Monday, February 10, 2014

Dumb Starbucks premieres in the News

I couldn't believe it when I heard it! Dumb Starbucks. For real. I did a double take when I saw the news report. And they are serving real coffee with the Starbuck's logo. Now what is really up with that? Is this just Starbucks being cleverly stealth and further pushing their brand? Let's check it out to see what we can learn. I'll be back in a few minutes after I do a search online.

Meanwhile, grab a cup of Starbucks coffee and enjoy...or should I say Dumb Starbucks coffee?

Here's what I discovered:

  • The original Starbucks was contacted. They claim that "Dumb Starbucks" has nothing to do with the corporation known as Starbucks.
  • The owner of the "Dumb Starbucks", Ben Pankokin, released an FAQ on Twitter. Click this link to read it for yourself. Or paste this link into your browser:
 https://twitter.com/benpankonin/status/432554620515131392/photo/1

Here is a copy of the document that the owner claims gives Dumb Starbucks the right to use the real Starbucks logo with the added word prefixed. 

 

As for the new store's owner, he doesn't think the legal issue will be a problem because "Dumb Starbucks" is an obvious parody of "Starbucks". Hold on tight to your seats and watch the news about this rival store using an almost identical logo, cups and store design.

I'm still not convinced that it isn't a clever corporate Starbucks gimmick. I'll post an update on this interesting turn of events regarding my favorite coffee shop. Stay tuned and keep drinking that great coffee!

The Midnight Writer