Honest Tea claims it's a test of scruples. But it's really damn good marketing. And it goes to charity. The beverage company is again throwing in unmanned 'stores' throughout the nation in 12 cities--already hitting Boston, Chicago, N.Y. and L.A. in a repeat of "The Most Honest City In America" competition, a video extravaganza with hidden cameras to see who throws down that buck -- and who steals that tea. Boston's proving most honest.
The 2011 Honest Tea competition -- for the most honest city in the nation -- is slated for Los Angeles (CA), Philadelphia (PA), Washington DC, Atlanta (GA), Miami (FL), Cincinnati (OH), Chicago (IL), Dallas (TX), San Francisco (CA), Seattle (WA), and New York (NY). Honesty is for a good cause: The Honest Tea income is headed for non-profit 'City Year'.
So far in 2011, "The Most Honest City In America" contest has hit Boston, New York, Chicago, Seattle -- and, now, L.A.
The Los Angeles Honest Tea location was starting out at The Grove between 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.: With 'The Grove' one of Los Angeles city's biggest tourist stops on the map, the locale makes it a bit hard to measure effectiveness -- for a spot inhabited mainly by out-of-towners in the midst of summer. But that tea stand will be moving around through the L.A. area including a spot in West Hollywood.
Honest Tea has been doing the experiment the past couple of years. The set-up: unknowing men and women swing by the quick stop, where they're instructed by clear signage -- that even the legally blind can see -- to leave a dollar in exchange for one of the fully-stocked bottles. The whole point -- "the honor system". Overhead hidden cameras are on-site at each location in the twelve cities, to bust the poor fool who decides not to pay the buck he owes and nab those, for a bit of comedy, who choose not to pay.
New Yorkers have proved pretty honest this year in the 2011 experiment -- paying that dollar a whopping 89.3% of the time. Chicago didn't do so hot in 2011 -- with nearly one-quarter of people choosing to skip out on throwing that buck down. Only 78% of people paid for the Honest Tea drinks in Illinois. But those in Chicago shouldn't feel too bad: Last year, Los Angeles finished as the 'least honest' city in the nation, coming in dead of all cities in the competition. People paid the dollar only 75% of the time in Los Angeles in 2010.
Results are still being tallied as the competition continues. But, so far in 2011, Boston's ranks the most honest with 92.3% of people paying for the drinks. Boston won the Honest Tea competition last year too. It must be related to that party.