Expensiccino

Why paper is a better idea for some publications

by Carl Natale on September 15, 2010

I’m an online guy. I believe the Internet is revolutionizing how we collect information. It has so many advantages over print publications. So when the Lorin Stein, editor of the The Paris Review, says they’re predominantly a paper magazine and will stay that way, I have to say that I agree. Here he is explaining […]

You must read Roger Dooley’s post on how marketing can divide people and exploit that. It’s why Apple has become a religion: In neuromarketing terms, our brains are hardwired to WANT to be in one or more groups. Brands that can be positioned to put their customers into a group will find that their efforts […]

Coffee bars are the new trend in peddling expensiccinos: Instead of idling at a chair, customers at these establishments stand or perch on a stool to down a cappuccino or an iced coffee at the counter. By doing away with the comfy seats, roomy tables and working outlets that many customers now seem to believe […]

Starbucks plans expansion onto supermarket shelves

by Carl Natale on August 24, 2010

Starbucks is looking to add more products to supermarket shelves. Finding new ways to grow is critical for Starbucks, which struggled in recent years after a strategy of growing by rapidly opening new stores had run its course. When the economy turned sour and many consumers could no longer afford pricey coffee drinks, Starbucks retrenched, […]

Why Starbucks doesn’t plan on raising prices

by Carl Natale on August 24, 2010

This is a great lesson on coffee pricing: Smuckers, which sells Folgers and Millstone coffees, recently said it was raising its prices because of the higher cost of beans. Starbucks, on the other hand, said it would absorb the higher cost of beans without raising prices. “You see it much more in the grocery store […]

Just in case you don’t know how an anchor affects your prices, you need to read this explanation: “Any time you have to estimate a numerical value, it turns out you’re very susceptible to the power of suggestion,” says William Poundstone, author of the new book Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to […]