Very seldom does a huge brand like Starbucks catch my eye on Twitter during the work day – let alone redirect my attention to read, and then Retweet whatever promotion they have going on. But today, Starbucks, you win…

The mega coffee shop brand has seen plenty of media attention lately due to an increase in its drink prices, and I’m wondering whether the timing of the company’s stellar holiday marketing campaign is coincidental? Are the people at Starbucks just trying to butter me up, just so I forget I’m paying five dollars for my Peppermint Mocha? Sadly, I think so.

After doing a little research on the price increase at Starbucks, I began to notice similarities among the company’s press release addressing the price concerns, and the products featured in the company’s brand new holiday campaign, 12 Days of Sharing. A couple points stood out:

• Labor-intensive drinks will go up in price – sure enough, these drinks were the first to be featured as part of the holiday marketing campaign. Five cents goes to the charity in partnership, with the purchase of any handcrafted drink.
• Packaged coffee is also subject to an increase in price – conveniently, there’s a buy one, get one free promotion on day two of the 12-day holiday campaign.
• My Starbucks Rewards – the official press release states that despite the price increase, the company will continue to offer value through its loyalty program. Not-surprisingly, this is highlighted on the 12 Days of Sharing website – through a promotion tied to the charity as well.

Beyond offering strategically chosen promotions, another clever addition to the campaign, is Starbuck’s partnership with Vevo. The Killers’ new music video, which also happens to emphasize the power of giving, is promoted throughout the 12 days, and each time it is viewed, money is raised for charity. While I’m still a little bummed about the increased amount I’m going to pay for my favorite holiday drink, the coffee/music/charity connection is really starting to tug at my heart.

Ultimately, I applaud the people at Starbucks for their marketing campaign, which has allowed them to raise the price on my Soy Chai Latte, but still leave me coming back for more. I, along with several others (I’m sure), can’t complain about a few extra cents on my latte, because when it comes down to it, there may be other people in the world who need the money even more -  ‘tis the season right?

Picture this, you’re standing in front of a vending machine packed full of sugary, salty, divine treats and a disguised bag of baby carrots. All wrapped in glorious, colorful packaging. Ironic? The baby carrot cooperative is hoping to change (or trick) your minds about baby carrots (one “extreme” move at a time). The hope is that the vegetable in vending machines will be seen as a cool, kitschy endeavor driving you to purchase. Or if you aren’t sold on the “cool, veggies in a vending machine” angle,  you’ll be convinced by the new, flashy packaging.

But new distribution channels and redesigned packaging are just two pieces of the $25 million “extreme, in your face” new baby carrot marketing campaign that aims to parallel junk food marketing.

To kick off this new marketing push, agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky created a brand positioning that is very simple, and entirely unconventional. Instead of going the baby carrots = healthy route, they’ve opted for baby carrots = junk food. A VP at the agency was quoted as saying, “They [carrots] basically share all the exact same qualities as some of the more insidious junk foods.”

In fact, the CP+B team feels so strongly about this brand position, they’ve trademarked, “Baby carrots, eat ‘em like junk food.”  To which I reply, sure, baby carrots could be just like Doritos or Cheetos if they were covered in highly addictive sugar, salt, and preservatives. The slogan aims to convince (or possibly trick) consumers to believe baby carrots ARE just as extreme, tasty and gnarly as a big bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos (just minus the taste of the crave worthy snack).

To further capitalize on the whole “junk food = sales” concept, the CP+B team also injected the idea of “extreme” and “outrageous” into all campaign touch points. Check out their Facebook  page, twitter feed, mobile apps, website, TV spots and online banners to see all the extreme executions.  It is clear the campaign is similar in tone and aesthetic to the advertising created for junk food brands Mountain Dew, Burger King and Doritos.

Finally, the campaign also extends to redesigned packaging for the product that takes baby carrots from simple, clear plastic to shiny, colorful potato chip-like containers. If all consumers were so easily convinced this bait and switch approach might work. However, in the grocery stores, baby carrots are sold next to other vegetables NOT other junk foods (i.e chips, sodas, cookies).

I’ll stay tuned to see how the adopted junk food brand strategy impacts sales of baby carrots. Perhaps I’m jaded, but I’ll assume baby carrot sales will increase when the product becomes covered in chocolate, caramel, nuts, salt or bacon, just as Victoria Klein said in her post on Ode. Just sayin… But there are definitely some who see benefits to the campaign. Take Siel from the Green LA Girl blog. She notes that she’s glad to see carrots being made easier and more tempting, regardless of the the tactic. In the end, whether you love it or not, you have to agree with Jezebel that this marketing program is getting baby carrots a lot of press. Everyone from USA Today to NPR are talking about them in a big way.

Conclusion? We’ll just have to wait this one out.

I’d like to preface by saying that I have yet to read the original memoir Eat, Pray, Love. I haven’t got much to say about the premise or written works of Elizabeth Gilbert, but what I am interested in are the marketing and publicity strategies behind the film. I think that the marketing team behind Eat, Pray, Love deserves a job well done for their promotional support surrounding the film, not only because they’ve created a massive buzz across all media platforms (online, print, television, you name it), but because they’ve also encouraged consumers to spend more money, period.

Not only will the major film conglomerate behind the movie cash in, but other industries like the food and travel industries will also reap the benefits.

Within the last two weeks I’ve noticed a plethora of promotions surrounding the movie – especially involving companies who service the film’s target demographic of females 30-50 years old. For example, the Home Shopping Network (HSN) teamed up to launch a program devoting 72 hours of air time to Eat, Pray, Love. Throughout the allotted time frame the network will not only promote the film but also incorporate more than 400 of their products across multiple categories that are somehow related to the movie. Brilliant right? Everyone’s a winner—the studio, HSN, and even the home shopper.

Today, I saw another promotion tied to Eat, Pray, Love—this time online.  The contest, living on Self.com, plugs the film and ties it back to a chance to win a free trip to Italy to “reconnect with the pleasure of food” just as Julia Roberts does in the movie. I thought the contest was cleverly done. Not only does the studio reach their target audience online at self.com, but they also encourage one lucky winner to travel to Italy and spend more money while they’re there.  Well done marketing team, well done.

All in all, I’m a huge fan of Eat, Pray, Love. Not necessarily of the book or movie (although I do love Julia Roberts), but more of the fabulous marketing and publicity surrounding it. I appreciate the efforts to submerge our pop culture with the idea to live your life to the fullest –and spend more money while you’re at it. Hey, when it comes down to it, our economy could use a little nudge. Just my two cents. 

When we hit a recession, people sit down and think about ways to save money.  A lot of people cut back on their charitable donations and the frequency that they eat out. When people stop eating out as often, marketers need to think of ways to entice customers to come into their restaurant. And non-profit organizations need to work triple-time to keep the dollars coming in, not necessarily for them to stay in business, but for the people in need of that money.

What if a company came up with a way that you could still eat out but also be donating to a local charity organization at the same time? Well, it happened. Panera Bread opened a donation model restaurant, also known as, Panera Cares Cafe, in St. Louis, as an experiment in community service.

This idea is awesome, in theory. People come in and the menu has suggested prices for what the meal should cost. Then, people pay-what-you-can. There are no cash registers, no change. People drop their money into a donation bin — more or less than the suggested price. The hopes is that these donations will offset one another, so the restaurant breaks even and can remain open. What’s nice is that for people that can’t pay anything, they can bus or clean tables.

I have a concern of people taking advantage of this. Sure, it’s really nice for the people who really are in need — homeless, low-income families, etc, but , as sad as this is to say, we do have a lot of “greedy” people in the US who would take advantage of this program.

Panera Bread did not put a lot of money into a new location or complete renovation. Instead, they closed down a current Panera Bread location, made a few construction changes inside, renamed it and reopened. They also didn’t put a lot of marketing dollars into the launch of this concept. They announced the launch of this via social media platforms and word of mouth. This has caused a lot of buzz, nationwide.

It appears this whole idea is working for them. According to Panera Bread’s company chairman, Ron Shaich, they are already planning on opening two more restaurants using this exact same model. But I wonder, will these stores fail in the long run once the buzz has died down? I feel it is crucial for their marketing team to come up with ideas to keep this idea fresh, popular and most importantly, profitable for the community (since they say they are doing this as a community service).

I have two ideas on how they can keep this model going, and possibly make it national.

1) Get all Panera Bread stores, nationwide, involved. Set up donation bins (similar to the one in St. Louis) asking people to donate what they can, even their change. This money will then be donated to the donation model restaurants to help keep them afloat and/or open additional locations. They could make it a contest that the store to raise the most money wins something.

2) Create a “Why our town deserves a Saint Louis Bread Co” contest. Have people create a video to why their town needs something like this. Promote the contest via Twitter, Facebook, traditional PR. The money from my first idea could even be used to open up the store in the town that wins.

Do you have any ideas on how Panera Bread can keep this cool idea going?

Since we last spoke about Foursquare, the location-based social networking site has grown up a bit. With an audience of over 1.9 million people, and an average of 12,900 new users per day, Foursquare is becoming a social media site to be reckoned with. Many companies have been using the platform as a rewards programs for a while now, including our very own Del Mar Racetrack who will be launching their program starting Opening Day. What we are seeing more of lately is that companies are getting more creative with their approach, especially in the hospitality industry.

One of the first to do this was Joe Sorge, owner of AJ Bombers restaurant in Milwaukee. Taking it one step further, Joe created a whole event to engage customers through the use of Foursquare, and ultimately increased sales by 110 percent in one night. The idea behind the event was to allow customers to earn Foursquare’s coveted “I’m On A Boat!” Badge—which was made possible by displaying boats in his restaurant for all to see. Being that the restaurant was probably one of the only places to actually be on a boat in Milwaukee, AJ Bombers was the place to be for those in pursuit of the special badge. All in all, it was a big night for AJ Bombers due to Joe’s clever use of Foursquare and online engagement with customers.

In addition to using Foursquare to perform the ultimate PR stunt, it is also useful for customer service and target research. The website now provides marketing tools for businesses to grow their online network. In fact, The New York Times recently published an article highlighting all of these resources. The new analytics program provides access to a range of real-time information and statistics about customers like who they are, when they checked in, gender ratio, and additional interests. The focus is on current customers, those who have actually visited the store and like the brand. Ultimately, these are the most important customers, and your biggest fans. This information can mean big things for the hospitality industry, especially when customer service is one of the most valuable ways to improve sales.

Going back to the most basic implementation of Foursquare, incentive programs are one of the easiest ways for hotels to engage their customers online. Offering a ten percent discount at the spa or a free drink during happy hour at the lobby bar is probably going to entice a guest who is familiar with your property and already enjoys your brand. Some properties listed on Hotelchatter.com that are actively engaged in Foursquare loyalty programs are Wynn Las Vegas, The Encore Las Vegas, Hotel Lucia, Hotel DeLuxe, and the list goes on. If you weren’t signed up for Foursquare before, you may change your mind once you realize how easy it is for you to find great deals for travel and everything else in the world of leisure.

Ultimately, the hospitality industry is getting the hang of this thing we call social media, and even kicking it up a notch. Although Foursquare isn’t quite ready to compete in the big league with Twitter and Facebook, the site holds its own because of its unique online opportunities for consumer and business owners alike.

Doing my weekly shopping at the the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market last weekend, I came across a booth for Epicurious.com. I did a double take. Sandwiched between the handspun butter tent and my favorite avocado vendor was Epicurious, the online cooking mogul from the publishers of Gourmet and bon appetit magazines.

After making my way through a crowd of market-goers, it was clear what they were up to. They are hitting the streets in local markets, reaching the Sunday morning market-goers that appreciate a pesticide-free pluot and natural dog food. The people that are gathering fresh-cut flowers for their home and buying range-free eggs from a local vendor for their morning omelet are a very lucrative segment of their target market.

After returning home, I checked Epicurious.com to see what else they were up to. I was excited to see that their “local” approach was part of a bigger effort. According to their editor in chief, Tanya Steel, “It’s more important than ever to use local ingredients, both to the planet, and to farmers in your area. We are touring the country’s green markets again this year, in the hopes that we can offer tips, recipes, and advice to home cooks looking to create delicious and affordable meals using locally grown foods.”

The effort includes profiles of local farmers making a difference, an interactive map of what is fresh in your area, and a whole host of recipes that incorporate your farm fresh ingredients.

Other things they are doing (very well):

- iPhone App: you can create recipe boxes, search recipes, even create shopping lists

- They have an integrated marketing strategy. They are a dot com. But they don’t rely solely on other dot coms. They market through their partners Gourmet and bon appetit. They sponsor events. They do events and even mobile marketing.

- They embrace social media! I will blog later about their immersion in social media. But let’s just say they are covered.

This past Saturday night, the hubby and I headed over to Laurel for a final dinner. Laurel, once a culinary leader in San Diego, is now closed for a month and a new Italian concept is being created in its place. Laurel was one of Bailey Gardiner’s first restaurant clients (back in the day). And more personally, it’s where Paul (now hubby) and I had our first date and he later proposed (I know, cue Streisand singing Memories).

Proprietor Tracy Borkum told us about the new concept, her gigantic new oven and her inability to find the right name for the restaurant. So she is holding a contest to see if anyone can hit the right note, and if they do, they will receive a dinner each month at the restaurant for a year. Quite a deal in these times.

Since Tracy doesn’t have a blog (I’ve tried to convince her believe me) I told her we’d post the details here (FYI, she’s not a client). And since this really is turning into a community affair, and the wine was flowing, Paul agreed to take photos of the demo and remodel so we can all see what’s going on (go to changinglaurel.com to see his personal photo/story project).

Here are some particulars to get the ideas flowing, directly from Tracy:

Changes are Underway

We’ve already scraped the floor, demoed the banquettes and purchased the mother of all pizza ovens!

Think of a modern Italian kitchen combined with the history and comfort of an old rustic country barn.

A bit of bohemia, a touch of home and many stories created with found objects new and old. A focus on raw, sustainable material is evident, with much product coming  from recycled/reclaimed local sources.

Cuisine
The culinary focus of our yet to be named “Italian American’ neighborhood restaurant and wine shop will highlight the cuisines of various Italian regions with a distinct California ‘farm to table’ flair for which the Urban Kitchen Group (Kensington Grill, Chive, Laurel, Urban Kitchen Catering) has become known.

Chef Joe Magnanelli (who previously oversaw Laurel’s kitchen) is excited to preview his Italian roots and create a menu that is fresh, simple and seasonal.  Highlights include artisan pizza, pasta, antipasti and other delights.

Menu prices are designed to allow guests to enjoy a more comfortable, wallet-friendly, dining experience with nothing over $20!

Wine Program
Our new list will follow a more aggressive retail pricing program, offering approximately 100 diverse selections all under $50 per bottle. California, Washington, Oregon, Argentina, Chile and of course Italy are among the major wine-producing regions that will be showcased in our program: the wines of the Americas and Italy.

Along with a diverse selection of wines by the glass, guests will be invited to visit our retail area to select a bottle for dinner (nominal corkage fee will apply) or purchase wine to go.

There you have it. Grab a glass of vino and start making your list. Come July, you might be the lucky monthly diner. Send your list to contact@sdurbankitchen.com

Photo Credit: ©2009paulmbowers

UPDATE: Deadline for submissions is this Sunday, May 31st.

Last week, Jon and Indra treated our office to a wine and beer pairing at Taste Cheese in Hillcrest. We were treated to 5 flights of some of the most unique and well-paired beers and cheeses from across the globe. A short presentation preceded each paring with interesting tidbits and facts. You can catch one here – but something is wrong with this picture. Who can name it?

Nobody’s listening. Everyone is twittering.

We love twitter at Bailey Gardiner. We tweet day and night. This cheese and beer class was worthy of a few tweets, indeed. But what happens when you put a lot of twitter-happy people in one room? Attention drifts. I’m not here to throw anyone under the bus, in fact I’m jealous of my colleagues’ twitter-friendly phones and may have done the same myself if I’d had internet. Rather, I’d like to point out, at the expense of my dear coworkers (sorry, and thanks), that twitter should have a set of etiquette rules too. This just seems like the right time to point it out, for the chance that one day it’s not me at the table, and instead it’s a client, a potential business partner…or your mom.

So I offer these tips of twitterquette:

- Consider this: Is your outstanding online network costing you your face-to-face quality time? Try tweeting after the event or on your way to the restroom. Those around you may not know you’re tweeting about their awesome class, and may be offended that you’re so bored you’re checking your email or texting.

- Is everyone else tweeting the same thing? let them have it. Chances are you’re in the same network anyway, so a simple RT after the event will suffice.

- If a small enough venue, let the presenter know in advance if you plan to tweet the whole time to be sure they don’t get offended.

- You wouldn’t attempt to hold a conversation with someone in person while having one on the phone. While many are good at multitasking, the conversation is interrupted when a phone comes out. Just as you would excuse yourself for a quick phone call, excuse yourself for a quick tweet too.

- Don’t stop. Just remember to take those around you into consideration and find the best time to do it.

Do you have other suggestions?

It’s no surprise that every company has a rival that they want to steal customers/consumers from (MySpace & Facebook, McDonalds & Burger King, Nike & Adidas). We’ve all seen it from ads to promotional offers, etc…

Yet, I have not seen two companies “duke it out” so blatantly like Subway & Quiznos have been lately.

Before I get too into their battle, I am going to state upfront that I am a Subway fan and do not like Quiznos (primarily because of the bread and less veggie options). I also eat at Subway at least once a week. Trust me, ask anyone here at the marketing agency in San Diego I work at, they’ll back me up.

Lets recap the recent battle between them:

* Subway launches “$5 footlongs”on any sandwich

* Quiznos launches “$5 regular subs” a few weeks later

A few months later…

* Subway launches  “$5 footlongs” on 8 select sandwiches

* Quiznos launches “$5 regular subs” on select sandwiches

* Quiznos then adds a “drink & side” special to their menu

Another few months later…

* Subway re-launches “$5 footlongs” on any sandwich and $1 drinks and sides with the purchase of any footlong

* Quiznos launches delivery services

* Quiznos launches “$4 Torpedoes” on 5 sandwiches

That is where the battle ends, at least for now. I am going to predict that Subway in the next few months will launch some type of $4 sandwich. I even said a few weeks ago at Subway, watch Quiznos will have some similar promotion in a few weeks, and what do you know, BAMN there it is. I do commend them for at least offering one thing very different from Subway — delivery. Subway, when you going to start offering that too?

All I can say is it has become too predictable with these two companies. Do something different, don’t just copy or do something super similar to your competitor’s promotion(s). Take this opportunity to do something no one would expect to see.

You know what promotion I would love to see. A lot of people, like myself, like to have the footlong last for two meals. The second half usually isn’t near as good as the first since the condiments have sunk in and/or it’s now a day old. So, I propose they still offer the $5 footlong deal. BUT when you go in you can get 6″ of the sandwich now and then come back another time to get the other 6″. If you think about it, this will actually most likely make them more money and not use as much food. How do you ask? Well, this now gives Subway two opportunities to get people to buy additional things (sides, etc..) while they are there. When you go back in for your second 6″ some people might be like, sure I’ll grab some chips and a soda with it and pay the whole $2. Second, some people will forget about their second 6″. Therefore, less food is being used.

Subway or Quiznos, if I see this promotion surface, I’m going to be expecting a little kick back!

What unique promotion would you like to see them do?

And I always thought us creative types looked best in black.

It seems a recent study on color in the workplace would disagree.  In a story from Science Magazine, there seems to be definitive statistics to show that red is the color of detail, and blue is the color of creativity.  Researchers at the University of British Columbia state their findings showed “red groups” doing better on tests of recall and attention to detail, while “blue groups” did better using imagination and creativity.

The researchers deduce that these color associations might be hardwired into our psyches due to links with expected connections.  For example, red is associated with danger and the red ink of mistakes, which cues us to be more attentive and careful.  Blue is associated with the tranquil color of the sky and the ocean, which tend to bring us more open-ended thinking.

Funny how the world’s leaders in color disagree on this subject:

According to paint manufacturer Sherman Williams, “Heat may be counteracted by the use of light blues; high-pitched noises by olive greens; sweet odors by greens and blues; and dampness by yellows and tans.”

Our friends at Pantone say, “Productivity is not about the “formula” color that works every time in every situation. When you seek your own comfort level, use the colors that are suggestive of a theme and utilize them in your workspace. You cannot help but be more productive.”

Even Microsoft Office weighs in on the subject:  “Research has, for instance, led many employers to use a green color scheme in the workplace, as there is evidence to suggest that this results in less absenteeism through illness. At the University of Iowa, Hawkeye Coach Hayden Fry had the locker room used by visiting teams painted pink, on the basis of research that showed pink surroundings have the effect of reducing aggression!”

In advertising, we do know that colors affect some of the way in which viewers of ads respond.  A recent article on this study of color and creativity in the New York Times offers the following:

• Ads emphasizing “avoidance” actions like cavity prevention do better on red backgrounds
• Ads focused on “positive” actions like tooth whitening do better on blue backgrounds
• Restaurant marketers use this knowledge very successfully, and know that yellow urges guests to eat more (hello McDonald’s)

So I guess blue is the new black. Damn — now I have to completely rethink my wardrobe.

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