I have been asked a couple of times over the last few weeks about the relevance of the name “B2B Coffee Shops.” It’s apropos I explain it on the opening day of the NFL because my philosophy on the changing communication landscape is all about stadiums and coffee shops.
When it comes to communication, I believe people are filing out of the stadium and entering into small coffee shops. I will go into a little more details since the connection between communication, stadiums and coffee shops is not self-evident. And it has nothing to do with Bengals Wide Receiver Chad Johnson legally changing his name to Ocho Cinco to better communicate with his fans.
For the past 50 years we have all received our news about the world and brands in a stadium. We read and watched whatever was on the Jumbotron whether that be a New York Times article or a commercial on NBC or a speech at a major trade show. We couldn’t talk to each other because the stadium was too loud and the sights and sounds of the Jumbotron overwhelming. B2B marketers could reach every possible prospect by interruption the regularly scheduled broadcast with well placed coverage, an advertisement or sponsoring an event.
Then suddenly in the early 2000s, people started to realize new places were popping up that could entertain as much as the game being played in the stadium. These places allowed us to post, share, comment, friend, follow and review. We were no longer the silent audience.
As a society we have traded in the single stadium for thousands of small niche coffee shops. We sit down and talk with people that have similar occupations, interests and problems to solve. In these coffee shops we can listen to the conversations of the best and brightest in the subjects we concern ourselves with. And people are friendly enough that you can join in the conversation if you have something helpful to add.
The “coffee shop” is a timeless desire to connect with others and contribute in a meaningful way to a community. In this coffee shop we explore how traditional event and bullhorn marketing can effectively be replaced by community building. In other coffee shops people trade tips on improv comedy and in others people opine about the Patriots comeback. And we’re back to sports. Definitely time to conclude this post. But the larger point is we’re back to phone conversations where one to one interactions mattered. However, unlike in the time of Bell, these one to one conversations happen in public places where others can listen and interject.
Pull up a chair. There’s an open seat my table.
Stadium Photo By kla4067
Coffee Shop picture by Loop Oh
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