Awwww….just for ME?

I must be really special, because lately, global corporations are lining up to do things just for me: McDonald’s assures me that the meal I just ordered was “made for you”, a new program that ensures every sandwich is made when you order it (sort of like Wendy’s has done for years?); Starbucks reminds me that the drink I am ordering is “perfectly handcrafted for you”, which is how they’ve always been made, but now they have a marketing campaign to highlight this fact.

I appreciate the sentiment. It’s nice to feel like the businesses I patronize are concerned about my satisfaction, eager to demonstrate that I am not just another nameless customer in line to buy product. But I confess, I don’t believe a word of it. Which is strange, because what they’re saying is TRUE, yet I still don’t believe a word of it.

I understand why Starbucks wants me to think of them as my neighborhood coffee shop. People love their neighborhood coffee shop, but it’s not as convenient as Starbucks, so they opt to support the corporate giant. But the corporate giant doesn’t want to be labeled as the corporate giant, so they’re trying to make it personal, make it about me.

The trouble is, this new emphasis on personalization is exhibiting a new way to market, not a new way to do business. Starbucks is using the same automatic espresso-shot-generator they were using prior to this campaign, and the nature of the coffee business dictates that shots are pulled and served as quickly as possible. Thus, I feel like Starbucks is trying to shine me on, the same way a used car salesman would say, “The price? Well, for YOU, I can make a special deal.” Or to put it another way, I feel like it’s the marketing department that’s speaking to me, not the operations department. And we all know how full of ____ marketing people can be. (Wink.)

Rather than Starbucks saying they’re making drinks for me, I would like them to say they’re making their drinks better. When nothing changes except for the marketing tagline, I see no reason to change my coffee drinking habits, which include local coffee shops where my beverages have always been handcrafted especially for me. (I know this because I’ve seen it, not because they told me so.)