What the Economist Traveling Coffee Cart Wants You to Know
When it comes to sustainability, a roving coffee cart might be a business’s best bet. The Economist created an educational cart with one goal: Educate its visitors about food waste culture. Coffee is a cultural lifeblood. It’s about more than caffeine, and consumers know it. Interestingly, biodiesel made from used coffee grounds is among the best biodiesels in today’s market.
The Economist in the Streets
To spread the word about coffee’s hidden bio benefits, The Economist promoted its word across five cities. Its branded coffee cart, mission and goals informed coffee-lovers everywhere, helping sippers understand the brown beverage’s benefits.
The movement was titled “Grounds for Change,” derived from The Economist’s earlier piece, “Oil in Your Coffee.” The article covered numerous coffee-based uses—including biodiesel fuel, of course—and helped readers discover resource-protecting initiatives. To help consumers along, its coffee cart was opened to select New York City locations.
Food for Thought
Consumers weren’t only given a free cup. They were given a questionnaire via tablet, and they were asked questions about their views on sustainability. From renewable energy to skincare, the questionnaire’s recorded benefits were later accessible via a special Economist subscription. Those subscribing to The Economist via website were presented with a Tree-Nation partnership opportunity.
The event’s New York activations were only a start. Later, The Economist rolled out its ”Grounds for Change” movement across Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C. and San Francisco. The event was, of course, accessible on social media. Powered by the #feedingthefuturecampaign hashtag, “Grounds for Change” became somewhat of a provocative online movement. The live content marketing strategy might’ve been prompted through Twitter, but it’s expected to spread across multiple Internet locations.
Food Production and Consumption
This wasn’t The Economist’s first conservative consumption campaign, either. It’s well-known for its “ugly fruit” smoothie activations. Similarly, it’s covered sustainable protein shops—which served to inform passerby about healthier consumption.
The Economist expects to double the smoothie activation’s subscriptions with this year’s experience. Experiential marketing, itself, thrives when the message comes first. When passerby can enter the shop, try the flavors and spread the word—the brand wins. The Economist served to highlight critical global questions, possible solutions and consumer possibilities. Because so many consumers drink coffee, the coffee-centric activation was a fantastic choice.
What’s Next?
The Economist is expected to continue its activations, spreading global awareness at a community level. Its live content marketing strategy, meanwhile, seems to have a lot of success with attracting new readers, recording exciting experiences and dishing out discounts. Whether it’s insect smoothie toppings, tasty coffee alterations or a number of other solutions, The Economist probably has a few more ideas up its sleeves.
Changing the energy problem in North America will take time, but it’s something providers like The Economist can do when participation exists. At the end of the day, anyone can contribute to the greater good. Bringing attention to new ideas, refreshing age-old mentalities and refurbishing food cart campaigns is never a bad thing. In a lot of ways, The Economist simply redefined an old ideology: If you dish it out, they will come.
