I was sent an anecdotal story about Starbucks' venture into the movie biz, with their funded production of Akeelah and the Bee.
According to their website, "Akeelah and the Bee is a story that reflects the values of creativity, community, hope and perseverance which we at Starbucks hold dear" - sounds good enough, except does anyone else know or care about this?
Do Starbucks employees know what Akeelah is about - and I don't mean "it's a movie Starbucks made", which is the response I got at a local Bux, I'm talking about the why, so what and why should I care.
Do Starbucks customers know about this? The person who e-mailed me about this said they've been into 4 Starbucks now and not one person actually knew Akeelah was a movie...this after green paraphernalia has been littered around every Starbucks store.
According to the in-store coffee jackets, you're sent to a Starbucks.com/akeelah afterthought website as opposed to http://www.akeelahandthebee.com/
Bottom line is that there is no activation; no integration; no extension going on....why are baristas not quizzing random customers to spell a word and if they get it right, they get a free coffee. Where's the board game or the table-top conversation starters? Where's the pamphlet that tells consumers why Starbucks is in the movie business or what values are being tapped into in the process?
I can't help but wonder if this is nothing more than a caffeine-overdosed ego drive.
