johnmoore of Brand Autopsy was gracious enough to pay a visit to us business marketers in Tulsa at this month’s Business Marketing Association meeting. Speaking on Starbucks Tribal Knowledge (Business and Marketing Lessons Learned from Working Inside Starbucks), johnmoore gave a great presentation and left everybody wanting more.

One of my favorite nuggets within the presentation was Starbucks (unwritten) Code of Marketing Authenticity:
1. Be genuine and authentic.
2. Always say who you are, not who you aren’t (we don’t do this, we don’t do that).
3. Deliver on all promises made
4. Respect people’s intelligence. (even provide mental stimulation)
5. Never forsake the company’s heritage and personality for a short term gain. (i.e. no Starbucks combo meal)

John drew a great group of people and held their rapt attention the entire time. Although I had watched the Starbucks Tribal Knowledge presentation online, there’s nothing like the real thing.

Afterwards, I was lucky enough to continue the discussion with johnmoore at a local Starbucks (go figure) and pow-wow on a few topics… almost to the point of John missing his flight. Not being a frequent patron of Starbucks, I was unsure what to order. I had enjoyed a few mochas in the past, but figured there might be something better suited for my tastes. John recommended something that ended up being an excellent drink (what the heck was that thing John?). It will probably start putting a little dent in my monthly budget. By the way, all of this hullabaloo about John knowing the inner workings of Starbucks and he didn’t even finagle free drinks for us. Some inside expert!

All-in-all, Wednesday was wonderful. By the end of the day, I had gained a greater appreciation for Starbucks marketing philosophies, their product, their experience, and the very pleasant johnmoore who delivered on all promises made (see #3 above).

Everyone was captivated by what johnmoore shared

John drew a great group.

There were plenty of questions about Starbucks Tribal Knowledge afterward.