Money Minute: When you wish upon a soy chai latte [Video]
In a match made in corporate-branding heaven, Starbucks says it will open branches inside Disney resorts in California and Florida. Yes, now you can enjoy your favorite caffeinated beverage as you hang with your favorite rodent.
So here’s a question: Why did it take so long for these super-popular brands to climb into bed together?
And here’s another: Why stop there?
The first of the Starbucks outlets is scheduled to open this summer at Disneyland California Adventure in Anaheim. The other locations are to be at the nearby Disneyland resort and the parks in Orlando, Fla.
Starbucks and the Mouse House say each of the Starbucks stores at Disney will be designed to blend in with their surroundings. At Disneyland, the outlet will be called the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe (as in the characters in the Three Little Pigs). The Starbucks name will be kept on the quiet side.
Clearly, though, Disney has more room to grow when it comes to big-brand partners. Each year, the marketing company Interbrand ranks the world’s top corporate brands. Starbucks isn’t even in the top 50 (while Disney is No. 9).
The top 5: Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft, Google and General Electric.
So if Team Mickey really wants to be ambitious (and bring in even more bling), the next logical step would be Donald Duck-themed soft drinks, a princess line of computer gear and software, a Mr. Toad’s Wild Web Search ride and kitchen appliances bearing assorted Pixar characters.
It’s a small corporate world, after all.
