If warm soup and a heated bus stop are the way to Chicago-area commuters' hearts, then coffee, cupcakes and fun are probably a good choice for catching the attention of recession-beleaguered office workers. Such, indeed, proved to be the case earlier this year, when Kraft Foods' Maxwell House launched its new Trio coffee brand in Dubai.

Throughout the months of May and June, the brand targeted Dubai office workers with free "Trio Time" office parties, available for the asking thanks to a campaign developed by OgilvyOne Middle East. Once securing their employer's permission, office workers needed only register online and pick a date for the party at their office. A team of brand reps would then arrive at the appointed time with cupcakes, music, games, balloons, prizes and of course plenty of Trio samples. More than 150 parties were held in offices throughout Dubai during the 5-week campaign, bringing the taste of Trio to more than 3,000 consumers. Additional impressions were made, too, through coverage of the events on Facebook and Twitter.

Particularly during tough times, a little sympvertising can go a long way toward showing consumers that your brand cares. Add to that a dose of tryvertising—an increasingly popular strategy in its own right—and you'll soon be savouring the sweet aroma of success! ;-) (Related: Nationwide tryvertising parties.)

Website: www.trio-time.com
Contact: trio-time@krafteurope.com

When it comes to breakfast, consumers can already customize their own muesli and tea. For those in the mood for pancakes, however, there's now a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, that lets patrons create and cook their own pancakes, right at the table.

Slappy Cakes is a full-service breakfast and lunch restaurant that features a variety of dishes made from fresh and organic ingredients. It chooses local and regional vendors whenever possible, as well as operating its own courtyard garden for herbs, vegetables and berries. Most interesting of all, however, is that each table at Slappy Cakes features a built-in griddle. Patrons can choose from a variety of batter options—including buttermilk, pumpkin, vegan and gluten-free—and do the cooking themselves, right at their table. Accompaniments such as nuts, berries and chocolate along with organic maple syrup can then be added to create the customized pancake concoction of one's dreams. Batter costs USD 5 for an 8-oz. bottle; toppings are USD 1 each. For those more interested in the "rest" part of the restaurant experience, meanwhile, pancakes can also be ordered from the kitchen.

There's no doubt Burger King was onto something early when it came up with its famous "Have it Your Way" campaign more than 30 years ago. With the addition of a heaping helping of customer-made experience, however, there are no limits to the fresh and modern possibilities! (Related: More self-service at bars: a tap at every table — Where food & tech meet for dinner.)

Website: www.slappycakes.com
Contact: info@slappycakes.com

Spotted by: Sarah Anne Jackson

Between the knowledge required and the not-unsubstantial investment, choosing a new bottle of wine can feel like a risky endeavour. That's why it's an ideal area for tryvertising, as we noted in our story last year about WineSide's trial-sized tubes, and it's also presumably why San Francisco-based Brixr recently launched a set of tasting packs designed specifically for sampling.

Now in beta, Brixr offers two different tasting packs, each featuring four 50ml bottles of boutique wines along with an online video tasting guide. The 2008 Pinot Noir Holiday Tasting Pack, priced at USD 69, includes samples of three wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands and one from the Sonoma Coast appellation. In addition to the four samples, recipients of the pack get a coupon for two full-sized bottles of their favourite sampled wines, shipped directly to their door at no charge. Also available is a Napa Cabernet Holiday Tasting Pack, whose USD 79 price includes a coupon for one free full-sized bottle. The sample packs themselves, meanwhile—sans coupons—are each available for USD 19 and USD 29, respectively.

Tryvertising may make extra sense for wines, but it's a strategy that can overcome purchase hesitation in just about every product area. Particularly during tough economic times, it pays to let customers try before they buy! While Brixr was developed by the wine innovators at Crushpad for their own customers, the company has also had considerable interest from other winemakers. (Related: Tryvertising store expands in Spain — A box of samples, delivered by UPS — Vending machine dispenses free samples — Heated bus stop offers sympvertising and samples.)

Website: www.brixr.com
Contact: www.brixr.com/contact

With consumers' purse strings tightened by the recession, we've seen the emergence of a variety of alternatives to the full-service restaurant. Cooking classes, semi-cooking options, home-cooked meals for hire and a roaming "anti-restaurant" are among the offerings we've spotted, and now—enabling all such initiatives and more—comes the commercial kitchen for hire.

Philly Kitchen Share is a shared-use commercial kitchen available for hourly rental by caterers, personal chefs, bakers and other food professionals in the Philadelphia area. Created by the founders of PhillyCarShare, the 800-square-foot cooking space actually features two adjoining kitchens, for rent separately or together: one focused on traditional cooking or catering and the other on baking. Together, they're equipped with stainless steel work tables, convection and standard ovens, commercial ranges and a variety of other tools. Rental prices are USD 39 per hour for one kitchen during off-peak hours, or USD 44 per hour during peak times. Since its launch last winter, business at Philly Kitchen Share has been steady, Philly.com reported, with renters including cooking classes, a vegan baker, a mobile cupcake vendor and a personal chef and caterer.

Indeed, it's not hard to imagine that the availability of a shared kitchen could indirectly launch a multitude of small-scale food business startups, offering as it does a commercial facility on an as-needed basis with no overhead. Time to foster some new cooking innovation among the would-be chefs and food minipreneurs in your neck of the global kitchen...? (Related: Open restaurant night showcases aspiring chefs.)

Website: www.phillykitchenshare.com
Contact: phillykitchenshare@gmail.com

Spotted by: Jim Stewart

Almost a year ago we wrote about the Yellow Treehouse, the pop-up restaurant created by the publisher of the New Zealand Yellow Pages to prove that all the suppliers for any project can be found through its listings. Not content to stop there, it turns out the company is now in the midst of another inventive promotion—this time, to create a chocolate bar that embodies the colour yellow.

It all began in August, when Yellow put out a call for video auditions for its new, as-yet-unnamed project. Some 80 or so applications came in, and Yellow selected Josh Winger, a 28-year-old surfer and aspiring actor, to fill the role. Next, it announced Winger's mission, which is to design, market and distribute a chocolate bar that tastes like the colour yellow—and to use only companies listed in the Yellow books, both online and mobile, in the process. To gather Kiwis' opinions on what yellow would taste like, Winger first placed small cards in cafes, fruit shops and ice cream stores across New Zealand soliciting suggestions. Next, he made a nationwide tour and handed out 45,000 samples of chocolate in four competing flavours: pineapple custard, banana French toast, kowhai honey and lemon tart. Pineapple custard won the day, and the resulting chocolate bars will soon go into production. Currently, the project is soliciting consumers' votes on four alternate package designs. Winger's progress can be followed in detail on Twitter, Facebook and the Yellow Chocolate site.

Combining one part crowdsourcing, one part viral marketing and one part pure creative flair, Yellow's effort demonstrates once again that a little alternative thinking can blow traditional advertising out of the water. How is *your* brand using the crowds and social media to flex its own promotional muscle...? (Related: Contest replaces ad campaign for Nissan launch — Job contest spotlights Great Barrier Reef Islands — Vitaminwater's new flavour created with Facebook app.)

Website: www.yellowchocolate.co.nz
Contact: info@yellowchocolate.co.nz

Spotted by: Kendall Flutey