Mural on a West Loop side street

I’ve spent the last week or so blissfully unoccupied (or mostly so) – wandering the city on foot, visiting new neighborhoods and enjoying the sights in between. Chicago in the summer is an entirely different universe, blazing hot but breezy and bright. And, despite the herds of tourists that crowd the streets of my neighborhood morning and night, I am enjoying it immensely. The mural to the right was taken on a side street just outside the annual “Taste of Randolph,” the final destination for my 6 mile stroll through Chicago’s Little Italy and Greektown.

 

I’ve also started working a couple of days a week with a local startup. They are launching a new beverage in the Lakeview Whole Foods this week, so it is officially “crunch time” as we strive to pull everything together to get ready for the launch. I’m helping out with the marketing, which for now means developing a communications plan and a production schedule for the printed materials they’ll use for in-store sampling, and then managing the production. It’s been a while since I’ve been this hands-on and tactical, but I’m enjoying it. Nice to know that your efforts have a real impact.

Negative messages about Starbucks adorn the napkins at my local Caribou Coffee.

Speaking of marketing, I’ve have coffee on the brain this week, so this napkin at my local Caribou Coffee caught my attention. Direct attack on Starbucks, but will it backfire? Time-constrained consumers may only take away the negative message and come to think of “burnt and bitter” when they think of Caribou Coffee.