“IKEA hosted a sleepover at its Essex store in the U.K., giving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for customers and fans to spend the night inside its signature furniture warehouse. The whole idea for this PR event was inspired by a Facebook group called ”I wanna have a sleepover in IKEA.” Nearly 100,000 people have joined the group and Ikea granted 100 lucky winners their wish. The late-November event had a minimum age of 25 and a strict pajamas-only dress code. Guests were given goodie bags containing eye mask, midnight snacks, towel and slippers, and more. The sleepover also featured entertainment ranging from massages and manicures to movies and even a bedtime story reading by a reality-TV celebrity. A sleep expert was on hand with tips for getting a good night’s rest, including how to test a mattress and choose the right bedding for different styles.”

Australian IKEA had a similar event geared to women. It granted access to “50 female flat-pack fans” on its Australian Facebook page for a night of chick flicks, pampering massages, waiter service from handsome men — along with the chance to assemble small pieces of furniture. Wooo! Assembling furniture!!!

Power Plays™ is a great wave to inspire “VIP” promotional ideas. Brand fans love to be acknowledged, and when you create a special experience geared towards the most loyal customers, they get the esteem boost that comes along with the Power Plays™ wave. The Human Truth™ is: “Not many people know what I know and do what I do.”™ When it comes to camping out in a store over night, that certainly rings true.

Well, believe it or not, this mesmerizing feat of engineering may actually become Taiwan’s version of the the Eiffel Tower.

“Tokyo-based architect Sou Fujimoto has been selected as the first prize winner for the Taiwan Tower International Competition. The winning proposal’s design reflects Sou Fujimoto’s philosophy of Primitive Future, as the “21st Century Oasis” aspires to be a model of green architecture for the future generations.”

It took me a while of studying these renderings to really comprehend what I was looking at.  It looks like a forest or garden has been pushed 1000 feet into the air to tower over the Taiwan skyline.  It’s impressive. This structure also wants to be a world class example of green architecture.

“Renewable energy systems and passive design techniques include a green roof, rainwater harvesting, solar hot water panels, wind turbine, photovoltaic cells, ground source heat pump, desiccant air-handling unit and natural ventilations by Solar Stack Effect. The Oasis will achieve LEED Gold.”

Power Plays™ is about seeking admiration as a source of power. Taiwan is ready to take it’s place on the world stage as a tourist destination, rather than just be known as a manufacturing hub. This structure seeks to make a statement.

The Human Truth™ of this wave is: “Not many people know what I know and do what I do.”™ It’s about setting yourself apart from the herd.  This design is cutting edge and the green angle embodies the top architecture of today.

When you do something that’s truly out of the box and yet “on trend” …it’s a pretty potent mix.

I get it.

That is to say, I know A BUNCH of guys who are card carrying SNEAKERFREAKERS. When I saw this,qwq I immediately forwarded them the link because I know this would be something they would do.

“The intention of the Shrine Sneaker Rack is to highlight the very best details of your perfectly preserved footwear… All Shrine Racks are made in the US and include the mounting hardware for proudly creating your place of worship.

Seriously, I have friends that can’t bring themselves to wear some shoes because they don’t want to scuff them. There was one collector I knew who had so many kicks that he put them in neat rows hugging the walls, all around his apartment.

Power Plays™ is in the ESTEEM tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy for a good reason. People who embrace this wave seek admiration as a source of power. It’s about setting yourself apart from the pack. That’s why we see a lot of collections and “limited edition” rarities showing up as great Power Plays™ examples. The Shrine Racks design solution helps proud owners show off the spoils of their obsession.

That’s just what Noise Pop & graffEats did in San Francisco recently.

““Covers” takes the art of cover songs and applies it to a thematically inspired six-course gourmet meal (full menu below). The meal features “covers” of signature dishes from some of today’s most notable chefs, including Thomas Keller’s Grilled Octopus Tentacles with chorizo and green almonds. Noise Pop pairs each course with thematic cover songs; for example, Syd Barrett’s “Octopus” as covered by Giant Squid will accompany the Keller dish. All of this is in an underground style dining experience inside an intimate secret location (in San Francisco).”

Yes, an underground, secret location to boot!  This really is what the Power Plays™ wave is all about.  IN-CROWD PRESTIGE.  I’m sure there were conversations on whether the “cover” of the “Tengo” Raspberry, Red Pepper, Parmesan Reggiano Cream, Sesame Pate Sucree … actually lived up to Pierre Herme’s original in Paris.
Or whether Dylan songs can EVER really be covered successfully etc.

The  Human Truth™of Power Plays™ is:  “Not many people know what I know and do what I do.”™
This pop up restaurant understands the people of this wave and judging by how fast it sold out, I’d say it paid off for them.

But I think this particular pepper might be the biggest challenge they have ever faced, and now they might just get to try it.  That’s right, the infamous “ghost chilli” is hitting the shelves.

The Bhut Jolokia (or Ghost Chilli) is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as being more than 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The heat of a chilli pepper is measured in Scoville Units and the Bhut Jolokia has a reading of just over one million Scovilles at 1,001,304 SHU.

This pepper is SERIOUS BUSINESS.

“The Indian Army has used the pungent pepper’s ground seeds in smoke grenades, to be used against rioters or to flush out terrorists in confined spaces. In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at bay.”

British supermarket chain Tesco says they began stocking it because of demand. Their exotic vegetable buyer Harry Jones says: ‘In the last five years there has been a huge growth in demand for hot chilli pepper peppers in the UK which is why we now stock so many different varieties. ‘There are two distinct markets – the foodie market which has grown because of our increasing love for hot and spicy dishes and the macho specialist market which is for hardcore chilli heads as they are known. ‘Initially Tesco only sold chilli peppers in areas where there were large Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities but nowadays they have become mainstream and had their popularity boosted by the increasing popularity of Asian, Thai and other oriental food .”

One of the big factors of Power Plays™ is the esteem boost you get from doing something others can’t do.  It’s the same thing that drives my brother’s curry club, and it’s the reason why we are seeing such a crazy hot chilli begin to mainstream.

Here’s the examples the article mentioned:  “Walmart has been known to court mommy bloggers by flying them to its Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters and letting them test new products. On the other side of the marketing universe, Howard Stern lets his self-proclaimed “Superfans” host a call-in show on Sirius XM’s channel 101 once a week. “One quick way to turn someone into an advocate is to ‘bring them into the fold’ and to help them feel part of the deeper community,” Balter says. “

So many businesses set up a facebook page, get a few thousand “likes” then sit back and go: “errr now what?”.  We have to find ways to engage and reward those superfans.  Power Plays™ essence is IN-CROWD PRESTIGE.  The esteem that comes from being singled out by a brand you love is massive.

However, Graffiti’s influence is so ubiquitous now in modern design and aesthetics, that we just take it for granted now.  You don’t think so?  Pick up practically kids toy packaging or slurpee cup… or anything that’s meant to be “young and hip” marketing.

Anyway, when I saw this Desk Dumpster, my first reaction was: “ugh, so corporate types can bring a bit of the street to the office?” …eyeroll.

However, I read that an enterprising graphic designer, who wanted a creative outlet while recovering from an injury, started Steelplant. Yes- these aren’t mass produced products of “the man”  – they are hand painted originals. Consider my mind changed… Infact, I WANT ONE!

Power Plays™ is about “in crowd prestige” and when it comes to underground culture, it doesn’t matter how mainstream something becomes: IS IT THE REAL DEAL?  When it we look at a lot of the art and design evidence in the Power Plays™ wave, we keep in mind that the real kudos comes from the street (peers) and not the sales figures or museum critics.

Domino’s has pulled a humorous little Power Play™.  This wave is all about “IN-CROWD PRESTIGE” and this is definitely an in-joke.  The best part is: if you don’t “get it”, no biggie, you’ll just order your sandwich, pasta or small pizza and be none the wiser… if you do “get it” …you’ll have a chuckle with your friends.

I’m sure the amount of red eyes a Domino’s delivery guys sees in a shift will back up their assumptions about a large majority of their customers.  Using this “code” doesn’t alienate non-smokers and doesn’t directly endorse weed smoking, but it’s a knowing wink.

The Human Truth™ for Power Plays™ is “Not many people know what I know and do what I do.”™ Sub-cultures love when they are spoken to in their own “language”, but do your research because they are brutal if you get it wrong.

I love this, it’s so simple but speaks so well to our desire to conquer. Every time you look into it the message reminds you that you’re ahead. It’s a fun piece for people who think they’re racers, but it’s also fun for the mom sitting in first place at the line to pick up her kids from school. It can apply to any situation, which is why it’s a great esteem driver.

Little things like this have big impacts on people, coming out of a bad day I can think of about 50 things I could apply this to as I’m driving down the road. Or maybe you’re out on a road trip, or just driving around. It has endless implications, but always ends with you coming out ahead.

The Wednesday night event, that has been running for about 6mths now, draws the kind of people that want the esteem boost of trying food that is way out of the “norm”.

They have already served up python, alligator, elk, kangaroo, rattlesnake, and turtle, but is African lion tacos going too far?

I did an informal survey of family and friends.  My brother’s reaction was: “The lion is too majestic for a dinner table.”  That was pretty much the general consensus except for a friend who says: “ I would try anything that’s put in front of me, life’s too short not to experience everything the world has to offer.”

I’m not sure if I would, maybe if it was on a safari and prepared by the indigenous tribe, rather than a restaurant where it seems more like a dare than a cultural exchange.

Anyway, no matter where you stand, it’s certainly a “prime cut” example of in-crowd prestige- the essence of Power Plays™