On-site device prints Tim Hortons coffee cup sleeves with Twitter news feeds

     In an ingenious rethinking of the way people consume news with coffee, ad agency Y&R Dubai has created ‘headline news’ cup sleeves for Canadian coffee franchise Tim Hortons and Gulf News, a daily English newspaper in the United Arab Emirates. The way the new system works is:  when a customer buys a cup of coffee, the barista places the sleeve into a special printer that prints the latest headline from the Gulf News Twitter account on it, along with a short URL and QR code.  So after reading the headline of the hour on their cup sleeve, customers can scan the QR code or type the URL into their mobile devices to access the full story.

     Thanks to Deborah Corn, Chief Operations Officer at U.S.-based PrintMediaCentr.com and founder of the 37,000+ member Print Production Professionals Group on LinkedIn, for bringing this news story to my attention via her post today.
http://printmediacentr.com/2012/06/ad-agency-rethinks-coffee-cup-sleeves-as-newspapers/

Cross-platform holiday catalogues improve shopping experience for customers

Recent innovations by major retailers to their holiday catalogues have confirmed my September-2010 report from major Canadian binderies that the market for printed catalogues is evolving in new directions but still remains strong:  https://www.box.net/shared/15ln6t43jf 

As just one example, Sears Holdings Corp. has expanded the value of its holiday tool catalogue as a specialized niche publication via such innovations as full-length articles, QR bar codes, and extensive links to social media.  A Florida tool lover’s online review of this year’s catalogue really drove home the impact of these new features to me by describing how much his annual pleasures of pouring over the publication and compiling his Christmas wish list have been enhanced by access to such online extras as product reviews, demo videos, and chatting with tool experts:  http://www.mysears.com/Tools--7018/topics/Sears-Holiday-Tool-Catalog-2010-Review/posts

For more details on how the Wish Book makeover is designed to enhance the customer’s experience see:  http://www.internetretailer.com/2010/11/09/sears-launches-cross-platform-holiday-gift-guide

P.S. on 19 Nov/10:  The efforts of recovering giant, General Motors, to sustain its profitability also include an extensive push on social-media marketing:  http://www.thestar.com/business/article/892771--gm-s-rebirth-sparks-investor-frenzy?bn=1 http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008053  Thanks to my LinkedIn contact Cristina Molinari, VP Sales at ATEX Inc. in Montreal, for referring me to the last link.