Prescience by the cup

In April of 2007, we published a manifesto on ChangeThis.com by John Moore, author of the book, Tribal Knowledge, and the blog, Brand Autopsy , who made his mark in the marketing world by creating, championing, and implementing marketing ideas and branding ideals for Whole Foods Market and Starbucks Coffee. Moore's manifesto, "What Must Starbucks Do?" was written in response to Howard Schulz's concern about the direction Starbucks had been taking. Moore began his manifesto by proffering his own advice and then presenting a collecting of comments from his blog's readers about what they would like to see change at Starbucks. In the past couple of years, Starbucks certainly experienced a downturn, but a new article in The New York Times reports that things are looking up. What struck me as I read this article is that many of the changes Schulz and Starbucks have made in the past couple of years are exactly those called for by Moore and his readers, many of whom were disappointed Starbucks customers. Check out John Moore's manifesto, "What Must Starbucks Do?" and then compare it to both your current experiences at Starbucks (here's mine) and The New York Times article. It is an interesting diversion to see just how right on the predictions were and if your experiences have improved in ways laid out in the article, but also it is a valuable example of how a company, and a leader, can recognize trouble and respond accordingly.