W9: Dancing For Coffee
When a small coffee shop, Coffee Milano Cafe, in Middleboro, Massachussetts decided to offer free coffee to anyone, as long as they entered the shop and danced for 5 seconds, they thought they had a fun promotion that might get some new customers and a little buzz. When the TikTok video of people dancing went viral, they suddenly had millions of fans around the world, and just as importantly, they had spread a lot of joy.
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W9: DANCING FOR COFFEE
HAPPY WEDNESDAY EVERYONE…. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE SHARE A GENUINE, HAPPY MOMENT IN AN AIRPORT OR RESTAURANT, AND THEY’RE LAUGHING AND SMILING TOGETHER, AND YOU’RE WATCHING THEM….AND THEN YOU SUDDENLY CATCH YOURSELF SMILING? YOU IMMEDIATELY FEEL SELF-CONSCIOUS, SLIGHTLY CREEPY, AND WONDER IF OTHER PEOPLE WERE WATCHING YOU PIGGYBACK ON THE JOY OF COMPLETE STRANGERS. DON’T BE ASHAMED. SEEING OTHERS BEING HAPPY IS INTOXICATING….SCIENTIFICALLY, THE EFFECT IS CALLED “SYMPATHETIC JOY” OR “EMPATHIC JOY,” AND IT’S VERY HUMAN TO WANT TO STARE….AND BENEFIT.
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A LITTLE COFFEE SHOP THAT INTENDED TO DO A FUN PROMOTION TO GET SOME MORE CUSTOMERS, AND UNINTENTIONALLY OFFERED JOY TO MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
EPISODE
ON A FRIDAY, ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THANKSGIVING, COFFEE MILANO CAFÉ, A SMALL COFFEE SHOP ON CENTER STREET IN MIDDLEBORO, MASSACHUSSETTS, WAS TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO GET A FEW MORE CUSTOMERS. THE CAFÉ’S OWNER, JOSH RASHID, HAD SEEN A PIZZA SHOP DO A PROMOTION FOR A FREE SLICE OF PIZZA, WHERE CUSTOMERS NEEDED TO DANCE TO EARN THEIR SLICE. JOSH LOVED THE IDEA AND WANTED TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH FREE COFFEE. HE AND THE CAFÉ’S SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR, OLIVIA SVENSON, DECIDED THEY’D RECORD THEIR CUSTOMERS DANCING AND POST IT TO THEIR TIKTOK ACCOUNT. SO, THEY PLACED A SIGN ON THE FRONT DOOR ANNOUNCING THE DEAL FOR FREE COFFEE IF THEY CAME IN AND DANCED FOR 5 SECONDS…AND NOTED THAT IF THEY DID, THEY’D BE RECORDED FOR A VIDEO ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA.
THROUGHOUT THE DAY, CUSTOMERS TRICKLED IN, AND ONE BY ONE, THEY DANCED. THE FIRST PERSON KICKS OFF HER SHOES AND DOES THE MOONWALK. LATER, WE SEE CUSTOMERS DOING IRISH JIGS, WALTZES, AND CONGA LINES.
MOST DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THE FREE COFFEE…THEY JUST REALLY LIKED THE INVITE TO SHED THEIR INHIBITIONS FOR FIVE SECONDS AND LAY DOWN A FEW MOVES IN PUBLIC.
WHEN THEY PUT THE VIDEO TOGETHER LATER THAT DAY AND SET IT TO THE SONG “MACARENA”…AND POSTED IT….IT WAS A HIT. NOT A HIT LIKE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, A HIT GLOBALLY, WITH 8.5 MILLION VIEWS AND THE STORY BEING PICKED UP ON THE TODAY SHOW, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, AND CNN.
THE CAFÉ GAINED A LOT OF ATTENTION, AND ALSO CUSTOMERS. THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO CARRY THE MOMENTUM WITH ADDITIONAL DANCE PROMOTIONS. THEY EVEN DID AN EVENT CALLED “BOOGIE IN THE BOROUGH” LAST WEEK TO BENEFIT SHOPS IN THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT WAS EVERYWHERE, AND I IMAGINE YOU PROBABLY SAW A STORY ABOUT IT, OR EVEN THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ITSELF, SOMEWHERE IN YOUR FEED OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
THE FASCINATING PART OF THIS STORY ISN’T IN THE PROMOTION ITSELF – THE GIVING OF FREE COFFEE IF PATRONS LET LOOSE FOR A FEW SECONDS IS GREAT, BUT IS IT GROUNDBREAKING ENOUGH TO LIFT PEOPLE’S MOODS ALL OVER THE INTERNET?
CHARLENE73, ON TIKTOK WROTE “WHY AM I CRYING? THIS MAKES ME SOOOO HAPPY.”
ANOTHER USER, MABEL WROTE “THIS IS SUCH A GREAT IDEA!! IT MADE MY DAY JUST WATCHING!”
I MEAN, WE SEE RANDOM PEOPLE DANCING ALL THE TIME AT CONCERTS AND WHEN WE’RE OUT…. WHY IS THIS DIFFERENT? WHY DOES THIS MAKE PEOPLE SO HAPPY?
THERE’S SOMETHING BIGGER GOING ON, AND I THINK IT TIES TO A FEW THINGS: FIRST, IT FEELS LIKE WE’RE IN A BIT OF A PRESSURE COOKER THESE DAYS. WE JUST HAD A VERY DIVISIVE ELECTION, OUR ECONOMY IS STRUGGLING, THE NEWS IS FULL OF NEGATIVITY, AND THERE’S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY. WATCHING RANDOM PEOPLE SAY, “F IT” AND LET THEIR FREAK FLAGS FLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A COFFEE SHOP IS CATHARTIC. IT GIVES US PERMISSION TO SMILE AND RELAX.
BUT THE MAIN REASON I THINK IT WORKS, IS THAT AS HUMANS, WE CONNECT VERY STRONGLY TO OTHER PEOPLE’S AUTHENTIC EXPRESSIONS OF HAPPINESS – AND EVEN THOUGH WE MAY NOT BE PARTICIPATING DIRECTLY, IT FULFILLS US WHEN WE GET TO WATCH.
IT’S THE SAME REASON WHY WE GET A SMILE ON OUR FACE WHEN WE’RE SITTING IN AN AIRPORT SEEING PEOPLE HUG AND LAUGH…. THERE’S AN EMPATHY EXCHANGE HAPPENING AND WE’RE LITERALLY LATCHING ON TO OTHER PEOPLE’S JOY.
THE VIDEO THAT COFFEE MILANO CAFÉ SHARED, FROM A SMALL TOWN IN MASSACHUSSETTS, ALLOWS ANYONE, IN ANY COUNTRY, SPEAKING ANY NUMBER OF LANGUAGES, TO FEEL THE FIVE-SECONDS OF HAPPINESS THAT THE CUSTOMERS ARE GENUINELY EXPRESSING. PUT SIMPLY: EVERYONE LIKES TO SEE PEOPLE HAPPY.
THE CAFÉ’S OWNER, JOSH, WAS ASKED ABOUT THE PHENOMENON. OF COURSE, HE LIKES THAT IT’S HELPED HIS BUSINESS, BUT HE’S THRILLED THAT IT’S HAD SUCH A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE.
“YOU KNOW, LIFE ISN’T ALWAYS EASY,” HE SAYS. “SOMETIMES YOU JUST SEE SOMETHING THAT PUTS THE GREATEST SMILE ON YOUR FACE, AND IT BRINGS TEARS TO YOUR EYES.”
I’M GLAD COFFEE MILANO CAFÉ SHARED THEIR PROMOTION, AND IT COMES AT A GREAT TIME… BECAUSE IF THERE’S ONE THING WE CAN ALL AGREE ON: IT’S THAT EVERYBODY LIKES TO SEE PEOPLE HAPPY.
https://www.tiktok.com/@coffeemilanocafe/video/7438396371935317279
https://www.today.com/food/restaurants/coffee-milano-cafe-free-coffee-dancing-rcna181205