Kim Roman, Vice President, Consumer Lifestyle, GCI Canada

With the back-to-school season in full swing, everyone at the GCI office is busy studying the latest trends in art, design, music, fashion and culture.

Squeezed Fresh is designed to help you look around and think about why today looks like today, so that you can take a leading role in shaping the look of tomorrow. So read on for this month's quick sip of interesting and inspirational content and follow us on Twitter to get your creative juices flowing!

1. Poladroid

Wonder why Polaroid snaps are popping up all over Facebook and Flickr? An addictive app called Poladroid is the new digital equivalent of a Polaroid camera, allowing users to add a cool bleached-out look to any image with a simple drag, drop and click.

2. For Rent

Why buy when you can rent? It’s a question some shop owners have started asking their customers, especially when it comes to things like expensive bicycles, designer handbags or vintage dresses. Stores like Cabaret and 69 Vintage offer rental options that appeal to shoppers who may no longer be willing to splurge on big ticket items. How can your brand benefit from this trend?

3. Bixi Bikes

Canadian cyclists rejoice! The Bixi bike share system, recently launched in Montreal, has already expanded to over 400 citywide stations loaded with 5,000 bicycles for public sharing. Similar to the Parisian Velib system or the Bicing program in Barcelona, this eco-friendly mode of transportation is driving green trends to the next level. Best of all? It's rumoured to roll into Toronto next!

Advertising Now!

This colourful book covers many of the best contemporary examples of inventive advertising from around the world. Chapters are organized by subject, ranging from Food & Beverage to Technology & Transport. Be inspired by the greatest television commercials and advertising campaigns from Apple to Volkswagen and consider just how much we can effectively communicate in under a minute.

Ruben Toledo’s Penguin Classics

Old becomes new again with the re-designed covers of Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights and The Scarlet Letter by renowned artist Ruben Toledo. These beautiful books are being published to coincide with New York Fashion Week and the exhibition Toledo/Toledo: A Marriage of Art and Fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology later this month.

Though not an entirely new phenomenon, the resurgence of the house show – an all-ages music concert held in someone’s living room – is manifesting in new and interesting ways.

It’s not uncommon for a huge band to hold a concert in a sold-out arena one night and play a more low-key, unpublicized show to a smaller crowd the next night. These personal performances are usually held in secret or unusual locations like basements, alleys, warehouses or private homes, and are coveted by fans looking for that special house show effect.

This trend was a central storyline in one of the most popular films that premiered at TIFF last year. In Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, the two main characters weave their way through the New York music scene searching for the elusive band Where’s Fluffy? rumoured to be playing a gig at a secret location that night.

And just as music fans are willing to trek out to the middle of nowhere and search for the feeling of intimacy that comes with a private house show or secret concert; we believe consumers want to feel a level of authenticity at sponsored events or product launches. Strive to achieve the house show effect in your business strategies and communications tactics - events, campaigns or stunts - to have a greater impact on your audience.

Remember the days when you simply called a restaurant to make a dinner reservation? These days, unique dinner experiences have become a complex creative production for the cultural and social elite.

The anti-restaurant Charlie's Burgers is a secret travelling eatery where dinner guests are carefully selected from a pile of completed request forms. Covert correspondence, strict instructions to a cryptic address and a password for entry add to the hype and excitement. The location, guests and chef change with every Charlie’s Burgers experience, keeping it an unpredictable and sought-after dinner affair.

Jamie’s Area, an interdisciplinary alternative space in Kensington Market, holds a weekly dinner for artists in a dark and narrow basement apartment. Guests are invited to sit at a single table, enjoy a meal prepared by an artist and discuss the notion of community and the social aspect of eating.

O.Noir Restaurant in Toronto and Montreal creates a sensual dining experience by completely stripping the sense of sight from their guests and stimulating the sense of smell and taste. After a few hours in total darkness – no candles, flashlights, cell phones or luminous watches – customers gain a better appreciation for their food and what it’s like to be blind, just like the restaurant’s entire wait staff.

The most recently launched L12 supper series is also a weekly, invite-only dinner party that rotates between Kultura and Le Germain’s Victor Restaurant. Twelve guests from various walks of life are invited to form new relationships and brainstorm ideas by playing musical chairs throughout dinner and a game called Gravitas.

These provocative dinner parties have us conjuring up creative ways to entertain guests at our next social affair or special event. How will you make your next gathering a memorable one?