’s still going strong over here amidst the random thunderstorms that threaten the end of the world arriving. So, maybe to one of the roof decks – Hotel Gansevoort in the Meat Packing District is a hot spot with gorgeous views of the Hudson River, or chill it down a little in Central Park.

The weirdest things go on there and I’ll no longer be shocked by anything after experiencing the hula hoop classes and roller disco where it’s mandatory to dance and roll at the same time…note to self, must learn to multitask better.

Spending the whole of August living in New York City, working at one of the world’s most talented agencies – TBWA\Chiat\Day, and still getting paid. Not a bad position to be in. How did it come about? Here’s the deal… 

As part of TBWA\Manchester’s ongoing push to build connections in our worldwide network, I’m out here to live, breath, experience and learn, first hand, how one of our most recognised network agencies works. It also means that we can keep ahead of the trends by making the most of the media and sector insights out here that we can take back and use for our clients. 

So, I’m at the work pod – naturally a Mac given that only geeks have PCs out here. It’s summertime hours and I’m still here, which does make me a bit of a geek but I like the buzz about this place. The agency, located on Madison Avenue, is a similar size to TBWA\Manchester (around 200ish people). There are 2 receptions, 3 floors, and walls that are plastered in Disruption case studies of some of the biggest and best brands you’ll ever come across. From Absolut Vodka, known for campaigns such as the Sex And The City placement through to Mars, whose Skittles campaign swept the floor at Cannes this year, beating Cadbury’s over exploited gorilla. 

There’s also a ‘firsts’ wall, spanning across a global map to reveal achievements of TBWA\ agencies worldwide. From holding the first vertical sprint up a 33 storey building and being the first to use U2 in a commercial through to creating China’s first interactive billboard and being the first to use currency as a medium, it gives you a sense of pride to know that you’re part of something so big and ambitious. 

First impressions? Makes for a pretty cool place to work in, and the fact that it’s 2 blocks from Saks and 2 streets across from New York’s hottest spa – Bliss – helps settle me in even more, despite the credit card looking tired and weary already.