Month: January 2011

During the Winter Olympics last year I had the opportunity to volunteer for Coca-cola. In David Lam Park there was  “The Coca-Cola Happiness House” giving away free commemorative Coca-Colas and providing engaging games the whole family could enjoy. As staff one of the main objectives, apart from being the happiest individuals you have ever seen, was to deliver Coca-Cola’s Green Initiatives to all those that came through the door. What was great about it was you could learn about how they were supporting various “green” initiatives and have fun playing games at the same time. Although many received the message, you wouldn’t have known about it unless you were present at the Olympic games. The following article discusses how they will soon begin to communicate this message more heavily.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/adhocracy/beyond-the-bottle-coke-trumpets-its-green-initiatives/article1869437/

“Coke is the No. 1 purchaser of aluminum on the face of the earth – which is one of the most carbon-intensive commodities,” noted Mr. Butts. “The No. 1 purchaser of sugar cane. The No. 3 purchaser of citrus. The second-largest purchaser of glass, and the fifth-largest purchaser of coffee. We could spend 50 years lobbying 75 national governments to change the regulatory framework for the way these commodities are grown and produced. Or these folks at Coke could make a decision that they’re not going to purchase anything that isn’t grown or produced in a certain way – and the whole global supply chain changes overnight. And that in a nutshell is why we’re in a partnership.”

“Coke is literally more important, when it comes to sustainability, than the United Nations.”

Its amazing the power one company has, and its amazing they want to begin making steps in the right direction.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/adhocracy/its-all-fun-and-games—-until-someone-bonds-with-a-brand/article1860689/

I was reading the article above and was really surprised. I had heard of apps like foursquare, however I was skeptical of whether or not they could actually catch on. It is now clear that this isn’t merely a fad, but something that is here to stay. I’ve never been a person that likes to update others on what I’m doing via social media, however if there is a possibility that I could be awarded for it, I begin to ask myself the question why not. It seems like a win-win situation for both myself as the consumer and the company as an advertiser. I tell people where I am and receive 10% off my meal for instance. If my meal cost $20, the restaurant was just able to advertise to my whole network on facebook at the cost of $2. I’m not an expert but it seems like a very efficient way to advertise. Instead of potentially spending hundreds or thousands on an advertising campaign they can reach the same amount of people with the cost of a few soft drinks or meals here and there. It seems like the best way for a small local restaurant to successfully create awareness about their brand. And of course there is always the potential they can communicate deals and promotions through the same application.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/company-news-story.aspx?storyid=201101190704dowjonesdjonline000285&title=starbucks-to-allow-customers-to-pay-via-some-smartphones

However is a free drink or discounted meal enough incentive to use such software? What if you could pay for your visit using the same type of software? Starbucks has announced that they will be offering US residents the ability to pay for the purchases with their app found on the Blackberry and iPhone platforms. It seems like a perfect idea as almost everyone already carries a phone with them anyways.

The technology helps companies advertise and at the same time provide convenience to customers . . . now that’s cool!