HP, AT&T, and Starbucks… Thank you?
I got a package today with a return address of HP but with similar branding for both HP and AT&T. I had no idea what it may be, I have a Blackberry from AT&T and a printer from HP, but could not think of what would have these two companies reaching out to me at the same time. Could it be a present sent from the company? An iPhone? Not from HP. A Blackberry 8300? Again, not from HP. A digital camera? From AT&T, that would be a stretch.
Well, I opened it up to find out what was inside during this holiday season… and to my surprise it was a marketing gimmick with three Starbucks Double Shots inside. Something about how I can get fast service from AT&T, when I buy my new HP computer, I don’t know I didn’t read any of the packaging. Just took out the Double Shots before deciding that this is something that I could and should blog about.
This seems like a very expensive mailing, but maybe I fit the right demographic. I have purchased an HP computer before (7 years ago), I do have a large phone bill sent to me monthly from AT&T, and could it be possible for them to purchase my name from when I registered my Starbucks card? Well, I’m not going to be buying an HP laptop anytime soon (although, they do recommend Business Vista) but I will definitley enjoy the more than $5 in free Starbucks drinks.
If you want to see the pics of the box being opened check out the rest of the entry.
A Beaver Plane
Horizon Airlines, which is based out of Seattle, has decided to paint four of their planes to match the four major universities in Washington and Oregon. I’m most excited about the Beaver plane, and very uncertain how I would feel if they asked me to get on a duck plane. I know that there are people that give much more money than I do to their respective schools and I wonder how they would react to being asked to board their rival schools plane.
Now if I could request to fly from PDX to SFO on the Oregon State plane to watch the Emerald Bowl I would love it.
So is this a worth while marketing move by Horizon or will the painting and eventual repainting (and a few upset customers) be more than the stunt was worth? It shows that they’re a Northwest brand and says that they support the Northwest, but to me it seems to be a little to much effort for how uch positive PR it will produce. Of course, I don’t know how much painting a plane like this costs and maybe it’s not that big of an effort.
Sidetracked
I know I’m trying to keep this blog focused on business, but I guess this item can be constructed as business as it will save you alot of time that you can spend doing other more productive things.
I hang the majority of my shirts, and one of my least favorite houehold tasks to do is laundry, particularly the folding and hanging of clothes after they’re out of the dryer. Check out what I learned to do today and how I will be folding the rest of my shirts from here on out. It’s kind of like 7 minute abs, but if someone comes out with 6 minute abs I will switch to the new shirt folding method.
Enjoy.
VideoJug: How To Fold A T-Shirt In 2 Seconds – Explained
Are you hooked?
Starbucks Happy Hour?
A friend passed along this article from AdAge, “Forget the Cut TV Critters, Starbucks Needs a Happy Hour.” I previously was of the notion that Starbucks was above having to have a happy hour, but with their stock performance as of late, it may be time to reconsider.
Some Seattle natives may remember when Tully’s in their continue quest to find something, anything, that will help lure customers away from Starbucks had the 3:21 special. It was a promotion that would give you between 33% and 50% off of your drink between 3:21 and 3:51. I loved the promotion, and in turn became a big fan of the Tully’s Espresso Oreo Shake (still highly recommended), however I felt it was a gimmick. I also felt that it was to early in the day to add new customers and what it was in fact doing was cutting into their margins during a time in the day where people are needing a quick pick me up from the after lunch lull. Their thinking, I take it, was to get people in the mind set that you do in fact need that afternoon coffee everyday. It did help engrain that thinking, but once they stopped the offer, I returned to Starbucks for my coffee needs.
A happy hour though in its most true sense could really drive additional business into Starbucks. Imagine a happy hour from 5pm until 6:30. You aren’t cannibalizing the post dinner group and you aren’t cutting into the margins on the afternoon coffee break from work crowd. If you implemented a more open atmosphere with the Baristas (some would shine, others would not) where the Baristas could become more like your local bartenders and the patrons could find a new place to interact after work. I go to happy hours fairly frequently and usually more than the food or the drink the place is decided upon based on price, atmosphere, and location. Starbucks has the locations (any location) down, and if they were to offer happy hour prices and a more open barista atmosphere along with different music there would be the other two deciding factors.
Howard Schultz founded Starbucks after a trip to Italy where he saw how much people were interacting in the cafes there. This could rejuvenate the cafe environment in the US as well as increase profits for Starbucks. In my opinion, after the lackluster performance and the many competitors who cannot offer the atmosphere that Starbucks can, it is now time to create the new Starbucks Happy Hour.
How they work
Saw this quick piece at CNN Money talking about how Bob Iger works. A few tidbits:
- Wakes up at 4:30 am and works out.
- Doesn’t have a driver, likes the solitude of driving himself.
- Writes personal notes to Disney talent that he hasn’t met before.
- Be punctual. (My favorite. He will start meetings on time even if people aren’t there.
I love reading interviews and articles like this. It gives a small snapshot into these executives lives and helps motivate me to work harder as well as ways to become more successful. Seems like someone should put these together in a book. With all the self improvement books out there I wonder if I could get 10 minutes with high level CEO’s to create my own book or series.
Would you pay $19.95 for a book about how the very successful live their daily work lives? I would.
About Otis
I live in Seattle, Washington. I am passionate about working with and interacting with others. My work experience includes marketing, account management, and sales.
I am a huge sports fan who on top of cheering for my favorite teams (Go Beavs!) also appreciates coaching strategy, as well as the marketing behind teams, players, and events.
Personally, I enjoys exploring new cities and areas (particularly small towns) and getting outside and playing.