Pay With A Kiss

Background

Metro St James was a new café in central Sydney. In a ferociously competitive market, they needed an idea that would differentiate them from all the other coffee bars and help them build brand equity. Though they said they wanted a big idea, the budget was small.

Idea

Technology had created many different ways to pay for things, from pay with a Tweet to Bitcoin. The idea for Metro St James was to do the opposite and make paying for a coffee a very human interaction.

Tapping into the French reputation for romance, rather than pay for their coffee the usual way, customers were invited to buy their coffees with a kiss. 

Results

• 1,016 coffees bought with kisses
• Half a million YouTube views in 2 weeks
• Published in more than 140 major news sites in 29 countries
• Coverage in 19 TV and radio shows
• Est. AUD$2.41 million in earned media (€1.6m, $2.2m)
• 120 to 1 return on media investment • 586,000 mentions on the internet
• Bistro fully booked for the next 2 months
• 150% increase retail footfall
• Countless spontaneous displays of affection 

Our Thoughts

In the middle of a global financial crisis, the sentiment towards ‘Pay with a Kiss’ was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. And the café? It went from a faceless stopover point to being a destination thousands sought out and Googled throughout June. The campaign is being extended indefinitely. But, you know, most coffee-shop owners presented this idea would have said no because every coffee given away would have seemed like a nibble at the bottom line.

The lessons are, if you put profit before everything, you will struggle to make profits. And in order to receive you must learn to give. And lastly,

if you want to build a brand from a standing start, you need resolve.