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April 17, 2014, 12:58 p.m.
Mobile & Apps
LINK: www.mobilemarketer.com  ➚   |   Posted by: Justin Ellis   |   April 17, 2014

The New York Times is betting there is an overlap between Starbucks customers and Times readers. The paper is partnering with Starbucks to help boost the fortunes of the newly launched NYT Now app.

Anyone who is a member of the My Starbucks Rewards program is eligible to get 12 weeks of free access to the app. The promotion makes a lot of sense given the fact that NYT Now is the Times attempt at targeting mobile-centric users. My Starbucks Rewards encourages coffee lovers to pay for their drinks and gain rewards through using an app on their phone.

The overall goal of the collaboration seems to be to push more people to give NYT Now a try, whether they’re existing Times susbcribers or new readers. From Mobile Marketer:

Starbucks is promoting the partnership through an email blast that was sent to all My Starbucks Rewards members.

When consumers click through on the email, they are prompted to either sign-in to their New York Times account or create an account. After logging in, consumers type in a 20-digit unique code that is in the email to begin their free trial of NYT Now.

This is not the first time the Times has thought coffee and news would make for a good combination. In February 2013 the Times and Starbucks started offering readers free nytimes.com stories to people using Starbucks wifi network.

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The media becomes an activist for democracy
“We cannot be neutral about this, by definition. A free press that doesn’t agitate for democracy is an oxymoron.”
Embracing influencers as allies
“News organizations will increasingly rely on digital creators not just as amplifiers but as integral partners in storytelling.”
Action over analysis
“We’ve overindexed on problem articulation, to the point of problem admiring. The risk is that we are analyzing ourselves into inaction and irrelevance.”