With the increase in hamburger noise, I had to finally visit one of the “joints” that started it all. Of course I am referring to the Shake Shack. At a minimum, you have to give Danny Meyer credit for the retro hip design in a quintessential NYC setting. But, I couldn’t help wondering if a hamburger would really be worth a 25 minute wait on a hazy, hot, and humid summer afternoon. I took along a group of fellow foodies who are as brutally critical as I am when it comes to food — my husband and kids. The line actually moved much quicker than I expected and the counter help was friendly given the insanity of the scene. It only took about 10 minutes for our order to come up and it looked pretty amazing. Our consensus? The fries were perfectly cooked; crispy, hot, and lightly salted. The chocolate shake was clearly made with jacked up ingredients as the depth of flavor was addictive. And the signature burger? It was absolutely life altering. The burger is made in the west coast style but instead of ground chuck The Shake Shack uses ground brisket and sirloin resulting in a moist and flavorful patty. Top it all off with fresh lettuce, tomatoes (which actually taste like they were grown in a garden) and a “secret” sauce and you have one of the most craveable and delicious burgers known to man. (more…)  

The plight of mainstream glossies (and traditional media consumption in general) continues as websites that cater to readers who never seem to get their fill of advance intelligence on trends, shopping or designer dish are thriving. Conceived to mimic the look of classic books like Vogue or Elle, sites like Hintmag.com, Fashion156.com and Glossmag.ca draw international readerships in the hundreds of thousands. But unlike their newsstand competitors, these online publications updating weekly or even daily, and offering a sense of community that conventional monthlies cannot replicate. What they lack in tactile attraction, they make up for with a multimedia experience encompassing still photography, music, videos, blogs and message boards teeming with opinionated commentary. For the advertisers, benefits include cheaper exposure with better tracking mechanisms (more…)

Rather than continuing the practice of extracting money from its’ customers through insane add-on fees ($150 luggage fee for skis!), somebody at Delta has finally championed an idea that will generate profit and actually fill a consumer need gap. An announcement this week detailed a plan to provide customers Wi-Fi access on all flights for a fairly reasonable and competitive fee. As times get tough globally, it’s interesting to watch formally successful brands struggle with the adversity. Dropping prices (e.g., Starbucks) or re-positioning in a wholly unbelievable way (e.g., Whole Foods), are desperate attempts to bring back the good old days. How well a company weathers this economic storm will depend on how well they know their customers and how well they can adjust to their needs given current constraints.  Who knows what the future holds for Delta. I’d like to believe that maybe the skies will actually feel friendly again. (more…)

Thin is still in for advertising, new research suggests, unless you’re trying to sell cookies or self-esteem. A study by business professors at Villanova University and the College of New Jersey, inspired by Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty,” shows that ads featuring thin models made women feel worse about themselves but better about the brands featured. ”The really interesting result we’re seeing across multiple studies is that these thin models make women feel bad, but they like it,” Mr. Kees said. “They have higher evaluation of the brands. With the more regular-size models, they don’t feel bad. Their body image doesn’t change. But in terms of evaluations of the brands, those are actually lower.” (more…)

A fifth of U.S. television viewers are putting down their remote controls and clicking on a mouse instead to watch primetime programs online — particularly professional women, according to a new survey. ”This is the first study to show there are a significant amount of people watching primetime shows online who are not watching some portion of those shows on television,” Amanda Welsh, head of research for IMMI, said in a statement. The report showed that the largest group of online TV viewers are white, affluent, well educated, working women aged 25 to 44. IMMI said women are busy with their work and personal lives and don’t have time to be tied down to live television-viewing schedules. They may not have time to watch their shows live, so they may use the online episodes to fill in the shows that they missed live.