4 Ways Marketers Will Benefit From the New iPhone Strong retail potential By Garett Sloane

June 3, 2014, 6:07 PM EDT

Marketers are imagining new mobile campaigns and content now that Apple revealed the future of the iPhone at its developers conference this week. There were hints at how iBeacon technology could work, and announcements that were mostly intended for the developer community held clear implications for advertisers.

"A lot of services Apple introduced, HealthKit and CloudKit [in particular], are going to offer opportunities for brands to engage," said Craig Elimeliah, svp, director of creative technology at Rapp. 

Here's a summary of what Apple's moves mean to marketers.

HealthKit

iBeacon teased
Advertisers and brands were hoping to hear more about iBeacon, a device that could revolutionize shopping with the help of data, but Apple did not reveal the hardware.

"What they did at least was speak about something that will make beacons appeal to brands and users even more," said Jeremy Sigel, client director of mobile at Essence.

Sigel was referencing the next mobile operating system, iOS 8, which has a notification system perfectly designed for retail messaging through beacons, Sigel said. Dubbed Interactive Notifications, it allows messages to get through to users engaged in other activities on their phones.

"There's a fear on the brand side," Sigel said. "They don't want to be interruptive."

The notification also can serve content that users can easily interact with or ignore. Marketers expect the iBeacon to allow them to share that content while consumers are walking the aisles at stores.

Health
Apple's HealthKit is a platform for users to monitor their general wellness. Brands focused on health, healthcare, nutrition and activity will be looking to connect on the iPhone. Elimeliah, who works with Pfizer and Merck, said big pharm brands are natural candidates to build for Apple in ways they were previously reluctant to explore.

"There are challenges to get clients to innovate in that space but, now that Apple provided a platform there, will be less apprehension," he said.

Home
The HomeKit is Apple's biggest step into the connected world, turning the iPhone into the ultimate remote control. People will automate their environments based on time of day and what they’re doing with settings for "partying" or "ready for bed."

"Targeting people based on moods and context is very much on the table," Sigel said.

App is back
Brands see new incentives to build their own apps with Apple's new coding language calledSwift. It is expected to make it cheaper and easier to build apps.

"More brands will develop apps in the next year or two than we’ve ever seen before," said Ryan McLaughlin, chief strategy officer at Tribal Worldwide. 

Facebook Announces Partnership with Oculus VR

I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we're in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.

This is where Oculus comes in. They build virtual reality technology, like the Oculus Rift headset. When you put it on, you enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you're actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it's different from anything they've ever experienced in their lives.

Oculus's mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences.

Immersive gaming will be the first, and Oculus already has big plans here that won't be changing and we hope to accelerate. The Rift is highly anticipated by the gaming community, and there's a lot of interest from developers in building for this platform. We're going to focus on helping Oculus build out their product and develop partnerships to support more games. Oculus will continue operating independently within Facebook to achieve this.

But this is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on goggles in your home.

This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.

These are just some of the potential uses. By working with developers and partners across the industry, together we can build many more. One day, we believe this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become a part of daily life for billions of people.

Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. The future is coming and we have a chance to build it together. I can't wait to start working with the whole team at Oculus to bring this future to the world, and to unlock new worlds for all of us.

https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101319050523971

Facebook's Goodfellas Moment Social net shouldn't be mistaken for an ally By Sam Slaughter

• March 27, 2014, 5:03 PM EDT
• Advertising & Branding

So brands, it turns out, are not people after all—at least on Facebook.

The social media giant moved last week (and actually has been moving for some time) toward restricting the organic reach of pages associated with brands. What does that mean? Well if you’re a brand, it means you're soon going to have to pay for Facebook advertising if you want to reach Facebook’s users.

If you listen carefully, you can hear the collective updating of résumés across the land by marketing strategists who have encouraged brands to invest time and resources in amassing a huge audience on Facebook. They managed to build an audience all right (Starbucks has over 36 million fans and Nike has nearly 17 million) but that audience belongs to Facebook. And Facebook, which is a public company with aggressive revenue goals, will do what it wants with that audience—including charging boatloads of cash to reach those eyeballs.

As John Battelle noted last week, becoming a brand publisher is an existential choice—it’s not “should I publish content”, it’s “where should I publish content.” Until now, Facebook (and to a lesser extent, Twitter and Tumblr) has been an easy choice—it’s free, there’s a built-in audience, and the content that does well is relatively easy to produce. But at the end of the day, it’s the equivalent of building a house on land you don’t own. You may have paid for the materials and done all the work—and maybe even put up some nice drapes and a granite countertop—but once the landlord comes around, you’re out of luck.

On the other hand, brands that have put the time and effort into building their own content properties, like American Express and Red Bull, are feeling pretty good about themselves. And brands that are still in the process of deciding what kind of publisher they want to be suddenly have a much easier choice. Building on the backs of other publishers is simpler, but what you gain in ease you lose in control.

And this is all in all a good thing. After all, what does a Facebook like really mean to a brand? Is it a captive audience? Is it really an indication of brand affinity? Are people who like a brand page really more likely to purchase that brand’s products? Maybe. But I would submit to the jury that what those people are really “fans” of is Facebook itself.

Publishers who depend on Facebook for traffic should take heed as well. Some, like Upworthy, have been burned already. Others are in the clear—for now. But Facebook shouldn’t be mistaken for an ally. It’s most likely just biding its time before it drops the hammer on those publishers as well.

One metaphor I like is working with Facebook is like the famous f**k you, pay me scene in the movie Goodfellas. Publishers are all getting fat off the benefits of free Facebook traffic for now, but when Facebook decides it wants to start charging (and it will), they'd better be ready to pay up.

Business bad? F*ck you, pay me. Traffic down? F*ck you, pay me. CPMs falling? F*CK you pay me.

Sure, Facebook depends on publishers for the content that populates News Feeds … but in reality, who depends more on whom?

In an era where everyone is a publisher, owning your own audience is more valuable than ever—and there are no shortcuts. It’s time consuming, and it’s not cheap. But it’s the only answer to a new media world that’s changing as fast as brands can keep up.

Peugeot Launches #KickItToBrazil: A World Cup Inspired Campaign

Stephen Goldasz

The French car manufacturer Peugeot is launching a new online social media campaign called 'Kick it to Brazil' which will see a single football travel across five continents. 

In the build up to the next football World Cup tournament in Brazil, starting this June, Peugeot is inviting pass a football around on an exceptional global journey.

The special football has already been “kicked-off" this month at Paris. It will travel around the globe crossing more than 30 countries and just as many borders in just 100 days.

It will be passed from person to person with the aid of various Peugeot vehicles. Cars which will be used to transport the special football will include the Peugeot 2008 and the Peugeot 3008.

The 2008 is a stylish urban crossover based on the Peugeot 208 supermini, currently priced from £12,995. The 3008, priced from £16,645, is a larger family crossover model which delivers impressive practicality and is available with a diesel-electric hybrid powertrtain.

Other methods of transport will be used including bicycles, motorcycles and planes to help Peugeot’s special football complete its journey.

At each step of the way, those who come into contact with the football will be able to share their unique experience on specially dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages.

Social media users will be able to follow the campaign with the tag line #KickItToBrazil.

The football at the centre of Peugeot’s campaign will be the car brand’s link between it and its fans. Peugeot will invite its fans to choose what happens next or to come and meet the “Kick it to Brazil" team in order to personally interact with them on a day to day basis.

Each country the football visits will host events which will often be improvised, depending on the creativity of the people involved. Also each day, a short video clip will be generated and uploaded on facebook and the Kick it to Brazil campaign website.

The special football will finish its travels as part of Peugeot’s campaign on 12th June 2014 in the Brazilian Amazon. It finishes travelling on the same day the FIFA World Cup in Brazil begins with its first match.

During the Kick it to Brazil campign, Peugeot is also promoting the “One kiss, One Tree" project. For each image that is uploaded of a person kissing the football, the French car maker will contribute to its Forestry Carbon Sink project in Brazil by planting additional trees.

Trace your Road by Lexus

Lexus is back with an awesome presentation of the IS Hybrid. A life-sized playground, which was a collaboration between Saatchi & Saatchi Milan and Movie Magic International.

The selected Facebook fans, who sat in the new Lexus IS Hybrid faced a challenge: connect the randomly placed dots on the screen to create a road for Jarno, which was projected real-time. 

The goal: Drive as fast as possible through check points to be a winner of the contest.

Lexus IS Hybrid: Trace your Road

Lexus IS Hybrid: Behind the Scenes

The result: An impressive video, great experience for the contestants and of course nice show of Hybrid IS' energy. And let's not forget the skills of Jarno.

http://www.viralblog.com/viral-social-games/trace-your-road-by-lexus-life-size-video-game/

New Study Shows Facebook Ads Increase Vehicle Consideration, Decrease Competitor Consideration

The annual North American International Auto Show kicks off this week in Detroit, once again offering a glimpse at the future of automotive design and technology. And as auto marketers work to reach and influence in-market consumers, a new comScore Action Lift study initiated by Facebook shows Facebook’s impact on new vehicle consideration.

Speaking today at Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Kass Dawson, head of automotive strategy at Facebook, will announce the results of the new study. comScore’s findings are two-fold: The study shows that automotive campaigns on Facebook drive more people to consider brands and models advertised, while also decreasing consideration of competitors.

“As more people shop for cars and conduct research online, marketers using Facebook have never had greater opportunity to influence every stage of the purchase funnel,” says Kass. “This study shines a spotlight on how Facebook influences mid-funnel behavior and demonstrates that automotive ads on Facebook make your overall campaigns work harder.”

About the study

Increasing time spent online and access to new vehicle information have reshaped the way people research and evaluate cars. Consumers now consider more vehicles and ultimately visit fewer dealerships than ever. In turn, automotive marketers are re-evaluating how they reach and influence in-market consumers.

To understand Facebook’s impact on new vehicle consideration, Facebook initiated a study with comScore to analyze five major automotive campaigns on Facebook between May and August 2013. By comparing a paired test and control group, defined using their Action Lift methodology, comScore looked at the ability of those campaigns to drive incremental lift in vehicle consideration, in terms of site visitation and search outcomes.

Full Article & Findings: https://www.facebook.com/business/news/New-comScore-Study-Shows-Facebook-Ads-Increase-Vehicle-Consideration-Decrease-Competitor-Consideration

Innovative Audi ad puts viewers in the driver's seat

From: The Australian
July 29, 2013 12:00AM

AUDI Australia has created and shot its first brand campaign in Australia, promoting its "quattro" all-wheel-drive technology as part of a long-term marketing and investment program aimed at making it the top-selling premium car by 2020.

The $3 million "Land of quattro" campaign, which was launched last night, goes to new lengths to get Australians involved with the German marque by inviting people to "remix" and re-edit the TV commercial online.

The resulting user-created versions will be shared on Facebook, and the one Audi judges to be the best will be broadcast on TV at the end of September.

Audi trails its premium car rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW in Australia, where about 1.1 million cars are expected to be sold in the premium category this year.

Despite the slowing economy, Audi's sales are growing strongly, according to managing director Andrew Doyle.

Sales rose 17.3 per cent to 8152 in the six months from January to June compared with the same period last year, making Australia Audi's 18th biggest market. June was a record month, with 1505 units sold and 1900 orders taken.

"Last year and 2011 -- you could consider them consolidation years for us in Australia," Mr Doyle said.

Globally, in the first six months of this year, Audi's sales were up 6.4 per cent to 780,500 units, trailing BMW (excluding Mini), which was up 7.7 per cent to 804,200, but ahead of Mercedes (up 6.4 per cent to 694,400).

But in Australia, Audi has lost some traction against Mercedes, selling three-quarters as many cars in the six months to June (down from 87 per cent in the full year 2011) thanks partly to its rival's success in the A-segment.

This year Audi has sold 82 per cent as many cars as BMW (down slightly from 83 per cent in 2011).

"We're hot on their heels," Mr Doyle said of his rivals. "We have a plan to catch them. The marketplace is extremely competitive. We're planning to grow share. We see strong opps in the SUV category (and) increased opportunities in the A-segment. Our plan is that by 2020 we'll definitely be No 1 in the marketplace."

Audi will invest $50m in its dealer network in 2013-14 and open five new car dealer franchises.

New products include the launch in October of the RS 6 Avant supercar which will cost $225,000, the most powerful production vehicle in its line-up, and three other RS vehicles. The Q7 SU is already on the market.

For the first time the company has been allowed to shoot its own commercial to promote its "quattro" technology, showcasing Audi in a series of distinctly Australian landscapes, including the red centre, and positioning Australia as the "land of quattro".

The TV commercial, shot by digital agency Holler, used remote-control helicopters to shoot the cars from different angles and distances to provide users with a wealth of different footage to use in their "remixed" versions.

The voiceover and the company's "Vorsprung durch Technik" (Advancement through technology) slogan remain the same, but 85 per cent of the commercial can be changed.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/innovative-audi-ad-puts-viewers-in-the-drivers-seat/story-e6frg996-1226687175592

Twitter on Ad Retargeting Bandwagon

Twitter on Ad Retargeting Bandwagon

 

Taking a page from Facebook FB +1.87%, Twitter said it will start experimenting with using people’s Web behavior to tailor ads on the short-messaging service.

Twitter in a blog post Wednesday said that a florist could opt to use data on who visits its website to target ads to those people when they are using Twitter. The San Francisco company also said the florist could take a list of his email subscribers and pitch ads to those people if and when they are on Twitter.

This ad targeting is similar to two types of Facebook ad formats, known as FBX and Custom Audiences, respectively.

Facebook and now Twitter are taking more advertising cues from old-school Web sites such as Yahoo YHOO -0.46%, which long have tracked users across the Web for ad purposes. For example, they would use data about a user’s visit to a Chevy website to show that person Chevy ads when they surf elsewhere. Facebook started offering the so-called retargeting ads recently, and advertisers have embraced it in a big way.

The retargeting efforts muddy the original advertising philosophy of Facebook, Twitter and other social media services. The promise was that ads tailored to “social signals” — checking into a Mexican restaurant on Foursquare, or “liking” a Nike NKE +4.85% shoe on Facebook — helps generate better ads than traditional digital banner ads. But Facebook’s and Twitter’s embrace of ads based on prior website visits and email lists may be a sign that new digital ad models will mix in plenty of elements from old ad models.

Kevin Weil, a Twitter ad-product executive, said that the company continues to back new kinds of ad models based on what people tweet, the types of accounts users “follow” and other social signals. But he said it also makes sense to meld in established digital-ad techniques like retargeting when it results in a more useful ad. 

Twitter said it is starting slowly with its new ad efforts, and testing it first only in the U.S. with a small number of advertisers. The company said it may expand those new ad features if they prove popular with users and advertisers.

Consumer advocates have raised concerns about privacy implications as more digital services leverage more Web behavior and data to target ads. In its blog post, Twitter touted its privacy-friendly features, such as the ability for users to check a single box to opt out of allowing advertisers to tap their information to tailor ads on Twitter. Those people will continue to see ads on Twitter, however.

In a blog post, digital-privacy organization Electronic Frontier Foundation praised Twitter for its user-privacy features in advertising.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/07/03/twitter-gets-on-the-ad-retargeting-bandwagon/?mod=e2tw

VW Tiguan: Tiguan Not Found

Renault Clio Facebook "Like" Social Media Campaign

Published in Adweek on March 6th, 2013.

A social interactive live stream on Facebook connects the online and offline world in the newest social media campaign of Renault Netherlands created by Dorst & Lesser. Online likes measured the passion for the new Renault Clio. Offline, a heavier construction with the car on one side and a Facebook box on the other, showed the weight of this passion. In two weeks, the Facebook fans did succeed and showed that there is enough passion in the Netherlands for the new Renault Clio to carry the car!

How much passion do the Dutch people have for the new Renault Clio? The passion for the new Renault model is measured by means of a heaver construction with on one side the new Renault Clio and on the other side the Facebook box. Facebook fans show their passion for the car by giving a physical like. Through a social interactive live stream the fans see how their online like is thrown offline in the Facebook box and how the weight in the Facebook box slowly increases.

The first car carried by likes! Renault fans shared their passion for the new Renault Clio en masse. In two weeks more than 16.000 like thumbs were placed in the Facebook box and there was enough passion gathered to carry the new Renault Clio. For the first time a car was carried by the likes of a Facebook community. At that final moment the live stream had already over 60.000 views and even reached the homepage of Ustream. During the campaign Renault welcomed more than 12.000 new fans.

Volkswagen Street Quest - South Africa

A very fun and seriously engaging social media activation to kickstart Volkswagen's Facebook page in South Africa.

Read more on CreativeSandbox.

Subaru: Facebook Page Dog Tested

Published in Bestads.



The dogs featured in this ad take the place of their owners and are into buying and driving a Subaru. There are also chat experts online to... help you out. Each Subaru is identified with a particular breed as well.

Find out more on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/subaruofamerica/app_389539224463029?ref=ts

 

Game Over: Twitter Mentioned In 50% Of Super Bowl Commercials, Facebook Only 8%, Google+ Shut Out

Published on Feb 3, 2013 in MarketingLand

The Baltimore Ravens just beat the San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl XLVII in a game that came down to the final seconds. But online, the social network showdown belonged to Twitter in a dominating win over Facebook, Google+ and all other social networks.

According to my count, Twitter was mentioned in 26 of 52 national TV commercials — that’s 50 percent of the spots that aired during CBS’ game coverage. Facebook was mentioned in only four of those commercials — about eight percent. Google+, which is reportedly the No. 2 social network in the world, wasn’t mentioned at all.

YouTube and Instagram were even mentioned once each, by Hyundai and Oreo, respectively.

This is a huge change from last year’s Super Bowl, when Twitter and Facebook both tied with only eight mentions out of a total of 59 counted national commercials.

So, for Twitter, the change from eight mentions to 26 is a gain of more than 300 percent, while Facebook saw a 50 percent drop in mentions.

Google+ was shut out last year, too.

Twitter Super Bowl Commercial Mentions

Here are the commercials that had some mention of Twitter — a hashtag, a logo, a URL or something else:

1. M&Ms – #betterwithmms
2. Audi – #braverywins
3. Hyundai – #pickyourteam
4. GoDaddy – #thescore
5. Doritos – #doritos
6. Best Buy – #infiniteanswers
7. Disney Oz – #disneyoz
8. Fast & Furious movie – #fastandfurious
9. Toyota – #wishgranted
10. Doritos – #doritos
11. Calvin Klein – #calvinklein
12. Cars.com – #nodrama
13. Bud Light – #herewego
14. Hyundai Sonata – #epicplaydate
15. Volkswagen – #gethappy
16. Subway – #15yrwinningstreak
17. Subway – #FebruANY
18. Bud Light – #herewego
19. Subway – #FebruANY
20. Bud Light – #herewego
21. MiO Fit – #changestuff
22. Pistachios – #crackinstyle
23. Speed Stick – #handleit
24. Budweiser Clydesdales – #clydesdales
25. Tide – #miraclestain
26. Samsung – #thenextbigthing

Facebook Super Bowl Commercial Mentions

Here are the Super Bowl commercials that had some kind of Facebook mention:

1. Fast & Furious movie
2. Hyundai Sonata
3. Taco Bell
4. Mercedes-Benz

How I Counted Super Bowl Commercials & Social Mentions

With so many eyes on how brands market during the Super Bowl, you’re bound to see other mentions of commercial counts and social mentions — those may differ from mine. Here’s how I counted:

• I began counting after the opening kickoff of the game.
• I stopped counting when the clock reached 0:00 to end the game.
• I only counted nationally-sold commercials; those that were sold and aired by the local affiliate stations weren’t included because they’re bound to be different in each market.
• I didn’t include the numerous ads that were aired by the NFL and/or by CBS promoting their own properties.

I’m also not counting those brief advertisements where a company logo is shown on screen while the announcer reads the name of game sponsors. In the third quarter, Iron Man’s voiceover mention included a Facebook URL on screen and, in the fourth quarter, a similar voiceover mention for Samsung included a Twitter hashtag. During halftime, Pepsi also included a Twitter hashtag during the introduction to Beyoncé’s performance. None of these mentions are counted above.

What It Means

When it comes to second-screen advertising, it’s Twitter’s world now and there’s no close second place.

Last year, brands split their focus on Twitter and Facebook with eight mentions each. This year, brands recognize that Twitter is where they need to try to attract the online conversation around one of the world’s biggest events.

They even took to Twitter for some quick and clever “blackout bowl” newsjacking when the power went out in the Superdome during the third quarter. And, as Twitter’s advertising staff revealed, it only took four minutes for Twitter advertisers to start bidding on “power outage” as a search term.

Lexus Nabs 100K Video Views on Facebook—in 10 Minutes

Published in Adweek on January 23, 2013.

Statistics and opinions almost equally vary about whether or not Facebook ads work. In the automotive realm, of course, there’s General Motors. The company has been a very public critic of the paid social ads, which have the ability to target consumers based on their "like" interests. But that hasn’t stopped Lincoln or Lexus from recently throwing serious coin Mark Zuckerberg's way.

Lexus, in fact, utilized Facebook's ads and apps in an attempt to win the day at the North American International Auto Show last week in Detroit. The Japanese firm debuted its 2014 Lexus IS and IS F Sport models with a 10-minute live stream on Facebook that was pushed using the site's Page Post and Sponsored Stories ad treatments, targeting the brand's fans on the social site as well as their friends.

Facebook users could watch the live stream in their News Feed. According to Brian Smith, Lexus marketing vp, 100,000 individuals watched it live and some 600,000 had viewed it online by Friday of last week. Smith said his company also tried a so-called "big reveal" strategy on Facebook last year, i.e. live streaming the unveiling of a new Lexus model on Facebook, but the results weren’t as appealing because the video didn’t appear in users' News Feeds.

"The News Feed is why we got so many people to see it live, and it was kind of a game-changer," he said. "We loved it."

In addition to ads, the company began pushing the video stream on Jan. 14 via Facebook while offering an RSVP app on the brand's page. Facebook users who made an online reservation to watch the stream shared the activity in the News Feeds, exposing the promotional event to their friends.

Brian Bolain, Lexus marketing director, suggested that Facebook's potential as a video-marketing platform may be a largely untapped resource.

"Everyone is so familiar with YouTube as a video destination," he said. "This is putting a different spin on Facebook and what the expectations might be for consumers. I am not sure it's fair to make a comparison between YouTube and Facebook yet. But this is certainly a good start for the learning process."

Bolain added, "We have 1.8 million fans on Facebook. For us not to do this would be foregoing a great opportunity."

Moontoast, part of Facebook’s preferred marketing developer program, and Saatchi & Saatchi's Team One worked on the initiative for mutual client Lexus.

Meanwhile, Boston-based Moontoast last week secured $5 million in Series B funding. The four-year-old tech vendor previously raised $6 million and counts Universal Music Group, Procter & Gamble, Time Inc., and Simon & Schuster as clients.

Starbucks boosts its focus on digital

Data sourced from Morningstar; additional content by Warc staff, 5 November 2012 

NEW YORK: Starbucks, the coffee house giant, is to make greater use of mobile, online loyalty schemes, digital publishing and other such tools in a bid to reflect a "seismic change" in shopper habits.

"I do think the burden of proof is on companies and consumer brands to recognise there is a seismic change in consumer behavior ... as a result of social and digital media and the emergence of mobile commerce and mobile payments,"  Howard Schultz, Starbuck's CEO, said on a conference call.

Over 2m transactions are now completed through the firm's mobile payment platform each week, and 100m purchases have been made via its smartphone app since this offering went live in January 2011.

"Our mobile payment platform has become the leading number one program for any consumer brand or retailer in North America," said Schultz.

As part of these efforts, Starbucks recently formed a tie-up with Square, the mobile wallet app developed by Jack Dorsey, a co-founder of Twitter, which will be usable in Starbucks in North America this month.

Looking forward, the company intends to add mobile tools like ordering, product personalisation and tipping features as it seeks to "push the envelope".

"We have the unprecedented ability to reach new customers, create awareness of new products, drive incremental transactions and explore new revenue streams in music and digital publishing," Schultz said.

Starbucks has long been seen as a bellwether in the area of social media, and today boasts over 32.5m fans on Facebook and 3m followers on Twitter, a figure standing at more than 880k on Instagram.

"The depth and breadth of our digital assets continues to grow with leadership positions and engagement across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and many other relevant mediums," said Schultz.

Elsewhere, the My Starbucks loyalty scheme – now fully digital in the US and Canada – has over 10m members, half of which are active participants and have opted-in to receive communications from the firm.

However, while an offer on LivingSocial, the daily deals site, promising a $10 gift card for $5 attracted 1.5m consumers in less than 24 hours, a record uptake, such a strategy will not become common.

"I don't think that you are going to see Starbucks going to sale or anything like that," said Schultz. "I think all of us at Starbucks are deeply committed to preserving and enhancing the equity of the Starbucks' brand." 

VOLKSWAGEN SPONSORSHIP OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S SHARK WEEK

Volkswagen created a T3-part short form series that was aired during Discovery Channel's 25th anniversary celebration of Shark Week from Aug 12-16, 2012. The concept played " on the silhouettes of two of the most iconic images, the shark fin and the Volkswagen Beetle”, states VW EVP Chief Marketing Officer Justin Osbourne.  The brand produced a shark observation cage shaped like the VW Beetle Turbo and equipped the frame with thrusters and wheels to enable it to cruise along the ocean floor. The VW cage gave TV host/marine biologist Luke Tipple protection against the powerful sea creatures and also provided an opportunity for viewers to be in the drivers seat. These shorts were accompanied by a social media component as part of the sponsorship deal with Discovery. Fans were able to enhance their viewing experience by accessing a "Sharks Bite" video playlist and photos on Facebook. The custom hashtag #VWSharkweek also allowed fans to participate in a cohesive conversation.