MAM
Ad agencies take creativity to the loo
MUMBAI: It’s time to take creativity to the loo! Well, at least for some ad men abroad. To demonstrate the importance of the restroom to office workers, Kimberly-Clark Professional has made an offer that two advertising agencies couldn’t refuse.
The agencies were asked to use their creativity and flair to redecorate each other’s private spaces (read restrooms) with the help of an interior designer.
Explaining the rationale behind the makeovers Kimberly-Clark product manager Jackie B Martin was quoted in a media report saying, “The average office building worker spends more than three workdays a year in the restroom. For all that time, shouldn’t office workers have a restroom that’s as clean and attractive as possible, with high quality bath tissue and towels?”
In what could be described as a battle of the sexes, an all-female team from the Star Group in Cherry Hill, NJ, and an all-male team from The Hal Lewis Group in Philadelphia took command of each other’s restrooms and transformed them from standard sinks and stalls into fanciful, colorful versions of their former selves. The women redid the men’s restroom using an African jungle motif and the men turned the women’s restroom into a tropical paradise. In an effort worthy of reality TV, they threw throw rugs, draped fabrics, hung hooks and undertook the makeover in roughly two hours time said a media report.
Loo before the revamp
The new look loo
(Pic courtesy: www.newscom.com)
The competing design teams featured: Star Group senior vice president and creative director Tracy Donofry, and Star/Rosen Public Relations senior vice president Karen Cutler, versus The Hal Lewis Group executive vice president and COO Jim Boland, creative director/art Marvin Bowe and creative director/copy Peter Villucci.
Maggie Javna, an interior designer who has designed homes and offices for New York-area celebrities, assisted the teams with the makeovers. The two office building management companies – Manhattan Management Company, Cherry Hill, NJ, and Equity Office, Philadelphia – threw their support behind the project, giving the teams and Kimberly-Clark Professional carte blanche to redecorate the formerly corporate restrooms.
The restroom makeovers, which included the company’s new high class capacity dispensing systems, were designed to be temporary, and were done without altering any structures or putting anything permanent in place. It’s up to the advertising agencies and property management firms to decide whether the restrooms stay this way or return to their previous states. Either way, for the occupants of these bathrooms, the restroom experience will likely be forever changed.
MAM
G-Shock launches GA-2100CM series with camouflage design
New sand and grey variants priced at Rs 10,995 each in India.
MUMBAI: Time just got a little more tactical and a lot more stylish. G-Shock has unveiled the GA-2100CM series, a fresh update to its popular GA-2100 line, bringing a camouflage twist to one of its most recognisable silhouettes. For the first time in the 2100 series, the watches feature G-Shock’s original camouflage pattern, subtly embedding the brand’s signature ‘G’ motif into the design. The move signals a shift towards more design-led storytelling, blending rugged functionality with fashion-forward detailing.
The new series introduces two colour variants sand (GA-2100CM-5A) and grey (GA-2100CM-8A) extending the model’s appeal across both streetwear and outdoor-inspired aesthetics. Built around the brand’s signature octagonal bezel and hybrid analogue-digital display, the watches retain a clean, modern look while adding layered visual depth.
Under the hood, the GA-2100CM continues to lean on performance. It features the Carbon Core Guard structure for durability, while maintaining a slim, lightweight profile suited for everyday wear. Functional elements include world time across 31 time zones, a 1/100-second stopwatch, countdown timer, LED light and 200-metre water resistance.
In line with evolving material choices, select components use bio-based resin, pointing to a gradual shift towards more sustainable design without compromising on toughness.
Priced at Rs 10,995, the GA-2100CM series is available across Casio India stores and online platforms.
As watch brands continue to balance utility with identity, G-Shock’s latest drop makes its intent clear, durability may be the legacy, but design is the new frontier.
