CNN and FB Win on Inauguration Day

So CNN and Facebook aligned their forces for some refreshing news coverage. Like all of you, I was sneaking coverage of the Inauguration since the early hours. To my surprise, a partnership with Facebook added a new element to CNN's coverage. On the right side of the video, viewers could open up their Facebook profile and watch people's responses to the live events. And of course, they could submit their own comments.

Here is why I think this partnership is a win:

• High Involvement: CNN said they are receiving over 2,000 comments per minute, wowser.
• Exchange: The news is no longer static and CNN allowed viewers to voice their opinion about this highly emotional event.
• Listening: The simple act of letting people share responses show's viewers that CNN values their opinion. The positive responses of this partnership is proof that people appreciate this simple gesture.
  

One final note, advertisers may not be crazy about this open comment format. A Starbucks ad all about the "grassroots" movement was highly booed by Facebook commenters. Apparently, people did not appreciate Starbucks pretending to be a "grassroots" company.
[I have yet to find this ad, but I'll post it if I come across it]


"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

[The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama]

That's More Like It

On Election Day, I scoffed at Starbucks' lame attempt to give away coffee for those who voted.  Claire argued that Starbucks was emphasizing its brand promise of community involvement, but I thought that free coffee for voting was a weak connection and more a jump on the bandwagon.  Their Inauguration Day effort resonates much better with community involvement and service.

When I logged into my Facebook this morning, an ad on the side invited me to Starbucks' event, "Free coffee if you pledge 5 hours of volunteer time."  Unlike on Election Day, Starbucks is taking initiative to be a leader in community involvement versus lining up with a myriad of other brands to distribute their goods.  This offer has a clear goal (inspire 1 million people to volunteer), is the only Inauguration Day offer I've heard of so far (feel free to correct me in the

 comments!), and is taking initiative to encourage people to join a cause and be part of a big movement in their community.  I don't think free Starbucks enticed any non-voters to vote on Election Day.  People who have never participated in community service probably won't change their ways for a free Tall coffee, either.  But for past volunteers who have heard Obama's encouragement to join a community service project again, this Facebook invite and pledge effort might be the additional push they need to head to Starbucks, sign up, and actually make a difference.  

Although I'm still not a huge fan of giveaways in general for Starbucks, I think creating their own cause (or at least jumping on one that's not quite as exploited as Election Day) puts them in a much better position than they were two months ago.  Win.

UPDATE

Curt, a loyal reader, sent us an updated image of what popped up on his FB page today!  Thanks Curt!

How the Mighty Have Fallen*

Two years ago, if you had told Starbucks that they would be giving their product away like Taco Bell or McDonald's lattes, they would have laughed in your face. But then the economy went to hell, and this once-premium brand has hit rock bottom.



If you ask me, Starbucks' recent mistakes have been:

• Ridiculous brand extensions. I really don't want Starbucks breakfast beyond muffins and coffee cakes, and the brand can't seem to figure out what it wants to do, either. And I'm not paying $6 for a shrinkwrapped chicken sandwich. The coffee shop atmosphere just isn't conducive to a meal.
• Dunkin' and McDonald's slowly but surely crept into the premium coffee industry. Starbucks got scared when their sales took a dip and tried to compete with price promotions and the aforementioned food. But it doesn't seem as though McD's is really stealing away that many faithful Starbucks drinkers. Are real Starbucks customers really trading down to fast food? Or are there other reasons (brand dilution, a Starbucks atmosphere that has strayed from its roots, and yes, the economy) that have them skipping their morning joe?
  
• MyStarbucksIdea.com. Creating a social network for people to basically complain about the brand and offer ideas that will never ever get implemented was maybe not the smartest idea.

On the other hand, Ben & Jerry's is another premium-priced brand that is giving away product on Election Day. But for them, it works. Just look at the website. B&J never takes itself too seriously and is always pushing fun--it's ice cream! They also have an annual customer appreciation/Free Cone Day complete with long lines, brand ambassadors, and even a dancing cow. Ben & Jerry's built its entire brand on doing good and having a positive outlook, and giving away ice cream fits. Watching the Starbucks ad, though, you see how seriously they take themselves. The targets, the attitudes of the brands, and the motives for the giveaway are all completely different. For Starbucks, it just doesn't work.

This election giveaway is icing on the GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK! cake for Starbucks. Maybe they just expanded too fast and erroneously thought they could mix luxury prices with a mass audience. Maybe consumers really are remembering that $4 a day not spent on coffee could help buy next week's groceries. In any case, I'll be at work in the morning and at the Bob Dylan show in the evening, so I'll probably miss out on this sad promotion from the former coffee giant.

*Or in the case of our very own Erin Lamberty, the mighty have fallen, torn three ligaments in their knee, bruised and swollen beyond recognition, and been placed in an immobilizer until further notice. That probably describes Starbucks even better.

Dunkin beats Starbucks

A double blind taste test conducted in ten major cities crowns Dunkin as the coffee king.



But will this change the minds of consumers. My hunch is the feeling one gets from drinking Starbucks outweighs a slightly better cup of joe. I personally avoid Dunkin Donuts because the service sucks (in my experience) and it just feels so unhealthy. I guess that's the power of branding.

Check out their website: http://www.dunkinbeatstarbucks.com
I enjoy their attempted digs at S-bucks.

BFF! Now give me my discount

I understand wanting to create a simple discount fun , like popping a balloon in-store to see what discount you get. But, I don't know what to make of Old Navy's BFF Sale, September 19-21. Shoppers are supposed to bring a friend with them and say "BFF" at the counter to obtain the 20% discount. If they so choose to shop online, they can type in the BFF promo code at check out.If I say BFF, do I still get the discount? How will their in-store advertising be on this weekend? Is this going to be like the Starbuck's short coffee, and Old Navy goers will need to be in on the secret ahead of time? Even though it is wide-spread that Starbucks offers a short, how many people actually order it? And how many people will skip up to the Old Navy lines holding a friends hand and saying "BFF"?
I am always wary of sales that force a customer to do something out of the ordinary. It weeds out those who are easily embarrassed (it could be a hoax, or the wrong day, or this may not be a participating location- what if the cashier thinks I'm weird). It also leaves out those who don't know about the sale ahead of time (Oh no, I didn't bring a friend).
Perhaps I am being to harsh on Old Navy. This promo makes their sale stand out because it is not just 20% all items. However, I think it provides the opportunity (like many of these types of sales do) for many to miss out on the savings.

I'm not smart enough to drink coffee at Starbucks

So maybe this response is a little delayed, but what is up with those McDonald coffee commercials?I can appreciate differentiating yourself from the Goliath of Starbucks and maybe a little Mac vs. PC poking fun, but this is a war of the cultures. In the left hand corner we have the ELITES, who are up against THE EVERYDAY JOE. In one ad a woman says, "I don't know where Paraguay is!" to another woman. The two of them take joy in the fact that they no longer have to fake their intelligence because they can just drink their coffee like simple people under the glare of the golden arches. (Author side note: I do know where Paraguay is, so obviously I am above you!)

Unlike all of the other blog posts I've read about McDonald's new take on lattes I'm going to bite my liberal tongue and argue that these MikeyD commercials are a stroke of brilliance.

Wal-Mart Nation: Like it or not kids, we live in a Wal-Mart nation. This type of Sarah Palin "I'm just a simple American" attitude is very popular. Take it from Gretchen Wilson's hit single Red Neck Woman, which reached #22 in the Billboard Top 100. Or the fact that NASCAR has 75 million fans and has just become the 2nd most popular spectator sport.

So to the people of Wal-Mart nation, Starbuck drinkers seem like elitist know-it-alls, and McDonald's just gives them a place to fulfill their caffeine high for the comfortable price of $1.79. Plus, there is no better way to gain loyal followers than making fun of the other side. Think Burger King.

Why Starbucks anyways? It makes us all re-examine why we are paying bank for a beverage that costs 42 cents to make. Someone had to draw attention to this madness eventually. I mean, S-bucks isn't even organic.

Why didn't I think of this? Let's attack Starbucks for selling elitist lattes and then turn around and sell the exact same thing to a different group of people. Pretty much they are just surviving off the coffee culture Starbucks created in the first place. Without Starbuck's lead there would be little want for a McCafe. Genius. The devils sort of genius.

There's a catch. Are customers going to exchange their comfy chairs at Starbucks to the bolted down tables of McDonalds? If someone is unhappy with Starbucks don't you think they would try Dunn Brothers or Caribou first? But maybe that's not the point. Maybe the point is that jazz playing coffee shops are not your only options for caramel lattes.

All I have to say is God Bless America

Starbucks' WiFi Could Use a Little Cream and Sugar

Starbucks has been a popular player in the blogosphere lately but the company hasn’t been generating all positive vibes. Their time-out to train employees intended to emphasize their focus on quality, the throwback logo shows off their coffee making roots, and mystarbucksidea.com is aimed at getting consumers involved with the brand online. All well and good, but not when customers can’t even access the site for free from within Starbucks shops! Currently, Starbucks customers can pay for hourly WiFi passes, unless you are an AT&T broadband customer. Now riddle me this Howard Shultz, you make a site to engage with your consumers but you aren’t giving them the ability to access the site free of charge from within the walls of your stores? Talk about a missed epic opportunity. These customers are already paying $5 for a coffee and willingly choosing to spend their time inside Starbucks. They are loyal to the Starbucks brand, but still might not visit the mystarbucksidea site from home. By allowing customers to connect with the brand online and share their ideas while they are experiencing Starbucks, more useful truths and insights are likely to be posted and give the company the ideas that they had hoped for when creating this site.

Starbucks is missing the free trade boat on this one. Free WiFi access could be provided and users would be taken to mystarbucksidea.com and even prompt them to create an account. There is also potential to take this idea even further. Users could connect with other brand loyal customers within the cafes and converse with other online Starbucks customers around the world. I think Starbucks would want to leverage this portal and connect with their consumers on multiple levels all at one location, but I guess not. Now that Mr. Shutlz knows myyaybiaidea, maybe he should know that I always drink a Grande Americano. No cream or sugar.

The free WiFi/branded network conversation will continue later this week. Hang in there.