Browsing Tag

Starbucks

Coffee With Michael Bregman

Hot On The Street - Sarah Prince and Michael Bregman

A few months ago, I wrote about drinking tea with Carly Rae Jepsen. We didn’t meet at DAVIDsTEA to catch up like old friends; we simply posed at a meet and greet. Drinking coffee with Second Cup’s chairman Michael Bregman was kind of similar. It wasn’t a one-on-one information interview, but rather a breakfast event where he spoke and young professionals listened intently.

In hindsight, Michael’s talk was similar to Annie Young-Scrivner’s keynote at QMAC 2013. At the time, Annie was President, Starbucks Canada and now she is President, Teavana. On both occasions, Michael and Annie succinctly shared their views on coffee consumption, inspired advice-hungry audiences and left enough time for questions.

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July 6, 2014 by

Kindness Counts

Kindness Counts Facebook Cover Photo

Western University graduates Josh Stern and Russell Citron are inspiring Gen Y to pay it forward and people are listening. Their charitable initiative #FeedTheDeed discourages people from playing an online drinking game and encourages random acts of kindness.

#FeedTheDeed has sparked a huge conversation about the power of social media. Instead of producing videos of themselves chugging beer, #FeedTheDeed participants are donating blood, clothes and toys.

How It Is Promoted

In the last 2 weeks, my Facebook news feed has been filled with photos and videos of friends distributing popcorn, coffee and TTC tokens. To extend the reach of #FeedTheDeed, participants are nominating friends, family and celebrities around the world. For example, Josh Stern nominated Canadian singer-songwriter Nikki Yanofsky and then she handed out candy in Montreal on Valentine’s Day.

What I Did

I love Twitter. I like Starbucks.

When my friend Sam Pollack nominated me to #FeedTheDeed, this is what I did to support a few charities I care about:

I used Twitter to send Starbucks gift cards to Anaphylaxis Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Non-profit employees deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and I hope they will encourage more people to continue the chain.

Feed The Deed Tweet Example

Starbucks Tweet A Coffee

What You Can Do

Here are some ideas:

  • Volunteer
  • Pay for a stranger’s bill at a café
  • Send handwritten notes or cards
  • Buy a ticket to attend a charity event
  • Contribute to a Kickstarter campaign
  • Loan money to an entrepreneur on Kiva

For more information, follow Kindness Counts on Facebook!

February 19, 2014 by

How Gastropost Unites Food Lovers

After hearing speakers from Mondelez and Starbucks at QMAC, I started thinking about how fun it would be to promote food and drinks as your day job. Chris Tindal, co-founder of Postmedia Labs, does the next best thing; he oversees the operations of Gastropost.

Since Gastropost’s Toronto launch in May 2012, it has expanded to Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary, and it now has over 10,000 members. Recognizing its success, I was excited to hear Tindal speak about the content strategy behind Gastropost’s growth. Tindal explained that his team’s goal is to inspire people to love their city by encouraging community members to share their expertise.

Gastropost

Gastropost offers anyone with an internet connection and camera the opportunity to share pictures of food with a large audience. The main incentive to participate in Gastropost’s weekly missions is the chance to see your name and photo in National Post. Each mission has a different theme, such as holiday treats or Father’s Day BBQs. Some themes are created based on brand partnerships between Gastropost and CPG brands, such as Kraft.

Anyone can become a self-proclaimed foodie. Gastropost, however, differentiates amateur food photographers by featuring a selection of food lovers online and in the newspaper every week. 50 likes on your Facebook photo of a fancy appetizer doesn’t qualify as a claim to fame in the same way that being in the National Post does.

Gastropost proves that print newspapers still have value, authority and credibility. There’s no doubt about how exciting it is for a photo of your dinner to be featured in one of Canada’s most popular newspapers. Even though Gastropost doesn’t offer any monetary compensation, the personal validation members receive is evidently sufficient motivation to keep the #gastropost hashtag and community alive. “Every week we send people an email to do something and they do it,” said Tindal. How many email marketers can say that?

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December 9, 2013 by

iPhone Transition and Recommended Apps

After my last exam of the semester, I took the earliest train to Toronto the next morning, eager to finally pick up a new phone. Though my excitement was interrupted by a transportation-related delay, the shopping experience that followed was unlike any other. I finally got to browse though Yorkdale’s new extension, including Canada’s first Microsoft store, which was great because I’m a PC.

Photo Source: Mashable

Buying a black 16 GB iPhone 5, which’ll be protected by a black OtterBox Defender, was a fantastic way to start my winter break. The case is so mightily thick that my friends have been teasing me about how the phone looks, but having peace of mind makes it worthwhile. During the initial activation of my phone, it was immediately apparent that using it is as intuitive as people say. Once my contacts were transferred from my BlackBerry Tour 9630 (3 years old, with a trackwheel!), I could proudly call myself an iPhone owner.

I’ve had a lot of fun downloading and testing out apps. Here’s a list of 20 apps I recommend, sorted categorically:

Social Networking & Photo: Twitter, Facebook Messenger, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Skype

Entertainment & Music: Flixster (w/ Rotten Tomatoes), GetGlue, Cineplex, Shazam, IMDB

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December 30, 2012 by

On The Radar: Starbucks

Love struck with a Starbucks barista? You’re in luck! Soon you can show your appreciation (or affection) with a smartphone. Starbucks is rolling out a new digital tipping function for its mobile payment app next summer, as well as through Square for U.S. customers. (Source: CBC)

Starbucks has begun testing 500 sq. ft. drive-thru and walk-up shops run by only a few employees that offer the full Starbucks menu. In an effort to go green, the new LEED-certified coffee shops in the pilot program are hyper local, whereby the design materials are sourced from within a 500-mile radius. The McDonald’s at Richmond and Dundas in London has a walk-up window, but I haven’t seen anyone use it. That said, I’m sure Starbucks’ sophisticated design will make these new venues a nice addition to modern cities. (Source: Fast Company)

Eager to please their most well-known clientele, Starbucks crafted a personalized cup for Demi Lovato by writing her name inside a star resembling her new place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Fans pleaded to Starbucks via Twitter, with the hashtag #putdemisnameonastarbuckscup and Starbucks responded, as seen below. Hopefully other patrons didn’t wait longer in line while baristas designed it. (Source: Twitter)

October 9, 2012 by