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Entries Categorised as 'coffee shop'

100 Blog Posts!

March 30th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Personal

And so I have finally reached the 100th blog post.  It has been quite a journey from April last year (2009) and covered many a topic from SEO to my favourite coffee shop in London, Brill on Exmouth Market.

I have come across many cool people in the process, from the likes of Internet Strategist Sarah Worsham, to Museum Marketing guru Jim Richardson, as well as old friends, long lost friends and new friends.  It has been a wonderful process, and perhaps a goal I should have reached sooner, but such is my fortune.

As well as hitting the 100 mark, yesterday was also special, because daily traffic traffic hits its highest peak since I started the blog.  An unexpected surprise and one that helps make the blog feel like it is a worthwhile endeavour, whether keeping friends informed of my escapades, exalting my virtuous opinions or helping those with my shared knowledge.

So again, a slap on the back for good old Vincent (hahah!)

There have been plenty of vociferous moments, but plenty of good ones also  Hopefully the next 100 will be as useful as the first, and no doubt there will be things learned anew and shared with the throngs of interested readers.

And as if on cue, released today is the latest work by Stink Digital for client Anomaly on behalf of Diesel.  It’s an online music video fashion catalogue for their Spring/Summer 2010 collection which the aptly titled “a hundred lovers” and performed by Josep, a decidedly catchy tune, that will have you whistling from the get-go, whilst the film directed by Arno Salters, a recreation of the dance scene from Jean Luc Godard’s Bande à part.

So thanks to all those who have read, commented and continue to follow my pranks online and here’s to another 100 greats.  Come and join the party!

Brill – More Than Brilliant

January 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Opinion

Brill, the music store and coffee shop is quite simply one of my new favourite spots in London.

Brill itself, owned by the cooly named Jeremy Brill, started life in the 90′s as Clerkenwell Music, but changed to its latest incarnation in the last couple of years, thanks to the advent of Amazon and iTunes, or rather internet shopping and downloads. You know you are entering a music mecca when you read the shop board on the street which includes the words No Woman, No Chai alongside the Brill logo.

Betwixt the CD racks are desks, usually with 1 or 2 people huddled in front of their Apple Macs or others chatting over a decent latte and home made sandwich or patisserie.  On a cold winters’ day, the condensation on the window is a sure sign you are heading into the welcoming warmth.

If decent music advice is what you are looking for then Brill is definitely a good shop to stop at, with racks filled with Jazz, Reggae, Dub Ska and plenty of current indie faves.  Consider it a wicked little micro-social-network for music.  In addition they have music and artwork on the walls from local musicians and artists, which only adds to the spiffiness.

I personally and religiously drink their lattes but others will ask for Americanos and Espressos on the ‘Brill Run’ from the office.  That being said I have zero complaints and there is ALWAYS a friendly face behind the counter when you walk through the door.

Brill comes wholeheartedly recommended and so, if you are up Clerkenwell/Islington way and want a decent coffee, head on over to Brill at 27 Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell, EC1R 4QL.

Photo by Evil Twin on Flickr

Gwilym’s Disloyalty Card – Consumerist Counter-Culture

December 17th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Opinion, SEO

The Dis-Loyalty CardNot to paint a bad picture, I actually love the idea of Gwilym Davies’ (current World Barista Champion) dis-loyalty card, but for everything I love about it, I also find it, for all its harmless fun, kinda missing the point.  What point is that?  You might ask.

Maybe there is no point to it and it is just for fun, but it’s an interesting commentary and view on the whole notion of loyalty and loyalty cards in particular.  For everything one can hate about loyalty cards, they are not the only part of building loyalty with customers, but they form an easy part of thanking those customers who do grace your business with the pleasure of their repeat business.

I wrote, not so long ago, a piece about customer loyalty and how to generate it, and though this is a fun idea and might drive traffic initially, I don’t think it is a great way to enhance long term visitor numbers through the door of specific businesses, and surely at the point where it sits on all the counters of the grouped coffee shops it just becomes another loyalty card.  Perhaps the disloyalty card is just like one of those wicked design ideas that look awesome but when it comes to their real world application rather fall flat.

On the flip side though, I like the idea of diversity, especially when it means highlighting quality, and diversity, rather than being spotlighted in a 60′s counter-culturist fashion should be celebrated and that, by ganging together in a ‘coffee panthers’ kind of way, the caffeine percolating one-stop-shops could offer something more solid and cool to their new and existing customers.

In reality though, I am likely over-analyzing the entire shebang and of course the notion of this collective dis-loyalty will spark the public imagine and be a run away success.  We all know how subversive and zany those Shoreditch, Dalston and East End types love to be!

So really.  Who does have the best coffee house in the ‘hood? Replies below …