Anyone living in Korea over the past decade or so cannot help but notice the remarkable proliferation of coffee shops, led by Starbucks and followed by many similar competitors. Now there may be a new twist, as CNN and YBM Education have teamed up to open the world's first CNN Cafe in Seoul. (click on the accompanying graphic to see a larger version) As reported by Campaignasia, the new CNN concept 'coffice' (coffee-office) offers customers free wi-fi, computers and printing services, and features CNN content across different platforms, including a live feed of the CNN International channel on a large screen, the latest CNN newswires on a digital ticker and computer terminals featuring cnn.com and cnngo.com.The new marketing initiative is due to the growing number of self-employed and students who study at coffee shops.
I saw this last week when walking through Jongno-gu, but didn't stop in to see what it was all about. Now I'm kind of wishing I did.
ReplyDeleteI say "kind of" because, based on the linked article, it might not have been entirely my kind of place. It mentions that the cafe "provides a chance for locals to learn English ... free study abroad consultations, language consultations and TOEIC test registrations ...". The area where the cafe was opened is a large university neighborhood. The block where it's located is crammed full with an uncountable number of hagwons, test prep businesses, and TOEIC test centers.
I'll be interested to see where they open later locations.
I like the idea, but the biggest problem is that CNN news sucks. But it is a great idea and glad someone went out on a limb to do this.
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