171 Starbucks in One Day: You Can't Buy This Buzz

During general Sunday morning activity, I noticed what looked like a paid product placement on NBC's Today Show.

Lester Holt sat across from a man in the studio and between them was a TV screen "filled to the brim" with a Starbucks logo.

That man was comedian Mark Malkoff who recently learned there are 171 Starbucks in Manhattan. He then proceeded to visit these 171 Starbucks -- in one day.

It took Malkoff a bicycle and $369.14 ($80 of which was spent on bribing a barista for one piece of pound cake at the 171st location that closed minutes before Malkoff arrived).

Is this positive PR for Starbucks? One could argue he's making light of their Manhattan ubiquity.

I'll argue that, while Malkoff's stunt is creative, he's doing little more than hitching his wagon to Starbuck's brand. But the end result is priceless -- some serious air time on a national network (during a slow news day). It's one more example of the power of a passionate customer and a brand with some serious gravitas.

You can’t buy that kind of buzz.

'9ami howa uploaded by FUNKYAH
tags | public relations | PR | media relations | Starbucks

Comments

[Colin McKay]

Speaking of starbucks, I like the quote from the Chinese television anchor that helped drive the chain out of the Forbidden City:

"I was having lunch with an Indian person today, and I said, 'Would you Indians allow a Starbucks to be inside the Taj Mahal?' And he said, 'No, of course not, we would never let that happen.' "

"The Forbidden City," Rui added, "is not an airport."

[Kevin Dugan]

These are good problems for a company to have, eh?

[Mike]

Radar Online provides a blow-by-blow diary of the Malkoff fiasco here: http://radaronline.com/features/2007/07/starbucks_manhattan_diary_1.php

[Geoff Livingston]

You'd have to say it's good, though bad for heart pressure.

[Lewis Green]

I find this interesting because in the late '90s when I worked for Starbucks in Seattle, Manhattan claimed 224 Starbucks. Could Mark have over-caffeinated and gone in circles around numbur 25 or 30?

[Jany]

Wait... he spent less than $2 at each Starbucks, if you count the $80 pound cake? How is that possible? Even gum there is like $1.99 plus tax...

Whether or not it's good PR depends on how Starbucks wants to position their message, no?

Colin, I LOVE the Forbidden city anecdote. Hilarious!