Capitalism, at its most basic, is a system that enables the public to vote with its money. By offering or withholding funds, the public decides which companies succeed and which companies fail.

So as cynical and jaded as the public can be about the ubiquitous presence of Starbucks and its cultural influence over how we—we meaning the entire human race—perceive and consume coffee, it is important to remember that the public elevated the brand to global prominence.

As Starbucks continues its caffeinated march across multiple nations and generations, we see a growing opportunity for brands that cater to people who–gasp!–love coffee but don’t love Starbucks. Some folks, for example, think Starbucks coffee tastes bitter or burnt (and this isn’t just the Dunkin’ Donuts crowd).

Enter actor Patrick Dempsey–yes, that would be Dr. McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy. The man who isn’t a doctor but plays one on TV just purchased Tully’s Coffee, a chain based in Starbuck’s own hometown of Seattle, Washington which filed for bankruptcy in October. At auction, Mr. Dempsey and his group Global Baristas outbid six other competitors (including Starbucks and Baristas Coffee Co.), paying $9.15 million for the company. Read more

Times Square in New York City will, once again, become the sun in our universe of public relations.

Not only are 1 million guests personally attending the lowering of the Times Square Ball down One Times Square building, but 1 billion more people are expected to tune in via TV and digital devices as the world rings in 2013. It doesn’t get any more public than that.

ABC’s annual “New Year’s Rockin Eve” has helped make Times Square the most expensive billboard advertising real estate on the planet, with companies such as Dunkin’ Donuts
paying $3.6 million a year for its signage and Anheuser-Bush shelling out $3.1 million for its space on One Times Square building.

This year, of course, the world will miss the iconic personality of Dick Clark. Yet the tradition will continue as this year’s Times Square Ball, made of Waterford Crystal (so keep the kids out of the Times Square dining room), heralds the theme “Let There Be Peace.” Indeed. That is one sentiment we can all agree on.

Happy New Year to all of our wonderful readers and thank you for supporting PRNewser. We’re looking forward to a healthy, safe, and productive 2013 with all of you!

For a live stream of the celebration visit the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2013 Live Webcast.

A recent survey commissioned by rbb Public Relations and performed by IBOPE/Zogby International received a bit of media attention over the past few weeks, and with good reason: its most significant revelation was the fact that “83% of consumers would pay more for a product/service from a company they feel puts them first.”

The survey concerned the phenomenon of “breakout brands” that achieve the enviable goal of customer loyalty and steady market share by dealing directly with their customers rather than playing a never-ending game of Battleship with their competitors. And its list of 2012’s “Top 10 Breakout Brands” ran the gamut from universally-beloved names like Apple and customer service leaders like Zappos to controversial brands like Chick-Fil-A.

What led rbb to commission this survey? While researching older marketing strategies, founder Christine Barney noticed that brands no longer followed the classic “challenger” approach typified by the Avis tagline “We’re only No. 2 in rent a cars. So why go with us? We try harder”. This Don Draper-style message may have worked in the 60’s, but it’s no longer relevant. So how have branding strategies evolved?

Barney lists three primary traits of the “breakout brand”:

1. They lead by putting the customer first, not distinguishing themselves from rivals. Customers don’t care about brand fights.
2. They use market research and knowledge of their customer base to anticipate their customers’ desire. Did the public realize they wanted tablets before the iPad arrived?
3. They communicate in ways that go well beyond traditional customer service, developing “rich feedback loops” with their customers.

Can any brand break out? Theoretically, yes—“breakout” does not necessarily mean new. Barney also lists three distinct types of breakout brands:

Read more

The Washington Post: Facebook IPO Spirals in Wake of Lock-Up Expiration

Advertising Age: PR TV: ‘The Pitch” Granted Second Season on AMC

Forbes: Treasury Dept. Puts Squeeze on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

Los Angeles Times: Mobile PR: Dunkin’ Donuts Begins Accepting Payments Via App

The New York Times: Digital Retailers Take Fitting Room Experience Online

Today is National Coffee Day and some companies are using the holiday to give away free coffee, which is great.

You have until 11a.m. to get your free cup at 7-11 and Krispy Kreme* will get you caffeinated for free all day, and rumor has it that McDonald’s is offering free joe.

It doesn’t look like Starbucks is giving anything away, but you can give them (or Nordstrom’s) $85 for a fancy Alexander Wang t-shirt with a coffee-stain stencil of the Starbucks mermaid. The tee (at left) has nothing to do with coffee day. Rather it’s for Starbucks’ 40th anniversary and there are three others at the same price, all created by CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award winners. Wethinks we like free coffee better.

[h/t NY1]

*Correction after the jump.

Read more

What obesity epidemic? Today is National Doughnut Day and Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme, and LaMar’s are handing out freebies to celebrate. So if you need some sugar to make it to lunchtime, head on over.

At Dunkin’, you have a buy a beverage to get the free donut, and it has to be something that doesn’t come pre-packaged like a bottle of soda. At Krispy Kreme, it’s a free-for-all.

Strangely, National Doughnut Day was started by the Salvation Army as a day to honor the women who gave soldiers doughnuts during WWI. More than 10 million are sold each year, putting them second in baked goods to bread. More doughnut info is available in this Huffington Post infographic. It might be bathing suit season, but you’re eating doughnuts for historical reasons, so it’s OK.