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Object:
to adopt ambient urban protocols and narratives with which to generate environments
conducive to consumption, the so-called "public" space of commercial culture.
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If
each of the companies induces its own form of urbanism, Starbucks is the
New Urbanist of the group. The company takes offense when compared to big
box retailers like Wal-Mart since it does not undercut prices or build new
buildings in the suburbs, but rather leases and often renovates existing
buildings. In fact, the company likes to point out, it has been given awards
for environmental sensitivity. Starbucks believes it is making a cultural/sociological
contribution by supplying the so-called "third place" for social interaction,
"like an extension of the front porch." The company has scripted every moment
of the act of buying coffee, the sounds of the coffee machine mixing with
the sound of special music selections, together with the coffee aroma. "Partners"
are not allowed to wear perfume and no food that would produce competing
smells is allowed in the store. The internal and external presence is so
pervasive and enveloping that the company does not need TV advertisement
Instead, Starbucks urbanism is itself modeled after both small scale retail
and the timed repetition of broadcast media ads. |
