boycotting starbucks

Tags

advertisement, Butlers, coffee, Dublin, irish, marketing, online marketing, starbucks, tea

Marketing strategies and advertising campaigns are all around us, even if we may not always know it or even see it. But the one campaign that many unsuspecting coffee drinkers seem to not be aware of is the blogging of Starbucks cups because of misspellt names.

Whether or not this started out as simple mistakes or it is a purely customer driven campaign, it is sort of genius to utilize Instagram and Facebook pics and irate tweets to populate the internet with photos of the Starbucks logo. But it really bugs me and makes me want to boycott them more.

As someone who doesn’t like Starbucks – their coffee is just really expensive foamy milk and sugar – it is just another reason for me to not walk through their ever increasing number of doors in Dublin. I’d much rather spend my hard earned Euros in small, privately owned coffee shops and the wonderful Irish coffee chain Butlers (On a side note: Butlers allows you to select a praline with each cup of tea or coffee – genius and yummy marketing strategy).

And while I do understand the hoards of tourists looking for free WiFi when they travel, in Dublin Starbucks is far from the only solution. Most places offer up their broadband for free and the whole city has lots of hotspots anyway.

So if you happen to be visiting Dublin I’d recommend you join me in a Starbuck boycott and find all the wonderful and quirky little coffee shops dotted around the place. Leave your Euros with the locals and don’t put your hard earned cash into the pockets of huge conglomerates.

some milky tea off the beaten track

kicking the ball

Tags

European Championship, feelings, football, German, irish, kicking the ball, miscellaneous, soccer, sports, thoughts

While the whole of Europe has fallen into football fever, with games on every night and the countries battling it out over a black and white ball in the Ukraine and Poland I feel a little left out but with no real desire to join in.

Being half German and half Irish I am often questioned about my loyalties and I always have to acknowledge that my heart goes out for the guys in green, the underdogs of the game. It’s not that I am opposed to the German team winning and I have to admit that when they beat the Dutch team so well deserved last night I was happy to know that they will definitely go through to the next round. But knowing how badly the Irish played against Croatia  and knowing that they have yet to play two of the strongest teams in the game, I have little hope they will make it to round two, so my feelings of Irish patriotism feels a bit let down.

So as the two countries battle it out on the international arena the two sides of me often have battles within my personality. Since my parents are divorced my mothers influences are stronger when it comes to things that can be learned. Organization, cleanliness and the way I like to decorate my home are good examples of qualities I think as being “more German”, my timekeeping inabilities, love or words and openness when it comes to strangers I believe to be more the Irish me.

I also find it interesting that as a child growing up in Dublin and even now as an adult living here again I can see my Germaness much clearer, just like when I was a teenager and student in Germany I was very aware of my Irishness. It is as if being in the other country magnifies the other side of me, but no matter where I am I am always me and never seem to fit in 100%. Oddly enough it doesn’t bother me and I am quite happy to be a jigsaw piece that doesn’t slide into place or a coin that always lands the wrong way up as I am happy in myself and like the sparks that fly when my two personalities rub against each other, in makes for very interesting living.

So as the lads in green are probably preparing for this important battle in the football station so far from home, and a flip of a coin decides who gets to kick the ball first, I will cheer for them wholeheartedly while keeping my German side at bay that could be looking for more attention. But as I believe the black, red and gold they will definitely be kicking the ball all the way to the top, my green, white and gold flies high hoping the underdog will pull through and last a while longer.

PJs and DJs

Tags

djs, Dublin, hugs, irish, pajama, pjs, polish, pyjama girls, rave, rte, tea, techno, Uggs

My next door neighbours seem to be having some sort of daytime rave going on in their home. The loud duf,duf,duf of the basses are vibrating through my walls and the DJ is shouting out in muted tones. It started this morning at ten and seems to be settling in for the day. The funny thing is I live in a row of tiny cottages, turn of the century brick builds, 26 in all and not your normal setting for a techno party.

While my polish neighbours are hyper, hyper, hyper I have cosied down for the day in my PJs (yes they are pink and blue) as a silent protest to the noise behind the adjoining wall. My mug of tea (or bucket as I’ve been told) is my drug of choice and relaxation with a good film (or at the very least a good bad one) is my stationary occupation for the afternoon.  I feel quite content in my leisure wear of choice, comfortable, warm and colourful indoor clothing. I even feel a kind of kinship towards the famous Dublin Pyjamas Girls, who roam our streets at all hours, always in Pyjamas and mostly in Uggs.

I may not understand why they chose to stay in bed-wear even if the sun is shining or the rain is pelting down, but there really is something really comforting about being in your pyjamas all day. Maybe it is the soft material or the elastic waistbands, maybe it’s the colours and designs of childhood or the comfy cuts that make PJs feel a little bit like a wearable hug. And who doesn’t enjoy a hug, especially one that envelops you all day long?

After seeing the very watchable and at times quite funny documentary Pyjama Girls on RTE last week I do understand the motivation these young Dubliners have to be PJ-ed up throughout the day a tiny bit better. They wear their pyjamas a little bit like amour, the stars, love-hears and teddy-bears protecting them from those who are not like them. They are standing up against main-stream fashion and what society wants them to be and do, creating a sub-section of their own, recognisable to each other and to those who may disprove.

But even if I quite like the pyjama girls I don’t think I’ll become part of their tribe just yet, nor will I join the pride of techno boppers next door. But I’ll enjoy my pyjamas in the privacy of my home, even in broad daylight but have a shower and dress before I head out to  get some bikkies and milk for my tea.

Here is a link to a clip from Pyjama Girls: http://vimeo.com/13736045