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TRAVELLER
PORTO
The downtown area of this Portuguese seaside city, Baixa is home to bustling
commercial streets and the atmospheric Bolhãomarket, full of fresh produce and
more.We asked locals to give us their best tips for visitors.
trendwatching.com
scans the globe
for the latest emerging consumer
trends. Here, Henry Mason, head of
the company’s research and analysis,
tells us what to watch this month.
FLAWSOME
While most companies spend time
polishing up their whiter-than-white
images to attract customers, some
savvy businesses are bucking the
norm and opening themselves up
to – even encouraging – a bit of
constructive criticism.
It seems that some brands are
now willing to appear empathetic,
generous and even humble as they
own up to mistakes in the hope that
customers will be enamoured by their
maturity and“flawsome-ness”.
The Four Seasons hotel chain has
made the brave move of adding a
Trip Advisor stream to its website, so
web-traffic and potential guests will
be provided with warts-and-all reviews
(
fourseasons.com
).
Meanwhile, Polish Bank Zachodni
WBK has introduced an online
“bank of ideas” that encourages
customers to publish opinions on
how its services could be improved.
Suggestions can be seconded or
rejected by other account holders. So
far, 300 changes have been made on
the basis of findings from this crowd-
sourced feedback (
bzwbk.pl
).
So, next time you’re penning a
complaint letter, don’t hold back.
Your points of improvement might be
used in an advertising campaign to
celebrate some“flawsome”behaviour.
If you’re lucky they might actually
affect company policy.
To subscribe to the free monthly Trend
Briefing, available in English, Dutch,
German, French, Spanish,Turkish and
Portuguese, go to trendwatching.com
Neighbourhood Watch:
Baixa
ANA DUARTE, 22, CHEF
What’s your favourite local restaurant?
“Café Vitória is great for casual eating,
from lunch to an à la carte dinner menu
[
156 Rua José Falcão, tel: + 351 220 135
538, cafevitoria.com
].”
What’s your coolest shop?
“AVida
Portuguesa sells handcrafted traditional
products, all produced in Portugal
[
20 Rua Galeria de Paris, tel: + 351 222
022 105, avidaportuguesa.com
].”
Can you give us a secret local’s tip?
“Walk
the Cedofeita and Rua Miguel Bombarda.
They have occasional outdoor exhibits
and an alternative feel to them.”
SARAMARTINS, 21, HOTEL
MANAGEMENT STUDENT
Your favourite local restaurant?
“Café
Santiago does delicious
francesinhas
,
a local dish that’s like a sandwich with
broth poured over it [
226 Rua Passos
Manuel; tel: +351 22 205 5797
].”
Your favourite neighbourhood hang-out?
“Âncora d’Ouro is one of the most iconic,
famous cafés in Porto and it’s also one
of the oldest [
45 Praça Parada Leitão;
tel: +351 22 200 3749
].”
Can you give us a secret local’s tip?
“The São Nicolau church is absolutely
beautiful [
93 Rua Infante DomHenriqu
].”
ANAMARTA JONQUEIRA, 21,
ARCHITECTURE STUDENT
Your favourite local restaurant?
“DOP is
simply the best restaurant, so that’s
where I would recommend [
Palácio das
Artes, 18 Largo de São Domingos;
tel: +351 22 201 4313, ruipaula.com
].”
The best neighbourhood bar?
“Out of the
handful of bars near Rua Galeria de Paris,
Pitch Club is where I normally go [
34-38
Rua de Passos Manuel; tel: +351 22 201
2349, pitch-club.com
].”
Can you give us a secret local’s tip?
“Wander along pedestrianised Rua de
Santa Catarina: full of charm and shops.”
LIKE
DISLIKE
ON TREND
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