coffee business strategies

I receive a lot of comments here at my CoffeeStrategies blog… most genuine (not counting the automated spam) and the occasional employment request or other solicitation. No, I am not hiring you or buying your product.

Every once in a while, however, I receive something that just sits out-of-place and requires further examination. Such a comment was received today.

11 Months ago, I wrote an article about the, then new, 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea store in Seattle, an unmarked Starbucks shop designed as their latest weapon against small business operators. Apparently torpedoing the Clover, did not quite work as planned. The article was quite popular and remains in the top few slots on Google when you search for “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea.”

Here’s the odd part; this morning I received the following comment on that ancient 11 month old article:

Author : NoTomorrw (IP: 216.254.20.152 , dsl254-020-152.sea1.dsl.speakeasy.net)
E-mail : matrix9986@speakeasy.net
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=216.254.20.152
Comment:
It’s a good thing that those two people that petitioned in front of the old Starbucks and to the new 15th Ave. Coffee and Tea were able and generous to spend their own time to keep this space available. I’m glad that the 15th Ave. Coffee and Tea is here… makes my day bearable to know that there is one good positive place that I can spend my free time!! Thanks guys!!!

Huh. That’s odd. “Two people petitioned?” What is the poster talking about? So, I decided to look it up and here’s what I found:

“Locals try to keep coffee flowing at doomed Starbucks.” Dated July 27, 2008. The poster’s comment apparently referred to the valiant and spontaneous efforts of two individuals: Jeremiah Moore and Loretta Donnelly, both pictured in the article. The “never before activists” and self-described “concerned citizens” sprung into action to get press for the “doomed” outlet of the corporate giant.

I particularly liked the comment by Stephen Colbert in the article:

“This is the kind of grassroots activism I like, the kind that helps sprawling corporate behemoths,” Colbert said. “And to think, I was about to sign this petition to end the violence in Darfur. What was I thinking? They don’t make Frappucinos.”

I had absolutely no recollection of this story, so how would a random reader of my blog? Who is the mysterious “NoTomorrow?” To answer that question, all we need to do is use that handy tool Facebook to search for the poster’s email address (kids today love the Facebook). Bet you’ll never guess who owns that email address: one Jeremiah Moore of Seattle, Washington. What a coincidence?!? Isn’t he one of the two “grass roots activists” pictured in that article. Apparently he’s still out there rooting for Starbucks, only describing his own actions in the 3rd person to make it seem like others are involved.

On a hunch that the whole “save our Starbucks” event (which I apparently missed the first time around) was a completely bogus publicity stunt, I decided to search for our other intrepid hero, Ms. Loretta Donnelly. In another amazing coincidence, Ms. Donnelly lists her employment on public adoptee search page as being a “Starbucks distribution partner.” Call -me- nuts, Ms. Donnelly, but isn’t disclosing that you are or ever have been paid by Starbucks a somewhat material fact in this story? Grass roots retiree? Fat chance.

As we have seen in their past “cheer chain” viral marketing schemes, Starbucks will hesitate to cross no ethical boundary in their relentless attempts to gain your sympathy and trust.

Rather than go through all of the effort to create these spectacles and then later cover your tracks with surreptitiously masked comments designed to give the appearance that the general public supports your actions, why not just focus on making a better product?

Don’t waste your time fooling the public into liking you better, just be better and the public support will follow.