Market Wise

Actress, model and television personality Noa Tishbi is back as the presenter for ml.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
NOA TISHBI 88 224 (photo credit: Courtesy)
NOA TISHBI 88 224
(photo credit: Courtesy)
MONEY IS not always the motive. Often it is just a matter of doing something because you believe in it. That's why supermodel Bar Rafaeli and film director Shahar Segal have agreed to do a gratis campaign under the slogan "One Bag Less," which is being sponsored by The Council for a Beautiful Israel, Bank Hapoalim and the Shout Internet site. The campaign, which will be launched on Sunday, is an attempt to reduce the use of plastic bags. It will be featured at information booths in shopping malls throughout the country, and will be part of an ongoing media and public relations campaign that will eventually lead to legislation for the banning of plastic bags. Television spots, with Rafaeli as the star, will be screened on commercial channels and on the Internet. Some 2 billion plastic bags are used annually by Israeli shoppers, most of whom get them in the supermarket, where they are available free of charge. As a result, many shoppers use more bags than they really need to, using a separate bag for each item instead of packing several items into one bag. Research indicates that these plastic bags are an ecological hazard, representing 30 percent of industrial waste; they add to the pollution of the environment and do not disintegrate easily; they fly in the wind, get caught in trees and shrubs and float on the sea; they also suffocate living creatures, including humans. Many products, such as pillows and large soft toys that come packed in plastic bags, often carry the warning that they should be kept out of the reach of infants and children to prevent suffocation. Rafaeli said she was pleased to be part of a campaign to reduce the damage caused by plastic bags, and expressed confidence that once the campaign gets off the ground, it will gain widespread support and many people will take up the message. ACTRESS, MODEL and television personality Noa Tishbi is back as the presenter for ml after a three-year hiatus. Tishbi parted company with ml in 2005 when she went to Hollywood to try her luck. The connection between Tishbi and ml has now been renewed and she has signed a contract to present the company's collections over the coming year. In addition to being photographed for catalogues and billboards, she will also appear in television commercials on Channels 2, 10 and 24, and will participate in the company's PR events. All things considered, her fee is rather modest - only $150,000. She will be seen in ml's Spring/Summer 2008 catalogue, which is due for release in March. IT'S LESS than a month away, but Valentine's Day is already looming in marketing campaigns. H&O got off to an early start by featuring a satin-finish, baby-doll sleepwear set replete with an eye shade with a "Kiss Me" invitation. AMONG THE developments of globalization is the multi-benefits credit card in which the owner of the card can gain points for discounts in several shops and other business enterprises on the one card. Once upon a time there was a club membership card that offered discounts in different branches of the one company. Then there was a card that offered discounts in several different kinds of retail outlets that operated under the same corporate umbrella. All these outlets were included in the membership perks. Then the membership card was incorporated into a credit card, after which companies that did not operate under one umbrella began sharing space on the credit-cum-membership cards - all of which were designed to make consumers spend more in more places to get more perks. One of the more recent marketing efforts in this direction is that of Sonol and El Al, which have joined forces in a venture that they hope will be mutually beneficial. Purchasers of fuel in Sonol gas stations can earn frequent-flyer points with El Al. The slogan for the new campaign is "Sonol flies you to El Al." Over the next two months, Sonol will conduct daily lotteries among its clients, with winners receiving free flights with El Al to Western Europe. The big prize in the lottery is a business-class flight for two to New York, with four nights in a five-star hotel and $2,000 in spending money. AT A time of constantly rising prices in which the most basic of commodities are becoming unaffordable, a significant drop in the price of a product is an almost certain guarantee that the product will be sold out; whether it's a promotional ploy or a way of getting rid of excess stock is irrelevant. What counts, as far as the consumer is concerned, is that Barkan Wineries is selling a broad range of its Domaine Wines for only NIS 20 per bottle. There are fives choices available in color-coded bottles.