The Vida e Caffé tribe

The tribe is strong with this one.Last week (26 March 2009) saw the launch of the Vida e Caffé Twitter Account (follow them). I immediately followed them, then realised they were giving away free coffee to the first 60 direct messages. So I sent off a message and managed to get myself some coffee to collect soon at my nearest Vida, which happens to be Rosebank, Johannesburg.The very next day I decided to have a morning meeting at Vida e Caffé in Rosebank with my coffee and my mac. I paid for my coffee. I don't even care if I ever get my free coffee, it's the idea that matters, the offer that counts and the ownership I feel towards the brand that makes me loyal to the Vida brand.Hell, to be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure if I think there coffee is the best of the best, but I really don't care.Let me tell you why I don't care.I don't care if Vida has the best coffee because I like the service I receive when I order my coffee. I get smiles, jokes and laughs.I don't care if Vida has the best coffee because I like the way they operate their business.I like the placement of their shops. I like the vibe of the brand, the funkiness and the way they embrace the culture of South Africa in spite of the brand being more Portuguese.I like that their menu is simple and their food is good, however expensive it might be.Vida e Caffé has positioned itself as one of those brands that people would rather pay an extra R5-R10 for per coffee just to say it's a Vida coffee. Simple. People feel like they are getting more when they are paying more.The Vida e Caffé brand owns me and let me be clear here, I feel an acute ownership of the brand when I choose to have meetings there, drink the coffee or eat the food.