Brandkeys publishes this thing called the Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. According to this year’s index, Starbucks lost serious ground in ’07 for forgetting what made it a big name in the first place: the coffee experience.
Who’s winning the loyalty of Third Place defectors? McDonald’s, which stole ground from Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts last year. To leverage its swell in traffic, the burger-and-clown franchise is opening coffee bars throughout the States, and it’ll be pushing lattes, cappuccinos and frappes.
Maybe to prove there’s no magic to SBUX that can’t be duplicated elsewhere, McD’s will be calling its coffee peddlers “baristas” and making coffee machines visible over the bar.
Hrm. We’re having trouble picturing ourselves sipping macchiattos over a tile floor that smells like pee. But hey, two apple pies for $0.99? Can’t beat that.
