Starbucks new site provides even more good PR

Following up on its recent store closing & training event--for which it received glowing press coverage (see our posting "Was Starbuck's 3.5 hour closing worth it?")--Starbucks has gone and created even more positive PR with its latest move to engage its customers online.

Lara alerted us to the article "Starbucks' new site draws thousands of suggestions" which details the new consumer-facing website called My Starbucks Idea. The site asks customers to "shape the future of Starbucks" in four ways: Share, Vote, Discuss, See.

Pay particular attention to the "See" section where you can see the customer-submitted ideas that were actually adopted.

What Lara found most PR-worthy is how they’ve taken the “let’s talk and maybe it will impact action” concept and made the action a measurable component.  It makes the consumer feel like they're actually impacting change. Power to the people.

The site also requires you to create an account to participate--which builds the company's database of loyal customers to mobilize for future promotions. Brilliant!!