I like to sit back, relax and really enjoy my latte

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, some say second only to water.

With shops like Starbucks on nearly every street corner (and other companies adding gourmet coffee to their menus) it's a sure bet that this is a drink that is close to everyone.

• When you have that first cup in the morning do you enjoy the flavor?

• Do you gently inhale the aroma that wafts from the steam coming from the surface of the strong brew?

• Or do you simply gulp it down while shouting at the kids to get in the minivan and looking for your car keys?

In this day and age it's getting harder and harder to take a few seconds to enjoy a good cup of coffee.

So, perhaps my blog today will inspire you to sit back, relax and really enjoy that cup of coffee.

Power Brand Experience: how Starbucks creates and manages high-touch, high-volume personal brand engagements

Starbucks in Shanghai

Go big or go home.

On the occasion of my 8th year of "BRAND INNOVATION," I'm looking back at the key concepts that influenced my perspective on power branding.

We have learned that coffee king Starbucks can create and manage millions – literally millions – of engagements across the country with the same energy it would with just a few.

Deborah Taylor, director of local marketing integration for Starbucks, shared with us how they did it by embracing a high-volume, high-touch experiential plan, executed on a nationwide scale, to create and maintain a consistent experience across thousands of brand ambassadors. Plus, Starbucks’ agency partner, Derek Drake of Passage Events, tells about how they developed a system to manage the process.

It’s well-known that the brand experience is a hallmark of the Starbucks retail store. So, the goal of its events is to extend that experience outside the store.

The first element of the event brief is to be fun and approachable. An example is a “Fender

Blender,” in which consumers sit on a bike and pedal-powered the blender to mix their drinks. This took about 20 seconds and the Starbucks staff had 20 more seconds to connect with the consumer.

The second element is to surprise and delight. At events held at major transit stations when people are standing in long lines, Starbucks employees might spontaneously appear to make commuters’ day a little nicer. At impromptu gatherings, Starbucks employees might show up with as little as two hours’ notice to distract the crowd and share some of the barista experience outside.

The third element was to spread the word. To extend the experience, Starbucks often set up

blogging stations at the events.

Creating high-touch, high-volume events: Applications for other power brand marketers

You can help apply this creative approach to your events. In brand event planning, connect in a relevant way, honestly engage the customer, make it easy to communicate, and motivate to take action.

I created this template to list some of the ways you could increase the “touch” of your event and extend the impact of the experience.

Starbucks near L'Opera: evokes classic Paris urban architecture

Earlier this year when I traveled to Paris for business, I stopped in the Starbucks near the Opera House.   

Wow – this was surprising, and exactly the French elegance I’d hoped to see -- even in a Starbucks.

Starbucks is known as a brand of coffee house that creates a place of connection.  This amazing location definitely reflected the art and style of its neighborhood. It was renovated to evoke the classic past of the great Paris urban architecture.  The woodwork, lighting fixtures, furniture, even the bar. 

The nighttime buzz of everyone there added to cultural connection.

Starbucks in Bexley: a warm, safe place for coffee in a renovated bank

I always loved my Roscoe Village Starbucks that was in a renovated drug store -- complete with the old soda fountain counter and bar stools.

Well, now in Columbus, I've found my favorite Starbucks. It's built inside a former bank in Bexley, OH.  

 

It has an unexpected amount of character.  The exterior is all white with massive pillars. There is a spacious patio with plenty of seating for warm weather. Inside you find a roomy dining area, a fireplace, a splendid chandelier and a gigantic steel vault. 

Oh yeah, that's right, a vault. This location used to be an old bank, and embracing that history they turned the interior of the vault into a cozy seating area.

3 Starbucks cups for the future?

Starbucks asked designers how they'd fix its cups. Here are FAST COMPANY's three favorite ideas from the 2010 betacup challenge.

Recyclable: KISS Cup
Australian designer Keith Orchard wanted to reduce waste while keeping the experience intact. His pulp paper-based cup is coated with palm-leaf-derived carnauba wax. "People aren't going to recycle if it's not easy," he says.

Reusable: CupUp
Inspired by children's toys, this inflatable thermal mug also has a bar code for loyalty programs. "Sustainable solutions must actively promote behavioral change," says Rae'ut Stern, one of CupUp's five Israeli designers. 

Consumable: Cookie Cup
This wafer cup's edible heat- and liquid-resistant lining allows customers to dispose of their cup by eating it. "When you have a coffee, it's also an experience," Dutch designer Martijn van Loon says. As if those triple-mocha drinks didn't have enough calories.

Some say ours is just a Starbucks, but it’s a really different kind of Starbucks. And now, the staff has been recognized for it.

Our Roscoe Village neighborhood Starbucks just won the company’s award for “Creating the Coffeehouse Experience.” Executives from Seattle came to share the award with the manager, baristas, and even customers who were there.

Our café is in a converted drugstore and soda shoppe. So it has cushy diner-style booths and an old-fashioned counter with bar stools. There's even an old-timey red telephone booth.

The other side of the store has the usual comfy stuffed chairs, tables, and cozy fireplace.

And, last but not least, they have art on the walls from local artists.

If you’re looking for a different coffeehouse experience from this otherwise ubiquitous brand, visit our neighborhood Starbucks at 2023 W Roscoe St. (between Damen Ave & Seeley Ave.)