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Vienna, Austria is largely credited with creating the coffee house culture. Its venerable institution of a coffee shop, Café Central, was meeting place, workshop, living room for writers and political firebrands of all kinds. Revolutionist Leon Trotsky was just one famous patron. At the coffee house, you could be sure to connect with the most passionate and literate people around.

While that culture persists in Vienna and many European cities, critics argue that Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) and Dunkin Donuts have devalued coffee's key role in literary and political engagement. I argued last month that this was one of the key failings of Starbucks over the past several years and that the company should endeavor to reclaim the coffeehouse feel. And small steps indicate the chain is trying. Publication of the GOOD sheet and offering free coffee for those who vote seem designed to target the engaged. [Aside: Starbucks changed its qualifications to "anyone who asks" to keep on the right side of election law, which generally bars inducing someone to vote -- or convincing them not to vote -- by giving them anything of value.]

By aligning itself with an ad campaign that encourages voting and prompting its customers to delve deeply into a potentially political issue with its GOOD sheet, Starbucks is clearly attempting to rebrand itself from the accessory of the clueless pregnant celebrity (remember Britney Spears and Jennifer Garner while pregnant, always with a Starbucks cup in hand?) to the brain fuel of the cerebral community organizer. As bold and cutesy stuffed animals and children's insulated mugs are replaced on the counter space with an explanation of the economy or a description of U.S. immigration statistics, it's clear the company is working toward coffee house and away from its industry category ("quick service restaurant").

Recent management comments in last week's New York Times point to more ways Starbucks is working to appeal to the engaged, intellectual consumer.

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The Coffee Stock: Starbucks woos the engaged with free coffee, lessons originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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