The benefits of Web 2.0 and the detritus of globalization have spurred companies to be more authentic and transparent with consumers. This is no secret, but it’s a concept that presents unique challenges to large consumer-facing businesses, and it sits in direct opposition to economies of scale. As the world has become more designed (for better or worse), the need for individuality and localization has become more dire. This yearning for individuality has been addressed by everything from the local food movement to the rise of Twitter to handwritten headlines on magazines’ covers (see Domino, NYLON and Rachael Ray). Consumers crave forums for feedback and a feeling of involvement and conversation. And corporations (the smart ones) know the basics of consumer behavior: the greater customer involvement, the more loyal a customer becomes. It doesn’t hurt that, in the end, customer care is a benevolent cause.
Outside Starbucks' new 15th Ave Coffee & Tea in Seattle's Capitol Hill
But enough theorizing. I’m wrapping up the summer with a quick trip to Seattle–a new place for me. Granted, I live in San Francisco, a city with a similar eco-friendly, power-to-the-people vibe. But I’ve been impressed with Seattle’s various neighborhoods, each with a well-designed but unpretentious feel. This city is a nice one.
After a trip to the obligatory Pike Place open-air market, a friend and I headed to Capitol Hill to check out one very earnest attempt at corporate authenticity: Starbuck’s new stealth store, 15th Ave Coffee & Tea. Say what you will about how this store has ripped-off the design of other local coffee shops (of which I’m not familiar since I don’t live here), but I thought the shop did a decent job of being true to their mission of serving individual cups of coffee and tea.
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