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Does your morning coffee ritual need a shake-up, literally?

What cafes are doing to keep their caffeine loyalists coming back

Australia’s coffee culture is legendary. But with prices hovering around $7 a cup – driven by climate impacts, supply chain chaos, and demand for ethical sourcing, cafés face an existential question: How do you keep customers loyal when prices are rising faster than a barista’s blood pressure during a Sunday rush?

For many venues, the answer lies in storytelling, community, and customer experience. With apps increasingly allowing bean fiends to order ahead and score digital discounts, there’s still something irreplaceable about the three-minute wait and the brief chat with the barista who knows your order by heart. Do we tolerate price hikes better when we’re greeted by name?

Adelaide’s Social Coffee is experimenting with subscription models, offering unlimited brews to foster community connection. Meanwhile, venues in Surry Hills and Byron Bay are taking it further – turning the morning rush into morning dance parties with DJs and a full social event, transforming routine coffee runs into unmissable rituals.

Despite price hikes, Australians still cling to their brew as a non-negotiable “affordable luxury.” Why? Because in a world saturated with instant, disposable content, the local café remains a rare haven of physical authenticity, where transaction meets tradition.

The world’s most stylish powerplay 

Luxury has always been part of F1’s DNA – fast cars, big egos and even bigger wallets. But with Louis Vuitton now the title sponsor of the Australian Grand Prix and a global partner of F1, it’s no longer just adjacent to the action, it’s embedded.

For Louis Vuitton, this isn’t about exposure. It’s a takeover. From trophy trunks to podium design, F1 is being fully merchandised. This is what soft power looks like in 2025: not a logo on a backdrop, but a brand absorbing the world’s biggest stage and reshaping it in its own image.

Tourism with meaning

Tourism Australia has launched a refreshed Discover Aboriginal Experiences program - a national initiative designed to spotlight Aboriginal-led tourism through new media, trade tools and storytelling content.

It’s a meaningful shift in positioning, and an invitation to engage with the world’s oldest living cultures on their terms. From updated video series to in-depth itineraries and case studies, the focus is on custodians leading the way, offering travellers a deeper kind of connection, it’s about understanding place through the people who’ve known it longest.

AI is inadvertently creating a new counter currency – ‘proof of reality’ is coming to content near you

Cook with a Nanna – wholesome YouTube meets cultural preservation (and Nannas)

Silky Serves – Four Seasons and Giorgio Armani launch a tennis tournament

The new etiquette of headphones, voice notes, and just... being around people

Quick hits of insight

01
Yayoi Kusama just broke Australia’s all-time gallery attendance record.
Over 840,000 visitors and counting – proof that immersive, physical art still cuts through in a digital-first world.

02
End of an era – is the old Google search collapsing.
According to Bain & Co, over 60% of searches now end in zero clicks. No sites visited. No tabs opened.

03
The Signal chats shaping public narratives...and lives. 
New reporting reveals how tech elites and Trump’s new right are working to control the narrative on…everything

The Middle East is in the midst of its most ambitious era of hospitality and placemaking.

Entire cities are rising overnight, drawing global attention but buildings alone don’t create meaningful destinations; culture does.

At Example, we’ve spent years helping brands, hotels and venues across APAC create destinations imbued with meaning and built to be talked about. Now, we’re bringing that expertise to the Middle East.

To unpack this once-in-a-generation moment, we’ve created a new insight report: The Future of Hospitality and Placemaking in the Middle East.

Inside, we explore:

• Why so many new destinations lose relevance within two years

• How baking “talkability” into story and concept – before architecture even begins – drives lasting success

• The five new rules for building places that live in people’s hearts, not just their phones

• How hotels, restaurants, and entertainment precincts can build loyalty in rapidly shifting markets

• Why earned influence and cultural empathy are now critical to success

Want a copy? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Emma Mulhall

Senior Account Executive at Example

Originally from Surrey in the UK, I recently moved to Sydney at the start of the year following a trip to Australia travelling the East Coast a couple of years back. In my spare time I’m always on the hunt for new foodie spots to try, curating my next playlist on Spotify or testing out recipes and cooking dinner for friends.

I’m also a big reformer pilates advocate and a keen runner and hoping to run my third half marathon this year. I’m big on travel and love exploring new destinations, my top three places I’ve visited include Mexico, New Zealand and Seville - despite the 40 degree heat at the time!

A Ritual That Resonates

Over my morning coffee, I love to have a scroll through my Instagram feed, I like seeing what people are up to, which restaurants people are visiting and getting recipe inspiration from fellow foodies I follow. I also love having a read of Broadsheets or Urban Lists daily newsletter for the inside scoop on the hottest new openings and things to do in Sydney. In the evenings, I’m slowly getting into the habit of reading every night before bed. I'm currently reading Stanley Tucci’s ‘What I ate in one year’ which is an interesting insight into his life, favourite food spots and recipes. 

Culture That Moves You

I’m loving Joy Marie Howley’s - @drawingsofjoy - content at the moment, she’s a British artist and illustrator who draws incredible sketches of scenes from her travels and favourite restaurants. I love her style and how she captures a specific moment in a small sketch. 

Undiscovered Gems

One of my favourite podcasts at the moment is The Go To Weekend, hosted by Hannah Evans and Molly Codyre, both established Food & Drink Editors in the UK. It’s a great one for keeping up with the restaurant scene in London, as well as the inside scoop on London's most popular chefs. It’s also a little reminder of home for me. 

A Cultural Experience

Last Summer I visited Berlin and it quickly became one of my favourite cities. There’s some incredible food and restaurants out there, especially Asian cuisine. I also love the vibrant fashion and music scene and it is a stunning city - in the height of summer at least!

We are an earned-led culture agency. We create and amplify the world’s most talked-about brands, destinations and experiences.