Planners. These are the things that scatterbrains need in order to keep standing. These include the tasks that you jot, the things needed to take note of, and the important dates which you should not miss - well, it's you who will mark these out. Brands can take advantage of planners by adding their touch to it.

There are lots of planners available today, but we'll be showing two examples of how brand leveraged the planner into something more than just what it looks like - we're going head first with the Starbucks Philippines Planner.

Starbucks Philippines started this concept in 2003 with these words: "[...] we’ve thought of creating something to keep you company as you begin your day with a fresh cup of coffee, something to plan your day with or cherish your moments with. Something that will tell our story. And keep yours as well."

They've been doing this before the year ends, and there's been widespread positive and negative reaction about this. Even Fitz Villafuerte, an influential blogger on personal finance, has stated his advice to those who would like to get it; not to mention the satirical news website "So, What's News?" shed humor into this.

What seems to be appeal of the Starbucks planner? Let's get back to what they've said before: It's about Experience. Starbucks has positioned itself as the "third home," and part of this positioning is the look and feel of their stores.

This also rubs off on the planners that they are giving away in exchange of their continued visits to Starbucks stores. In this case, they've used Customer Experience and Loyalty methods, and they've improved this over time by partnering with notable brand Moleskine last year.

In the next post, we'll talk about another brand which leveraged the planner not just as a tool but also as a gateway to building a community.


This post starts our "Love thy Customer" series as part of the preparations leading to the 2016 Customer Love Fest. This series will look back at the best customer relationship, rewards, loyalty and experience practices done by various businesses over the years.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer rewards. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.


This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.