Well Played, Starbucks

In a “PR 2.0” world, it’s easy to overlook a good example of plain-old traditional public relations that works, even without a fancy social media release or a slew of blog posts. After all, considering that a good chunk of PR practitioners are still entirely unfamiliar with social media, isn’t it important to acknowledge some old school prowess now and then?

Starbucks, for example, has deftly dodged what could have been a sticky situation this week. Before health advocates and childhood obesity experts could start beating their drums too loudly about the fact that children and teens enjoy the popular coffee chain’s fat and sugar-laden beverages as much as their adult counterparts, Starbucks announced this week that it was changing its policy towards younger customers.

That is to say, it’s acknowledging they exist, and taking steps to create more healthful options for them to choose from. Consumerist posted about this earlier today, and I have to say I admire the straightforward technique the company is using here. They’re recognizing that kids are enjoying their products more and more, and are cutting the bad PR off at the pass by taking control of the story. By addressing it publicly themselves and laying out the steps they’re taking, they make it all the tougher for critics to make things hairy for them.

I also admire the straightforward approach of their spokesman, Brandon Borrman:

“‘We need to be realistic about who comes into our stores, so if we have children who are coming into our stores that are on their own, we want to make sure that we have products that are appropriate to that age group,’ Borrman said. ‘Do we have an alternative to a venti-size caffeinated beverage that would be more appropriate?’

[…] ‘What we want to do is recognize the fact that there are people who are under the age of 18 who come into our stores,’ he said.”

And is there anything wrong with that? I’ve always maintained that America’s ever-expanding waistline has much less to do with the availability of junk food (and make no mistake, Starbucks is junk food, go check out their nutritional info sometime) and more to do with a lack of personal—and parental—responsibility. And yet, the junk food providers still take the PR hit.

Starbucks can’t stop a teenager from ordering a giant caramel frappucino macchiato any more than McDonald’s can stop them from ordering a Big Mac. All they can do is try to provide alternatives and hope for the best.

What do you think? Did Starbucks make a good move here?

Technorati tags: Starbucks, traditional PR, obesity

Flickr Photo – tammydmoon