McStarbucks

It seems that Starbucks and McDonalds are starting something. Don't know who hit who first, but it appears that both are trying to take the other's business. I never thought it would be those two, I mean, talk about different marketing approaches / audiences ...

I've read several articles in the past few days about big changes that both companies are making. The first article I read claimed there will be a new Coke vs Pepsi war (similar to the cola wars of the early 90s except that this one involves iced coffee beverages). Pepsi has long been partnered with Starbucks, that's how Starbucks' beverages get distribution. But Coke has recently announced a partnership with Caribou Coffee. So it begins...

Now this seems to have nothing to do with McDonalds, but as well you should know, McDonalds is partnered with Coke and Kentucky Fried Taco Hut is Pepsi. McDonalds (as well as most fast food chains including BurgerKing) has recently announced that they will be upgrading their coffee. Now, if they were using Caribou, they'd probably have announced *that*, they'd be stupid not to. But that's just Kat thinking out loud.

The second article came just one day later. Several McDonalds in the Lewisville Kentucky area will be experimenting with new interiors. Trying to make people stay longer in a McDonalds! Free (with purchase) WiFi in a McDonalds! What a cultural shift! McDonalds!!! This is the company that practically INVENTED harsh cafeteria style interiors to 'get em in and get em out'! This is rather big news...

And today I read that Starbucks is starting a line of breakfast sandwiches. Whoa. Now McDonalds hasn't been topping the charts these past few years. They're not doing poorly, just not record sales n' whatnot. But one thing that McDonalds OWNS, over all fast food chains, is breakfast. No chain does as well as McDonalds when it comes to breakfast. Other chains have dabbled in breakfast, I think I heard Wendy's tried it and Taco Bell too. But no one has come close to the Egg McMuffin and the McGriddle. McDonalds truly owns fast, cheap, on-the-go (greasy and disgusting) breakfast.

So wow. Read those articles. I think they're fascinating. Let me just say, for the record, that I'm not a fan of either McDonalds or Starbucks. I don't frequent either. But in our capitalist culture, big businesses like those guys are harbingers of cultural shifts. If McDonalds is changing, it means something. People are asking for different things. And it's fun to wonder why.

ps: you have to understand my sense of humor a little to get the image above. i think ridiculous photoshop shit is funny... some people don't. their loss.