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Behind the Brand: Aroma Espresso Bar

It’s one thing to “Like” a cafe on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

It’s quite another to learn about who schmoozes with espresso lovers online daily.

Name: Daniel Davidzon (@thedanield)

Position: Social Media Consultant

Employer: Aroma Espresso Bar

Education: English, York University; Public Relations, Humber College

Favourite blog: Too many to mention. Is Twitter a blog?

Favourite mobile app: Twitter – it keeps me connected to news and ideas from dozens of industries and areas, all day every day.

Professional role model: I keep track of what the top professionals in my industry are doing, and try to adopt their best practices to fit within my roles and responsibilities. My father always told me the little things can make the biggest difference, so I try to pay attention to detail, make connections, and do my job the right way.

In 140 characters or less, what makes Aroma the best option for Canadian coffee aficionados?

Besides our freshly-brewed coffee? The wide scope of healthy and made-to-order menu items available, the customer service, and chocolates!

Which menu items do you recommend for first-time Aroma customers?

If you’re a coffee lover, obviously grab an espresso. The hot chocolate is among the best in Toronto, steamed milk over chocolate pralines. Our Sweet Potato Lentil salad has a devoted following, and people swear by the Grilled Halumi sandwich. Our alfajores melt in your mouth, and of course, save room for the complimentary chocolate!

As Aroma continues expanding internationally, how does Aroma maintain a consistent online presence?

As of now, there are several Twitter and Facebook accounts associated with the various Aroma Espresso Bar locations around the world. Speaking on behalf of Canada, Toronto is the only city with an Aroma Espresso Bar (actually, 10 as of this writing and two more a mere weeks away from opening). We consolidated all our GTA locations under one common social media umbrella to facilitate reaching all our customers in a timely manner, as well as to maintain consistency across all locations.

We strive to post a few tweets a day, and a few Facebook posts a week. The most important use for social media in our case is the ability to talk directly to our customers. We try to acknowledge everyone who mentions us online, whether positive or negative. If you’ve taken the time to visit our location and tell us or your friends about it, we want to thank you personally. It’s the least we can do.

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September 13, 2012 by

Red Bull Supports Musicians

While Red Bull’s commercials tend to be cheeky with simple colour schemes, their interest in supporting aspiring musicians through innovative partnerships is very clear this summer. First on my radar was the Red Bull Soundstage Facebook contest, thanks to which my friends’ band Of Gentlemen and Cowards will appear on The Late Show with David Letterman in September.

UPDATE: Here’s the clip from Of Gentlmen and Cowards’ September 17 performance:

Then today I learned about an interactive billboard Red Bull created in London, England to promote Jessie Ware, who recorded her latest album at Red Bull Studios. Red Bull invited locals to colour in dots on the billboard until the advertisement was completely visible. Below is the final product:

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August 23, 2012 by

Behind the Brand: Sears

It’s one thing to “Like” a retailer on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

It’s quite another to learn about who promotes which clothes belong in your closet.

Name: Robin Vengroff

Position: Styling Sample Coordinator

Employer: Sears

Education: Fashion Communications, Ryerson University

Favourite blogs: Worn Fashion Journal, The Man Repeller, Jak and Jil, Garance Dore, Style Rookie, ModCloth, Refinery29

Favourite mobile app: The Collection – New York Times Fashion

Style icon: Iris Apfel, Jackie O, and my Grandmother

Professional role model: Grace Coddington (Creative Director of Vogue), Alexa White (of W) and ModCloth.com founder Susan Gregg Koger

In 140 characters or less, why can we be optimistic about the future of Sears?

Sears is focusing on gaining back the trust of its customers. It’s a matter of getting back to basics, and putting value and quality first.

What do you enjoy about working for a retailer, rather than a fashion designer or magazine?

Working for a retailer was a big to do on my fashion professional checklist for a number of reasons. I think that the experience I have had in working from both other perspectives was not really fully developed until coming into this environment. Seeing how initiatives get put into place in this kind of world is so different. I like this environment because it pertains to the realistic expectations of shoppers. Fashion magazines are about taking clothes and making them into a story to portray a theme for the season. And working for a boutique fashion designer was geared towards pleasing a very particular kind of customer and style. In this world of mass retail we also develop and market brands and a story or theme for the season, but the customer base is so much larger that I felt that it was extremely important to me in my career to understand that relationship as well.

Sears in particular was enticing for me to work for because it presented a lot of opportunity for growth within company. As a company Sears is very nurturing of its own talent – there are programs in place like the Future Leaders Program for Buyers that trains and develops the skills of employees.

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July 27, 2012 by

Sprite Makes a Splash

At the Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity 2012, Ogilvy and Mather won gold prize for Sprite Shower, which was executed by their Brasil team. To see it in action, click here.

After offering 1,500 showers to consumers donning speedos and bikinis, the refreshing branded experience for beachgoers was followed up elsewhere. Next, Sprite held a similar concept in Tel Aviv with human-sized showers resembling dispensing machines.

Refusing to take the tagline “Refresh Your Ideas” for granted, Sprite strikes again this week with engaging street art created with teenage models in Prague. Emphasizing the brand’s message of authenticity, the new “Camouflauge” campaign illustrates how Sprite tries to stop the cycle of blending in, as the teens break out of character after their first sip.

As everyone’s eager to identify themselves as unique and hip, Sprite’s latest campaigns propose that all it takes to stand out is a sip of their soft drink, which will help you beat the summer heat in the process.

Here’s a behind the scenes look at creating the Camouflage commercial:

July 17, 2012 by