Starbucks Coffee Company just launched
www.mystarbucksidea.com, and I have to admit that when I first saw it, I said to myself, “Oh, brother.” The fact that they printed little cards that could be picked up in-store, which read “Have an idea for us?” on one side, and listed the website on the other, made me think the company must be really desperate for ideas to have to go this far.
“One-night-stand” style research and mass-media advertising will become increasingly passe and inefficient now that companies are establishing websites and panels that give them more personal (and less commercial) connections with some of their core consumers. Not only does this allow them to monitor and understand these consumers’ needs and mindsets regarding a certain part of the consumer’s life, but it also provides a convenient interface for testing ideas for innovation purposes.
Perhaps you’ve heard about those boutique frozen yogurt stores that have popped up in L.A., like Pinkberry (now numbering 21 stores). For those tracking the lives of fashion models and celebrities, this has been a novel trend to watch. But sometimes such chi-chi fa-fa trends can roll over to the mainstream, which is exactly what is happening to frozen yogurt -- again.
The Turover Straus Group Inc Website
QSR Magazine Column
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