Powerful User Created Video Against Starbucks

December 21st 2006

I think this is yet another example of the power individuals have. Not that long ago we’d be lucky if anyone outside of the local papers would have seen this. But, thanks to the web the world can see it by uploading a file to one site. THAT is power!

And I will say right up front that I am not well enough versed in the coffee trade to know how I personally feel about this issue. I don’t know enough of the facts to form an opinion. I’m just captivated by the level of professionalism and directness without attacking in this video.

Now what would be truly amazing is if someone from Starbucks actually posts a video response to this directly through YouTube. Good or bad, change of policy or continuation of the current it would be the way I personally would recommend they react to it. Use the medium that it was given to them in.

Tip of the coffee mug to BusinessWeek’s Blogspotting for the tip. They mentioned a video of an official defending the actions but I can’t find it either so who knows.

Interesting times we live in.

Posted in Video | View Comments

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  • http://www.roninmarketeer.com John Wall

    Yeah, I can see the Starbucks video now… “We just decide to pay some of our suppliers more than the asking price because that’s the way a good business is run. It’s ok, people are fine paying $4 for a coffee, they won’t notice us adding another buck and making the cup smaller so that vendors who are unable to negotiate for themselves can get a premium.”

    How do I get my salary calculated that way?

  • http://www.fransinnovations.com MrFrans

    John that is bull. As long as they can pay the bosses millions of dollars every year, there is room to make the difference smaller. If you want to improve the world, it is right there.

    It is interresting that so far only 5500 people has seen that clip, and wonder if you truly are reaching the world

  • http://blog.neilcford.com Neil Ford

    The response from Starbucks can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dteTrEM7mlM&NR though it looks like it might be a different one to the one John found.

    - Neil.

  • http://www.roninmarketeer.com John Wall

    MrFrans that’s not bull, that’s how the market works. I challenge you to find any case where throwing more money at a vendor has ever provided any lasting social change in a political situation. There’s case after case of organizations throwing money at social problems, only to have the funds stolen by the political corruption or social graft that is causing the problem in the first place.

    I fully agree that CEO compensation is absurd in many cases, but I’ve got no solution to that. There’s no one with the power or motivation to walk into a boardroom and say “nobody deserves a cash bonus over $20 million dollars, that’s as much an atrocity as paying someone 3 cents”.

  • http://www.fransinnovations.com MrFrans

    Sure there are succes stories.
    http://www.fairtrade.net
    http://www.oxfam.org/en/programs/campaigns/maketradefair/index.htm
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stichting_Max_Havelaar
    http://www.maxhavelaar.ch/en/maxhavelaar/index.php

    Offcourse there are allways people why try to profit unfairly, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make a effort to imporve the situation.

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