A Tale of Two Neighbors
Regardless of state, county, and soon-to-be even city, we all have two neighbors in common: the current omnipresent Starbucks and the former but "still there" omnipresent McDonald's. As neighbors, we have all visited both to some extent over the past months and years, some of us more than others.
The question I want to pose is "what is the role of a neighbor"? Do they have any obligations to us? To our community? And if I change the question to "what is their role to us as customers?" do you come up with a different answer?
Both firms have several things in common. Both have either company owned or franchise outlets in our neighborhoods. Both hire from our neighborhoods. Both have three- to five-mile trade areas so their revenue comes from our neighborhoods. Both have us as their customers. But this is where the differences end...
As neighbors, we develop feelings for these local retail establishments. Some bad, most good (I hope). And as such we want to see them do well, to succeed. We may even have an idea for them that we want to share, hoping that they find it valuable. Let's look at how our two neighbors would react to accepting our ideas. First Starbucks.
At many Starbucks counters across the nation you will find a small tear pad. On one side of the tear pad is the statement "Have an idea for us?". Flip it over and you will see "Go to 'mystarbucksidea.com'". So not only do they accept one's idea but the promote it. When one arrives at the site, this is what is seen:
Very inviting, very warm, very encouraging... this make me feel valued and as if Starbucks cares about me as a... well, as a neighbor. This is what I would want from a neighbor. I can contribute, I can comment, I can vote, and I can connect with others if I care to. Let's compare that with our other neighbor, McDonald's.
Unlike Starbucks, McDonald's does not solicit ideas from its retail outlets. No tear pads, no signage, no indication (outside of the standard "if you have comments..."). So what is a caring neighbor to do if he or she has an idea? Let's start by going to the McDonald's web site.
On the bottom left of this USA contact page there is a link that, I think, will serve our purpose. It is the one labeled "Unsolicited Ideas". Kinda give you a warm and fuzzy feeling for lending a helping hand, doesn't it? Not "Share Your Ideas!", not "What's On Your Mind?", nothing that inviting or friendly. There should be icicles hanging off that link
But we click anyway hoping to find a warmer embrace upon the next page. Ah, to no avail. Upon reading this page one gets the notion that McDonald's (1) gets a lot of ideas, (2) because they get a lot of ideas they do not know how to allocate ownership and thus (3) put up the cold shoulder to avoid the whole damn thing. Notice the language at the end "greatly appreciate your interest in McDonald's". If that was truly the case why is it the last thing on the page? Why is the link labeled "Unsolicited Ideas"? Neither show great appreciation at all.
Let me again point out a key comparison between these two neighbors. Both have corporate and franchise outlets. And as such both face the same issues about customers, ideas, and intellectual property rights. But in one case, Starbucks, it is a warm and inviting approach to these issues. Their message to me, their neighbor, is "come on in and let me know what's on your mind". They have, in essence, figured it out. McDonald's, on the other hand, facing the same issues as their neighbor, Starbucks, has taken the Ostrich approach of burying its head in the sand and shutting down.
Are Starbucks' lawyers smarter than McDonald's? Do they know more about franchising, IP, or innovation? I think not. The answer lies, in my opinion, in the core of their values: Starbucks values its customers for all they can contribute, McDonald's only for their current visit...
And would you like me to SuperSize that for you today?
