Harvard Business Publishing

A further thought.
Launching products at the "edge" that may appeal light or non customers does not necessarily have to be seen as an affront to the incumbent core customers, it should be viewed as, and indeed marketed as another example of the enterprises willingness to experiment in pursuit of meeting custopmer needs. Not all experiments work, most do not, but in most cases, even your most rusted on customer will applaud the effort.

Allen Roberts

Starbucks was created in a time of significant changes in the approach to business, it is a product of a paradigm shift in marketing from price-product orientated strategies to value orientated ones - and now in a possible downturn, what was accepted in the new paradigm as added value, becomes in the parlance of the old school of selling, simply a "mark up". Since there are many analogies with the housing market and equitable value and many a cautionary tale - those wishing to embark on such ventures should adopt a mixed model or have serious contingencies - the ultimate losers are investors and of course all the employees.

This post discusses a fundamental issue on listening to customers that is important to any company - whether you are making coffee or cars - which is how to avoid a big mistake when choosing which customer feedback to adopt.
One of the key elements that makes Starbucks "Starbucks" is snob appeal. The very fact that some people don't appreciate the "boldness" of their brews is what sets Starbucks drinkers apart - they are different. When the unitiated turn up their noses at the "burnt" flavor, it makes the initiated feel more special. They are part of the society of bold coffee drinkers.
I believe this applies to many industries, and I agree that sub-brands are the way to go (can anybody say Starbucks Mellow Blends?)
I do wonder if Starbucks hasn't gone way beyond their core coffee snob audience with all of the pre-mixed sweet coffee drinks anyway, but I believe the point is still valid. Great topic.
I have a bit more on my blog at www.mbtmag.com/plmblog if you are interested or care to comment. I am new to posting here, so please forgive any lack of etiquette in placing the URL.

Very interesting question. The customers to listen to depends entirely on what you are trying to do.

If you look at what Pearl Jam are doing, they are focussing only on their existing customers. They are in an industry which has been dogged with the problem of piracy and falling CD sales. In such a time, they are showing as much loyalty and care towards their fan base as they are showing to them. For the record, Pearl Jam's last 10 albums have all made bumper profits for them.

In Starbucks' case, I think they definitely listened to the wrong people. Why fall into the "me too" syndrome ? Starbucks is iconic and icons move by different rules. They have to stick to what has made them a favourite in the first place.

Having said that, they can still win new clientele by offering them the customization. Presently they offer customization in virtually every aspect of drink e.g. temperature, no of shots, milk, sugar, size etc then surely they can offer the roast as a choice too.