Tea Time with Hannah

There's no doubt about the popularity of Apple. In a classroom at UGA filled with middle to upper-class students, it's safe to guess that over 75% of them own an iPhone. A majority of these students also own a MacBook and someone in their family probably has an iPad. Apple has clearly dominated the technology industry in the past. At the beginning of time when the iPhone first hit the market, its technology and its sleek design dominated a market of clunky, boring devices. The iPhone was cool, new, and advanced. If you had one, you were an innovator, a leader, someone who had money and liked to think they had power too. The current problem Apple faces, however, is that their competitors have begun to catch up. No longer are they the only business with smartphones and touchscreens. No longer are they the brand associated with the innovators and creators. Instead, Apple has seemingly clung on to their history of success while their competitors begin to develop new innova...

There's no denying it, Family Feud is amazing. Steve Harvey's facial expressions coupled with ridiculous answers from honest, American families make for the most hilarious game show on TV. I'm not the only one who tunes in to watch answers like this every night. In June 2015, Family Feud  surpassed Wheel of Fortune  as the most-watched syndicated game show on television. The show's popularity continues to increase as Steve Harvey and America's funniest families create ridiculously funny answers to survey questions. What marketing techniques can Family Feud credit to this success? To start, Family Feud created a spin-off called Celebrity Family Feud which, you'll be shocked, is Family Feud with celebrities as the contestants. Although it seems like a relatively simple TV ratings enhancer, Celebrity Family Feud also acts as a great marketing tool for the overall Family Feud franchise. By capitalizing on the most popular celebrities at the time for ...

It occurred to me over the weekend, as I stood in the heat surrounded by 70,000 of my closest friends in Piedmont Park, that crowds attract crowds. It's a weird phenomenon. Shouldn't people want to run away from crowds? When it's 90 degrees outside, shouldn't people seek shade far, far away from anyone else? Here are a few examples: 1. Food Tents : With over 70,000 people packing into Piedmont Park for Music Midtown, a small amount of brave food vendors stood ready to feed the masses. Many tents didn't represent a specific food brand, they were simply labeled based on the food that they served such as "Chicken Tenders and Fries". Still, crowds of people hovered around these tightly packed tents like hungry vultures. While waiting in the back of a long pizza line, I noticed the tent next to it was completely empty and selling similar food. Why were we all waiting in this huge line then? It occurred to me that without knowing the brand of the foo...

I love coffee shops. There's something about the aura of a coffee shop that makes me feel so relaxed and somehow inspired to actually do that studying I've been putting off for days. It's a mixture of the caffeine in the drinks and the energy from people enjoying a conversation or tackling an assignment that creates that special coffee shop buzz. Sips, located on Prince Avenue, just across the street from Automatic Pizza and Ike & Jane, has perfected that classic and quaint coffee shop experience. At first glance, the location looks a bit out of place in a parking lot surrounded by a Spanish grocery store and a Mexican restaurant. However, a deeper look shows a brightly colored exterior and large, open windows that entice even the slightest of hipsters to purchase an overpriced Americano. The interior consists of a large, patio-styled room where coffee drinkers can enjoy some fresh air and a small shop, with a bar area inside for ordering and a kitchen area for s...

It's a bit ironic that "Normaltown" was named "Normal"town. Quite frankly, there's nothing normal about it. A stranger passing through might glance at the antique buildings, the old rusty signs, and the unique mom-and-pop style brands and wonder how these businesses survive in the competitive Athens market. But any local Athens resident will contest that these businesses are what makes this small, eclectic city so wonderful.  Located off Prince Ave, across the street from Athens Regional Medical Center, Ike & Jane quietly sits on the corner location creating an aroma of freshly baked goods and hand crafted coffees perfect for the Instagram loving foodie. Calling Athens home for over 7 years, this local business serves up uniquely flavored donuts as well as classic cafe treats that attract residents and visitors of all ages. My first thought before my visit was: In the world of dominating brands such as Starbucks and Jittery Joes, how does Ike &...