Abigail Ahern

Interior design, and exterior for that matter is an area I am very much interested in, probably because my mum and I watch all the house programs whether its building them or just redecorating, we read the magazines and I dream of my victorian terrace and the ways I will furnish it. I love mixing the old and new together, I think they make a happy contrast (if you get the balance right) and it also means comfortable living, nothing to sterile but not chintzy either.

While looking through some old magazines I stumbled across Atelier Abigail Ahern, http://www.atelierabigailahern.com/. After admiring the decor of this one house I realised that the pieces in her house what she had actually designed herself, so I hopped on the net to check out some prices and more pieces. One of this things I thought would look fabulous in this huge chandelier (going on the basis of the high ceilings in my dream Victorian Terrace) either a focal piece in the bathroom or kitchen/snug area, it brings glam using the wire and taking the original essence of a chandelier but not necessarily the elegance normally associated with them. Also it's just a snippet at £2,555... (Neo-Baroque Chandelier) I'll start saving now, along with a deposit for the actual house.


The site is definitely worth a look, some quirky and original pieces that will undoubtedly enhance any interior.

BMW

Last night I tuned in for my usual Sunday night viewing of Top Gear, during the news segment they announced BMW were to release a new eco car, and the photo for press below...


I believe this is the true definition of the word teaser, gives you enough information on shape and the classic features like the BMW grill but you don't actually get the whole picture. A question I have is why do all hybrid cars seem to be a bit space age esque, these two look similar to moon buggies you see on the tv. The other thing is no production car will be available until 2013, definitely a bit of early hype to get people interested in the new 'i' series, the first releases will be an i3 and i8, both plug in hybrid cars. It will be interesting to see final results as BMW don't do things by half measures and this could be the automotive industries future in the making.

21

I had to give Adele's recent album 21 a quick mention. This album is immense, and anyone who has not listened to it should nip to the shops and purchase it. I cant believe at the ripe old age of 22 she can produce such amazing music, very talented. A variety of songs but an album you just cant get bored of. Before this I wasn't a huge Adele fan, but after Rolling in the deep and this album I was hooked.

On a slightly separate note, one thing I did find rather funny which is similar for a number of brands too such as Apple and Orange, take them out of there context and they are merely in this case a fruit, not a leading network or technology company. Same with Adele's two albums 19 and 21, named after her age at the time of writing and composing but it's one of those things that if you suggested it to your friends as a title it would probably get laughed at but if the right person releases it or it has the hype it needs the word no longer has its original meaning. Apple as we know it is 'the' leading company for phones, computers and gadgets, were not talking Pink Lady or Granny Smith here.

Burberry's Prorsum Collection, London Fashion Week

Burberry was originally renowned for it's check pattern, that saw it copied across the masses, for me it was probably one of the first introductions to the Burberry brand. I have to say when it was ripped off and you saw it everywhere I have been put off the brand ever since, maybe because you would see some youth with cigarette in hand and rip off Burberry in the other shouting one thing or another. Not that I keep up with fashion but ever since it has been a brand that gets even less of my small fashion attention. Until now that is.

After reading about there show in the London Fashion Week and seeing a couple of pictures I was intrigued, at first I got confused with Mulberry which I think has some design classics that will never go out of fashion, still waiting to get one of those in my collection... But for me this has totally re-established Burberry as a top fashion label up there with the big boys. To be fair they have had Emma Watson as the face of Burberry for some time, a great household name to be the face of the brand.

Anyway, the setting - 1000 seater tent in Kensington Gardens and if you couldn't get a ticker for the show you could always pull up a pue at Piccadilly Circus and watch it live on the 32m digital screen, a first for everyone. I personally thing the collection is pretty realistic, people could wear it in everyday life, sometimes I wonder how some creations make it to the catwalk. There was bright bold colours and everything about it allowed you to focus on the fashion. Music that has impact but doesn't steal the show, a white setting and I love the fact that the cat walk Is not raised, that the models are literally walking right in front of the critics. For me the highlight was not the clothes but more about the show, I am big on the whole experience thing and making things the best you can, not only does it help the brand or product but it gets people talking and viral spreads the word quicker than anything else. Below is pictures, highlights and the full Burberry show. The highlights gives you a great snippets of everything going on, Piccadilly, some of the stars attending the show, best bits and the grand finale. The show ends with snow coming down (in a tent...I know, wonder if Emma Watson had her wand spare...) and all 52 models parade in their outfits sporting a clear mac which is also pretty cool. A slight military feel with the ending of the models marching down the catwalk, which also resonates through some of the designs. With everything going on, the music, models, fashion and snow its a fantastic ending to the show.










I would love to experience a live catwalk, especially after seeing the show Burberry put on, almost intense at times and just to see how it all comes together for the overall experience.

Enjoy the show, I know I did.

NYFW 2011

During the New York fashion week Moncler Grenoble made there own catwalk... In the middle of Grand Central station. Great idea location wise, many people passing through the only slight issue is that it's not necessarily flashmob in my eyes. To me flashmob indicates people blending in and then all of a sudden standing out for one reason or another. However from what i have gathered it was quite orchestrated in some senses, all walking on the terminal floor (obviously standing out fashion wise) but good to see that everything was not taped off bit like a school assembly in that essence and the other nice mix up is that it looks like the models are having fun, whenever you see photos from the catwalks either in New York, London, Milan, you name it and the models always look so serious, whether its because if they put to much effort in it may side track from the clothing who knows, either way it's fun and what a great venue to capture an audience. Grand Central Terminal is a fantastic hub of activity, always busy whether it is people on the move, others having meetings or simply meeting friends for a drink, everything can be done under the one roof. I remember when I went to New York nearly four years ago now and we met my friends cousin at the Michael Jordan's Steak House in the middle of Grand Central on one of the upper parts were we met for a drink, banter and a good bit of people watching, a fabulous atmosphere, sadly no flashmobs though...

The second video is one I saw quite some time ago and was pretty amazed, another version of flashmob, however this time it's quite the reverse...



I really like the contrast of the hustle and bustle of the station (the city that never sleeps...literally) and the stillness of the flashmob. It's great they dont even flinch with poking and horns, amazing. It would be a pretty surreal thing to view and you could almost question if something had actually happened with the number of people joining in. The other good thing is it doesn't go on for to long to cause annoyance but is there enough for it to have an impact. This scene was made by Improv Everywhere, there idea - to cause scenes of chaos and joy in public places, sounds good to me.

Every little helps...

It certainly does Tesco, if only your petrol was so cheap...

Life's for Sharing

One of the most recent and popular adverts has featured flashmobs, T-Mobile has outdone all the other networks, Im not necessarily a fan of the actual network but they have definitely raised the bar and the concept of 'Life's for Sharing' sums up mobile phones and our need to have up to date information and share everything with everyone. The first advert they released was Liverpool Street Station -



Followed up by Trafalgar Square -



This is the first time I have really seen the Trafalar Square one, and the extended version has 'Hey Jude' by the Beatles which I think could of made a better advert but love how pink was there with her hood up in the middle of the crowds and just appears. It would have been great as it was but just to make the scene that bit more special and Pink is amazing live, saw her Funhouse tour a couple of years ago, what a performer, fantastic. The most recent advert is at Heathrow airport, fittingly 'Welcome Back' is the theme -



I have to say I love all of the adverts, I get tingles watching them, it just makes me happy and it would be immense to be apart of concept but probably more-so to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. What would we do without mobiles...

'Toylets'

In the UK it seems that an empty space is dead space and therefore should have advertising on it, a stark contrast to the streets of Sao Paulo where advertising is banned (cue tumbleweed blowing across the street). We are always trying to think of new ways to reach our target audience and the use of urinals has been around for some time, and not just as an outlet for men. The example below is from ESPN and they guys get to try and shoot as they wee. Others have been a mixture of aiming for a ball to help men aim and keep it in the bowl, in an old university project I used it for raising the awareness of William Hill with some banter, obviously the whole idea is more of a talking point to get the word spread.


However in Japan Sega are taking it one step further, they are actually installing LCD screens above the urinals so you can play against your friends, it even has the option of plugging in your usb to record scores - to dirty for my liking, nut get the novel idea. Fittingly Sega have named them 'Toylets' and they come with four games, ranging from 'Mannekin Pis' which tests how hard you can pee, to 'The Northern Wind, The Sun and Me' which is about you trying to blow up a girls skirt, the harder you pee the stringer the wind blows... Obviously the other use is for advertising in between users which could be more engaging with a variety of ads and could also be more personalised depending on location or time of the day.

Brands

Last week I was asked what brands I would like to work with, and at first I felt a bit like a rabbit in the headlights, simple enough question, but so many to choose from. When I was first asked I instantly thought about retail and looking back I pretty much reeled off a few of the brands which I would think are standard answers. To be fair if I had the opportunity I would love to work with Apple, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer but they are classic and safe, safe in the sense of they have established their look and know what works for them. I have been thinking about it for quite some time now and have expanded my thinking beyond retail. Some of the brands below are just a few I managed to narrow it down to -


There is a pretty broad range there, some of them are just brands I love, for instance Virgin hold a very special place in my heart as I flew with them on my first long haul flight on my own to New York, and I thought the whole experience was amazing and I went with B.A last year and wasn't half as impressed, I think a large part of it is down to Virgin's image, a leader in there circles and many others.

Some brands like Ann Summers and United Colours of Benetton would be fun as they are established brands and are willing to take risks which can be seen through their advertising and for Ann Summers in their product ranges, and this could lead to more creative and adventurous outputs.

Sport is a big thing for me, if I'm not playing it I will probably be watching it. To work with not only some of the leading brands but also ones from different sectors like Burton who deal with more extreme sports or an event such as the Olympics would be fascinating.

Red Bull is one brand that has been fascinating for me, more so since I came back from a recent snowboarding holiday in the alps. Joining in the usual apres ski many bars have videos on of snow videos, mixing crashes and jumps to give you some inspiration for the next day on the slopes. But one night in the local Irish bar they had a Red Bull video on, some of the events they hold and sponsor were fantastic and totally out there from moto cross and battersea power station to car park races and even paper aeroplane tournaments, things you would not think necessarily possible but also things that most companies would not touch with a barge pole. This is where Red Bull has come into its element, the energy drink seems to be more of a front and now sideline, alongside all the extreme sports there is also a successful F1 team, a brand that sees no boundaries.

Granted I still wouldn't say no to John Lewis or Apple and would love to work on a Harvey Nichols window display, that would definitely be a career achievement. Other areas of interest would be car showrooms, hotels, restaurants...the list is endless.

Seduction with a capital S

One thing that I have been meaning to write about for some time now is Nichole de Carle's lingerie brand. I used to know the family quite well, having partnered Nichole's younger sister Charlotte in our junior badminton days. Nichole de Carle the brand was established in 2007 and has just kept on growing and developing ever since. I personally think the lingerie is more an art form than underwear, not one of your everyday sets. Inspirations drawn from architecture, literature and sculptures with a hint of bondage transformed into pieces of art for the human body. I remember seeing some of the first designs on the website and just thinking 'wow', this was followed by 'how do you get into that on your own?'. Some pieces are like intricate webs of material encasing the body like a modern chastity belt and others just simply elegant lingerie. It is obvious that time has been spent on the design, craft, sourcing materials, quality of finish and the end product which exudes sex appeal. The other thing I love is the two styles of shots used so far for the gallery and advertising of Nichole de Carle lingerie - 1. Locations 2. The plain backdrop. Firstly, set locations chosen that you would never normally see or associate with high end couture and secondly the 'plain backdrop' which isn't so plain, an off white/cream brick wall cleverly used to add some texture so it's not a stark setting but allows the model and underwear to be framed and remain at the forefront. Some of the new shots on the website feature a more industrial feel, cranes, low lighting, concrete and hard lines from buildings which offsets the model and lingerie making you appreciate the softness of the lines, materials and a womens body. As always sex sells, but it's how you approach and deal with the subject. A refreshing approach that makes the brand stand apart from the rest, with the website complimenting the collection and overall aesthetics of the brand.








http://www.nicholedecarle.com/

Fashion is...

“...a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” - Oscar Wilde

“... not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” - Coco Chanel

Fashion is huge, whether you like it or not we are all apart of it, it's just whether you decide to take part in it or not, a bit like The Devil Wears Prada, you may not feel like you engage in it but every single piece of clothing has taken inspiration from somewhere, usually elements from the catwalk, you choose if you engage in the trends or not. Part of me would love to have a classic look that fashions and trends can come and go but my image would remain, and more importantly always be available. I think i have a style but that adapts to accommodate trends too... Does this make sense or am I just rambling...

Either way its an area I enjoy but don't necessarily think I have the expertise in, I do the usual, read some magazines, papers, press and see what people are wearing around the city. To cut a long story short this has pretty much stemmed from Mary Portas' Secret Shopper program on Channel 4. The store and my previous department had two top reviews which was great to see that our service was up to standard, or above it.

I never knew that Mary had her own retail & brand communication agency and started generally researching and googling her, and I may be a tad behind the times here as they tied the knot in June 2010 but Mary had a civil partnership with Melanie Rickey, Grazia's Fashion Editor. I have to say their wedding outfits were pretty darn fabulous, I like that they have not taken the traditional route of either both being in big meringues or one being in the dress and the other being the suit. They had dresses custom designed by Antonio Berardi, nice and unique if you can afford the luxury. I think that I just love that they have gone out there with whacking great high heels, fashionable outfits and just done it there way, and what other way was there for two leading ladies of the fashion industry.



Check out Melanie's blog for up to date fashion and new lines http://fashioneditoratlarge.blogspot.com/

Screw you!

If someone propositioned you with this I can think of an array of answers and potentially physical abuse the recipient could receive. But this is one of the latest art forms someone has used for portraits, think it beats toast...


When I first saw this I thought someone had been sewing lots of different coloured buttons on to a wall murial or something, but screws is way more interesting. Andrew Myers from the one and only OC, California, drills screws into the wood and individually hand paints each screw to make the overall portrait picture. This is mainly done from the use of a photograph but Myers does prefer to meet the individual to make sure he has correct skin tones etc. Prices are from £5000 upwards depending on variables such as height and materials. A pretty novel idea, very time consuming but could make a great feature piece in a shop but instead you could just have the brand sprayed on, would be great for a company like (drumroll please...) Screwfix. Actually think it would be more suited to Caterpillar or Timberland, more rugged brand, heavy machinery, industrial and more likely to spend money on there brand and image.


This could make resistant materials more fun...

Smile, your on the envelope...

I have never heard of anything like this before but at the same time I am surprised the Royal Mail have not done this sooner with the popular demand of personalised objects. So like at Christmas you have the run of the mill stamps and themed stamps, quite liked this years Wallace & Gromit singing carols, my mum wasn't to impressed, didn't think were festive enough but couldn't see they had Santa hats on or were singing carols...bless.

Anyway the idea behind these are that you make your own, you can choose to have a circle or rectangle and you choose from 16 designs for the actual stamp itself, here's my trial run.


Its a pretty novel idea but a pricey one, £13.95 for 20 first class stamps or £7.80 for 10, good for special occasions, the Royal Mail use weddings and christenings as examples on the site which would be great but it would cost a small fortune for the stamps alone.

PostSecret

I think this idea is amazing. It started out as a small project in November 2004, Frank Warren printed 3000 postcards inviting people to share a secret with him that they had never told before, and it could be about anything you wanted. They were left in various places from subways to pages of library books, and slowly his mailbox started to fill up, and continued to do so even after he stopped printing. They would appear on photographs, invitations, anything that helped form a part of the story and within this each story has become a piece of art, personal to the individual and with so much meaning to the rest of us.

What is interesting is that whenever anyone writes things down it takes a weight off of your shoulders even if you don't share it with anyone physically you are one step closer to releasing it. With this setup you get to share your secret and tell others without openly admitting anything. The funny thing is that you even if you cant relate to all many are heartfelt and some of them I wish I could speak to the person and tell them differently, no-one should ever be made to feel like this (below).



"There are two kinds of secrets: those we keep from others and the ones we hide from ourselves." - Frank Warren

I have one of the books and intend to get the collection over time, I think they are a great book of art, made from the heart. With some of the subjects you also realise that though you may not talk to your friends about literally everything someone somewhere out there knows exactly how you feel. They make you smile, laugh and cry and if it doesn't effect you you can just appreciate the art and sentiment. Take a peek at some of the ones below, these are just a small selection, if I could, I would post the whole book up. Thank you Frank.






You can check out weekly updates of new secrets sent to Frank at http://www.postsecret.com/ which is currently housing a bit of a Valentines theme, surprise surprise. Either way, check it out and buy a book, with all the support Frank has been able to avoid sponsorship deals so the idea can stay pure and true to everyone out there, keep u the good work.

lmgtfy*

lmgtfy... another acronym you don't know the meaning of... Check it out, pretty funny if your friends ask you something to send back as a link.

Q: What website did you say I should have a look at?

A: http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=postsecret


*Let me google that for you

Google it?

This is a slight continuation from my Ctrl+Alt+Preview post, one of my friends tweeted this image earlier -



The whole trying to preview, using an eight ball type scenario. This is one thing I don't think Google will be able to achieve... Although miracles can happen.

Dine in for £20

It's probably been a couple of years now where Marks and Spencer have offered the 'dine in for £10' every few weeks, which as a concept has truly hit the right note, firstly it's great in the recession, you get a three course meal with wine for two, all for £10, never would you be able to get that in a restaurant (well maybe now with all the vouchers floating around) and secondly it's Marks and Spencer food, which for most is a treat so it's a double hit. This makes Valentines the ideal opportunity to capitalise on the deal, and push the boat out for that special occasion, therefore the customer is making an effort but not having to spend a small fortune dining out in a cattle market trying to win the award for most loved up couple. The reason I'm talking about this is not for the idea itself, although genius it is with many supermarkets copying the idea I am looking at the power of advertising. As Valentines has been and gone I will do a quick recap -


After a good 10 minutes of scouring the internet for the Marks and Spencer Valentine's advert of which has disappeared from YouTube (bizarre, would be good for archive if nothing else) I will just talk you through the scenario. I was one of the many lucky individuals to be working on the Valentines weekend and not only that, promoting and stocking up the 'dine in'. In amongst the hoards of people a young chap asked me what the starter was on the advert (sadly at this point I was yet to see the ad on TV and had not been briefed any of the information) one manager was in a similar position to me, thankfully the second manager had a press pack, and if your itching to know it was the Gastropub Camembert with Cranberry & Apple Chutney I believe followed by The Cook Menu Steak with Peppercorn Sauce and Strawberry & Champagne Souffle for pudding followed by the wine and chocolates. A great offer most customers saving over £11. But the point was about the advert and the visuals, if I remember correctly the chap literally had the adverts dinner in his basket bearing in mind there were probably at least six options per dish. To be fair I would of probably gone for that one too but I just find it amazing the impact a TV ad can have, especially if it is the right brand. Fascinating!

Ctrl+Alt+Preview...

I think this is a genius little idea! While browsing campaign's website I thought it wise to sign up for daily email updates. On my accounts page there is probably 10 or so different emails you can subscribe to, being adventurous I hit two... None the less a nifty little idea is that you show your prospective recipient what a treat there in for, it worked for me, I liked what I saw and ticked away. Imagine if we could do this with life scenarios/crossroads. If someone said if you go travelling this could be you seeing and doing all these things first hand, part of you would be saying I know I see it in all the catalogues and the other part would be thinking, wow, that could actually be me, its achievable! So lets take a look -








Just a few shots taken from the trip of a lifetime, looking at them you would think, bit of editing, adjusting the levels, re-touched and taken with a digital SLR, but between me and you, they are real and taken from my waterproof point and shoot camera made by Olympus, great piece of kit, don't need to worry about getting sand in it, just give it a rinse.

This evening I have been having a little scout around on the internet trying to see whats around, latest commercials etc. firstly I ended up on ad week and one of the key stories was that Bud Light and Doritos topped VW's mini Vader ad.



I have to say its quite a good little advert, but I find there is something missing, its quite funny, its not just plain funny if you get my gist. Whereas as the Specsavers ad is funny!



However the Volkswagon advert has managed to get 28,685,206 to view the clip on YouTube, which I will put large part down to the coverage it received at the Superbowl. While looking on Campaign today there ad of the day is Renaults 'Va Va Voom'.



I think this ad is fab, pretty quirky, you almost feel like you are experiencing it yourself because of the cinematography used to show the environment and then into POV shots. Music mixed with quotes and a famous band of faces all bring there own Va Va Voom to the stage - Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Dita Von Teese, David Bowie, Rihanna to the cameo from the original 'Mr Va Va Voom' Thierry Henry. An ecletic mix, the only slight disappointment is it's for a Clio. The sports Clio is pretty nice to be fair but from the advert you almost expect something better. It is an interesting comparison when looking at the two ads from VW and Renault, granted the VW ad is for the US but none the less a very different target market, one very family orientated the other just having fun with what its got. It knows it is well established and can run new ideas, similar to when Cadbury's released the drumming monkey.

‘Is it more?’ – asks the film, as we see Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, ‘Is it less?’ - Dita Von Teese performing burlesque, ‘Does it smoulder?’ – Marlon Brando in his cult film ‘On the Waterfront’, ‘Does it burn brightly?’ – we see a tattoo of David Bowie, ‘Is there a Queen of it?’ – Rihanna in a crowd of paparazzi surrounding her in the new S&M video. (motorward.com)

Before Va Va Voom there was 'Papa & Nichole' but i think this has taken there advertising to new levels and maybe will give some of the other dealers inspiration to get there thinking caps on.

Future Branding

Need I say more! (thanks to AdWeek)

BAFTA's (British Academy of Film and Television Arts)

Possibly one of the biggest nights on the film scene, along with the Oscars and Cannes to name a few, at least if your British. The BAFTA's are here to celebrate all things film, lead/supporting actors, screen plays etc. and it's on Sunday featuring a star studded cast, from the likes of Emma Watson to Colin Firth (coincidentally sitting next to each other). The thing I found bizarre is that they have release pictures of the seating plan, I am assuming to help boost viewings on the night... Part of me finds it quite funny seeing some of the most famous people in the world with there heads on sticks in the beautiful (Royal Opera House) Covent Garden Auditorium and at the same time it has lost apart of the magic. I suppose I expect it to be one of the most amazing nights to be in that position and that everything is flawless, aren't these the bits you generally want to hide from everyone? Secondly it takes the fun out of virtual guess who aka star spy as you can probably find the seating plan online. Either way I hear The King's Speech is tipped for quite a few awards, if not all of them, must see that on an Orange Wednesday.


Speaking of Orange Wednesday, the awards are the Orange British Academy Film Awards, making Orange Wednesday a great little tie in and that bit of follow through I talked about earlier. The bonus of this little scheme is that you are more likely to venture to the cinema to see the films you aren't sure about as you don't feel like your wasting half your money (literally!). After coming out of Black Swan I was happy we had seen it on Orange Wednesdays, soften the blow if it doesn't quite meet expectations.

classic follow through (or lack of)

The Co-operative put itself back on the market with the recent adverts about using time more wisely than a food shop, the only issue is they have planted the seed for the consumer and not helped them in any way shape or form. So the general viewer will watch the advert, maybe agree to that walk in the park and will do the food shop with one of the online food shops who already have a major presence. Tesco have even designed an app to do your shopping from your iPhone, so you can add bits as you remember and you can also save your shopping list so you don't need to think again. This is not to say they cant compete, like other supermarket chains the Co-operative offer a variety of services from holidays to funeralcare they just need to follow through with the idea they are selling. Maybe there aim is just a convenience shop not the big weekly/ monthly shop by families or can they add to there services.

Larger than Life

This is a company that not only takes itself serious but wants to make an impact along the way. Land Securitas were letting out a floor in SW1 and needed to show the divisions clearly to prospective clients. Radford Wallis came up with the simple idea of using everyday objects to demonstrate the would be offices once complete. Simple idea and memorable which has earnt it coverage for the installation, an added bonus for the company of which I am sure was a part of the big idea.

Cupids Arrow

Supposedly Cupids arrow only strikes once (I am still waiting...), however at Morrison's it must fire twice as bizarrely they have Valentines cards on a bogof (buy one get one free) deal which is hilarious. The supermarket chain has been slated for promoting "cheating" however i think this is a pretty naive from the commentators I know a few people who receive one from there dad, I used to get one off of my friend and as sad as it may seem, people do buy them for their animals... Never the less a pretty funny offer by Morrison's, the general consensus seems to be one for the wife and one for the bird (and were not talking about the pet parrot).


Happy Valentines for Monday folks, I've got a badminton match, sadly missing a takeaway with the girls, nonetheless beats no offers on Valentines!