The Starbucks Podcast: Overheated and Brewed Too Long
Sep 15th, 2006 | By James Lewin | Category: Audio Podcasting, Corporate Podcasts, Podcast Quickies 
Starbucks is the latest company to misstep with their initial attempt at corporate podcasting. Their podcast, Starbucks Coffee Conversations, is striking many as hard to swallow.
The first episode, Coffee 101 (MP3), features a discussion with coffee farmers and a taste-testing expert.
“All the things that give podcasting flavor — natural tone, passion, spontaneity, good music — have been brewed out of it,” says The Chicago Tribune’s Steve Johnson. “All that’s left are the soggy grinds of a PR-vetted promotional piece.”
Johnson’s reaction appears to be typical. The podcast comes across as overly scripted, lacking the spontanaeity and excitement of the best podcasts.
Starbucks will need to spend some time listening to successfull podcasts, and be willing to take some risks, if they want their podcast to become as addictive as their beverages.
Starbucks misses the point…
I wrote at the beginning of the month that Starbucks first step into podcasting was a missed opportunity.
Steve Johnson in a 600-word article in the Chicago Tribune* entitled “Podcasting dregs: Starbucks grinds out surprisingly flavorless product…