Tree? Desk? Tree+Desk? What about it?

Hey, all J

I’m kind of testing my creativity this time. I know that I’m not really good at these things, but I just want to make a try. I’ve sent messages to my friends to give me an unanimated random word and got TREE and DESK. What could I come up with these two words? Just for fun, have a look what I’ve done!

First word: TREE

Forest, life, green, flower, squirrel, nature, environment, wood, landscape, bird, drama, root, apple, coconut, scent, fresh, shade, picnic, life, relaxation, whistle, book, rest, mat, grass, branches, hill, road, hole, snow, 5^th grade, wind, seasons, “The Giving Tree”, paper, amazons, air, cabin, house, park, leaves, yellow, maple, bench, streetlamp, acorn

What a coincidence! I can’t really explain why I feel like it, but from one day I thought I had a deep relationship with trees. Maybe it’s because of a soap opera titled “Fall Story” that I liked so much. 10 years has passed since that drama was on air, but I still remember a line that the main character said.

“I will be a tree in my next life.

A tree that doesn’t ever move again once it has been implanted.

So I will never be apart from anyone.”
Altering this line a little, I promised to my classmates that I’ll be a person like a tree that always is next to them. Thanks to it, I was chosen by the classroom president for 2 years in a row (when I was in high school). From then, I just feel tree as a close object to me and actually I do like trees a lot. Streets that are bunch of trees make me to pick up a camera. Colorful trees allow me to think my life as a cool thing and that’s why I like Austin much. J

Second word: DESK

Studying, computer, stuff, messy, drawers, school, pens, chair, basket, materials, organized, clock, pictures, notebook, lamp, office, antique, pencil, board, post-it, whiteout, radio, bookshelf, mirror, calendar   

Most of the time, I use my desk. Especially, since I am living in a cooperative house there’s not much space to move around in my room. I just sit down by the desk all day long. So it is not too much to say that “my desk is my life space”. Everything needed for my studies and most of the things that I need during the day are on my desk including cosmetic products, glasses, laptop computer, and even a water bottle. Sometimes I use my desk as a dining table also. Therefore, a desk is a necessity to me rather than just furniture. 

Combination Ideas of the Two Objects: TREE+DESK

1. A desk made out of trees.

2. Tree printed desk.

3. A desk that is attached with a switch which changes the environment like under a tree. (Ex. cool breeze blowing, warm temperature like when the sun shines on a tree, etc.)

4. Hanging a desk up on the tree as building a house up on a tree.

5. Tree-shaped desk.

6. Decorating a tree with desk-shaped ornaments.

7. A small tree up on the desk as an air-fresher.

8. Putting a desk in the middle of the forest (bunch of trees).

9. Tree in a desk.

(Tree bores a hole in a desk. The trunk is at the bottom of the desk and leaves or branches are up on the desk.)

10. A desk inlaid with a tree.

11. Carving a desk-shaped drawing in a tree.

Viable Products or Services

Most of these combination ideas are actually existing and do not seem fresh at all. Some are just ridiculous that doesn’t make any sense or useless. However, one thing I’m really excited is about a ‘desk with a special switch’ which I wrote at #3. I like to study under a tree, and I believe that many people like it also. That’s why there are bunch of students sitting or lying on the grass under the trees in UT also. If there is a desk that can direct a similar atmosphere with around the trees and make one to feel as if he/she is really under a tree, we don’t have to go out to find a real tree. This idea can be produced to either a product or a service. A desk that is possible to control the shade, wind, or even the temperature could be a nice product. To think in other way, a café can provide services related to this idea. Such places can put a bunch of trees around desks and it would be hard for customers to tell if they are in indoor or outdoor. Some artificial elements, such as light substituting for sun or fan covering for wind, would be needed, of course. I’m not sure what others would think, but at least I’ll be willing to buy those desks or go often to those cafes. That will definitely make my mind fresh and help me to study efficiently.  

More than just a cup of coffee...

Wondering if she could possibly finish her paper work that day, she bumps into her friends in the campus. Soon she finds herself heading to her favorite coffee shop around there, which is Tom N Toms, with her friends chatting delightedly. Thanks to her friends, she forgets the pressure of her work for a while sitting on the fancy sofa with coffee shake and sometimes also with sweet waffle. Later that day after sunset, she is going back to the school library with a cup of vanilla coffee in her hand, which she got from the Hollys Coffee located inside the campus. She feels like studying at home tonight so that she could do her paper work with her laptop drinking instant coffee as much as she wants. In this case, she stays up night until 1 am with a couple of instant coffees. The same will be repeated the next day and again.

This is the story of most of the university students in Korea, especially of girls including myself. As a matter of fact, a lot of people are addicted to coffee somehow. However, I wonder if they could have become serious coffee lovers without systematic support with the aggressive coffee marketing in Korea. Actually, I am not a coffee-holic. I even get dizzy or feel sick after drinking the whole cup of coffee. But still, the place I often head to with my friends is the coffee shop. Why is it? Why do I spend money which I do not think it is reasonable? Why are the people killing their times in a coffee shop? How could the coffee shops be crowed all day long even there are a bunch of shops? I thought this quite interesting and believing that there are some reasons definitely, I am willing to study about coffee chains that are only in Korea.       

People in Korea used to spend immeasurable amount of money on instant coffee which is available at discount stores, conveniences stores, and even online. However, obviously, the trend in drinking coffee has been enormously changed as people are looking for more delicate flavor and moderate life style. For example, Starbucks, which started its business in South Korea in 1999, could succeed earlier by justifying its high price with the luxurious image and taste. As it turned out that specialty coffee industry is very profitable market, more companies and individuals joined the business and the competition is getting keen. The coffee industry of South Korea has developed so much rapidly over the past decade. I think they were able to success because they convinced people that coffee could be a luxury product. People are willing to pay 5 dollars for a cup of coffee as long as they can brag they're drinking a luxury coffee. To infuse this kind of conception, the related marketing has played important role especially targeting young generation. At present, there are about 10 popular coffee franchises in Korea and among them seven are domestic brands. Indeed, cafes have emerged as the new office of choice for many small start-ups.

In 1990's, it was usual for middle-aged gentle men to be featured in the TV commercials of coffee products. That's because, at that time, coffee was considered directly as instant coffee that people used to enjoy at home. However, nowadays, coffee is not just one of drinking beverage or something; Drinking coffee means that you're taking your own time to be relaxed and that, more importantly, it is the way to express yourself. You can experience the totally different feeling even through the slight difference in coffee flavor. In other words, by drinking coffee, you experience the cultural code such as romance, relaxation, peace, friends, luxury, or trend. People visit the coffee shops desiring to purchase more than just a cup of coffee. Recently, Caffebenne, one of the popular coffee franchises in Korea, started to role as a cultural space broadcasting a music program. Consumers can send a song request by text messages or internet and then they get to hear that song while drinking coffee. Likewise, coffee shop is not a place where just sells coffees anymore.

Here are two articles related to the popularity of coffee shops in Korea.

http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=108&oid=044&aid=0000074568

http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=108&oid=044&aid=0000064479

The first article shows the competitive edge of several coffee shops which includes marketing, and the second article is about creating value from consumer’s experiences. Actually it is not only limited to coffee, but has a lot to do with it.

Below are the marks of five domestic coffee shops that are popular in Korea.