Nike, Starbucks, Apple.  Nike, Starbucks, Apple.  We've all heard enough about these three brands when it comes to great branding stories or case studies to make our ears bleed.  But I have to say, Starbucks, who more than anything is famous for building their brand off of the personalities and skills of their baristas, hasn't lost its stride. 

As it has become easier for smaller coffee companies to make a mark on cool (Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Counter Culture, etc.) Starbucks, rightfully or not, has somewhat become the AT&T of coffee shops – good enough to still tolerate for the typical coffee snob, but no longer very interesting, - and far from special. 

Regardless, while standing in line on Sunday night, my thumb (totally out of the blue – it has never done this before) decided to cramp.  Without missing a beat, the barista (I didn't even ask) jumped into action and gave me a three minute long hand massage, cured my cramp and reminded me why Starbucks, as a brand, is still spoken about in the same company as Nike, Apple and a small handful of other great brands.



Howard Schultz… if you're reading… Good work.