Coffee brand serves up free drinks and experiences in “feel good” café

From a marketing perspective, cafés have always been a good choice of venue in which to create unique and enticing atmospheres, and regular readers may remember the game themed Snakes & Lattes café in Toronto. Now we’ve come across an effort from coffee brand Maxwell House, serving free coffee and positive stories to the people of Toronto at their Optimism Café. The centrally located café, open for the month of July, was part of the longer running “Brew Some Good” campaign, which included TV ads and social media activity. Offering free coffee, Wi-Fi and even dog biscuits, anyone was welcome to come in for a top up on optimism. On a mission to help Canadians “feel more glass half-full” while building brand awareness, the Optimism Café hosted a variety of daily events, from appearances by musicians and artists to a book signing by Neil Pasricha, author of The Book of Awesome. Creating a physical place for customers to experience the product amid inspiring and motivational messages appears to have been well received, with sales reportedly up by 10 percent. Though the campaign may appear costly, Kraft says “they got a lot more out of the café than we put into it — worth every penny and more.” So while some say it’s hard to place a value on the effect of experiential marketing, Maxwell House have seen the benefit of adding a human and emotional connection to their brand, and have already seen the appreciation convert into sales. Time to offer a little free love yourself?