BBDO and Starbucks China encourage people to engage in real conversations over a cup of coffee
BBDO has launched an exciting new campaign in partnership with Starbucks China, to encourage people to take time away from their busy lives to engage in real conversations.
Starbucks China is seen as aspirational, authentic and international; a place to connect with others in a meaningful way. With this in mind Starbucks paired up with BBDO to inspire their customers to rediscover heartfelt, genuine conversations and connections and ask themselves ‘what if I slowed down for just a moment to fully appreciate the people in my life?’ Which led to the campaign ‘Let’s meet up, face to face, heart to heart!’
The campaign first launched on Tencent and Sina Weibo to invite people to pledge their support for the movement. Fans could vote on the campaign site, comment on friends’ votes and forward it to their peers. Within the first 24 hours over half a million people voted to support the movement. Thousands of people commented that they have been truly touched and expressed their desire for real connection:
“豆子里的鹭啡”: To support the #Heads up# campaign of Starbucks, I will shut down my phone until the end of tomorrow! Have a simple life just like in my childhood, reading books and talking to people around me. The furthest distance in the world is that I stand in front of you yet you are on your phone.
“秤子是个粗心妞” :# Heads Up # Look up and find love – you will see a shadow in the shape of a heart on the window at Starbucks, what a lovely day!
The numbers continue to rise, reaching over 2 million online commitments of people backing the cause.
People who visited Starbucks stores on 16th October showed great interest and spontaneously signed their names on the posters to support the movement. Starbucks then gave all customers a free size upgrade on their drinks so that they could linger over that real conversation a little longer.
2 Comments
To encourage people to engage in person, yet promotes via social network?!! Contradicting. Besides, what makes them think people aren’t engaging in real conversations? Flaws all over.
@JohnnyLee – have you ever been to China?! People interact with their phones here on average every 6 minutes and watching couples/friends interact on the metro and in restaurants is depressing (i.e. there is no interaction because they are glued to their phones). Surely you can also be pro-real-conversations and pro-social media – why does it have to be one or the other?