Influx

Starbucks is a strange brand; hated by many for its ubiquity, but loved for the simple indulgent pleasure it brings. When it went down in 2008- there were cheers from various quarters, the company had gotten too big too fast and those on the sidelines wanted to see if suffer. In the tough months...

Stumptown, Portland’s beloved coffee maker recently sold a stake in the business to a private equity company- TSG and this move, as predicted attracted a lot of negative press. It’s kind of like an early 90s indy band selling out to the major label. One of the most vocal was Todd...

Starbucks is a brand that grew from the ground up and always flirted with marketing in a a way that it never felt comfortable with. However, given a year of declining comp store sales and an erosion of the brand, marketing appears to be firmly back on the agenda. At a recent Goldman Sachs...

Ad agencies and brand consultants will tell their clients about the value of being single-minded and focused.In a saturated and complex world, being focused is always better. It’s just easier to communicate one idea, rather than several.  The problem with focus is it limits business. The...

Ray Kroc would never have dreamed that McDonald's would go into combat in a war over coffee, the fact it's doing so is a testament to the work of Howard Schultz and Starbucks. The elevation of the coffee experience in America has been done by Starbucks and now the fast food guys want a share of the...

Slate has a good story, although we've heard it before, about Starbucks and the independent coffee store. Contrary to popular imagination, Starbucks has helped grow the coffee house business for everyone. The article states:"According to recent figures from the Specialty Coffee Association...