Words About Things

Becoming the face (or should that be body) of a major lingerie retailer is a a great way to kick start a modeling career, just ask Eva Herzigova. Eva was relatively unknown before staring in a Wonderbra advert which stopped traffic and set pulses racing. She soon became a supermodel which is like a normal model but with superpowers like the ability to not get out of bed for less than £100,000.

The Sun recently ran a competition in conjunction with Marks and Spencer to find a new model to showcase their DD+ range of ladies underwear. Their A-D range is currently modeled by the Brazilian Ana Beatriz Barros but for the larger range M&S wanted to find some homegrown talent. With the help of The Sun the sifted through images sent in by aspiring models (it’s a tough job etc) and eventually chose Laura Zielinski.

Laura is a 20-year-old law student from Hartlepool who currently works part-time at Primark. She is giving up that job to move to London, as part of her prize she has been signed to Leni’s Model Management and is hoping to pick up other work:

Modelling is something I always wanted to do but I didn’t think I would get this kind of opportunity. I’ve done a few things in the North and I’ve been down to agencies in London, but I’m not the skinniest girl and with a big chest I’m just not what they are looking for. I’m hoping this will be my big break. M&S is an amazing brand to represent. It celebrates real women with real curves like mine.

Laura is currently shooting her first Marks and Spencer campaign that will be featured in-store to showcase the DD+ range of lingerie. M&S haven’t said whether Laura will be featured on billboards yet but I think it’s safe to say that if she does there will be a few distracted drivers!

More and more people are booking in last-minute holiday breaks at an increased paced compared to last year. Consumer confidence and competitive pricing is tempting more holidaymakers back into travel, particularly in the U.K. and Germany. Figures show that up to 14% of holidays booked in June 2010 were booked only four weeks or less before the departure date, an increase from June 2009.

Holiday Booking Agencies are not the only ones set to benefit from the rise. Hotels and local business in the popular holiday areas as well as short term transportation like car rental and van rental, or leasing agencies are also ready to service eager holiday makers.

In the U.K. holidaymakers are eager to take advantage of the rising Pound value against the weakening Euro, with the prospect of travelling to mainland Europe being a more affordable choice than usual. Meanwhile in Germany, unemployment figures have continued to fall as the economy stabilizes, giving consumers a renewed confidence to make spontaneous purchases and investments.

The ash plume from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano as well as riots in Greece and Thailand also put some vacationers off making bookings earlier in the year. “People are anxious early in the year whether they will still have their job in summer to pay for a holiday trip,” said Klaus Kraenzle, an analyst at GSC Research in Dusseldorf.

The increase of online booking is also making it easier, faster, and cheaper to find the holiday best suited for consumers. Price comparison websites make it even easier to search for the best deals. “To get the best deal, consumers are spending more time online and that’s reducing the time between booking and travel,” said Caroline Bremner, global travel and tourism manager at Euromonitor International in London.

“People are booking later than ever before,” said Nina Meyer, a spokeswoman for L’TUR Tourismus AG, Europe’s largest last-minute-travel organizer. L’TUR’s package-tour sales are ahead of last year and the company aims to sell 1 million journeys for the year, up from 2009’s record 832,000, which produced revenue of 360 million euros ($464 million), she said.

This week’s short film caught my eye because it combines a clever, original, idea and great execution. Here is the idea in brief:

Dictaphone Parcel is an animation based on a sound recorded with a dictaphone travelling secretly inside a parcel. As the hidden recorder travels through the global mail system, from London to Helsinki, it captures the unexpected. We hear a mixture of abstract sounds, various types of transport and even discussions between the mail workers. The animation visualizes this journey by creating an imaginary documentary.

Dictaphone Parcel by Lauri Warsta found via Vimeo.com